Here Is Water: The Relationship between the  Baptisms of the New Testament

by   Rev. David Johnson                                                                                                                                   Vol. V, No. 3, June 1992

In our last article on baptism we looked at The Roots of Baptism, tracing the use of baptism in both the Old and New Testaments. In this article we focus on the New Testament alone with emphasis on the five baptisms depicted there.

Relationship between New Testament Baptisms

Within the pages of the New Testament five baptisms are mentioned: John's baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, Christ's own baptism of suffering unto death, the baptism of the Holy Spirit into the mystical body of Christ, the baptism of believers after their profession of faith in Christ, and a baptism of fire at the end of time.

As we examine each of these, we note a common theme which can be summed up in the words "obedience" and "disobedience." Oscar Brook has called this theme "The Drama of Decision."

John's clarion call brought his hearers to the place where they must make a decision either for or against his message. In referring to His death, Jesus made it clear that this baptism of suffering and death was an act of obedience to the will of the Father and that that was His decision. He could make no other.

The third baptism under consideration is that of the Holy Spirit, and the one common factor, as we look at the evidence of the New Testament regarding Holy Spirit baptism, is the factor of obedience. It is impossible to have experienced true believer's baptism, consequently to possess the Spirit (or to be indwelt by the Spirit), and to be consistently disobedient at the same time.

Another baptism the New Testament depicts is the baptism with fire ... which will be the Christ-rejectors' doom. There is little doubt the baptism of fire is reserved for those who reject and despise the sacrifice of the Savior. Thus, like the other three we have already touched upon, we see the common link of obedience or disobedience.

The fifth baptism, and the one which is the primary subject of our attention, is the baptism of believers in water after their profession of faith in Christ. Within this act of baptism two decisions are involved by the candidate: the decision of identity and the decision of obedience. Paul strongly emphasizes the believer's identity by baptism with the Lord Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:1-6; Colossians 2:8-13). Peter, on the other hand, uses baptism as a symbol of the believer's identification with the people of God (I Peter 2:9). He depicts a people who were once in spiritual darkness, people without an identity. Now they are in the light; now they have an identity; now they know who they are and to whom they belong. Peter not only emphasizes identity with the people of God in baptism, but he also reveals that within this identity is the one motivation for maintaining their commitment.

Thus baptism by water in the New Testament is clearly shown to be the result of a decision by the believer to identify with Christ and His church, and as an act of obedience in response to His commands. Beginning with the baptism of John, we have seen the importance of making a decision. He demanded a decision, and those who made that decision had to demonstrate it publicly. Jesus Himself did not hesitate to do this. The baptism of the Holy Spirit likewise is closely linked with obedience and the Lordship of Christ. The earliest Christian sermons, for example, Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, called for baptism as an outward disclosure of an inward decision. The baptism of fire at the end of time is based on he decision to reject Christ as Lord and Savior.

All in all, we see that in baptism we are brought face to face with decision: a positive decision that brings in its wake the judgment of God. Surely, each believer should ask the Eunuch's question: "Here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized?"