Most evangelical Christians believe in and practice believer’s baptism as opposed to infant baptism.1 Likewise, most Protestants believe and practice baptism by immersion or pouring rather than by sprinkling.
The New Testament as well as early church history stand with both of these positions.2
However, it is typical in most contemporary churches for baptism to be separated from conversion by great lengths of time. Many Christians were saved at one age and baptized at a much later age. In the first century, this was unheard of.
In the early church, converts were baptized immediately upon believing.3 One scholar says of baptism and conversion, “They belong together. Those who repented and believed the Word were baptized. That was the invariable pattern, so far as we know.”4
Another writes, “At the birth of the church, converts were baptized with little or no delay.”5
In the first century, water baptism was the outward confession of a person’s faith.6 But more than that, it was the way someone came to the Lord. For this reason, the confession of baptism is vitally linked to the exercise of saving faith. So much so that the New Testament writers often use baptism in place of the word faith and link it to being “saved.”7 This is because baptism was the early Christian’s initial confession of faith in Christ.
In our day, the “sinner’s prayer” has replaced the role of water baptism as the initial confession of faith. Unbelievers are told, “Say this prayer after me, accept Jesus as your personal Savior, and you will be saved.” But nowhere in all the New Testament do we find any person being led to the Lord by a sinner’s prayer.
Instead, unbelievers in the first century were led to Jesus Christ by being taken to the waters of baptism. Put another way, water baptism was the sinner’s prayer in century one! Baptism accompanied the acceptance of the gospel.
For example, when Lydia heard Paul preach the gospel, she believed and was immediately baptized with her household (Acts 16:14-15). In the same way, when Paul led the Philippian jailor and his household to the Lord, they were immediately baptized (Acts 16:30-33).
This was the New Testament pattern (see also Acts 2:41; 8:12, 35-37). Baptism marked a complete break with the past and a full entrance into Christ and His church. Baptism was simultaneously an act of faith as well as an expression of faith.8
So when did baptism get separated from receiving Christ? It began in the early second century. Certain influential Christians taught that baptism must be preceded by a period of instruction, prayer, and fasting.9
This trend grew worse in the third century when young converts had to wait three years before they could be baptized! If you were a baptismal candidate in this era, your life was meticulously scrutinized.10 You had to show yourself worthy of baptism by your conduct.11
Baptism became a rigid and embellished ritual that borrowed much from Jewish and Greek culture— elaborate with blessing the water, full disrobing, the uttering of a creed, anointing oil with exorcism, and giving milk and honey to the newly baptized person.12 It had devolved into an act associated with works rather than with faith.
The legalism that accompanied baptism led to an even more startling concept: Only baptism forgives sins. If a person committed sin after baptism, he could not be forgiven. For this reason, the delay of baptism became quite common by the fourth century.
Since it was believed that baptism brought the forgiveness of sins, many felt it was best to delay baptism until the maximum benefits could be obtained.13 Therefore, some people, like Constantine, waited until they were on their deathbeds to be baptized.14
As stated earlier, the sinner’s prayer eventually replaced the biblical role of water baptism. Though it is touted as gospel today, this prayer developed only recently. D. L. Moody was the first to employ it.
Moody used this “model” of prayer when training his evangelistic coworkers.15 But it did not reach popular usage until the 1950s with Billy Graham’s Peace with God tract and later with Campus Crusade for Christ’s Four Spiritual Laws.16
There is nothing particularly wrong with it. Certainly, God will respond to the heartfelt prayers of any individual who reaches out to Him in faith. However, it should not replace water baptism as the outward instrument for conversion-initiation.
This post is an excerpt from Chapter 9 of Pagan Christianity (published January 2008).
See also Rethinking Water Baptism.
Notes
1 Though we can’t offer a detailed examination of what Scripture teaches about baptism in this chapter, consider that from a theological standpoint, infant baptism divorces two things that the Scriptures consistently join together: (1) faith and repentance and (2) water baptism.
2 Baptism in the Greek (baptizo) can have a number of meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Immersion was the common practice of the Christian church until the late Middle Ages in the West (Ferguson, Early Christians Speak, 43–51).
