Stance on Baptism
Before diving in, I want to acknowledge that there are many differences of opinion when it comes to the topics of baptism and salvation. I did my best to be sensitive to the differences of opinion while also clearly standing on Scriptural truth as I understand it. If you happen to encounter anything within this statement or the book that you disagree with, it’s OK. As the time of writing this, I am attending a church that has a few different theological positions that I disagree with, including ones on this topic. However, I know that I don't have to agree on everything in order to worship and serve with these brothers and sisters in Christ. As you are reading this, please remember that I respect your opinion, even if we don't agree on the some of the details.
I also want to state that this position is based on taking many teachings across the New Testament and harmonizing them to get the full picture of what the Scriptures teach us. I have found that many controversies regarding these topics are based on many well-intentioned people having a selective theology, meaning that they will cling to one verse or passage that supports their views while ignoring another that contradicts it, because the first passage was not interpreted with the context of the second passage. If you disagree with anything that is stated here, I ask that you double-check all the Scriptures listed and evaluate the reasoning presented to be sure that your disagreement has a solid Scriptural basis rather than being based on tradition or emotion. With that said, here's my stance on baptism that is presented in Are You Ready to Be Baptized and other resources:
According to the instructions given in the New Testament and the example set by the apostle, there are three steps given for new believers to respond to the story of the gospel. First, we are to confess that we believe in Jesus as the Son of God (Romans 10:9). It's good to make your confession in public, and to be prepared in the future to profess your faith in Christ to anyone who asks what you believe (1 Peter 3:15). It can be easy to separate this step because it is not listed with the other two. Because of this, it is sometimes interpreted to be the only step. While Romans 10:9 does state that confessing faith in Jesus does save a person, it does not cancel out other verses that state other actions that also save you.
The second step is to repent of your sins (Acts 2:48). When one repents of their sins, they are acknowledging that what they are doing is wrong, making a commitment to turn away from their sins, and should make an active plan to eliminate those sins from their life. While this step may need to be repeated when we fall into sin, the initial act of repentance is meant to be moment of surrendering our greatest struggles to Christ and trusting that His sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to cover it (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 John 1:9).
The final step, after you have repented of your sins, is to be baptized into Christ. When the apostles in the book of Acts were asked by new believers what they should do in response to the gospel, they were always instructed to repent and be baptized. Scripture tells us that practicing baptism and repentance in tandem are how one is forgiven of their sins and how they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:48). During His earthly ministry, Jesus set up baptism as the initiation rite into God's kingdom (Matthew 20:19). We are also told that baptism has the power to save us because it is an act of obedience (1 Peter 3:21), just as Noah and his family were saved through the waters of the flood because of His obedience to God's instructions (see 1 Peter 3:18-21). This is also similar to what happened when Naaman was healed from his leprosy because he obeyed Elisha's instructions to bathe seven times in the Jordan River (See 2 Kings 5:1-14; pay attention to verse 13).
The decision to be baptized should be made by an adult, teen, or older child who had made by the choice to follow Christ voluntarily, not an infant who cannot make the decision for themselves. According to the biblical model, it's also best for baptism to happen as soon as a person makes their decision to follow Jesus or shortly after. A baptism can be performed by any believer who has been immersed themselves, but it is best for it to be performed by the person who led the new believer to Christ. A person cannot biblically baptize themselves. While it is best to do a baptism in public, they can be done in private. Rebaptism, or being baptized again, is not necessary until you did not make the decision to be baptized yourself (like being baptized as an infant).
While saying a prayer will most likely be involved in the confession/repentance process, there is nothing in the Bible about "asking Jesus into your heart" [commonly referred to as the "Sinner's Prayer"]. In fact, the New Testament makes it clear that the Jesus isn't the one we're supposed to have in our hearts; it's the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22; Romans 5:5). There is no example in the New Testament of anyone receiving the Holy Spirit because they asked for Him to come into their heart. Instead, after the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, most of the people who received the Holy Spirit received it upon the event of their baptism. While there is one example of the Holy Spirit coming into a group of people before their baptism (Acts 10:44-48), Peter instructed this group to be baptized immediately after this happened. There are also a few examples of groups of people who didn't know the Holy Spirit when they were baptized (Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:1-7), so apostles laid hands on them so the Holy Spirit would come upon them. Even taking these exceptions into considerations, there is no example of a Spirit-Filled Christian in the New Testament who did not obey the instruction to be baptized.
However, there are a few things that need to be explained. First, God is the Righteous Judge and ultimately, a person's salvation status or is a personal issue between them and God. In other words, it's not my job (or any other Christian's job) to determine whether or not someone is saved or if they have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Judging someone based on whether or not they have been baptized does not demonstrate Christ's love. While I disagree with the theology behind the Sinner's Prayer, I still believe that someone who uses it in their evangelism is my brother or sister in Christ and that we can still work together to glorify the name of Jesus.
Second, the reason I hold this belief is not the one that is normally stated in these discussions. Many people that hold my views are accused by their opponents of being "baptismal regenerationists" or "water regenerationists," as if we believe that the water itself has some sort of saving power. I do not agree with this label at all and do not believe that the water has the power to save us. Instead, I believe that baptism has the power to save us is because it is an act of obedience. It's something that Jesus asked us to do to demonstrate that we believe He is the Son of God and that we are turning away from the sins we repented from. Although I believe it's best for baptism to happen immediately after a person decides to follow Christ, what matters in the end is that when they do get baptized, they are choosing to obey Christ's instructions and made this decision of their own free will. Where a lack of obedience becomes a concern is when someone is told they should be baptized, but they reject the idea because they assume they are good without it. If someone recognizes that that the Scriptures instruct them to be baptized, but they refuse to do it, then they are acting in disobedience. That is something that they need to work out with the Lord.
Lastly, while there is quite a variety of options on this subject, our relationships with others should be more important than winning theological debates. Are You Ready to Be Baptized contains a whole section to help a student navigate an argument with a friend who disagrees with them on baptism, helping them be honest about their beliefs without damaging their relationship. Alienating others just to prove your point doesn't Christ love to the person you are arguing with. As I stated earlier, we can learn how to respect each other's views, even if we disagree.
