MARK 10:14 "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
MATT. 18: 4 "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
PROBLEM: These references are cited to justify the widespread practice of "baptizing" infants. The United Church of Canada puts it this way:
" . . . if the Kingdom belongs to little children, they cannot be denied baptism which is the sacrament of initiation into that kingdom . . . If even adult candidates for baptism have to become like little children, how can baptism be refused to the children whom they are supposed to imitate?1
SOLUTION:
1. Infant sprinkling is not mentioned in this text or any other in the
New Testament.
2. If the United Church interpretation were the correct one, then the doors of the kingdom would be shut to all but baptized infants since Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (Mark
10:15).
3. "Of such" and "as" ("like", see R.S.V., Mark 10:14,15) indicate that Jesus is making a comparison. Unless the adult has child-like qualities the doors of the kingdom will be shut. Child-like qualities are stressed elsewhere in Scripture, e.g., "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." (1 Cor. 14:20); "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Pet. 2:1,2).
4. The Matthew account leaves no doubt as to the intent of Jesus' words:
"Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 18:3,4). See verses 10 and 14-"little ones" are the disciples.
5. In the Mark account, Jesus refers to his disciples as "children." (Mk.
10:24).
MARK 7:4 "And when they come from the market, except they wash . . . "
LUKE 11:38 "And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner."
1 "The Doctrine and Practice of Infant Baptism", Church Membership: Doctrine and Practice in The United Church of Canada: A report presented and accepted at the Twentieth General Council in 1962. (Toronto: The Board of Evangelism and Social Service, and The Board of Christian Education, 1963), p. 25. It was a stated objective of the report to "be of use in helping the Church come to a clearer understanding of God's purpose and a more faithful obedience to his will."
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PROBLEM: Since the Greek word, "baptizo" is translated "wash" and "washed" in these passages, it is argued that one cannot insist that the form of baptism must be immersion.
SOLUTION:
1. These are the only two passages in the A.V. where "baptizo" is translated other than baptism. In 74 other passages "baptizo" is translated by "baptize".1 The Greek word, "rhantizo" which means "sprinkle" is never translated "baptize".
2. The word "baptizo" comes from "bapto" which means, "to cover wholly with a fluid . . . to fully wet . . . by implication, to stain (as with a dye): dip"2.
3. The descriptive language of Biblical baptisms clearly implies immersion. For example:
a) John the Baptist-"John also was baptizing in Aenon near to
Salim, because there was much water there." (John 3:23).
b) Jesus-"Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water . . . " (Matt. 3:16).
c) Eunuch- " . . . 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 . . . " (Acts 8:38,39).
4. Baptism is likened to a burial in Rom. 6:4, (cf. Col. 2:12) "Therefore, we are buried with him [Jesus Christ] by baptism into death." The figure of death and burial is preserved in immersion in water; it is not preserved in sprinkling or pouring.
JOHN 4:2 "Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples."
PROBLEM: Since Jesus did not baptize, it is reasoned that baptism cannot be necessary for salvation.
SOLUTION:
1. It should be immediately apparent that the conclusion, "baptism cannot be necessary for salvation" does not follow from the statement, "Jesus himself baptized not," since his disciples did baptize.
2. It is a mistaken idea that baptism is less important when performed by the disciples than if performed personally by Jesus Christ. John records, "After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them and baptized" (John 3:22). The disciples were the instruments by which the baptismal act was performed. Similarly, Jesus told his disciples "He that receiveth you receiveth me . . . " (Matt. 10:40). He later told the seventy, "He that heareth you, heareth me." (Luke 10:16).
3. Many Biblical passages record instructions for candidates to be baptized (Acts 2:38; 8:38; 10:48) yet no prescriptions are set out as to
1 The Greek word "baptismos" is translated "washing" in the A.V. of Mark 7:4,8 and Heb. 9:10.
2 James Strong. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, (New York: Abingdon Press, 1965).
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who should perform the baptism. The historical narratives indicate that the immerser (when identified) was always a believer. E.g., Philip
(Acts 8:38); Peter (Acts 10:47,48); Paul or Silas (Acts 16:31-33).
