"Have you been baptized?" This question is one I often ask those I come in contact with from day to day. The importance of this question is seen in the Book of Acts, as it records the conversions of the first disciples into Christ and the church. Did you know that every conversion recorded in the New Testament, after the church was established and the Covenant of Jesus came into effect, involved baptizing the person being converted?

The Bible teaches that Baptism is essential to salvation. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16). Jesus places two conditions on salvation here, belief and baptism. Peter announced on the Day of Pentecost, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). According to Peter, one must be baptized in order to have his sins removed, or remitted. Finally, Ananias told Paul, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16). It is in baptism that the blood of Jesus washes away our sins. It is baptism that brings one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27), that initiates us into the discipline of Jesus (Matt. 28:19). Baptism is essential to salvation.

So we see the importance of the question, "Have you been baptized?" But often we are met with the strangest of answers. "Oh yes, but I don’t remember it?" "What do you mean, you don’t remember it?" "I was baptized when I was a baby, they tell me, and I just take their word for it."

Is there anything in the Bible that would encourage such a practice, or condemn it? These are questions that are worthy of our study, because so many in the religious world were baptized as infants. Are they saved or lost on account of their being baptized when they were babies?

First, we need to know something about the nature of baptism.

Is Infant Baptism even really baptism? When babies are "baptized," a little water is sprinkled in their face against their wills. But the word that is translated baptize, or baptism, means something altogether different. We allow the experts on the original language to speak: "1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (used of vessels sunk), 2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash oneself, to bathe 3) to overwhelm" (Thayer). "to immerse, submerge; to make overwhelmed" (Strong). "consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence" (Vine). What is done to infants in order to baptize them hardly qualifies as baptism.

Second, to be baptized, there are certain but simple prerequisites.

Bible baptism requires FAITH. The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch illustrates this very well. "And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him" (Acts 8:35-38). Philip told the man that if he believed, he could be baptized. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16). Can babies believe, and what do they believe? If they don’t know about Jesus, can’t understand the simple gospel when it is explained, then they cannot believe, and if they cannot believe, they are not fit for baptism.

Bible baptism requires repentance. Once again, the words of Peter, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Baptism without repentance is just getting wet. If one continues in his sin when he is baptized, he continues in the filth of it. What is repentance? The word is translated from the Greek, "metanoeo-1) to change one's mind (heart), that is, to repent. 2) to change one's mind (heart) for the better, to amend heartily with abhorrence of one's past sins." (Thayer) How do babies, without understanding, accomplish this?

Bible baptism involves consent. In talking about their being baptized, Paul tells the Christians in Rome, "But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17-18). Their obedience to the command to be baptized was from the heart. Their hearts demanded it and participated in it. Babies usually fuss at least a little during their so-called baptism. There is no consent, they are not even asked.

The purpose of Baptism is to put away sin so that one may enter Christ. Baptism accomplishes both (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:26-27). Do babies sin? The suggestion is absurd. Babies don’t sin. The babies who are baptized barely have their eyes open. They only know comfort of Mother and eating and sleeping. Where is their sin. The sad truth is that the practice of infant baptism based on the idea that babies are born in sin.

Are babies born in sin? Do babies inherit the personal guilt of their parents? As usual, we have a verse that addressed directly the question asked. "Yet say ye, Wherefore doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? when the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Ezek. 18:19-20).

Someone asks, "But what about Romans 5:12?" Romans 5:12 is one passage that teaches that we are born guilty, therefore, infant baptism is necessary. But what does it say? "Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned" (Rom 5:12). The death of Romans 5:12 is the death that is a consequence of sin and the guilt of it. But why does it pass to all men? Not because of some Calvinistic inheritance, but because all have participated in sin does death pass to all. We are Adam's physical offspring, so we inherit that which is his physically - physical death. Spiritually, from birth, we are God's offspring. Therefore we are born spiritually innocent and alive. Man becomes a spiritual descendent of Adam only when he does that which Adam did - sin.(Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 5:12). Babies don’t sin, therefore, baptism does them no good. It accomplishes nothing, for there is nothing to accomplish.

The great danger of infant baptism consists in the belief that one was baptized when they were not. What a shame!

Most likely you were not. You were simply "sprinkled." Even if you were immersed, it was not "Bible baptism" which requires faith, consent, and repentance.

Why not be baptized now, in the name of Jesus, for the remission of sins?

(Acts 2:38).