In the New Testament, you would be hard pressed to find one example of a believer who was not baptized. There are examples, of course. The thief on the cross obviously was not baptized before his death. In the same way, many people throughout history have been converted on their deathbeds and were unable to be baptized. That is understandable. What is less easy to understand is the millions of Christians in the world today who call Jesus King and yet have refused to obey His clear command to be baptized. This disobedience classifies them as immature believers at best, deceived unbelievers at worst. Baptism may not be necessary for salvation, but it is necessary as evidence of true salvation, and it ought to be taken seriously.
The Price of Obedience
Consider the price that many Christians paid in the 16th century in obeying the Bible's command to be baptized. The vast majority of the public had received an inauthentic "baptism" when they were born, and were considered baptized by the European states. These European governments made decrees threatening any who attempted to be "re-baptized" as adults. Yet, there were many who became convinced by the Scriptures that to refuse to be baptized as a believing adult was to be disobedient Jesus. At the cost of their lives, they obeyed their Lord.
The decree of Germany and Austria read as follows: "every Anabaptist and rebaptized person of either sex [must] be put to death by sword, or fire, or otherwise." The persecution began in Ulrich, Switzerland between the years of 1527 and 1532, when six of the first "Baptists" were bound, taken by boat to a deep section of the river Limmat, and drowned. In 1528, a re-baptized man called Hubmaier was burnt at the stake in Vienna, his re-baptized wife burnt three days later. The following year, a re-baptized man called Blaurock was scourged, exiled, and burnt at the stake in the town of Tyrol. In the town of Gorz, the house where a group of re-baptized people were meeting for worship was burnt to the ground. In 1531 alone, the town of Gorz saw the death of over 1000 re-baptized men and women. The nearby town of Ensisheim recorded 600 put to death in that year. The persecution spread to England, Holland, and all throughout Europe - thousands gave their lives to be obedient to Jesus in this matter of baptism.
If you lived in 16th century Europe, where the baptism of believing adults was considered illegal, would you be willing to obey Jesus at the cost of your life? Are you willing to do so today?
The Mode of Baptism
How should a person be baptized? Should they be sprinkled, or immersed? I think that there are at least two reasons why we must favor the latter mode of baptism. First, in verse six, when we read that "they were being baptized by him?," the phrase "being baptized" in the Greek is the word "ebaptizonto", which literally means "being dipped in". It is difficult to see why Matthew would have used this word, or why John would have been known as John the Baptist (literally, "John, the dipper") if he had been practicing anything other than immersion in the Jordan River.
Second, 1 Peter 3:21 and other passages seem to imply that the baptism of Christians is somehow connected to the resurrection of Jesus. When the Christian is placed beneath the water, the picture is that of the death of Jesus. When the Christian brought back up out of the water, the picture is that of the resurrection of Jesus. Just as Christ died, baptism speaks of our dying to sin; just as Christ rose, baptism speaks of our rising again to new life in Him. This is a picture that can only be portrayed through an immersion type of baptism. In sprinkling, this picture is lost.
This is not to say that there can never be exceptions. There are occasions when baptism by immersion simply isn't practical, such as in the case of a person confined to their bed or in a wheel chair, or a person with an extreme phobia of water. In these circumstances, I do not think we ought to be legalistic about a full-immersion baptism, but should feel comfortable in using sprinkling or some other mode. Nevertheless, these circumstances should always be the exception - not the norm. This passage shows clearly that the baptism God ordained was that of immersion, and that ought to be the typical baptism that we practice.
Ultimately, the issue of baptism is an issue of obedience. If you have repented of your sins and placed your trust in Christ, yet have disobeyed His command in this area, please ask His forgiveness for your disobedience and seek out baptism in the church that you atten
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