The Practice of Baptism in the Church of God

SPS: review scriptural examples of baptisms in the gospels and Acts and an explain how we use these to inform our current best practices and procedures for baptism in the Church of God

The Baptism of John

Mark 1:2-5 it was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sin

Matthew 3:6 repentance involves an acknowledgment of personal sins and a conviction to make changes in what we do.

Matthew 3:7-9 repentance involves making personal changes in your life. To acknowledge sin, to be convinced of the need for change, and before entering into baptism to make some initial moves to redirect your life. [see also Acts 26:20 observable repentance remained in place for the more complete baptism later offered by the church under the new covenant]

Sin [and therefore the path of repentance] is defined by the commandments and the law Romans 7:7. So, a person who seeks baptism must:

• know what God’s commands and laws are
• be convicted that they are to live guided by these same laws
• show some initial progress on the path of personal change as a token of intent

So, for example, the Church of God would not baptize someone who is not keeping the 4th commandment. Flagrant violation of any other commandment would also stop the process in its tracks… but the Sabbath serves as a rather effective initial demonstration of intent. Its both highly visible and requires a measure of personal sacrifice.

As another example, the Church of God would not baptize someone who has not passed through the age of puberty. It’s doubtful they would fully understand the commandments and laws related to sexual purity. After puberty they would have a very different outlook on the matter.

Luke 7:29-30 The Pharisees clearly had knowledge of the commandments and the law but something was missing. Such as the spirit of love and humility. Therefore baptism also includes having the right attitude.

The Baptism of Jesus

Jesus is recorded as having submitted himself to baptism: Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:7-9.

John points out the logical conundrum of Jesus seeking baptism. John’s baptism was for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus however, lived without sin. “Why do you seek baptism from me”?

Jesus answer: it will serve as a conspicuous display of what must be done. The path of righteousness includes a formal, public declaration of intent. Baptism is not a personal, mystical experience. Baptism is done in front of a witness(es).

During His ministry Jesus taught His disciples to baptize: John 4:1-2

After His resurrection Jesus commanded the church to continue baptizing: Mark 16:15-16

Jesus’ baptism also gave a preview of something new: the receipt of the Holy Spirit. Only until after Jesus death and return to the throne room of God would anyone else receive this important addition.

Matthew 3:11 John knew the baptism he provided was incomplete and the receipt of the Holy Spirit would be added to the baptism of repentance.

The New Covenant Baptism Formula

Acts 1:5 the resurrected Jesus repeats what John previously said about the addition of the Holy Spirit in the baptism event.

Then about a week later the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in a very dramatic fashion with signs and wonders. As a result a crowd gathers. Peter steps forward and begins teaching them about the meaning of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

Acts 2:38 Peter delivers an expanded baptism formula:

Repent - acknowledgment, conviction, commitment to change, elsewhere the phrase “believe and be baptized” is used reinforcing the idea that repentance is a change of thinking and attitude.

Baptism - forgiveness and washing away of sins

Holy Spirit - the seed or down payment of eternal life and the life giving power of God in you

This is the formula the Church of God uses today.

The Laying on of Hands

Acts 8:12-17 these people were baptized after they accepted the teachings of the scriptures concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ… but they did not receive the Holy Spirit until some additional steps were taken.

There appears to be a need for authorization. Two representatives from Jerusalem, Peter & John are sent out to see what’s going on. Perhaps it was to ensure the teaching from the word of God was correct and the baptism administered correctly.

An additional physical act was needed. The authorized representatives [Peter and John] prayed over the ones who had been baptized… placed their hands upon them and THEN the people received the Holy Spirit.

The Church of God interprets this to mean receipt of the Holy Spirit is administered through authorized channels. Note: the act of laying on of hands is an expression of submission to authority applicable to matters including healing, ordination to office, and baptism.

Are There Exceptions?

Is immersion in water a necessary step?

Acts 10:44-48 the people who hear the teaching and have the Holy Spirit come upon them are non-Jews [uncircumcised gentiles]. In this instance God gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit without them first having been baptized in water. Clearly God can/may give the gift of the Holy Spirit to whoever He pleases and does not need any minister or church to make that happen… whether through administering the rite of baptism, or the laying on of hands. However, it is important to pay attention to what happens after they receive the Holy Spirit.

Verse 48 says that after seeing what had just happened Peter said, ‘OK, we had better baptize them’.

Peter could have responded, “well, they already have the Holy Spirit so we don’t need to backup a step and baptize them”. No, Peter goes back a step in the sequence and baptizes the to ensure that the entire process is covered

Note: Cornelius had already begun showing the fruits of repentance Acts 10:22-24.

Why the exception? Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit from God to teach the disciples something new… that full inclusion in the Israel of God was not dependent upon circumcision. The early church probably never would have figured this out if God had not directly intervened to show His intent.

