Believer's Baptism
Baptism should be administered to professing believers.
This doctrine is actively contested between major traditions. Faithful Christians disagree.
What the traditions say
Only professing believers should be baptized, by immersion. Baptism follows faith — it does not create it. This is the defining Baptist distinctive.
Believer's baptism by immersion, following personal conversion. Water baptism is distinguished from Spirit baptism.
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism is the moment of salvation, not merely a testimony.
Infant baptism is the norm. Baptism regenerates and incorporates into the Church. Emergency baptism of infants is a serious pastoral concern.
Rejected as the normative practice. Infant baptism is the covenant sign, replacing circumcision. To deny baptism to covenant children is to deny their place in the covenant.
Key scriptures
- Acts 2:38 — Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- Acts 2:41 — Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
- Acts 8:36 — 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?
- Rom 6:3 — Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
- Rom 6:4 — 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.