The Historical Baptist Position on Baptism. CHAPTER 1: WATER BAPTISM: PROPER MODE.

"ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN"

"Moses was not to build the Tabernacle at his convenience or in any manner he chose. "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." Exodus 29:9.

This Tabernacle pictures something also;

Hebrews 9:23-24; "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24 "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:",

as does baptism (Romans 6:4-5; "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. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"), so let us use God's blueprint in the manner of baptism as Moses did in building the Tabernacle.

The Historical Baptist Position on Baptism.
By Berlin Hisel

"The reason for offering this article is to meet a very present and ever-growing need in Baptist churches. Baptism is being labeled by many as non-essential. Alien baptism (a baptism not meeting Scriptural requirements and thus foreign to the Scriptures) is having a heyday by churches that once taught and stood for the truth.

"Many churches masquerading under the Baptist name have falsely reasoned that the authority for baptism rests in the Christian ministry. This makes baptism a Christian ordinance rather than a church ordinance. This false reasoning has led to recognizing any immersion of a saved person to be valid regardless of the authority of that immersion.

"Historical Baptists have maintained and are maintaining that proper authority for baptism rests within a New Testament Church. This would mean that only immersion performed by a New Testament Historical Baptist Church would be valid. This we believe and this we practice.

"This great doctrine of baptism has distinguished Baptists from all others down through the years. Baptists are not Paedobaptist (baby baptizers), thus distinguishing them from much of organized Christianity. Baptists do not believe in baptismal regeneration, thus distinguishing them from much of organized Christianity. One cannot help but feel that if this doctrine was good enough to distinguish Baptists from others in the past it is mandatory to distinguish us today in an age of ecumenicalism.

"This article is not offered to replace the great works on baptism by our distinguished ancestors. It is offered primarily that the membership of the church this author pastors might have available in written form that will help them to understand, love, and contend for this great doctrine.

"Pastors come and go while members usually spend a lifetime in the same church. If they are grounded the church will be protected from the alien immersion error and many of the other errors to which it leads. We also pray that this tract might be used effectually by other churches in defense of truth for the glory of God.

CHAPTER 1
WATER BAPTISM: PROPER MODE

"There are many today who would have us to believe that sprinkling or pouring are proper modes. Neither of these two are mentioned in the Scripture in reference to baptism. The Greek word for baptize means to immerse or dip. We refer the reader to any Greek lexicon since we do not have the space to give references. We will say that no true scholar will deny the real meaning of this word.

POUR OR SPRINKLE?

"Let us see if these other meanings (pour - sprinkle), could be true of the New Testament word, baptize. To do this, we will find where the word is used and substitute the three words, sprinkle, pour and immerse. In the Gospel of Mark1:9, we read,

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan." Was Jesus poured of John in Jordan? Certainly not, for Jesus was not liquid or material to be poured out of a container into Jordan. Was Jesus sprinkled of John in Jordan? We sprinkle salt on our potatoes. Certainly, John did not do this with Jesus in Jordan. Was Jesus immersed of John in Jordan? This alone can be true as we understand the English language. See also Mark 1:5, Matthew 3:6, and Luke 3:7. Only the word immersed can be used successfully in each place the word baptize or its cognates appear.

BAPTISM OF JESUS

"Let us examine the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3. We are told in verse 16 that Jesus came up out of the water. This could not be true if He was sprinkled or poured. The same thing is said in Mark 1:10.

BAPTISM OF THE EUNUCH

"Another place in the Scripture where the water is spoken of is in the baptism of the eunuch that Philip baptized. "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" (Acts 8:38-39).

"Can this language possibly mean sprinkling or pouring? They both (the word both is used twice in verse 38) went down into the water, both came up out of the water. This did not take place inside a Christening vessel or a sanctified container. No one would say we are sprinkled or poured into a river or a body of water.

ROMANS 6:1-5

"All agree that Romans 6 teaches that baptism pictures the burial, resurrection, and death of Christ. The picture of death is presupposed, for how can one have a burial or resurrection without death? Burial means to cover over. We bury our dead under the ground. How can this be pictured by either sprinkling or pouring? We must conclude with the Scripture, that immersion is the proper mode of baptism.

"It is interesting to note, before we leave the mode, that very few who use either sprinkling or pouring ever try to prove their authority from the Bible for so doing. They merely say it is more convenient to use these modes and say that Christ would not object to their changing the Scripture around for convenience's sake.

ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN

"Moses was not to build the Tabernacle at his convenience or in any manner he chose. "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." Exodus 29:9.

This tabernacle pictures something also;

Hebrews 9:23-24; "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24 "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:",

as does baptism; Romans 6:4-5; "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.

5 "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:", so let us use God's blueprint in the manner of baptism as Moses did in building the Tabernacle.