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''This article is about water baptism. See also:'' [[Baptism with the Holy Spirit]] and the Koine Greek article on [[Greek:908:βάπτισμα|greek:908:βάπτισμα]].
Baptism is the practice of washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, commanded by Jesus as part of making disciples of all nations ([[Matthew 28]]:18–20). Throughout the New Testament, baptism is closely associated with repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness and cleansing of sin, receiving new life, and becoming part of the people of God. In the book of Acts, those who receive the gospel are repeatedly baptised as an early and public expression of their new faith (for example, [[Acts 2]]:37–41; [[Acts 8]]:26–40; [[Acts 10]]:44–48).
At its centre, however, baptism belongs to the biblical story of salvation. It points to God's cleansing of sin, the believer's union with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the gift of new life, and a public identification with Christ and his people. As the gospel moved from Jerusalem into the nations in Acts, baptism repeatedly accompanied the response to the message of Jesus, fulfilling his command to make disciples and baptise them "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" ([[Matthew 28:19]]).
== Water, cleansing and salvation in the Old Testament ==
Another Old Testament account provides an interesting parallel, although the New Testament does not explicitly connect it with baptism. Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, suffered from leprosy and travelled to Israel seeking healing. Elisha instructed him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman initially resisted, but eventually obeyed: "So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan... and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." ([[2 Kings 5:14]])
Naaman's washing should not simply be identified with Christian baptism. Nevertheless, the account brings together several themes that later surround baptism: going down into water, cleansing, obedience to God's word and the beginning of a transformed allegiance to the God of Israel ([[2 Kings 5]]:15–18). The fact that this occurred in the Jordan is also striking in light of the river's later role in the ministry of John the Baptist.
Taken together, these Old Testament themes form an important background to Christian baptism. Water could cleanse what was unclean, mark God's judgement and rescue, and portray the deeper cleansing from sin that only God could accomplish. The prophets looked forward to a time when God would cleanse his people, give them new hearts and place his Spirit within them. These themes come together more fully as the New Testament story begins with John baptising in the Jordan and announcing the coming of one who would baptise with the Holy Spirit.
This language recalls the baptism of Jesus himself. At the Jordan, the Son was baptised, the Spirit descended upon him, and the Father spoke from heaven ([[Matthew 3]]:13–17). At the end of Matthew's Gospel, the risen Son commanded that his own disciples be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Trinitarian formula subsequently became deeply embedded in Christian baptism. The [[Text:Didache|text:Didache]], an early Christian work probably written around the late first or early second century, instructed Christians to baptise "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (''Didache'' 7.1). Later Christian creeds also closely associated baptism with Trinitarian faith. The [[Text:Nicene Creed|Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]] (AD 381), for example, confesses faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and declares, "We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins."
== Baptism in Acts ==
=== The meaning of the word baptism ===
The English words "baptise" and "baptism" come from the Greek words '''βαπτίζω''' (''baptizō'', "to baptise") and '''βάπτισμα''' (''baptisma'', "baptism"). See the [[Koine Greek]] articles on [[Greek:907:βαπτίζω|greek:907:βαπτίζω]] and [[Greek:908:βάπτισμα|greek:908:βάπτισμα]].
The verb ''baptizō'' can refer to dipping or immersing something in water, but its use in the New Testament and other ancient Greek writings is broader than simply describing a particular method of applying water. Related words are also used for ritual washings. Mark, for example, refers to Jewish practices involving the "washing" of cups, pots and other objects ([[Mark 7]]:3–4).
The New Testament does not give detailed instructions concerning the amount of water required for baptism or explicitly state that baptism is invalid unless the entire body is submerged. Churches that practise pouring or sprinkling therefore understand the water itself, rather than the quantity or precise method of its application, as the essential outward sign.
Early Christian practice also shows some flexibility. The ''[[Text:Didache|text:Didache]]'', probably written in the late first or early second century, preferred baptism in "living" or running water but allowed other water to be used. If sufficient water was unavailable, it instructed: "pour water three times on the head in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit." (''Didache'' 7)
This provides early evidence that Christians regarded pouring as an acceptable alternative when immersion or baptism in a larger body of water was impractical.
=== The Didache ===
One of the earliest Christian descriptions of how baptism was performed occurs in the ''[[Text:Didache|text:Didache]]'', probably written in the late first or early second century. Its instructions closely followed the Trinitarian language of the Great Commission: "Baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (''Didache'' 7.1)
The ''Didache'' preferred baptism in "living", or running, water. If this was unavailable, other water could be used, and if there was insufficient water for immersion, water could be poured three times over the person's head (''Didache'' 7.1–3). It also instructed the person being baptised and the person performing the baptism to fast beforehand if possible (''Didache'' 7.4).
By the second and third centuries, surviving Christian writings provide increasingly detailed descriptions of baptism. Converts were commonly instructed in the Christian faith before being baptised, particularly as Christianity expanded among people who had previously followed pagan religions.
[[Justin Martyr|person:Justin Martyr]], writing in Rome around AD 150, described people who had become convinced of Christian teaching and had undertaken to live accordingly. They prayed and fasted before being brought to water and baptised "in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit" (''[[Text:First Apology|text:First Apology]]'' 61). Justin closely associated baptism with repentance, forgiveness and the beginning of a new life.
By the early third century, Tertullian wrote an entire work on the subject, ''[[Text:On Baptism|text:On Baptism]]''. He regarded baptism as closely connected with forgiveness and salvation, while also emphasising the seriousness of the commitment being made.
=== The emergence of infant baptism ===
By the early third century, however, infant baptism was certainly being practised. Tertullian discussed the practice and argued that baptism of young children should normally be delayed (''On Baptism'' 18). His objection is important historically because it demonstrates that the baptism of children was already occurring, even though he did not favour it.
Around the same period, Hippolytus' ''[[Text:Apostolic Tradition|text:Apostolic Tradition]]'' describes children being baptised, with parents or other relatives answering on behalf of children who were unable to answer for themselves (''Apostolic Tradition'' 21). The exact authorship and development of this text are debated, but it provides evidence for the baptism of children in the early Christian centuries.
Infant baptism subsequently became increasingly widespread. By the fourth and fifth centuries, it was well established within the Church and became closely connected with the developing doctrine of original sin. [[Augustine|person:Augustine]] of Hippo strongly defended infant baptism and understood it as necessary because infants, like all human beings, shared in the sin of Adam and required the grace given through baptism.
=== The Reformation and believer's baptism ===
During the Protestant [[Protestant Reformation]] of the sixteenth century, the major Reformers rejected many medieval teachings and practices but retained infant baptism. Martin Luther affirmed baptism as a means of grace through which God offers forgiveness and salvation. The Reformed tradition associated baptism particularly with God's covenant promises and understood infant baptism in continuity with the circumcision of children under the Old Covenant.
More radical reformers challenged this. The [[Anabaptists]] argued that the New Testament pattern was baptism following personal repentance and faith. In 1525, members of the emerging Swiss Brethren baptised one another upon professions of faith, rejecting their earlier infant baptisms as invalid. Their opponents consequently called them "Anabaptists", meaning "rebaptisers", although the Anabaptists themselves did not regard the baptism of a professing believer as a second baptism because they did not consider their infant baptisms to have been true Christian baptism.
