Who Is Authorized to Baptize?

Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

No Explicit Instruction — and the Pragmatic Rule

• The question posed: today we want to ask you a question about baptism. Of course, the New Testament mentions baptism repeatedly. And we believe baptism is necessary for salvation. But this leads to a question that I don't know that the New Testament directly addresses. The New Testament has a lot of examples of baptism. So we know from these examples that baptism requires two people: you can't baptize yourself. But the New Testament doesn't seem to answer the question directly, at least: who exactly is authorized to perform baptisms? Do you need to be a minister of the gospel? What guidance would you say the Bible offers us?
• You're correct, that the Bible doesn't give us explicit instructions. We have typically said that baptism should be performed by a minister of the gospel, or someone authorized by a minister of the gospel. And I think the first reason is pragmatic: so that we make sure it's performed correctly, according to the New Testament — especially making sure the person truly has faith in Jesus Christ, has truly repented of sins, and is baptized by full immersion, with the invocation of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we want somebody who's competent and knowledgeable, and not a novice, or not just rushing through this, because somebody thinks it's a good idea. Now, some have questions, further. So, does that mean the person baptizing must have special qualifications? So, what if we think they're a credential minister, and they're really not? Or what if they're living in hypocrisy, and secret adultery, or false doctrine, or what have you? And I think, at the end of the day, we have to say: the efficacy of water baptism is based on, first of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, his atoning sacrifice. We're identifying with his burial. And then, of course, the person's faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance from sin, to the extent that they have knowledge of what that means. And I qualify that by saying: a new person may have a very limited understanding. But as long as they're truly wanting to serve God, truly wanting to turn from a life of sin, turn to God, ask for the forgiveness of sins, putting their faith in Jesus Christ, as Savior, then I would say the baptism is effective. And of course, we understand: by immersion in water, in the name of Jesus Christ, is all a component of that. But my point is: we don't have to worry about the qualifications of the person baptizing, or the secret sins, or, you know, what we may not know about that person. Because it's really the person being baptized. And that's the key element.

Baptism Incorporates You into the Church

• But, as I said, there's a practical reason, to want someone with some qualification. But also, the purpose of baptism does indicate that there should be some qualification. Because you're not only being identified with Christ, in a personal relationship. And of course, the primary goal is the forgiveness, and washing away, of sins. But you're being incorporated into the church. It's a public statement. It's not only a public confession, but it is part of our Christian initiation. Water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, is how we join the body of Christ, and how we join the New Testament church. And in the New Testament, believers are supposed to congregate together, as a local body. You can't really serve God in isolation — barring unusual circumstances, that you have no choice. But, in other words, you can't just be a Christian, and not go to church. You have to belong to a local church. So, part of water baptism — a practical purpose is to incorporate you, into a local body. So let's say you're witnessing to somebody, and you lead them to repentance, and maybe you're on a trip, and so on. You say: 'Well, let's just baptize them.' Well, you're doing the evangelism part, but you're not doing anything for discipleship. If you're not connecting them to a local church, and local pastor, you haven't really positioned them to be a disciple. So, for that reason, we would normally say: you need to get the pastor of a local church, that this person potentially could come and be part of — or, you know, if they're out of town, or something, at least they could be referred to a fellow church, a sister church. And so, you would want the pastor, or someone designated by him. So, it could be another ministry. It could be a lay person, who's a mature leader. But, under ideal circumstances — not that the person baptizing has to meet certain qualifications, in order for the baptism to be effective; we're not taking it to that extent — but for the practical reason of making sure the baptism is done properly, with repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that we're making our best effort to connect this new believer to a local church, where they can be discipled. So, if the person who has baptized them is representing a local church, that increases the chances they will feel a connection, and they will feel a need to continue their walk with the Lord, in the context of a local church — which is definitely what we want to do. And that is a part of the function of baptism: incorporating the person into the body of Christ — in not only the universal, mystical body, but the local body — where they can be discipled.