3 Acts 2:37-41; 8:12ff., 27-38; 9:18; 10:44-48; 16:14-15, 31-33; 18:8; 19:1-5; 22:16.
4 Green, Evangelism in the Early Church, 153.
5 David F. Wright, The Lion Handbook of the History of Christianity (Oxford: Lion Publications, 1990), “Beginnings,” see the section on “Instruction for Baptism.”
6 Augustine called baptism a “visible word” (Tractates on the Gospel According to Saint John, LXXX, 3).
7 Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; and 1 Peter 3:21 are some examples.
8 The importance of water baptism in the Christian faith is depicted in early Christian art (Andre Grabar, Christian Iconography [Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1968]).
9 Ferguson, Early Christians Speak, 33.
10 Wright, Lion Handbook of the History of Christianity, “Beginnings,” section on “Instruction for Baptism.” Wright points out that by the fourth century, the clergy took over the instructions for converts and the bishop became personally responsible for the teaching and discipline that preceded baptism. This is the precursor for the prebaptismal class overseen by the pastor in many modern Protestant churches. From the second century onward, baptisms normally took place at Easter. Herein is the origin of Lent (Smith, From Christ to Constantine, 151).
11 Ferguson, Early Christians Speak, 35.
12 Ibid., 35–36; W. R. Halliday, The Pagan Background of Early Christianity (New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1970), 313. The giving of milk and honey was borrowed from paganism. The new convert (“catechumens” as they came to be called, from which catechism is derived) was typically baptized on a Sunday Passover or Pentecost. The Thursday beforehand the candidate had to be bathed. He spent Friday and Saturday in fasting, and then he was exorcised by the bishop to drive out any demons. By the end of the second century, this was a fairly uniform baptismal ceremony in the West. Gregory Dix points out that the introduction of the creed in Christianity begins in the first half of the second century with the baptismal creed. The creed was made up of a series of three questions dealing respectively with the three Persons of the Trinity. The Council of Nicaea of AD 325 carried the creed a step further. The creed evolved into a test of fellowship for those within the church rather than a test of faith for those outside of it (Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy, 485; Norrington, To Preach or Not, 59).
13 Ferguson, Early Christians Speak, 60.
14 Green, Evangelism in the Early Church, 156.
15 C. L. Thompson, Times of Refreshing, Being a History of American Revivals with Their Philosophy and Methods (Rockford: Golden Censer Co. Publishers, 1878); Paul H. Chitwood, “The Sinner’s Prayer: An Historical and Theological Analysis” (Dissertation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, 2001).
16 Here is the classic “Sinner’s Prayer” that appears in the Four Spiritual Laws tract: “Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.” In the first century, water baptism was the visible testimony that publicly demonstrated the heart of this prayer.
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How many times are these Baptist expressions mentioned in the Bible?
Salvation:
Ask Jesus into your heart: 0
Make a decision for Christ: 0
Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior: 0
Age of Accountability: 0
Pray the Sinner’s Prayer: 0
Baptism:
Baptism is our act of obedience: 0
Baptism is our act of public profession of faith: 0
Baptism is our act of joining the local church: 0
God’s Expressions on these Doctrines:
He that believes and is baptized will be saved.
Baptism now saves you.
He saved us by the washing of regeneration.
Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.
All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death.
Where in the world did Baptists and evangelicals get their non-biblical expressions regarding the means by which God saves sinners?
I agree, but there is something you added in their that the Scriptures do NOT teach, that is this idea that baptism is an “outward expression” or “outward confession” of an inward grace or faith. Nowhere does the Scriptures teach such a thing. You also said that, “…New Testament writers often use baptism in place of the word faith…” Where does the Scriptures teach such a thing? Baptism is used in it’s own place: to describe baptism. I believe that if God had intended for His servants to write “faith” instead of “baptism” then they would have done so. Baptism plays is significant and by all means essential part in Christian conversion/salvation, otherwise Jesus wouldn’t have instituted such a thing. But I definitely agree: baptism is by no means a work.
Matthew: Nope, read the article on Rethinking Water Baptism. It answers your questions with Scripture.
I am not saging that I disagree, but I do have a question regarding the thief on the cross, if baptism is a must for salvation how is it then the thief who had no opportunity to be baptized was told “today you will be with me in paradise”?
Answered in the comments. Check them all out. Thx.
