Questions People Ask

What if I were ‘baptised’ as a child?

Many people who turn to Christ have already been ‘baptised’ as a small child. Perhaps you are one of them. Should you now be baptised as a believer? Baptists believe in liberty of conscience but even so equally believe that a baptism without faith is not the baptism of the Bible. Look again at Acts 8:37. The one thing which would have prevented the Ethiopian official from baptism was his lack of faith.

What if I have been confirmed?

If at your confirmation service you meaningfully confirmed the promise made on your behalf by your godparents, we rejoice. But the same argument still applies. The New Testament knows only one baptism – the ‘one baptism’ in which by ‘faith’ Jesus is confessed as ‘Lord’ (Eph 4:5). Some Baptist churches will be willing to welcome you on your profession of faith. In so doing, however, they are not implying that your infant baptism is New Testament baptism.

Is infant baptism found in the book of Acts?

Baptists maintain that infant baptism is not found in the New Testament – not even when Luke tells us that somebody and their family were baptised (Acts 16:15,33; 1 Cor 1:16). For us today a family normally means father, mother and children; but in the first century it was considerably extended and included not just the immediate family, but relatives and servants.

Careful reading of Acts 16:30-34 shows that if ‘all the family’ included young children, then the young children not only listened to Paul and Silas preaching at midnight but also believed in God! It is a dangerous practice to read a doctrine into the silences of Scripture – especially when elsewhere Scripture is quite clear. Personal faith is the one indispensable aspect of baptism. If you lived in the Gobi desert, your pastor might be compelled to lose the symbolism of baptism by immersion and instead pour water on you in the name of the triune God. But while we can manage on less water, we can’t do without genuine faith.

How old do I have to be to be baptised?

If personal faith is the necessary condition the age is not important. Baptists do not practise ‘adult’ baptism; they practise ‘believers” baptism. For that reason Baptists have avoided trying to set a minimum age. The time to be baptised is the time when you turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus’ (Acts 20:21). Most Baptist churches work on that principle. If your church has an age limit for baptism and you are under that age, yet believe you should be baptised, speak to your pastor who will be able to help you.

Do I have to give a personal testimony?

In many Baptist churches it is customary for baptismal candidates to give personal testimonies to God’s work in their own lives. For, although baptism itself is a confession of faith, it is often helpful for non-Christians if those being baptised elaborate on this confession and tell of what Christ means to them. Sometimes baptismal candidates find it easier to witness to their faith if they are interviewed in the service by the pastor. No church would want to make the public giving of such a testimony a necessary condition for baptism – in New Testament terms, the actual baptism is the act of witness. On the other hand, there is much to be said for candidates making the most of this special opportunity.

What about the laying on of hands?

Many churches are bringing back the practice of accompanying baptism with the laying on of hands, either in the baptistry itself immediately after baptism, or a little later when the candidates have had time to change into dry clothes. As hands are laid on those who have been baptised the Spirit is asked to come and fill them afresh and empower them for witness and service. This custom has its roots in the New Testament, where we find the apostles laid hands on their new converts with a view to their receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15,17; 9:17; 19:6).

What is there to keep you from being baptised?

Paul Beasley-Murray*
*Beasley-Murray P. 1996, ‘Believer’s Baptism’, in Baptist Basics, D. Tidball, and G. Ball (eds). Baptist Foundation of NSW, Glebe, 6-10.

This article was modified from the book Baptist Basics, with permission from The Baptist Foundation of NSW.  To request copies of the book write to: Baptist Foundation of NSW, Private Bag 8, Glebe, NSW 2037 or contact the office at Thornleigh Community Baptist Church.