Baptism is one of the most meaningful acts in the Christian life, symbolizing death to sin and the beginning of a new life in Jesus Christ. But where does this practice come from, and how should it be understood and carried out?
1. The Origins of Baptism
Long before John the Baptist, the Jewish people practiced ritual washings, especially the mikveh, a bath of full immersion used for purification before worship or entering the Temple.
Different types of washings included:
The ritual bath before prayer or worship: often done in the evening or before the Sabbath, as a symbol of outward purification preparing the heart to meet God.
Partial washings: cleansing the hands, feet, or certain body parts (Exodus 30:18–21).
Full-body immersion (mikveh): a ritual bath in a reservoir of collected water, required for purification after bodily impurities (Leviticus 15), before entering the Temple, or for Gentile converts to Judaism.
For purification to be valid, the person had to be fully immersed in water.
John the Baptist gave this practice a new prophetic meaning. He baptized in the Jordan those who confessed their sins, preparing their hearts to receive the Messiah (Mark 1:4–5; Matthew 3:5–6).
John did not invent water or immersion, but he gave it a new spiritual dimension: repentance and the expectation of salvation in Christ.
Even Jesus Himself was baptized by John (Matthew 3:13–17), and after His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to baptize all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).
2. Jesus, the Model of Baptism
Jesus was baptized by John, not for repentance, but “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
His baptism was a full immersion in the Jordan, marked by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father (Matthew 3:16–17).
This became the first clear biblical example of baptism by immersion, setting the model for all believers.
Before Jesus came, John had already baptized many:
“People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” (Matthew 3:5–6)
“And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” (Mark 1:4–5)
John’s baptism was unique: a baptism of repentance (Acts 19:4), preparing people to receive Jesus, the Lamb of God.
When Jesus came, He was sinless. Yet He accepted baptism in order to:
Identify with sinners,
Fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15),
Begin His public ministry, marked by the Father’s voice and the Spirit’s anointing (Matthew 3:16–17).
His baptism was not for repentance but to affirm His mission as Savior and to receive divine approval.
3. Christian Baptism
After His resurrection, Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize all believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19–20).
Spiritually, Christian baptism symbolizes:
Death to sin (going under the water),
Burial (full immersion),
Resurrection to a new life (coming up out of the water).
Paul explains this in Romans 6:3–4 and Colossians 2:12:
“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
“Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12)
This burial cannot be represented by sprinkling but only by full immersion.
Baptism is therefore not just a ritual or outward washing—it is a voluntary, conscious, and spiritual act, expressing faith and repentance.
It follows repentance and faith. As Peter declared in Acts 2:38: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you…”
Baptism is administered in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), or in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), since in Him dwells all the fullness of God (Colossians 2:9).
4. Immersion and Sprinkling
The Greek word baptizo means “to dip, to immerse.”
For example, Jesus went down into the water and came up out of it (Mark 1:10).
Thus, baptism was always intended as immersion, not simply sprinkling.
Historically, baptism was by immersion, as practiced by John, Jesus, and the first disciples.
Sprinkling (pouring water on the head) appeared later, around the 3rd century.
One of the earliest cases was Novatian (c. 250 A.D.), a priest who was bedridden and too ill to be immersed. Water was poured on him as a substitute.
At first, this practice was tolerated only in exceptional cases, especially for the sick or those near death.
Later, sprinkling spread to infants who could not profess faith or enter the water. Over time, some churches accepted sprinkling as equal to immersion, until it became the norm in certain traditions.
The Catholic Church officially recognized it in the 13th century, though immersion remained the most expressive and biblical form.
Thus, sprinkling was not instituted by Jesus or the apostles but arose as a human adaptation to particular circumstances.
The biblical model of baptism remains full immersion, following faith and repentance.
5. Original Baptism in the Church
In the early centuries, the entire Church—including the emerging Catholic Church—practiced baptism by immersion, just as the apostles did.
Baptisteries (large pools) from the 1st to 3rd centuries confirm this, along with writings of Church Fathers like Tertullian, Chrysostom, and Cyril of Jerusalem.
6. Who Should Baptize?
Jesus entrusted this mission to His disciples (Matthew 28:19–20).
In the early Church, apostles, evangelists, and appointed ministers baptized (Acts 8:12; Acts 8:38).
What matters most is not the individual but the authority of Christ under which baptism is administered.
The one baptizing should be a mature disciple, recognized and sent by the Church, and not just anyone acting independently.
Conclusion
Baptism is far more than a ritual—it is a journey into the new life in Christ, a public declaration of repentance and faith, and a spiritual act that unites the believer with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Whether by immersion—or in exceptional cases, sprinkling—it remains the universal symbol of grace, purification, and the beginning of a life transformed by Christ.
Apostle Dr Jean-Claude SINDAYIGAYA