Question
What is baptism, and should I be baptized?
Analysis
What is agreed across traditions
| Point | Where Scripture speaks |
|---|---|
| It is commanded, not optional | Matthew 28:19; Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:38 |
| The formula names Father, Son and Holy Spirit | Matthew 28:19 |
| It is tied to repentance and to faith | Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12 |
| It pictures union with Christ's death and resurrection | Romans 6:3; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12 |
| It is linked to forgiveness and washing | Acts 22:16; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21 |
| There is "one baptism" for the whole church | Ephesians 4:5 |
Where the traditions differ
| View | Who is baptized | What it does | Held by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Believers' baptism (credobaptism) | Those old enough to profess faith for themselves; normally by full immersion | An ordinance: an outward sign and public pledge of a faith already present, not the cause of salvation | Baptist; most Pentecostal; Anabaptist; many non-denominational |
| Infant baptism, covenant reading | Infants of believing parents, plus adult converts; usually by pouring or sprinkling | A sacrament and covenant sign, parallel to circumcision (Colossians 2:11; Colossians 2:12); grace is signified and sealed, received by faith | Presbyterian; Reformed; most Methodist; Anglican |
| Infant baptism, regenerative reading | Infants and adult converts | A sacrament that conveys grace: it washes away the guilt of original sin and joins the person to Christ | Roman Catholic; Eastern Orthodox; Lutheran |
The texts each side leans on
- For believers' baptism: every baptism explicitly narrated in Acts follows a profession of faith (Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:36; Acts 18:8), and Jesus pairs believing with being baptized (Mark 16:16).
- ⚠️ One verse often quoted here needs a caution. Acts 8:37, the Ethiopian's confession of faith before baptism, is a textual variant: it appears in the King James and Literal Standard versions but is absent from the Berean Standard, American Standard, World English and Free Bible versions, which follow the earliest manuscripts. A reader who looks it up in a modern translation will find the numbering jump from 36 to 38. It is a real part of the tradition and a weak thing to rest an argument on, and both sides of the baptism debate generally acknowledge that.
- For infant baptism: whole households are baptized without any note that only adults were included (Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; 1 Corinthians 1:16), the promise is said to "belong to you and your children" (BSB, Acts 2:39), Jesus receives children (Mark 10:14), and baptism is set alongside circumcision, which was given to infants (Colossians 2:11; Colossians 2:12; Genesis 17:12).
- On whether baptism saves: 1 Peter 3:21 says baptism now saves you, and immediately defines it as an appeal to God from a good conscience rather than the removal of dirt from the body. Traditions read that qualification differently, which is much of the debate in one verse.
The mode
The Greek baptizō carries the sense of dipping or immersing, which is the argument for immersion, and the baptisms in flowing water fit it (Mark 1:10; Acts 8:38; Acts 8:39). Traditions that pour or sprinkle point to baptism described as an outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2:17; Acts 2:33) and to the practical difficulty of immersion in some settings. The very early church manual known as the Didache already permits pouring where running water is unavailable, so the variation is ancient rather than modern.
What no side claims
None of these traditions teaches that the water itself has power, and none teaches that baptism can be earned. Where they differ is whether God has attached a promise to the act, and to whom the act belongs.