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Baptisms in the New Testament

The earliest evidence of the practice of Baptism in the New Testament are:

The baptisms of John the Baptist (Matthew 3: 5-17, Luke 3: 7-22, Mark 1:4,5)

The baptisms of the disciples

These are considered pre-Christian baptisms.

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According to St. Paul, the core of Christian baptism is a participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

This could only have taken place after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Christian Baptism does not become a reality until we get to the birth of the church, the time after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

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The Baptism of Jesus at the hand of John the Baptist�

With the Baptism of Jesus at the hand of John, Jesus gave validation and authority to Baptism.

There is also a further movement as his water baptism becomes a baptism of the Spirit.

Therefore, Christian Baptism, is both a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and a baptism of the Spirit.

Christian Baptism has deeper and more positive dimensions than the baptism of John.

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All these points are important for Christians because:

There are persons who attempt to use the Baptism of John (baptism of repentance) as the prototype of Christian Baptism. They insist that this is the only valid baptism – and if a persons is not old enough to repent, then they cannot be baptized.

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There are also persons who use John's Baptism of repentance to make a distinction between 'water baptism' and what they designate 'Spirit baptism’.

“Spirit baptism” they say is the experience of the day of Pentecost when persons received the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages.

They suggest that the Holy Spirit is only received in spirit baptism and demonstrated by speaking in tongues and a believer is not completed until that happens

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Baptism and the Day of Pentecost�

The Acts of the Apostles describes the experience of the day of Pentecost as the coming of the Holy Spirit and as Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

It has been suggested that this should be regarded as the first Christian Baptism.

While it appears that some of the converts here received the Holy Spirit before they are baptised, Peter in his preaching called upon his hearers to 'Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:38).

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There are difficulties involved in trying to establish a normative position (determine what is the general rule) between the relationship between 'water baptism' and 'spirit baptism’ based on the events of the Day of Pentecost and as it developed in the life and teaching of the Church.

What seems clear, however, is that the two dimensions- Water baptism and Spirit Baptism were brought together on the same occasion in the life of the Church.

This brought out or confirmed the relationship between the outward (Water) and inward (Spirit) dimensions of Baptism.

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