Against Sprinkling and Affusion

Introduction

Another distinctive that makes us different than most other denominations is the way we baptize. We would call this the mode of baptism. Just as long as people have been baptizing babies, they have also been baptizing in different ways. Some denominations because of the baptism of infants have chosen to sprinkle although I know others who baptize babies by immersion. They would go back to the various types of ceremonial washings in the OT some of which included sprinkling. In Numbers 19:9 “And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.” The ashes would be mixed with water and then sprinkled on the congregation Numbers 19:13 “Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.” This belief is tied again to their belief in the continuity from the OT to the NT. Hebrews 9:13–14 “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” This is again in the context from Hebrews 8:13 “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

Often times in the presbyterian churches they do so by affusion or pouring water on the heads. They would say that this is a picture of the pouring of the Spirit in Ezekiel 39:29 “Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” There is some really early evidence that affusion was practiced. The Didache written in the early 100’s as a manual for church services says this:

Now concerning baptism, baptize thus: Having first taught all these things, baptize ye into (eis) the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, in living water. And if thou hast not living water, baptize into other water; and if thou canst not in cold, then in warm (water). But if thou hast neither, pour water thrice upon the head in (eis) the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Notice though that here immersion in running water was the norm and affusion was an exception. The early church called these clinic baptisms.

There was a controversy over affusion in the mid-200’s around Novatian. Eusebius the first church historian and a preacher named Cornelius who opposed Novatian record that Novatian was dying on his death bed when he asked to be baptized. Because he could not be taken to the river, they poured water on his head. Novatian recovered from his illness and went on to become an elder in the church of Rome. When a disagreement arose in the church of Rome over readmitting “professing believers” who had left the church under persecution, a rift arose between Cornelius and Novatian. Cornelius claimed that Novatian should not be an elder because his baptism was not after the standard practice.

So early on we see that immersion was the standard practice while other methods at best were looked at as alternatives only in emergency cases. But the rift over accepting those other baptisms was an issue in the early church. So what I hope today to do is provide three reasons we as Baptists hold to baptism by immersion as the legitimate method of baptism.

The Definition of the Word shows Immersion

A from of the word baptize is used atleast 74 times as a verb and 23 times as a noun in the NT. Each of them come from the same root word in Greek. Early bible translators chose to transliterate the word baptize because it was already a common word in use in the church. I believe that to some extent the also chose to stick with this word because of their religious affiliations. The KJV translators were Anglicans.

A. Definition

If you look up the Greek word for baptize, you will find this definition to wash, to dip or to plunge. The meaning pretty clearly includes the idea of going down into the water completely and coming back up again. It was often used for clothes that was being dyed in a vat. You would take the garment and dip it completely under the water and dye mixture. If you didn’t dip it completely, you would end up with something like tie dye. This is one of the main reasons why we hold to baptism by immersion. The word itself speaks of complete submersion under water. Evidence that this has been the understood Greek meaning of the word is found in the fact that the Greek Orthodox church to this day still baptizes by immersion.

B. Other word choices

λουω- louo- to wash

νιπτω- nipto- to rince the extemities

κεω- keo- to pour

If the scriptures had wanted to leave the door open for other methods of baptism there were other words it could have used. Scriptures could have used the word louo to wash or bathe. This could have left room for splashing water over the body. They could have used the Greek word nipto which means to wash the extremities which does not include a full submersion. The word keo could have been used for to pour if that was the intended meaning. The Greek language was fully capable of using other words if those meanings had been the intended meaning.

C. Spiritual uses

One of the arguments against defining baptism as immersion is that there are passages which use it in a spiritual way that they claim is hard to imagine meaning immersion. One example we will look at in more detail later are the passages that speak of spirit baptism. These passages teach us that we are baptised into Christ’s death. But the idea of complete immersion is still in view here. The spiritual reality pictures a complete death of the old man. while the flesh remains, I am completely dead to the old man and who I used to be by the death of Christ. I take full part in Christ’s death, not just partial part in it.

Another passage which uses the idea of baptism in a non-literal way is 1 Corinthians 10:1–2 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;” Let’s take this apart in two ways:

Paul is painting a picture. The argument is that none of the Jews got wet in the Red sea because the red sea split open for them; so therefore they did not go under water completely. Notice the phrase under the cloud that Paul uses here. Paul does say they went under something. What are clouds made of? water. So they went under and through water in Paul’s analogy.

But more important that that. This baptism was not a literal water baptism. Moses wasn’t dunking people in the red sea or pouring water on their heads or sprinkling them with water. Paul says they were baptized unto Moses. One of the symbols of Baptism is being placed under the authority of someone. When a Christian gets baptized they are saying they desire to live under the authority of Jesus and be associated with Him. Here the children were placed under the authority of Moses. The picture is being completely under their authority. In a way submerged under their authority.

The Biblical Examples of Baptist show Immersion

Not many of the biblical examples tell us directly how baptism was done, but there are enough hints and or direct statements that point to immersion. I want us to look at three tonght:

The Baptism of John- when John was doing his baptism of repentance preparing the way for the Messiah, he did so in the river Jordan. The location he chose was specifically chosen because there was much water there. John 3:23 “And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.” now let me ask you this: do you need a lot of water to sprinkle people? How about pouring a cup of water over people’s head? 12 oz should do it right. John chose this location because people could be immersed in the water.

2. Matthew 3:16 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:” In this passage, Jesus walks out into the water. Now why not just stand on the shore if it was sprinkling or pouring. but notice the phrase out of the water. As Jesus comes up out of the water the heavens open and the spirit descends like a dove. But the key here is coming up out of the water.

3. Acts 8:36–39 “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.” Similar wording is used in this passage where they go down into the water and come back up again out of the water.

The Picture of Baptism shows Immersion

Probably the biggest piece of evidence that baptism is by immersion is the picture it is intended to paint for us. Baptism is a symbol of something. Larry Oats comments that the form is tied to the meaning. So if you change the form, you change the meaning of the rite. Paul uses the picture of baptism to represent our death, burial and resurrection with Jesus Christ. or as we have preached on Sunday Mornings, our union with Christ.

Romans 6:3–4 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Colossians 2:11–13 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”

When we go under the water that pictures death and burial. We are laid under the waters. Bringing us back up again pictures the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While there are other truths sprinkling could picture like the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat or affusion as the pouring of the Spirit upon us, this was not the picture baptism was intended to represent. It is a reminder of the gospel and a message to all who see of the gospel.

Conclusion

When it comes to the mode of baptism, the evidence seems pretty clear. Both Calvin and Luther admitted as much though they refused to practice it in their churches. As baptists, we believe the only legitimate baptisms outside of possibly emergency scenarios out to be baptism by immersion. This isn’t an issue of conscience as the scripture is quite clear on the mode of baptism and it does become a dividing line when it comes to worship.

There is one other mode of baptism that I want to bring up briefly. That is whether we dip once or three times. Some churches believe in baptizing you three times in the names of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I do believe this is a matter of conscience and is something we can agree to disagree upon. The key passage in this debate is Matthew 28:19–20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The question is whether this is three separate names or one name. I personally believe this passage emphasizes the Triunity of God. The word name here is singular. We have one name for three persons. So this is why we only dip one time in the waters.

Here is my challenge to you tonight, if you have never been biblically baptized; we can take care of that. I would ask you to come forward and we can schedule a time to baptize you. This is a step of obedience and it is a pledge of our allegiance to Christ.