Water baptism is an outward rite done before others that confirms that you know and understand the blessings of God’s salvation that were given by God because of your faith in Christ. It is a public confession that your sins have been washed away by the shed blood of Christ who died in your place. The New Testament teaches only people who believed the gospel were baptized(Acts 8:35-39). People who speak Greek understand that the word used for baptism (Greek baptiðzw transliterated Baptizo) has always meant “immerse” or “in the water” and is used in their language to describe sunken vessels.
Unfortunately, the centuries after the original apostolic church saw a metamorphosis in the meaning of water baptism. Justin Martyr was the first to imply baptismal regeneration with the statement that, “they are led to a place where there is water and in this are regenerated: that is,they receive water-bath in the name of God.” The progression continued with Tertullian teaching that sins were washed away by water baptism. The transition was made complete when Augustine strongly advocated the doctrine of infant baptism and clearly taught that unbaptized infants go to hell. The advocates of efficacious baptism of infants by sprinkling would increase in number and begin to persecute the decreasing advocates of believer’s baptism who, incidentally,never completely disappeared.
Today, paedobaptists include Roman Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and most Reformed churches. While the advocates of infant baptism by sprinkling differ on the significance and justification of the act they collectively vastly outnumber the advocates of believer’s baptism.
Calvary Chapel of Richmond is a local fellowship of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit through the continuous study and application of God's Word.
