Blogging on Baptism: Post #3: The Mode and Meaning of Baptism

(Please read Post 1 and Post 2 before proceeding)

What is the meaning of baptism and based upon this meaning, should we sprinkle or practice immersion?  

To begin, let me summarize Grudem’s position in his Systematic Theology.  First the meaning.  Grudem says that baptism first signifies us dying and resurrecting with Christ.  Then, but not primarily, it signifies our being washed of sins.  To support this, two verses are supplied:

Romans 6: 1-11 -

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:11-12 - 

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

That is all Grudem puts forth in his effort on the meaning of baptism and spends more time on the mode (immersion vs. sprinkling).  Which, after some thought, makes sense because if baptism is primarily a symbol of us being buried and risen with Christ, then putting a few drops on my head makes no sense.  As Grudem writes:

Even the washing is much more effectively symbolized by immersion than by sprinkling or pouring, and death and resurrection with Christ are symbolized only by immersion, not at all by sprinkling or pouring.

If you have not figured it out already, Grudem supports immersion as the mode and proivides the following 3 reasons why (which he does before he points out what baptism means.  Which I believe is because the mode and meaning are connected.  I have yet to see a baby immersed):  (copied directly from the text)

1.  The Greek word βαπτίζω (G966) means “to plunge, dip, immerse” something in water. This is the commonly recognized and standard meaning of the term in ancient Greek literature both inside and outside of the Bible
2. The sense “immerse” is appropriate and probably required for the word in several New Testament passages. In Mark 1:5, people were baptized by John “in the river Jordan” (the Greek text has ἐν, G1877, “in,” and not “beside” or “by” or “near” the river).Mark also tells us that when Jesus had been baptized “he came up out of the water” (Mark 1:10). The Greek text specifies that he came “out of” (ἐκ, G1666) the water, not that he came away from it (this would be expressed by Gk. ἀπό, G608). The fact that John and Jesus went into the river and came up out of it strongly suggests immersion, since sprinkling or pouring of water could much more readily have been done standing beside the river, particularly because multitudes of people were coming for baptism. John’s gospel tells us, further, that John the Baptist “was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there” (John 3:23). Again, it would not take “much water” to baptize people by sprinkling, but it would take much water to baptize by immersion.
3. The symbolism of union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection seems to require baptism by immersion. Paul says,

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3–4)

Since Grudem defines the meaning of Baptism as a symbol of oneself dying and raising in Christ, it makes immersion perfectly appropriate and symbolic.  Grudem does admit that Baptism also represnts the cleansing from sins:

But to say that washing away of sins is the only thing (or even the most essential thing) pictured in baptism does not faithfully represent New Testament teaching. Both washing and death and resurrection with Christ are symbolized in baptism, but Romans 6:1–11 and Colossians 2:11–12 place a clear emphasis on dying and rising with Christ. Even the washing is much more effectively symbolized by immersion than by sprinkling or pouring, and death and resurrection with Christ are symbolized only by immersion, not at all by sprinkling or pouring.

After reviewing Grudem’s position, the primary question on mode is what does Baptism mean first and foremost?  If it signifies our death and resurection in Christ, then immersion makes sense.  If, however, it means washing of sins, then sprinkling could be appropriate.  But even then, would not immersion be appropriate?  Do we only sprinkle because we Baptise babies?  Hopefully Berhoff will address some of this which I will post on next.