Recently I was reading some sermons from Dr. W. A. Criswell, the former Pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, when I came upon a sermon on the subject of baptizing children. I found his confession and his solution to be refreshing given that the sermon was preached in May of 1969. I want to provide a link to that sermon here.
I would also like to provide the text of a sermon that I wrote and delivered some time back on baptism and spoke directly to this very controversial subject.
New From Head to Toe
If we are to view baptism in the correct way it will have to be through the lens of Scripture. Look with me at Ephesians 2:1-5, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”. Did you hear that? Let me read you that last section out of the English Standard Version this morning. Paul writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved”. Now did you see it? Paul says that by the powerful grace of God, though previously we were spiritually dead which was seen in our love for and devotion to the world, the devil, and our own lusts, our own flesh, now, this merciful God has given us new life as a result of His deep love for us and it has come to us through and in Christ Jesus. We call this the new birth. Jesus told Nicodemus, that though he was seemingly an expert in the Old Testament law, and by all outward appearances a very godly man, that he had to be born again, implying that he was spiritually dead. Paul says here that we, through God’s saving grace have been made alive in Christ. See, the Christian life is not a new set of rules, or not a new set of practices, or even a new sense of understanding, no it is an experience, it is a change, a change of heart, a change of nature, it is an experience with God whereby we are changed from head to toe. That is the new birth. And baptism is a way in which we picture that change which in fact affects our spirit, our mind and our body. Baptism is a way in which we preach it, we proclaim it, and we essentially display it for others to see. New birth comes first, and then baptism, follows gloriously testifying to the new birth that has been wrought in us, not just to a decision that we have made or a prayer that we have prayed. Baptism is dependent upon experiencing the new birth.
Baptism has never been a magical act that brings actual physical or spiritual change to a person’s condition. Rather it has always been and will always be an outward sign, symbol, or representation of an inward change. In the Old Testament we find an early outward symbol of an inward truth in the account of the healing of Naaman the captain of the host of the king of Syria. He was a very powerful man, yet he was a leper. In 2 Kings 5 we find him seeking healing from God at the hands of Elisha the prophet who told him to go down to the Jordan and wash seven times. Naaman was furious at first for he expected God to heal him right there on the spot, but Elisha knew that he needed to be humbled and to learn about true faith. In that case, when he did go down to the Jordan and did wash in the waters seven times and was healed, it wasn’t the waters that healed, it was God that did it when Naaman believed. In that case, his willingness to go down into the waters was the outward proof of his inward faith. That then brings us to John’s baptism in the same river roughly a thousand years later. The Bible says, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. John was calling Jews to repent, to accept that the old covenant symbol of circumcision was not enough; that they had to make an individual commitment to God based on true repentance and faith. Before this time only Gentiles that wanted to become Jews were baptized, but John came preaching powerfully about the wrath of God and the coming kingdom that required individual repentance and faith regardless of nationality. Those that submitted to John’s baptism were merely making their personal decision and faith known, the baptism itself was just the means of making the decision they had already made public. Baptism is more like the diploma than the education, it is more like the ring then the marriage, it is more like the award then the performance, and it is more like the “I Ate the Ole 96er” T-Shirt then the steak itself. And this passage will make that plain to us this morning.
Interrogative: What can we learn about the essence of Christian baptism from this passage?
Transition: The Ethiopian Eunuch’s baptism reveals three distinct results of believer’s baptism.
In Baptism We Practice Our New Walk
Text: Acts 8:35-36, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized”?
Explanation: Christian baptism is not an option, it is not some sort of a “spiritual upgrade” for the super spiritual crowd; rather it is an absolute essential for those that have come to Christ in repentance and faith. Yes, you can be saved without it, but no, you can’t be obedient to God without it. Yes, you can get to heaven without being baptized, but no, you can’t live a life pleasing to God by ignoring or rejecting it. The Scriptures are clear on this point, God commands all believers to be Biblically baptized on the right side of the cross.
Here we find a layman, a Deacon by the name of Philip following God’s leading down an old desert road. There he came across what the Bible calls, “A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch o great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship”. This was a very powerful, no doubt highly educated, and highly respected wealthy man. He had come to Jerusalem, which was a very long distance from Africa, south of Egypt, to worship, which indicates that he must have been a Gentile covert to Judaism. There he was studying and reading through the book of Isaiah, no doubt from a scroll he had purchased while in Jerusalem. He was reading Isaiah 53 when Philip ran up to his chariot and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The powerful man was having trouble with the text, no doubt why God directed Philip to this road, and was glad to receive Philip’s help. The Bible says, “Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus”. Obviously, the man began at that point to understand his own sin and his own need for an atoning sacrifice for that sin, of his own need of a Savior, for the passage he read from was Isaiah’ prophecy of Christ’s death for the sins of the world. That must have been followed by repentance and faith in this one that the prophet had written about and about whom Philip had no doubt preached to him. That leads us to the next verse, “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized”? So how did he know that he had to be baptized? Well, the text just said that Philip preached the Gospel to him, and in the New Testament the Gospel and baptism go together. And so as they traveled, the eunuch became convicted and knew he had to make his decision public. So then where did Philip hear it, and where can we read it to know that it is a commanded step?
