Know What You Believe about Baptism

Baptism is a hotly contested topic in the Christian faith. It’s not about whether you sprinkle or dunk. It’s not even about whether you baptize children of believers or believers only. Christians continue to debate what the sacrament of baptism actually symbolizes. Is it a sign of the covenant, or is it a seal? Or is it simply a memorial of God’s salvific work?

What you believe about baptism impacts far more than just you, so Christians—especially those in church leadership—ought to carefully consider how to answer these questions.

For example, if you believe that believer’s baptism (baptism after conversion) is truest to what Scripture teaches, what do you do when someone in your church becomes a Christian years after being baptized as a child? Or if you believe paedobaptism (infant baptism) is taught in the Bible, what’s the prescribed method of baptism?

Simply put: if you’re a believer and you haven’t needed to study baptism yet, it’s probably a matter of time before you’ll need to know what you believe and why. And because there are faithful Christians on each side of the issue, you need to understand what others believe as well.

Baptism in the White River, possibly near the Carroll County community of Mundell, circa 1915.
Eureka Springs Historical Society Collection (S-99-66-379)

Gain clarity and insight from others

Glean wisdom on the doctrine of baptism from Classic Studies on Baptism (42 vols.). In this collection, you’ll find voices from across the theological spectrum, offering clarity and insight from various traditions. Some volumes in the collection focus on specific questions or provide a high-level perspective, while others offer a comprehensive view of baptism, such as William Wall’s four-volume work, The History of Infant Baptism.