Biblical Water Baptism – A Model Practice, Baptism Maximized

Biblically: When Should Baptism Happen?

As soon as people are saved, have been taught about baptism, and have decided to turn from sin, it is designed by God as the next proper and right action of obedience toward Him. It is good, right, and healthy to learn to be as obedient as possible to the good commands of God as fast as possible. Faith – believing He is alive – and confession, with an action in our body, so faith in Jesus and His finished, perfect work on the cross alone, saves!

Baptism is one of the clearest symbols of salvation: life before Christ, burial with Him, the washing away of sins, and resurrection to a new life empowered in and by the Holy Spirit. Baptism – if we speak, believe, expect, and act on it – is a perfect place for a major faith-action touch point with God: for repentance, baptism in the Holy Spirit, deliverance, healing, restoration, and prophecy. So we will step out in faith, believe it, act on it, go for it, and expect all of that to happen there.

Biblically: Who Can Baptize?

Anyone can baptize. People can even baptize themselves. The best is if a baptized person baptizes a believer who is not yet baptized after coming to faith. Many times it is helpful if the head of a household can do it – even along with an experienced believer. It seems Jesus and Paul made a point of not being the ones who baptized, so no one could claim: “Oh, I got baptized by a bigger person than you did – and I belong to them.”

Biblically: Where Can Baptism Be Done?

Anywhere there is water. It can be in a church building with family and friends – but there is no requirement for this. I encourage all believers who can to get a private baptism pool. Foldable bathtub options can be bought for little money. If there is no water, or very little, do the best you can with what you have to symbolize baptism.

Biblically: What Is Baptism?

• Baptism is a command from God to follow Jesus – who Himself was baptized as part of God’s plan for Him. It is a brilliant symbol of the Christian faith and life, and a first response from us to take action on our faith. And things can happen when we do it as He says – as with other commands from God. It is a point of shaking up the normal and going 100% “all in” for God. Dying to the old life of unbelief and sin, and rising up to the new. Getting out of the comfort zone. This is a key given by God through which we express faith, and it breaks new ground into new freedoms because of the simple obedience it represents at its core. It is a major, all-in “touch point” of faith – and the Holy Spirit can therefore move powerfully there.
• Baptism is a clear opportunity – a perfect biblical point – to call the person being baptized to full surrender and the deepest heart-to-heart repentance: turning completely from all sin to the perfect love of the Father, confessing any specific known sin and all the roots of that sin. It’s a great opportunity for completely coming clean, totally forgiving all and surrendering all, then symbolically burying it and being cleansed from it – and then rising up into the forgiven, Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered, Spirit-focused life of being “the beloved disciple.” This attitude and repentance – turning from sin to the goodness of God – produces clarity, humility, and freedom for God to move, and paves the way for some or all demons to go, if any are there.
• Baptism is acting by faith on the will of God, whether or not blessings follow. It is stepping out in faith. It is being obedient to the command of God and believing in the promises of God.

Does Baptism Save – or Do Something Unique, Like “Killing the Flesh”?

No. We can add no deed on top of simply believing and receiving what Jesus already did perfectly, forever, for us. He gave us a perfect gift of forgiveness, perfection, and complete adoption as best friends of Him, Daddy, and the Holy Spirit. This saves: faith in and action on (confession in the flesh = action) believing that Jesus is alive (risen), and choosing to make Him the Master – and ourselves His apprentices. We are saved by complete, perfect, undeserved forgiveness, by Jesus taking our sins on Himself on the cross forever – we choose to receive absolutely free forgiveness through the blood of Jesus (Justification by Faith – Perfect in God’s Eyes, as a Free Gift).

Our obedience toward baptism is the same as our obedience toward all the other commands of Jesus. It does not make us more saved. Not obeying it does not make us less saved. Baptism, however, is meant by God to be one of our first of many, many acts of loving obedience to His good, fair, loving commands. We obey because He loved us first. We get baptized and obey God in all areas of life.

Baptism does not save or change anything; it is no different from our forgiving, taking communion, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, tithing and giving, serving, praying, reading the Bible and doing what we read, sharing our faith, and submitting in love and obedience to Him in all areas of our lives – to His will, His leadership, the principles in His Word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We surrender sexuality, identity, love, relationships, careers, where we live, what we do, which local family assembly of believers to be part of, etc.