Controversies and Biblical Clarity on Baptism

Time Stamp Map
0:00 - Introduction
1. 1:11 About BibleThinker
2. 2:46 What is baptism, what does it do, and what does it declare?
3. 5:23 Is baptism purely a symbol, or is there something spiritual that happens when a person is baptized? Does baptism affect salvation?
4. 6:35 When a person makes a profession of faith, should they be baptized right away, or should there be a waiting period for their leaders to observe their conduct before allowing them to be baptized?
5. 8:02 Is pedo-baptism (infant baptism) biblical? And is it biblical to draw a parallel between circumcision and baptism?
6. 13:51 When studying Scripture, what is the difference between a descriptive text and a prescriptive text?
7. 14:55 Time stamp #5 continued (circumcision vs. baptism)
8. 16:09 What does the New Testament say is the parallel we should draw from the Old Testament practice of circumcision?
9. 18:14 What passages of Scripture do pedo-baptists refer to in support of their belief?
10. 24:22 What is the difference between infant baptism and infant dedication?
11. 26:00 Even though baptism isn't salvific, is there any harm in baptizing infants just as a blessing? And do some people believe infants can, in fact, have saving faith already? How can we respond to that claim?
12. 30:53 What happens to infants when they die? Are baptized infants more likely to go to Heaven?
13. 32:11 Refuting the most powerful argument commonly used to defend infant baptism
14. 44:59 Should believers now who were baptized as an infant be re-baptized after truly coming to saving faith in Christ?
15. 49:10 Is it correct to baptize "in the name of Jesus," or "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"? And should a person be re-baptized if a different formula was used during their baptism?
16. 53:56 Who can baptize people?
17. 59:00 Closing thoughts

[sarahfaith]

Time Stamp Map

0:00 - Introduction
1. 1:11 About BibleThinker
2. 2:46 What is baptism, what does it do, and what does it declare?
3. 5:23 Is baptism purely a symbol, or is there something spiritual that happens when a person is baptized? Does baptism affect salvation?
4. 6:35 When a person makes a profession of faith, should they be baptized right away, or should there be a waiting period for their leaders to observe their conduct before allowing them to be baptized?
5. 8:02 Is pedo-baptism (infant baptism) biblical? And is it biblical to draw a parallel between circumcision and baptism?
6. 13:51 When studying Scripture, what is the difference between a descriptive text and a prescriptive text?
7. 14:55 Time stamp #5 continued (circumcision vs. baptism)
8. 16:09 What does the New Testament say is the parallel we should draw from the Old Testament practice of circumcision?
9. 18:14 What passages of Scripture do pedo-baptists refer to in support of their belief?
10. 24:22 What is the difference between infant baptism and infant dedication?
11. 26:00 Even though baptism isn't salvific, is there any harm in baptizing infants just as a blessing? And do some people believe infants can, in fact, have saving faith already? How can we respond to that claim?
12. 30:53 What happens to infants when they die? Are baptized infants more likely to go to Heaven?
13. 32:11 Refuting the most powerful argument commonly used to defend infant baptism
14. 44:59 Should believers now who were baptized as an infant be re-baptized after truly coming to saving faith in Christ?
15. 49:10 Is it correct to baptize "in the name of Jesus, " or "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"? And should a person be re-baptized if a different formula was used during their baptism?
16. 53:56 Who can baptize people?
17. 59:00 Closing thoughts

[BC-zvsk]

Why is the thumbnail so funny to me lol😂??God bless you brother Mike🙏🏾💯

[Scarface]

This video reminded me of a good joke. Enjoy.
A priest, a minister, and a rabbi want to see who’s best at his job. So they each go into the woods, find a bear, and attempt to convert it. Later they get together. The priest begins: “When I found the bear, I read to him from the Catechism and sprinkled him with holy water. Next week is his First Communion.”
“I found a bear by the stream, ” says the minister, “and preached God’s holy word. The bear was so mesmerized that he let me baptize him.”
They both look down at the rabbi, who is lying on a gurney in a body cast. “Looking back, ” he says, “maybe I shouldn’t have started with the circumcision.” :)

[dixiegeorge]

My husband got saved in December 2018 and passed away February 2019. The pastor and doctor said it would kill him with all his tubes to get baptized. His family disagreed with me but the pastor and doctor both told him it was fine. He made a public profession of faith.

