“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
The Greek word baptizein means to plunge or immerse, a picture of going down into the water and coming up again (CCC 1214). Paul explains what that picture means:
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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.”
Five things the Bible connects with baptism
Churches explain how baptism works in different ways, but these themes run through the New Testament.
- Dying and rising with Christ. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God” (Colossians 2:12, KJV).
- Forgiveness and washing. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38, KJV). Ananias told Saul, “be baptized, and wash away thy sins” (Acts 22:16, KJV).
- New birth by the Spirit. “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5, KJV), and God saved us “by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5, KJV).
- Belonging to Christ and his people. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27, KJV), and “by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13, KJV).
- A pledge to God. Peter calls baptism “the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21, KJV): a person’s yes to God, made in front of his people.
Jesus himself was baptized by John, not because he needed forgiveness, but “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15, KJV).
How churches baptize: immersion, pouring and sprinkling
Christians baptize in three main ways. The churches on this page all use water and the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; they differ on how much water and how it is applied.
| Mode | What happens | Who practices it |
|---|---|---|
| Immersion | The person goes fully under the water and comes up again, picturing burial and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6:4). | Baptists define baptism as the immersion of a believer (Baptist Faith and Message). Orthodox churches immerse three times, once at the name of each person of the Trinity. The Catholic Church also allows it. |
| Pouring | Water is poured over the head, usually three times. | Common in the Catholic Church, which allows immersion or pouring (canon 854; CCC 1239-1240). The Didache, an early Christian handbook, allowed it when there was not enough water. |
| Sprinkling | Water is sprinkled or lightly poured on the head. | Presbyterian and Reformed churches that follow the Westminster Confession, which says baptism is “rightly administered by pouring, or sprinkling” (28.3). |
Immersion is what the Greek word means, and even the Catholic Catechism calls triple immersion the most expressive way to baptize (CCC 1239). Churches that pour or sprinkle hold that the sign does not depend on the amount of water (Westminster Confession 28.3).
The New Testament describes baptisms where there was plenty of water. John baptized at Aenon “because there was much water there” (John 3:23, KJV), and when Philip baptized an Ethiopian official, “they went down both into the water” (Acts 8:38, KJV). The Didache, a very early church manual usually dated before AD 100, says to baptize in running water if possible, and if there is not enough water, to “pour out water thrice upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.” So pouring was known very early, as a practical alternative.
Infant baptism or believer’s baptism?
This is one of the main differences between churches on baptism. Both sides read the same Bible and love the same Lord, and it helps to hear each in its own terms.
Infant baptism
Who practices it: the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Presbyterian and Reformed churches. The Catholic Catechism describes infant baptism as a tradition the Church has kept from time immemorial, with explicit evidence from the second century on (CCC 1252); the Anglican Articles say the baptism of young children is to be retained (Article XXVII); and the Westminster Confession says the infants of believing parents are to be baptized (28.4).
Why: Baptism is first God’s gift, and infant baptism shows that grace comes before we can do anything (CCC 1250). God’s promise was “unto you, and to your children” (Acts 2:39, KJV). Whole households were baptized, such as Lydia’s (Acts 16:15), the jailer’s (Acts 16:33) and Stephanas’s (1 Corinthians 1:16). Reformed churches add that just as infant boys received circumcision, the sign of God’s covenant, so the children of believers receive baptism, which Paul links with circumcision in Colossians 2:11-12 (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 74). Jesus welcomed children: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not” (Mark 10:14, KJV). In these churches the child is expected to grow into a faith of their own (CCC 1254).
Believer’s baptism
Who practices it: Baptists, who define Christian baptism as the immersion of a believer (Baptist Faith and Message, Article VII), and Mennonites, whose confession says baptism is for those old enough to be accountable who freely ask for it in response to faith in Christ (Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 11).
Why: In every baptism the New Testament describes in detail, people first hear and believe: “they that gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41, KJV), and in Samaria, “when they believed Philip preaching... they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12, KJV). Jesus’ command puts making disciples alongside baptizing them (Matthew 28:19), and Mark records, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16, KJV). On this view baptism is the believer’s own confession, so it should come after personal faith. The household baptisms, they point out, never mention infants.
What both sides share
Both baptize with water in the name of the Trinity, both expect personal faith and discipleship, and both want children to grow up knowing Jesus. Paul’s words stand over the whole discussion: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5, KJV). Christians can hold their convictions firmly and still honor one another as brothers and sisters.
Is baptism necessary for salvation?
Christians agree that Jesus commanded baptism and that salvation is God’s gift in Christ. They differ on how closely the two are bound together. Here are the main views, each in its own terms.
Catholic. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the gospel has been proclaimed and who could ask for it. Yet God himself is not bound by his sacraments: those who die for the faith before baptism, and those preparing for baptism who die before receiving it, receive its fruits, and the Church entrusts unbaptized children who die to God’s mercy with hope (CCC 1257-1261).
Orthodox. Baptism is the new birth “of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5, KJV) into God’s kingdom, a real sharing in Christ’s death and resurrection, followed at once by chrismation and Holy Communion.
