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Sowing the Seed Series
Class 11 – The Mode of Baptism

I.              Baptism is a transliteration

A.   Deacon is transliterated from Diakanos

                                          i.    The translation is servant (Rom 16:1)

B.   Apostle is transliterated from Apostolos

                                          i.    The translation is messenger (Acts 14:14)

C.   Baptism is transliterated from Baptizo

                                          i.    The translation is to immerse (Luke 16:24)

D.   For centuries immersion was the only mode of baptism

                                          i.    They did not sprinkle the water or pour it

II.            Proof Texts

A.   Leviticus 4:6-7

                                          i.    In the Greek Septuagint we see all three words used here

                                        ii.    Interestingly, the word for dip is bapto

B.   Acts 8:36-38

                                          i.    The eunuch came to some water

a.    They both went down into the water to be baptized

                                        ii.    Why would they need to get in the water unless they were practicing immersion?

C.   Mark 1:5

                                          i.    John the Baptist was baptizing souls in the Jordan River

D.   John 3:23

                                          i.    John was baptizing in Salim because there was much water

E.   Romans 6:4

                                          i.    Baptism is a burial and a ressurection

a.    Have you ever seen someone buried by sprinkling or pouring dirt on the body?

                                        ii.    We die and are buried just as Christ was

a.    He was in the heart of the Earth (Matt 12:40)

III.           Arguments

A.   They sprinkled in the Old Testament (Num 8:7)

                                          i.    They also had to be washed in water to be clean (Num 19:19)

                                        ii.    This argument is justification coming from the Old Law

B.   The Spirit is poured out (Zec 12:10, Joel 2:28-29)

                                          i.    Receiving the Holy Spirit and baptism are different acts (Acts 2:17, Tit 3:5-6)

C.   Peter was sprinkled with blood (1 Peter 1:1-3)

                                          i.    Sprinkling is symbolic in the New Testament when used of salvation just as washing is (Heb 10:19-22)

a.    The body is washed and the heart is sprinkled

                                        ii.    The heart, or conscience, is pure before baptism (1 Pet 3:21)

                                       iii.    The blood of Christ sprinkles our conscience (Heb 9:14)

a.    In short, sprinkling is closer to representing repentance than it is baptism