4. Baptism is essential for salvation. The following passages indicate this:
a) Jesus himself said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved . . . " (Mark 16:15,16) Who has the authority to whittle
Jesus' instruction to mean that one can be saved without water baptism?
b) "Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins . . . " (Acts 2:38). This implies that until baptism one does not have forgiveness of sins.
c) "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:27). Baptism, therefore, is the divinely appointed way to "put on Christ."
d) Paul was told, "And now why tarriest thou? arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins . . . " (Acts 22:16). This implies that e)
(even although Paul had confessed: "What shall I do Lord?"vs. 10) Paul was "in" his sins until they were washed away in baptism. " . . . the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us . . . " (1 Pet. 3:20,21). Were any saved outside the ark of Noah? Since baptism is a "like figure" can one be saved outside of the divine provision of baptism?
ROM. 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
ROM. 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
PROBLEM: These passages are used primarily by Evangelicals who teach that all that is needful for salvation is to "Accept the Lord Jesus and take him as your own personal Saviour". The assumption is made that baptism is an outward sign of an inward change, but is not essential for salvation.
SOLUTION:
1. These verses in Romans are sound enough when understood in a
Scriptural sense. Baptism is essential as the plain evidence of Matt.
3:15; Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38; 10:48; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21 shows.
2. Is Paul going to suggest that baptism is not essential after writing so powerfully about it in the sixth chapter? (Rom. 6:3-5).
3. Can one really be a believer and disallow the plainest and simplest
(so far as ease of obedience goes) of Christ's commandments?
4. A permissible rendering of Rom. 10:13 is: "Whosoever shall call the name of the Lord upon himself shall be saved". See James 2:7 (R.V.
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margin) and Acts 22:16, where the same form of the Greek verb is used. How does one call the name of the Lord upon himself except by baptism? (Gal. 3:27). The same phrase, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved", is used in Acts 2:21 and here it is certainly followed in baptism by those who "eladly" received Peter's words. (Acts 2: 40,41). Sometimes in an endeavour to prove that doctrine is not essential Evangelicals quote Acts 8:37: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God". The following points require stressing:
a) These words are not in the Greek text. They are deleted by R.S.V.,
R.V., Rotherham's, The Emphasized Bible, N.E.B., and Nestle Greek Text.
b) To "preach Christ" is a comprehensive expression. This is indicated by a comparison of Acts 8:5 and Acts 8:12. "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them", but in verse 12 Philip is preaching "the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ . . . "
c) Even to believe that Jesus is Lord requires an understanding of his nature and sacrifice. Similarly, to believe that God raised him from the dead requires an understanding of hell, soul, spirit, and quickening spirit.
d) As false doctrines and perversions increased with the growth of the Truth in the first century this made necessary negative as well as positive teaching. (See for example: 1 Cor. 15:35,36; 1 Tim.
1:19,20; 2 Tim. 2:17,18; 1 Jn. 4:1-3; Titus 1:14).
1 COR. 1:17 "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel."
PROBLEM: This passage is quoted to prove that baptism is not necessary for salvation.
SOLUTION:
1. Such an interpretation is sheer perversion of the context for Paul says he did baptize Crispus, Gaius and the household of Stephanas, (vs.
14-16), which would mean Paul writes his own condemnation if "Christ sent me not to baptize" be understood to be a prohibition of him baptizing converts.
2. The context shows that there was a partisan spirit in Corinth. Converts were saying "I am of Paul", "I "am of Apollos", (1 Cor. 1:12,
13), but Paul would have none of it. Hence his sigh of thankfulness: "I thank God that I baptized none of you . . . lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name." (vs. 14,15).
3. This passage indicates that no special virtue is associated with the baptizer.1 Paul himself was commissioned by Christ to be, first and foremost, a preacher of the Gospel. Whether he personally undertook the baptism of converts was a matter of no importance.
4. That baptism is essential to salvation is evident from Mark 16:16; Jn.
3:5; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:27; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 16:30-33.
1 Jesus did not personally baptize, this was done by his disciples. (John 4 : 2 ) .
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