[__.Sara.__]

"You go in as a sinner and come out as a wet sinner." 😂
I haven't watched much of your older content! Thanks for reposting!

[ImCarolB]

When I went to the Presbyterian Church, the pastor made a strong statement at infant baptisms that this was not a baptism as a declaration of faith, but the promise of the parents and church to help this child grown in faith. If the child eventually has faith in Christ, they will confirm it during confirmation. I appreciated this clarity, but saw no reason for calling it baptism when a dedication of the child would have sufficed.

[tonypasolli]

Great video. I was baptized December 1, 1995 as an adult in my church. As a former Roman Catholic I was baptized as an infant according to the Roman Catholic rite. I was not saved until I was 30 and this a work of the Holy Spirit. Once I understood the biblical teaching and under the leadership of godly people I was baptized and I believe God was glorified and the church edified. Keep up the good work.

[goofyskittles]

I was baptized this past Saturday! Praise God! If anyone here is a born again in Christ and hasn’t gotten baptized yet, I encourage you to get baptized! It’s an amazing way to show your obedience to Christ publicly and will strengthen your faith! Thanks Mike for your discernment.
-Jakob

[kristyadams]

I am a huuuuge fan of time stamps! Thanks for going above and beyond to help bring clarity to those of us who have all these burning questions!

[CaliHawk]

I appreciate your views on this important topic. One thing that I struggle with in the explanation here is the use of the word and idea “symbol.” While I understand why some consider baptism to be a symbol, I’m not convinced that the Bible backs this up. Here is a quick explanation of why:

Acts 2:38 and Peter said to them, “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.

On Pentecost, Peter tied the idea of baptism to salvation. Not that you can’t mess it up with sin later, but Peter placed priority on repent (change) AND baptism and tied this to the gift, which is salvation.

1 Peter 3:21 backs this up - Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

I am not saying that baptism is what provides salvation, but there is a clear priority expressed that make baptism more than just a symbol. Then there is this:

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Not a symbol. A priority. And when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer, was that a symbol? God’s response seems to indicate it was more important:

Matt 3: 16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

The best argument for baptism being a symbol is actually scripture that seems to argue that baptism is actually a cleanser, 1 Peter 3:21.

I appreciate that the words in this video place importance on baptism and I don’t question your knowledge or your hunger for spiritual knowledge. But baptism is not like a wedding ring and there is strong Bible evidence that it is much more than a symbol.

[GratiaPrima_]

“You and your offspring” sounds to me like whenever you are blessed by God with offspring, bring ‘em. Bring ‘em right on. Then teach them to cooperate with their baptismal graces as they grow.

[claudiaperfetti]

42:. . It's not only repeating. Depending on the one teaching. I was personally preached by a children's missionary. When he asked if I wanted to pray for forgiveness I said no. Butt several days later I did hit my younger brother, then I knew I had sinned, so I went to my room, asked fort forgiveness, Andy asked Jesus into my heart. Then went and told my mother, who reassured me and taught me from there. I was 3 1/2 years old. So small children can believe. I'm so glad my parents believed me and discipled, nobody could have imagined how sick I would get immediately after, when I was near death at least no 3 times, . Had 6 surgeries and this terrible infections. I loved the stories of my Bible with the questions, and talked all day long about heaven, all this before I was six.

[werdecurb]

Mike, I really hope you don't ever feel the need to change the thumbnail. It's hilarious. That aside, love your content. I really get a lot from your channel

[coolbeansaaron]

Great conversation. I think you should invite a well studied lutheran to weigh in on infant baptism, there were many assumptions made about what people believe about infant baptism that were not completely accurate. Faith as a gift from God is a major component driving that belief, not necessarily relating it to circumcision. Why not talk about this with someone who holds the opposite viewpoint?

[svnsetsomnia]

As a Lutheran I don't agree with your views on Baptism, but I appreciate you taking the time to explain your opinion and share it :D

It seems like the assumption was that Baptism is a work we do, but I think the biblical position is that Baptism is a work that God does to us.