I have felt this way for years, about the “sinners prayer”! It is not in the NT. Paul states very clearly how a person is “saved”. The “sinner’s prayer” doesn’t enter into it at all. This blog posting expounds on what I already knew but was afraid to say so for so long in Christian circles for fear of being labeled a heretic or heathen. Thank you, thank you so much!
Jesus forgave those of contrite faith – whether the paralytic, the prostitute, the Syro-Phoenician woman or the thief on the cross. He was there with them and saw their faith and contrition. But he would leave the earth. So he set in place teaching that must be taught and required for salvation until he returns again – frequently referred to as “the Great Commission” -teaching the gospel with belief, repentance and baptism all required for forgiveness. Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47. Compare John 20:21-23. The apostles faithfully carried out Jesus’ commands for salvation. That’s why you see faith, repentance and baptism for salvation so frequently in the book of Acts.
Peter said, Repent and be baptized for forgiveness. Acts 2:38
Ananias said, Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Acts 22:16
Galatians 3:26-27 and Colossians 2:6-14 link faith and baptism together in the conversion process. Notice also in the Colossians 2 passage that receiving Christ as Lord takes place when one in faith is buried with Christ in baptism. In fact, receiving Christ as Lord, baptism and forgiveness of sins all go together in thise Colossian passage.One should also notice how similar is Ephesians 2:11-14 to Ephesians 2:1-9; in Colossians it is faith and baptism, while in Ephesians it is grace and faith. These are not contradictory, but complementary.
In Romans 6 we see the well-known Scripture: the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.v.23. But this comes at the conclusion of a chapter reminding the Roman Christians that they had been set free from their sins when they were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.
Finally, Peter taught as clear as crystal that baptism saves. 1 Peter 3:20-21
David
I think the confusion arises because of several things:
1) The Scriptures teach that works alone do not save, but they never teach that works and salvation are completely disconnected
2) The Scriptures teach that keeping the Jewish Law does not save, because works of the Jewish law do not save. Many people use those verses (which are in a discussion of works under the Jewish Law) to say that there are no works and no law today, which is not what the Scriptures teach.
3) The Scriptures teach that multiple things are a actor in our salvation. Christ paid the price on the cross and we must obey His instructions to receive His grace.
I was rejected from a missionary trip because I basically reiterated what was written above and said I did not do the “sinner’s prayer”, though I would work with them anyway.
It was supposed to be an interdenominational thing.
Alot of teaching today is practically “anti baptism.” the fear of salvation by a work so entrenched that Baptism has suffered due to the misuderstanding.
I believe Peter made in very plain in Acts 2:38 that in order to have the forgiveness of sin and receive the Holy Spirit you must repent and be baptized. I have a hard time understanding why people think God would give us difficulte instructions on how to belong to Him if He loves us so much. I would not do that to my children. What we really see is man’s desire to manipulate the word of God for their own convenience. There is a strong warning in Galatians 1:8-9. for those who teach a false gospel. God’s word is enough for us, forget the teachings of men.
With all due respect, I have to question a foundational assumption. I don’t think the “sinner’s prayer” has replaced baptism. The “prayer” when used well, is designed to help someone who is ready to believe. In the “believe and be baptized” wording, it is clearly in the “believe” part.
Separately, i believe there are two orher dynamics at work– convenience or convincing First, perhaps we have minimalized baptism as nice when you get around to it or when it fits into OUR schedules. The other dynamic is that leaders often want to be sure that the person has truly believed and been regenerated before baptizing. The problem is that it’s hard to confirm without drifting to works or legalism.
I think we have a lot to rethink about baptism. I’m just not convinced that the “Sinner’s Prayer” is really the problem.
The fact is that in the *many churches* I’ve been a part of over the years, and the Christians involved with them, it HAS replaced water baptism. The prayer is the vehicle for salvation; baptism is seen as an optional “outward sign” and often people don’t get baptized until years later. Some, I’ve known, never do. All of this is even documented in the official statements of many Protestant denominations. It’s very similar to the idea that heaven is the goal, when the future resurrection is the goal. Traditions often nullify the plain teaching of Scripture. Like any tradition, every church and every Christian doesn’t buy it. But we’re wrong to assume that none do. Or in this case, that few do.
I have to agree that the ‘sinners prayer’ has become the central part of becoming a Christian and I agree with your comments. I am sure that if you ask a lot of believers they will be totally shocked that this only came into regular accepted use as a formal part of ‘becoming a Christian’ in the 1950’s. One more aspect of ‘Pagan Christianity’ that has been taken on by the Church as the ‘norm’!
