“Immersion in water is necessary to the due administration of the ordinance. If not the proper biblical mode, it is not a biblical baptism.” —J.L. Dagg
Early American Baptist leaders like John Smythe, have stated it with great resolve: “We have practiced no baptisms, except believer's baptism, since the day of Pentecost.” He further explained, “The right subject of baptism is the penitent believer and not an unconscious infant; and the only mode, immersion, for a burial with Christ.” However, at the time, most Christian experiences were not in a Baptist context. Zealous believers like Adoniram Judson, raised in a Congregational home and baptized as a baby, experienced a dramatic conversion to Christ. The fire God kindled in his bones led him to become the first missionary sent from America in 1812. Yet, during his four-month voyage to India, he found himself preparing a defense of his baptism experience. After all, soon to meet the famed Baptist Missionary William Carey in India, the topic was bound to come up. His wife, Ann, confronted by their findings, expressed their deep concern: 'We knew it would wound and grieve our dear Christian friends in America—that we should lose their approbation and esteem. These things were very trying to us, and caused our hearts to bleed for anguish. We felt we had no home in this world, and no friend but each other.' He and Ann spent much time delving into the depths of the subject. Being confronted with its reality, Judson gave the summary: “After many painful trials, which none can know but those who are taught to relinquish a system in which they had been educated, I settled down in the full persuasion that the immersion of a professing believer in Christ is the only Christian baptism.” They were baptized by Carey in Calcutta.
Reckoning our personal experiences to the pattern of scripture is often painful, one that must overcome misunderstandings, relationships, and training; but it's a reckoning that must be done. Our allegiance is not to families, friends, denominations, or churches, or even our own feelings, but to Christ Jesus.
The Mode in the Meaning
What gives us sufficient clarity to emerge from this with such resolve? Answer: The meaning of the word for the rite of baptism and the examples of baptism in Scripture leads to only one mode: Immersion. According to Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich,1 baptism “βάπτισμα” (baptisma) refers to the act of plunging or submersion in water. Their lexicon provides detailed New Testament usage, concluding that the early Christian practice of baptism involved a full immersion in water. This follows the thinking of Greek scholar A.T. Robertson2, who maintained that “baptism” always signifies “immersion,” even in its figurative use. In its use in Old Testament passages3 like Isaiah 21:4 baptism is understood in the like sense of “overwhelming.” Similarly, in 1 Kings 18:32-38, the Greek and Latin fathers spoke of Elijah baptizing the altar and sacrifices with water—thus overwhelming it for the visual force of the subsequent miracle. Robertson contended that there is nothing in the New Testament to counter this interpretation. Any serious approach to the meaning of baptism must come to this unrivaled interpretation, and sometimes this flies in the face of our personal experiences.
Factor #2 - Mode
Was My Baptism performed in the proper Biblical Mode?
The Mode in the Biblical Models
The specific examples from the New Testament, where the acts of baptism are actually depicted, are not plentiful but do reveal important aspects that support immersion's meaning in the normal application of the word:
Matthew 3:13-17 (also Mark 1:9-10): This passage describes the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It explicitly mentions Jesus “coming up out of the water,” indicating immersion. John 3:23 notes John the Baptist baptizing in Aenon near Salim because “there was plenty of water there,” an abundance that would be required for immersion over some other mode.
In Acts 8:36-39, the Ethiopian eunuch's baptism by Philip includes them going “down into the water” and “coming up out” of it in a like manner. The eunuch's recognition of the need for abundant water for the rite is clearly declared: “And as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’” The practice of carrying water was essential in the ancient Near East, especially in regions like Judea, where Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch were traveling. Being a man of some status (as he was in charge of the treasury of the Queen of Ethiopia), he would likely have attendants or a caravan with him, which would likely include provisions for water. Yet, whatever water he had was deemed insufficient in comparison to amount of water that drew his attention.
Acts 16:14-15, 33: These passages describe the baptisms of Lydia and her household: “And on the Sabbath day, we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized...” Lydia was baptized in Philippi, with the only logical conclusion being that this baptism took place in the very river where she believed the Gospel.
Calvin, approaching these examples, rightly concluded, “The very word baptizé... signifies to immerse; and it is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient Church.”4
With the clear meaning and New Testament depictions, there is no warrant for any other mode of baptism such as dabbing, misting, drizzling, sprinkling, or pouring. The clearest intention is not only cleansing but also burial, as we will explore in the next section. Even if some of these terms are used in other cleansing rituals of the Old Testament, the command in the New Testament is fulfilled only with this practice in mind.
With certainty, the struggle to overcome incomplete or inaccurate modes can be emotionally straining, but in the end our allegiance to Christ and his Word must be the final guide. As John L. Dagg, an early Southern Baptist theologian, wrote in his manual of church order, “Immersion in water is necessary to the due administration of the ordinance. If not the proper biblical mode, it is not a biblical baptism.”5 Whatever our personal experience in baptism, we must come to a moment of reckoning becasue God has spoken on the issue. What He thinks must rise above my feelings, denominational alignment, and what other believers think about me. If the mode of Baptism matters to God, then let me be immersed.
(Part 3 Coming Soon, also see Part 1)
Discussion Questions:
What did John Smyth believe about baptism, and why is this important for Baptists?
How did Adoniram Judson's change in belief about baptism affect his life?
What can we learn about how baptism was done from the story of Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River?
Why did John the Baptist need a lot of water for baptisms, as mentioned in the Bible?
What does the story of the Ethiopian eunuch wanting to be baptized teach us about baptism?
Why would we assume Lydia's baptism was by immersion?
How does knowing the culture and history of Bible times help us understand baptism better?
What does baptism symbolize about leaving an old life and starting a new one, according to John L. Dagg?
Why might it be important to think about how God views baptism, based on the statement "In the end, the mode of baptism mattered to God, and so it should matter to me"?
If your friends baptism wasn’t by immersion how would you encourage them based on this study?
(Part 3 Coming Soon)
Bauer, W., Danker, F. W., Arndt, W. F., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press. This lexicon is commonly referred to as BDAG.
Robertson, A. T. (1934). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research. Hodder & Stoughton.
This is in The Septuagint (LXX) is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament.
Calvin, John. "Institutes of the Christian Religion." Vol. 3, p. 343.
Dagg, John L. "A Treatise on Church Order." Founders Ministries. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://founders.org/library/treatise-on-church-order-dagg/.