Unusual Circumstances

• Now, having said that, there are sometimes unusual circumstances. I did know of a man, who saw baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, in Scripture. He was not aware of anybody else, who performed that. So he baptized himself, in the name of Jesus Christ. Obviously, we wouldn't recommend that. We do think, as you indicated, every example in the Bible is of someone performing the baptism. And as soon as he did come in contact with, in that case, it was a United Pentecostal church, then the pastor did baptize him. But, you know, if those unusual circumstances — could God have accepted that? Well, I think you might say so, even though that's not what we would recommend, if we have a choice. Acts 22:16: Ananas told Saul of Tarsus, 'Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.' We normally would want the person baptizing to call the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to make sure it's done properly, and to make sure it's done with full understanding. But there is this example, where we might ask the person to confess, at the same time. And there's nothing wrong with that. And often, we will pray for the person first, and we can expect them, and ask them, or just tell them, to call on the name of Jesus Christ. So that both the one baptizing, and the one being baptized, both are calling on the name of Jesus Christ.
• There are some other unusual cases, like with COVID, and the aftermath, and technology. People have asked me: well, I'm witnessing somebody across the world, via the internet. We're having Zoom Bible study, or we're online. They want to be baptized. What do I do? And of course, I tell them: find a local United Pentecostal church. Find a local apostolic church. If they can't do anything, they can't find anyone, I would say: well, find someone who is their friend, who does believe in Jesus, to some extent — or to whatever extent you can — and baptize them. But while they're physically being baptized, if you could join them remotely, then you can actually say the formula of baptism, as well. And somebody said: 'Well, can I just do that remotely, and have the person baptize himself?' And I've always said: 'Well, I think you should at least try to have someone physically present. But if they're not a pastor of a local church, or a representative of the local church, then at least find somebody. But then you also can say, you know, the baptismal formula, at the same time.' So, you know, they're interesting, unique circumstances. I think, under most circumstances, you would do what I've already said: have the pastor, or another authorized representative of a local church. But there are cases, as I've already mentioned, of witnessing to somebody across the world, or someone on a trip. And I think a lot of times, if there is an — or maybe someone's stationed overseas, where there is no other church — the best practice, I would say, is: if you're not a minister, get your pastor's authorization. Say: 'I want your blessing. I'm on this trip. This person is hungry for God. I want to baptize them, in the swimming pool. Or, I'm stationed in the military, on a base. I'm witnessing to someone. There is no apostolic pastor. I want your blessing. Can I take them out, and baptize them?' And so I think what we're trying to do there is follow a proper order. Again, for the two reasons I've just mentioned: to make sure it is done correctly, according to Scripture; and also, to make sure we do as much as we can, to connect that person, to a local church, where they can be discipled. But the Bible doesn't give hard and fast rules. This is the guidance that I give to people, for these unusual cases.

Scriptures: Acts 22:16

Don't Delay It — and Don't Rush It

• But, to summarize: I do think we need to treat baptism very seriously. We do believe it's part of New Testament salvation. It's not optional. It's necessary. So we shouldn't arbitrarily delay it, for various reasons. If a person is ready to be baptized, as in Acts 16, even if it's in the middle of the night, go ahead and baptize them. You don't have to wait till the next day. Or, if you're alone in the wilderness, and they're ready to be baptized, you don't have to wait a few days, to the next church service, or till there's a congregation of people: you can baptize the person immediately. It seemed to be that important. On the other hand, sometimes, in our zeal, to tally converts, we may rush people through. And I don't think it's sufficient, just to say, 'I want to be baptized,' or, 'I feel good in this service. I want to be baptized,' or, 'My friend tells me this is what to do,' or, 'My family says.' I think there should be an effort, to make sure you pray. Some representative of the church prays with a person long enough, to feel they've genuinely repented of their sins — and even explain what repentance means, if they're a brand-new person — to make sure they feel that they've repented. And certainly, they're putting their personal faith in Jesus Christ — not just, it's the thing to do, or, if I want to be saved, I have to do this — but they're personally saying, 'I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.' So we definitely want to emphasize baptism, and not delay it, or put it off. But we also want to make sure, as much as we can, that the person understands what they're doing. They've genuinely put their faith in Jesus Christ, for salvation. They've genuinely repented of their sins, to the extent of their understanding, of what that means. And that's the most important aspect. Of course, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as obedience to Scripture, and an expression of our faith in Jesus.

Scriptures: Acts 16

Scripture index: Acts 22:16; Acts 16.