First, we find it back in Matthew chapter three when Jesus came to John to be baptized in the Jordan. John recognized that Jesus didn’t need to confess or repent of any sins, and that Jesus didn’t need to die to the old life, and signify a new commitment to God, so he declined our Lord’s first request to be baptized. But then Jesus said something important, He said, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness”. In one aspect His baptism was to be a way for Him to identify with those that would be saved, and in another aspect His baptism was an example for all believers to follow, in another aspect it was highly symbolic of His own death and resurrection but that can’t be all, the text won’t allow it. For Jesus to “fulfill all righteousness”, He had to be baptized, He had to be obedient to the Father’s will, which in this case included baptism. So for us “fulfilling all righteousness”, must include baptism. And if you look into the gospels you will find Jesus living this out and requiring it of those that would follow Him. John 4:1-2, “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples)”. This was a practice that He began and commanded to keep going in the Great Commission in Mt.28:19. And Peter followed Christ’s example on Pentecost when he preached, “repent and be baptized”. And then we see it continued on through the many that were saved and baptized immediately in the early church.
Illustration: Sometimes at school or work we ask, “What is the least amount of work that I can do and still get by”? That thinking has come over into our spiritual life, and has caused us to ask the same thing of God as if Christ has a list of requirements and preferences.
Application: Christ’s command to be baptized is just as meaningful and just as powerful as His command to repent and believe the gospel. If you are a believer in Christ then this command is for you to hear today.
In Baptism We Present Our New Heart
Text: Acts 8:37, “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”.
Explanation: Now many of you are looking up at me wondering where I am going to find this verse to preach it. If you are using the New International Version, then this verse doesn’t exist in your Bible. If you have the New American Standard Version, then this verse is in the text with brackets and a note indicating that, “Early mss do not contain this verse”. If you have the English Standard Version, then the verse is missing as well, with a small footnote in the margin. And if you have the New King James Version, then the verse is there, but with a marginal note defending its placement. Why all the confusion? Well, the Greek text that underlies both the King James and New King James versions is slightly different from the text that underlies the other modern versions. The argument is that the Greek text behind the modern versions is much more reliable and much older, and therefore least likely to be corrupted. In either case though, in this instance we can be confident that this verse is accurate in what it teaches. Certainly the early church had some way of questioning candidates for baptism, just as we do today. I don’t know how many people that I have talked to that are living for the world, living in sin, angry with God and really against the cross and God’s grace, yet they will tell you that when they were young, someone baptized them. Here we learn the truth about when someone is supposed to be baptized and the priority of it in a believer’s life.
Luke records these words, “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest”. Now right away that language should sound very familiar as it is the essence of Romans 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”. Philip was asking him if he had come to repentance and faith yet, and if it was genuine, for God knows and sees the heart. Then the eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. He made his confession public, and he was now ready to follow the Lord’s command in believer’s baptism. Now it’s called believer’s baptism because it is for believers only. In fact the New Testament does not record a single instance of a person being baptized in Jesus’ name before being saved. Just a few verses before this passage we read, “(8:12) But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women”. And we read that Paul was baptized after he believed in Acts 9:18, Lydia was baptized after she belived in Acts 16:15, as was the Philippian jailer, and Crispus.
Notice that these are all adults. Now some of you may have been baptized in some fashion as children, as many segments of the church believe to this day. If so, it was more than likely a covenant baptism, meaning you were born to Christian parents and as the Jews would enter into the covenant with God through circumcision, you were baptized into the New Covenant. But the Scriptures stand against that tradition, in fact, John removed that possibility two thousand years ago as he stood on the banks of the Jordan and commanded all the covenant children of God, who became so through circumcision, to repent of their sins and come to God by faith individually, for no covenant act can bring atonement for your sins. And this text also stands against that tradition as we find the New Testament consistently teaching that baptism is for believers in Christ alone.
Illustration: Just as a union worker would boldly cross the picket line in order to go to work, we as believers in Christ are called to cross the picket line of the world and of sin figuratively by standing before the church and before the world and identifying publicly with Christ through baptism.
Application: In the Bible, baptism is always the first step following the new birth. Yet, if you think about is each example of believer’s baptism is that of an adult, no examples of children are given. Now, as Southern Baptist’s we believe that the practice of baptizing babies is unbiblical, yet at the same time, a study done in 1995 reported that the only age group of baptisms in our denomination that was growing was among the “under five” category. How is that different from infant baptism? Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and former President of the Convention, was discussing this with a prominent Pastor in Washington D.C. and this is how the conversation went.