Coming from an non-church background I received Christ after hearing about Him from a workmate. I simply knelt and prayed to our heavenly Father what I was convinced of: i.e I was a sinner before Him.
I asked Him to save me and for Christ to come into my life. This was on my own at home at about 2am after a night shift!
At times I heard this “sinner’s prayer” mentioned. Subsequently reading the New Testament I came across the repentant tax collector’s prayer in Luke 18’13 (“God, be merciful to me a sinner!”) and thought it must be that.
The NT’s highly challenging, often outright dangerous, setting for repentance (change of mind) and conversion to receiving Christ was what those earlier converts faced.
The dawning truths of immersion (sometimes called “baptism”!!) and the act of immersion found their community in this life and death setting.
They were taking a life-threatening risk after receiving a life-giving offer.
I think that another reason we have often divorced baptism from salvation is because we have changed its meaning. Many evangelicals see water baptism as nothing but a symbolic act testifying to a personal decision. In the early church, baptism indicated our death to the world and resurrection into Christ and his Church. It was a much more corporate act, signaling our entrance into a corporate body. When we overly individualized salvation, we lost the deeper meaning of baptism.
I don’t follow. The apostles preached “repent and be baptized”. So, it’s not even possible that our “Sinner’s prayers” follow that ideal? Are you implying here that baptism saves? Firm believer in the importance of baptism, just trying to figure out what’s being said here.
Nope. Not implying anything other than what the post clearly states and what the NT teaches. The rest of the argument is in the book. That’s just an excerpt.
The crowd in Acts 2 asks Peter the same question people ever since have asked…if what you are saying about Jesus being Lord is true, and we believe it is, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37). It amazes me that there are people who would substitute an answer to that question other than what Peter preached in the next verse – repentance and baptism. Why toss that and replace it with pray this prayer? Are we any more inspired than Peter in that moment? Thanks for this post Frank. I am blessed to be a part of a heritage that upheld the importance and place of baptism for a long, long time…same heritage as Ferguson 🙂
The biggest problem with all of this is wrapped up in the phrase “come to the Lord”. Most sinners prayer presentations only speak of some nice guy names Jesus who loves to forgive people. These presentations (while they include ‘Lord’ in the prayer) make no case for why Jesus is Lord or where He even came from. Baptism is still in the correct place if we properly understand coming to the Lord, it’s salvation that has been placed in front of Lord that is the biggest problem. Even in one of Tim Keller’s books it states come to Jesus as Savior and Lord – I believe it should be the other way around (Lord and Savior). If Jesus is not your Lord then He is not your Savior. You cannot have this this the other way around. He forgives base on his authority (Mark 4). He has authority to forgive because He is Lord first. Many gospel presentation only speak of what Jesus does rather than who He is. This is the great flaw that has brought about the sinner’s prayer. A helpful study – look up Savior on Bible Gateway and then look up Lord. You’ll find a massive gap in the number of instances. Call people to surrender to the Lord and King and then baptize them. That’s different than connect to baptism to someone who just wants to be forgiven but could care less about walking with Jesus.
Just my opinion based on my own biblical study.
This exact point is made in the same chapter from “Pagan Christianity.” The phrase “personal Savior” is examined and the roots of where it came from are traced.
I had an interesting conversation that revealed just how entrenched the “Sinner’s Prayer” ideology has become among evangelicals. I had been talking with a Catholic friend and I’d said, “You know, Sue, I think the core issue is whether you’re looking to your good deeds or the blood of Christ to make you right with God.” She paused, thought it over, and replied, “I’m relying on my good deeds.” I shared Eph 2:8 with her and encouraged her to ask God to show her what was right. The next time we saw each other, the first words out of her mouth were, “I’m now looking to the blood of Christ to make me right with God.” When I related these events to my mother, her reply was, “Well she’s not saved yet…you didn’t lead her in the Sinner’s Prayer.”
LOL, great article, although, as I was reading it in the email, it did not occur to me that the numbers were notes, until I got down to the bottom and saw the notes. I kept thinking you were making an illustration of how the numbering in the Bible can be a distraction. Since I kept thinking about that as I was reading, I had to go back and reread several sentences and/or paragraphs. 🙂
Yea, it’s an excerpt from my book. Not sure how else to post it.
