“You should have a look at this website over here. It has a lot of good in-depth Bible studies on it.” Sometimes recommendations like this are made to me and other Christians. So, when we venture over to a highly-endorsed site, for what should we be on the lookout? My general practice is to do the same as I’ve done for years with written Bible commentaries. I look first to see what the writer has to say about baptism. If a commentator on the Bible does not teach exactly what the Bible does about baptism, then a reader needs to be aware of that and to be cautious with other things that writer teaches.
[Two disclaimers: (1) Just because a writer teaches what the Bible does on baptism does not mean he should be trusted on every other thing he says. All he says must compared with the Scriptures to see if it is “so” (Acts 17:11). (2) Just because a writer does not teach what the Bible does on baptism does not mean that he does not have any helpful information on the Bible. Again, everything he says must be weighed against God’s inspired truth.]One such site was recommended to me recently of “a great Bible scholar,” who has a “gift of explaining the Bible and its teaching in a clear and simple way.” So, I checked it out. Like many other modern writers, I found what he had to say on baptism to not match what the Scripture teaches. In fact, on a site with hundreds of Bible-based articles, there were only two articles that even touched on the subject of water baptism.
One short article on baptism made the claim that “water baptism” is “the outward act that indicates submission to discipleship.” This is an oft repeated phrase (that baptism is an “outward act” or “sign”) that lacks Scriptural foundation. There is not a single New Testament verse that calls baptism an “outward act/sign.” Therefore, it cheapens and misrepresents God’s plan to call it such.
The most notable error that this author made was to repeatedly and intentionally place baptism after one’s salvation. Note what he said: “Paul was baptized immediately after he was converted…Immediately after being saved, [the jailer] and his household were baptized…The early church knew nothing of a salvation that was not followed by baptism.” Every single statement quoted above contradicts clear and simple Bible teaching. New Testament water baptism always (without one single exception) preceded and lead to one’s salvation from sin. It never “followed” one’s salvation. Note the order of words in Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21 and other clear passages. Let’s speak where the Bible speaks.
Friend, be a careful reader and a careful listener! Make sure that a gifted scholar says what God says!