Dever: I heard about one church recently, and I don’t know if you know about churches like this or not, in order to encourage baptisms among children the baptistery is shaped like a fire truck and they’ve got confetti cannons that go off whenever a kid is baptized. Do you know about any of this?
Patterson: This is my first time to hear this. This is blasphemous!
Dever: Anyway, it’s a church in America. It’s an evangelical church and they mean to preach the gospel so I want to be real quick to say their intentions are good. That’s going to get kids off course, because they want to come forward, get in the fire truck and make the confetti cannons go off.
Patterson: I do not view positively the huge number of child baptisms that Baptists are now guilty of. Baptists are some of the worst paedo baptizers there are.
Dever: I know the average age of baptism has dropped, I think, about 10 years in the last 100 years. When you read biographies from the 19th century, they’re always getting baptized at 17, 18, 19, 20. J.R. Graves was baptized when he was 19. John Gill was that way. John A. Broadus was that way.
Patterson: It’s out of hand in our churches.
Now, of course they were not saying, and I am not saying that children cannot get saved. No, what they were saying, and what I am saying is that the ordinance of baptism was always designed, or should I say intended to follow true conversion. And so as was the practice of men like Charles Spurgeon, they found great wisdom in allowing their children to mature enough to begin to give evidence that they have in fact experienced the new birth. Of course you can’t really set an age, but you can set a standard. That standard should say that we will not just baptize every little child that stands up and raises a hand, or repeats a prayer, but rather we will pour the gospel into their hearts and walk with them and sit down with them, and sit down with their parents and help them to disciple them. Of course we don’t know who is saved and who is not. And this question, that wells up in people is the very reason why so many little children are baptized in the first place. We have misunderstood the ordinance of baptism and when it is not given to children immediately upon their single outward act of praying a prayer, folks often feel that means that the church doesn’t think their children are saved, or can be saved. But remember, it is always the first step in the Word of God adults that could easily give evidence outwardly of the new birth, which is purpose of the baptismal confession in the first place. And consider the dangers of baptizing these little children right away. A study in 1994 by our convention revealed that 60% of reported baptisms are actually re-baptisms of some sort. That is due to the thousands of little children that are baptized upon their repeating a prayer, or raising a hand. Consider again the great problem of our Convention’s inflated membership roles as compared to church attendance. Many of them were added as little itty bitty children that we baptized, only to see them leave the church for the rest of their lives.
In Baptism We Proclaim The New Birth
Text: Acts 8:38-39, “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”.
Explanation: And finally we turn to the nuts and bolts of baptism, we turn to the biblical explanation of what it actually is, and we do so by closely examining this passage. If we turn back to verse 36 we hear him ask Philip, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized”? Of course that request is important, that word is critical, what does it mean to be “baptized”? Well, the Greek word here is simple, in fact the English translators chose to transliterate it rather than translate it for it is such a technical term. The term in this verse is “baptisthenai”, which is a form of the verb “baptizo”. Now there are actually two Greek verbs used in the New Testament concerning baptism, “baptizo”, and “bapto”. Now “bapto” literally means to “dip”, or “to dip into”. It was a word used to describe the process of “dyeing” clothes, as one would immerse a shirt into a bucket of dye. The other word, “baptizo”, is an intensified version of the first word and means to “dip completely”. It is the Greek word used to describe drowning, which shows how complete the idea of dipping really is. Simply put then, Christian baptism, by definition, is always by immersion, or by going under the water. We find much biblical support for this even outside of the word used to define it, in our passage this morning. Luke writes, “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”. There we find them both “going down into” the water, and “coming up out of the water”. In Matthew 3:6 John was baptizing people “in” the Jordan, and in Matthew 3:16 after Jesus was baptized the Bible says he, “went up straightway out of the water”. In John 3:23 John was baptizing people in Aenon near to Salim, “because there was much water there”. When we find a text in the New Testament describing baptism, immersion into and under water is the only possible meaning, given the terms, verb tenses, and the context surrounding their use.
So what does it mean to be baptized, what kind of a public statement does it make? Well, there is symbolism in almost every part of the act. John came preaching that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand”, and that the “wrath of God” was coming, and so we stand in the waters as a man standing in waters of judgment, just as we did before we received Christ by faith, and just as God sent to the world in the flood of the days of Noah and in the judgment of the Egyptians. The minister will place his hand upon us to signify that it is not something that we can do, we can’t save ourselves, we can’t forgive our own sins and we can’t earn or create new life. And then he lowers us down into the waters where we identify with the death of Christ and signify the death of the old man, and the death of sin in our lives and the burial of Christ. Then the minister lifts us back out of the waters, as Christ does in salvation and will do in the resurrection and we stand to walk in new life, in the new life that Christ’s death made possible. When we go into the waters we are signifying the very literal immersion that has already taken place by faith. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ”. It is a picture, but is a reality; we have become partakers of Christ in His death and in his resurrection by faith!