This is an absolute impossibility: “So when did baptism get separated from receiving Christ?”
It is impossible for baptism to be separated “from receiving Christ.” Why? Because there is no other way of being born again or Christ being revealed in a person then by and through Baptism. There is no way around baptism. I like to think that Jesus Christ Himself is Baptism. “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” ─ Matthew
Water baptism is the subject under discussion. That’s been separated, unfortunately.
My pastor back in San Diego, CA was saying this circa 1970’s.
Much of current evangelical doctrine has removed the teachings of Christ, Apostles, and Prophets from the bible by making it a buyers gospel vs. sellers gospel. Discipleship is conditional – “if anyone” , as is salvation -“what must we do ?”.
Jesus knocking at the door is written to the lukewarm church in Rev 3 and has nothing to do with the sinners prayer
The original Kingdom message of repentance and discipleship will be restored, however, it will be fait accompli of western civilization.
Thanks so much for this Frank. Articles like this are so practically helpful when going “beyond evangelical!”
I don’t find in the Bible any mention of the baptism of the children of believers. Can you explain this?
Go through the Acts texts again . . . many scholars believe that “his/your house” usually refers to the children in the household also. But we can’t be sure of the ages and faith is implied as well.
That is true, however, what you do find in Acts is the reference to the baptism of an entire household like Frank mentions below. Also see 1 cor 1:16 where Paul mentions baptizing the household of Stephanas. This could mean young children were also baptized.
COULD mean. Household was more than the family.Acts 16 In the case of Lydia it is sure that for HER followed baptism after the Lord had opened her heart and she had accept the message. In the case of the jailer the bible says that he, after baptism, was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – HE and his whole FAMILY. I read: They all had a personal faith in God. Just like Crispus in Act. 18. In Act. 8 vs 12 we read that in Samaria Philip baptized BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. I think in Samaria lived also little children. And the baptized men and women had family’s. When it was usually to baptize children without a personal conscious faith, the Bible had told us. In het baptism of the Ethiopian in the following part you can see that it is indissoluble allied with a personal confession. That’s my opinion. God bless you in seeking the truth.
Sad to see that much of the church has lost the original understanding of baptism. Salvation too has become a “ticket to heaven” gospel rather than a life transformed. Baptism should go beyond even a ‘confession’ of faith. We are acknowledging that Jesus simply said to us ‘deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me’ and through baptism we identify with His death and resurrection.
Romans 6 and other passages clearly indicate this. We never had to be crucified yet we were crucified and resurrected WITH Him into new life because of grace through faith. Salvation and baptism belong together just like we partake of both the cup and the bread. They cannot be separated- or should not. Salvation is sozo or soteria- ‘saved, healed, delivered, set free, made whole, kept safe and sound’ and baptism is identifying with His death and resurrection. Now THAT is a life transformed!
Thanks Frank for a well-written piece.
In 1 Peter 3:21 there is an interesting translation possibility. The word “eperoema” (pledge) could also be understood as “prayer”. Thus the NRSV translates it: “And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you–not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” or “as a prayer to God…”
And note, it is not a work of merit or magic–the saving power is not in water or in the action, but in the resurrection of Jesus. Many who believed that baptism was the normative experience for someone to come to Christ have been unfairly accused of believing in baptismal regeneration.
Great post. I have also enjoyed Ferguson’s book. Kind of scary how far afield the church got concerning baptism as they superimposed their own reasonings on it. Thanks for the “Reader’s Digest” version of the scholarly work!
A recent book that I read (Baptism In The Early Church by Stander and Louw) confirms what you have stated. I found it to be an excellent resource. The authors (interestingly enough were paedo-baptists) went through the writings of the early church fathers one by one discussing what they had stated about baptism. Despite the authors being paedo-baptists, they state near the beginning that the biblical evidence and the very early church affirm believers baptism by immersion. The book is also great, because it shows the progression of thought about baptism.
I am currently reading “Baptism Archaeological, Historical & Biblical” by Buhler. It too affirms believers baptism by immersion in the very early church.
I was taught that the main reason why the early church introduced catechism before baptism was a security measure to ensure that the people they baptized were sent there to “spy on or infiltrate” the growing movement.