Where in the Holy Word of God does it say people being baptized must be submerged and that its only a symbol?

Question

God says in Ezekiel 36:25-27 "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

Compare this to Act 2:38 "38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Ezekiel is a prophecy and a foreshadowing of baptism and it obviously said to sprinkle water.

Both passeges say that sins will be forgiven (impurities = sin)

Both passages were void of symbolic language (that is if you believe that the spirit is symbolic and not a reality).

So again, where in the Holy Word of God does it say people being baptized must be submerged and that its only a symbol?

I am not seeing Bible verses.

I will accept any christian writing before the 1500's that says one needs to be submerged.

Answer 1

The Bible does not say that it is a symbol.
But the word "baptize" means "emmerse" or "submerge." Early translators refused to translate the Greek word "baptizo," because they all practiced sprinkling.

Answer 2

The Didache was written around A.D. 70 (at the same time as the Bible) and is a strong witness to the sacramental practice of Christians in the New Testament. In Chapter 7, the Didache reads:

"Concerning baptism, baptize in this manner: Having said all these things beforehand, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in living water [that is, in running water, as in a river]. If there is no living water, baptize in other water; and, if you are not able to use cold water, use warm. If you have neither, pour water three times upon the head in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

These instructions were composed either while some of the apostles and disciples were still alive or during the next generation of Christians, and they represent an already established custom. Those who insist on submersion are pharisaical, missing the point.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 3

Michelle Chang gave a good list of verses where immersion probably took place. However, scholars are divided on whether the Greek word really means to immerse (obviously, or we'd all be immersing).

On the other hand, outside of Baptist and evangelical circles, Church tradition has held that immersion and pouring probably both took place within the pages of the New Testament. An example of where either pouring or sprinkling was almost certainly used is Acts 2:41: Just imagine trying to immerse three thousand people in a single day in a place like first-century Jerusalem!

*Nowhere* does the Bible say that it's *only* a symbol. The Bible does describe it in symbolic terms, but never as *only* a symbol.

Answer 4

Good Question :) !

The word Baptize in greek (Baptizein) means to Plunge, refering to a complete submersion. We also have two examples of complete submersion in the bible:

Mark 1:9, 10: “Jesus . . . was baptized (“immersed) in the Jordan by John. And immediately on coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being parted.”

Acts 8:38: “They both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized (immersed,” )him.

The passage at Ezekiel 36 does NOT refer to a baptism, but a general cleansing of of religious uncleanness for the returning Jews in 537 BCE after thier captivity in the idol ridden Babylon. The cleansing put in them“a new spirit” enabling them to produce the fruitage of God's holy spirit. While this sprinkiling resembles baptism practised by some religions we can induce that it's not a baptizim because 1.) it is a sprinkling and not a submersion, and 2.) this refers to a large group of people (the returning Jews) and not a literal sprinkling of each individual.

The Bible never states that the act of baptism itself cleanses sins. It states several times however that it is the blood of Christ that does this. 1 John 1:7: “If we are walking in the light as he himself is in the light, . . . the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

The passage at Acts states that baptism itself does not bring forgiveness of sins. Paul said this to Jews who shared responsibility for the death of Christ. ( at verses 22, 23.) Their baptism did give evidence that they now put faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Only by their doing this could their sins be forgiven.

Answer 5

Look at Acts 8:38. They went INTO the water. The word Baptism comes from the Greek word "Baptiso" which only has the meaning to dunk or immerse. You are correct in that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins, Acts 22:16, but that is because it unites us with Jesus' death, Romans 6:3-13 and His blood that forgives us, Hebrews 9:22.
As far as a symbol, that word is never used with baptism. Nor is baptism ever called a sign. Look at 1 Peter 3:20-21. Baptism is compared to the ark that saved Noah. Did Noah think of the ark as symbolic? Notice that just as the ark saved Noah, baptism now saves us. It isn't an outward thing that cleans the dirt off of our flesh, but an appeal to God for a clean conscience. It is a work that God has done, Colossians 2:12.

Answer 6

Immersion for Jesus of Nazareth was absolutely crucial fro realization of His purpose, but for everyone after Him it was largely symbolic. For those people He met after that were freely given healing and spontaneous baptism of Spirit, and especially after His resurrection.

The Samaritan woman, the living water Jesus offered her was most certainly symbolic. (John4)

He healed a crippled man at the pool (John5), before the man ever touched any water, later telling him not to sin when the man met up with him in the temple. This is the event on the Sabbath that had outraged Jews.

Just start reading Acts, it's all about spontaneous baptism of the Holy Spirit after Jesus' Resurrection .

Act1:5 really couldn't state it any more clearly!


I fully understand how I became blessed so. I haven't always known it so well, but once I fully understood, I realized That the Holy Spirit was always with me. It was my own foolishness that had dismissed it, it's other people that have judged me otherwise, making me distrust God. I can also now recall to this day the revelations from God that I received as a child. Babies are closest to God, being born only through the will of God. People are lead to distrust that in such an evil way.

You have it wrong, it's WATER baptism that is largely symbolic for us, it's the fact of the Holy Spirit that we must accept living in OUR flesh to obtain eternal life. Spirit is never symbolic.

John the Baptist was only baptizing in water to reveal the Messiah. John baptizes with water, Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. (John1:29-34)

Believe. Accept the Holy Spirit and your trust will be revealed.

Answer 7

It is unintentionally funny how roman catholic (and some other) Christian churches make a big deal about the "commitment" of a young uninformed soul, just born, and probably totally sleeping through it, or crying in loud protest! It is ALSO unintentionally funny how roman catholic (and some other) Christian film-makers show Jesus, and others, wading out into waist-hith (even chest-high) water, only to be sprinkled on their head. In the Bible, adults were baptized out in the water, not sprinkled as babies. What kind of credit can God give oblivious crying infants for being forced to be sprinkled by their birth parents' church? What is that child is orphaned and raised by atheists? Does a sprinkle of "holy water" when sleeping as a baby cange the heart? God's word says He judges the heart!!! Does a criminal go to heaven because he was "forced" to have water "sprinkled" on it's head, when it could not even understand language yet... let alone the sacraficial obedience of being baptized as God commanded. I don't think their parents, or their church even gets it! Baptism is supposed to MEAN something!!! Our church christens babies, but we call it "baby dedication", a parent's commitment (not a sleeping baby's baptism). Full emursion baptism comes when we are old enough to obey God's will with understanding and true commitment! Sprinkling is OK...just don't think you don't need a real Christian baptism because you we christened when ou were so young you were totally unaware of it.

Answer 8

It is the Greek word. The Greek word does not infer pouring or sprinkling not patting oil, but submerge, plunge, dunk, so to speak. It is the word meaning.

The same way a tree is a tree. A baptism is a baptism.

Answer 9

I don't know about being submerged... but it is a symbol. Where in the two passages you showed does it say its not a symbol. Water alone doesn't wipe away your impurities. Plenty of people were baptized and aren't Christians.
Its what you do BEFORE your baptized that cleans you of sin... baptism is the public announcement.

Answer 10

Nice question, I would have to say that the only major difference I could think to guess, would be that Jesus was not doing the baptizing it was someone else, and therefore could only be symbolic, of what Jesus does for us spiritually.