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Posted by Brother Jerry (Geno) Berry
July 30, 2013 -
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843 views
In a short word, no. The scripture gives no qualifications for the person doing the baptism. The commands are all for the one being baptized – he or she must be a penitent believer. Moreover, while “ordination” is often used in the denominational world and required for those who would preach, such a requirement is not found in Scripture.
When we turn to the New Testament, we learn several things about the person doing the baptizing. The primary lesson learned is that the personal characteristics of the individual doing the baptizing have no bearing on the effectiveness of the baptism. In other words, it does not matter who does the baptizing, as long as the baptism is complete immersion in water (Romans 6:4; Acts 8:38), in the proper name (Matthew 28:19; Acts 19:1-9), and for the proper reason (Acts 2:38). In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote to a group of Christians that were dividing themselves into factions based on their favorite preachers. Some were saying they were of Paul, others of Cephas, others of Apollos, and others of Christ. Paul chastised them for claiming allegiance to any person other than Christ, and he stated: “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name…. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:14-17). Paul was not minimizing the importance of baptism in this text (see Lyons, 2003), he was minimizing the importance of the person who does the baptizing. He was not saying that baptism is not a part of God’s plan of salvation; he was saying that the person who does the baptizing does not make a difference. The effectiveness of the Corinthians’ baptism was not based on the characteristics of the person who baptized them, but was based on their baptism as it related to God’s overall plan of salvation. Also Some have looked into the New Testament and concluded that every instance of baptism in the New Testament is one in which a Christian man does the baptizing. Thus, they have concluded, that in order to be properly baptized, a person must be baptized by a man who is a Christian.
However, the rite of Christian baptism was initiated and mandated by Jesus, Himself:
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (NLT, Matthew 28:19)
And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. (NLT, Mark 16:15-16)
Jesus' disciples went on to baptize many people (John 4:1-2, Acts 2:38-41, Galatians 4:26-29), and it has been universally practiced since the beginnings of the Christian Church.
Neither Jesus nor His disciples laid down any rules about how baptism was to be done, nor did they provide much interpretation of its spiritual significance. As a result, many different beliefs and practices have developed within Christianity over the centuries.
There are three main beliefs:
The sacramental view holds that baptism is a means God uses to convey grace. The person baptized is set free from the power of sin and given a new spiritual life (John 3:5-7).
The covenantal view holds that baptism is not a means of spiritual rebirth, but a sign and seal of God's covenant of salvation. Baptism depicts the freeing from sin that occurs with repentance (Acts 2:38), and serves the same covenantal purpose for Christians that circumcision does for Jews.
The symbolical view holds that no spiritual benefit results from baptism, itself. Rather, it is a public symbol of a spiritual rebirth that has already occurred in the person being baptized...
I hope and pray this answers any questions you may have........ As always your brother in Christ... Pastor Jerry.