1 Peter 3:21 "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you"

Galatians 3:27 "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ"

Matthew 28:19 "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"

Matthew 19:14 "Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these"

[ScotchIrishHoundsman]

I may be wrong (if I remember to, I’ll ask Jesus when I see him), but I feel like I’ve always had faith in God, possibly even as an infant, idk. But the point when I asked Jesus into my heart, I was 4 and I remember it very clearly. I’m Baptist (though I don’t agree with 100% of Baptist theology) and my whole family went to one of those “hell” plays at my grandma’s church.

That was the night when I first felt the fear of God. When they had the altar call at the end, I was bawling because I didn’t want to go to hell, and my mom tried to stop me, but I ran up to the altar by myself and there asked Jesus into my heart. I don’t necessarily know if the sinners prayer is biblical or not, but I was very sincere nonetheless.

I have always looked on that moment as the day I got saved. I didn’t get baptized until I was 10 because my mom and preacher wouldn’t let me, and when they finally did, I think it was partly because I had pestered them about it for years lol. At 27, I look back on that night and know that the Holy Spirit was working on me even back then.

In my teen years and most of my twenties, I strayed from the path and lived more for my flesh than God, but I always believed. I had my doubts, and about the time I was 18-19, what I learned in school didn’t match up with the Bible, and I had a crisis. This led me into studying more and more about creation, and the Lord greatly strengthened my faith through it. My twenties so far could be summed up as periodic highs and very low lows. But about a year and a half ago something changed, God convicted me of my sin and though I bucked it for a long time, He ultimately led me to a life where now I feel much more secure in my relationship with Him, like when I was a kid. I’m so thankful to God, He’s given me so many confirmations and really has shown me he loves me, bless Him. I don’t deserve any of it, and can’t praise him enough. He uses the foolish to confound the wise, my life is a living testimony of His grace, mercy, and love. I owe more than I could ever achieve in all eternity to God. Every ounce of me isn’t enough, and I thank him for his gift in being my savior, and also my greatest friend. When my fiancée ghosted me after our 5 year anniversary in August 2023, it ripped my heart out. I still haven’t fully healed from it. But though the one person I thought would never do it abandoned me, He was still there. My relationship with Him has strengthened significantly, and I have realized that Jesus truly is the only person who has never hurt me. Everything He has done in my life has been in my best interest. Me, a filthy wretch. Makes me wanna bawl all over again.

How great is our God!?!

[bettysiemens]

How young can a child be to really 'believe'? My morher listened to the 15 or 30 minute Back to the Bible broadcast daily and I heard this solid Bible teaching and invitation to Christ as a preschooler. At 4 or 5 I understood that Jesus died for me because I wasn't always good and I wanted to be obedient to please Him. I believe i was saved then with a child's concept of Savior and Lord which matured with my age and understanding. I made recommitments to following him over the years and was baptized at 17. Mike, your Bible based teaching is a blessing ans sooo necessary these days. God bless you.

[jbranson]

I truly believe your faith is stirctly between GOD and us as individuals, I love GOD with all of my heart and I truly know that I do NOT deserve Eternal Life wih HIM but only through HIS Mercy, I will be with HIM in Heaven and GOD help those who don't believe that I will reach Heaven because that is like unto those of the Pharisees and Saducceees. I truly love your work Pastor Mike! GOD Bless you all, as you are about saving Souls and not about religion. Love from your sister in Christ, Julie. Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all!🙏

[rakastellar]

That's definitely an interesting discussion. I was baptised as a child because I grew up Catholic, but I never believed until I got much older.

[nicklandry]

I was baptized at 7 and rebaptized at 24. In the same church and the same baptismal tank. My childlike faith at 7 was lost in my teen years and was basically in outright rebellion. When the Lord showed up in my life in a profound way, (through a dream) the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin and I feel to floor in tears and repentance and immediately seen the world in a new lens and put away my old selfish ways. This moved me to get rebaptized and recommit my life to the Lord with full acknowledgement of my sin and need for a saviour and the cost involved in wearing the name of Christ. Was it necessary to get rebaptized? You could argue all I needed to do was repent and believe, however my decision and public profession meant so much more as an adult than as a child. I am saved by his Grace and forgiveness, my baptism was an outward act of obedience and acknowledgment of his lordship over my life.

PS: this was in a Church of Christ that holds to a theology that you need baptism in order to be saved. I disagree with that theology based on scripture but still consider them brothers and sisters and still attend that church.