This was not the introduction of a new procedure over-riding the sequence of repentance and conviction, baptism for remission of sins, and receipt of the Holy Spirit. We will see that this sequence is still in place in the church years after this exception was made for Cornelius [Acts 19:3-4].

Is the laying on of hands a necessary step?

I mentioned previously that the laying on of hands was an indication that the Holy Spirit was administered through authorized channels.

You may have noticed that some of the examples given have not specified the laying on of hands. These are instances where the Holy Spirit is administered directly from God.

1. Jesus received the Holy Spirit after baptism directly from God.
2. The disciples gathered on Pentecost received the Holy Spirit directly from God.
3. The household of Cornelius received the Holy Spirit directly from God.

In the first 2 cases God had not yet designated any flesh and blood person to administer the Holy Spirit. There was no flesh and blood person to administer the laying on of hands when Jesus was baptized.

When the disciples gathered on Pentecost Christ had told them of the job He wanted them to do: preach the truth, baptize, and make more disciples. At some point they had been baptized with water [either by John or Jesus], but had not yet received immersion in the Holy Spirit. So, they were no yet ready to begin the job of administering the Holy Spirit to others. God Himself was the only one with the authority to administer the Holy Spirit.

Afterwards He would delegate that authority to those he chose to serve Him in this way.

In the 3rd case involving the household of Cornelius, the men God had appointed didn’t know it was OK to administer the Holy Spirit to uncircumcised gentiles… so, God administered it directly Himself to show them His intent.

Q: Couldn’t Anyone Then Claim to Have Received the Holy Spirit From God Directly?

Anything is possible… but the God of scripture usually confirms His work in observable action, and concrete reality, rather than the subjectivity of emotion or interior dialog. So, in the cases already discussed… He gave signs:

There was a sign in the sky and a dove descending on Jesus when He received the spirit.

There was a mighty sound of wind, bright light, tongues of fire, and spontaneously speaking in previously unknown foreign languages to mark the disciple’s receipt of the spirit.

There was an outburst of speaking in foreign languages when Cornelius and household received the spirit.

Note: the Church of God teaches that speaking in tongues means spontaneously speaking foreign languages not some unintelligible or unknown “language” no one knows but you. If you are the only one who knows the supposed language how does that prove anything to other people. It’s simply too easy to fake… and therefore serves no purpose in glorifying God or offering any meaningful testimony to the reality of the spirit.

In cases where God administered the Holy Spirit Himself there was a sign… which was seen and verified by others. Without a sign how would anyone know the household of Cornelius had received the Spirit? The transaction would have taken place on a spiritual level… undetectable to the 5 senses John 3:5-8.

There are exceptions, as we have read. However, for baptisms administered by the ministry no sign is given. I presume this is because the representative of Christ administering the receipt of the spirit is right there in the flesh… detectable by the 5 senses. Their presence provides the witness. Note: usually we include others at the baptism to provide additional witness to this public declaration of faith and commitment to God.

Baptism is Built on a Doctrinal Foundation

People often wonder why the Church of God likes to counsel before baptism. We do it because we want to make sure people understand what they are actually committing themselves to.

Do they understand exactly what it is they are repenting of?

You can’t repent of something you are not aware of. So, the ministry want to know: Does the person understand the role the commandments and law have in defining sin?

As far as the fruits of repentance are concerned… we’re not expecting a person to have overcome all their problems but we want to inquire enough to know about basic stuff… are you sexually active outside of marriage… are you observing the Sabbath… etc. obvious stuff.

Do they have a grasp of the basic teachings, like the necessity for Christ’s sacrifice for their sins? Do they understand that God has a plan of salvation? Big picture stuff. Few things make me sadder than to see a person get baptized and then leave because they weren’t prepared for the long haul.

You Need The Whole Package

Repent ... be baptized ... receive the Holy Spirit

Acts 19:1-5 Paul must have engaged with these people and perceived that something was missing. They had embraced the change of mind and attitude called repentance… but in taking to them Paul picked up that they didn’t have understanding of Christ, or a perhaps a proper understanding of Christ. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit either.

I say incomplete understanding of Christ rather than no understanding of Christ because of what Luke records about Apollos in the preceding verses Acts 18:24-28. So, it was possible to know about Jesus but not fully understand what that meant.

Additional information and understanding was needed.

Note: Luke does not tell us that Apollos was baptized again, or that He received the Holy Spirit. My presumption is that Luke [the historian] couldn’t find any verifiable record of it when he was gather the materials he would use to put together his gospel account. So, he did the nest best thing… he included a short account of others in the same situation who were given the additional information, re-baptized, and received the holy spirit through the laying on of hands.

Nowadays, its more likely we would encounter people who have the Christ part… but are missing the repentance part… the acceptance of God’s commandments and law… belief in God’s actual plan of salvation. They have been baptized but into what?

Conclusion:

These records of baptisms in the gospels and the book of Acts give the Church of God a scriptural foundation for our practice and procedures related to baptism in the new covenant.