Lutheran. Luther’s Small Catechism teaches that baptism brings forgiveness of sins, rescue from death and the devil, and eternal salvation to all who believe God’s promise, citing Mark 16:16. It is God’s word with the water, received by faith, that does this.
Reformed and Presbyterian. It is “a great sin to contemn or neglect” baptism, “yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it” (Westminster Confession 28.5).
Baptist. Salvation comes through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord (Baptist Faith and Message, Article IV), and baptism is an act of obedience that pictures that faith (Article VII). They often point to Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8, KJV), and to the thief on the cross, who was promised paradise without being baptized (Luke 23:43).
If you are asking because you want to be sure of your own standing with God, start with How to Be Saved and What Does Born Again Mean?, and talk with a pastor or priest. And if you have not been baptized, there is a simple next step on every view: ask about being baptized.
Getting baptized as an adult
Talk to a pastor or priest
Tell them you want to be baptized. Many churches have a short class or a period of preparation; in the Catholic Church, adults are prepared through the catechumenate before they are baptized (CCC 1247-1249).
Learn the basics
Use the preparation time to understand the gospel and the faith you are confessing. The Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are good places to start, and reading one of the Gospels from start to finish helps too.
Find out about any earlier baptism
If you might have been baptized as a child, try to find out. Many churches will not repeat a baptism done with water in the name of the Trinity, while churches that practice believer’s baptism will baptize you as a believer.
Prepare to share your story
Some churches ask you to say a few words about how you came to faith, or to answer questions such as whether you renounce evil and trust in Christ. Think and pray about your answers ahead of time.
Plan the practical details
Ask how the baptism will be done. For immersion, bring a change of clothes and a towel, and wear something dark that is not see-through. Invite family and friends: baptism is meant to be public and joyful.
Keep going afterward
Baptism is a beginning. Keep gathering with your church, share in the Lord’s Supper, read the Bible and pray daily. In Faithero you can read or listen to a chapter each night, which is a simple way to keep growing.
Baptism and the rest of the Christian life
Baptism happens once, but Paul talks about it as something to live from every day: we are buried with Christ so that “we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4, KJV). It is tied to the other sign Jesus gave, the Lord’s Supper, which is shared again and again (see Holy Communion), and to the faith the church confesses at baptism, which many churches put into words with the Apostles’ Creed.
Frequently asked
What does baptism mean?
Baptism is the washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that Jesus commanded. In the New Testament it is joined to dying and rising with Christ, the forgiveness of sins, new birth by the Spirit and belonging to his people: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27, KJV). The Greek word means to plunge or immerse.
Do you have to be baptized to be saved?
Christians answer this differently. Catholic teaching says baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have heard the gospel and could ask for it, while trusting that God is not bound by his sacraments (CCC 1257-1261). Lutherans teach that baptism gives forgiveness and salvation to all who believe God’s promise. Reformed and Presbyterian churches teach that neglecting baptism is a serious sin, yet salvation is not so tied to it that no one can be saved without it (Westminster Confession 28.5). Baptists see baptism as an act of obedience that follows saving faith. All agree Jesus commanded it, so no Christian should treat it as optional.
What is the difference between infant baptism and believer’s baptism?
Infant baptism is the baptism of the babies and young children of believing parents, on the ground that God’s promise is “unto you, and to your children” (Acts 2:39, KJV) and that grace comes before any response. Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian and Reformed churches practice it. Believer’s baptism is given only to people old enough to confess faith for themselves, following the New Testament pattern of hearing, believing and being baptized. Baptists and Mennonites practice it.
Can you be baptized twice?
Many churches teach that baptism is given only once. The Catholic Church teaches that it cannot be repeated (canon 845; CCC 1272) and recognizes baptisms done with water in the name of the Trinity in other churches (CCC 1271), and the Westminster Confession says it is “but once to be administered unto any person” (28.7). Churches that practice believer’s baptism usually do not count infant baptism as Christian baptism, so they invite those baptized as babies to be baptized as believers. If you are unsure whether you were baptized, ask your pastor or priest.
Why was Jesus baptized?
Jesus had no sin to wash away, and John the Baptist objected. Jesus answered, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15, KJV). In his baptism he stood with sinners, and God revealed who he is: the Spirit came down like a dove and the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, KJV).
What words are said at a baptism?
Following Jesus’ command, the person is baptized by name “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19, KJV), or “Holy Spirit” in modern wording. Many services also include questions about renouncing evil and confessing faith, often using the Apostles’ Creed, and prayers for the person being baptized.
A name spoken over you
At every Christian baptism, a name is said and then another name is spoken over it: the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Whatever your church teaches about the details, that is the heart of it. In baptism God marks a person as his own, and the church receives them as family.
If you were baptized long ago, it is worth remembering on hard days. When you feel far from God, or guilty, or alone, you can say: I belong to Christ; I have been buried with him and raised with him. And if you have never been baptized, Peter’s words to the crowd at Pentecost are still an invitation, not a threat: “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 2:38, KJV).
What baptism means
Christian baptism rests on Jesus’ own command to his followers after his resurrection: