Bible Questions with Michael Pearl
Episode 047: Is the method of Baptism important?

Episode Transcription:

Michael Pearl:  Hi. This is the house that Michael built, or is building. These stones I collected over a period of 18 years. I live in a little old wood house I built. And when I'd see the road crew putting in a water line and uprooting a bunch of stone, I would stop and pick up rock. And then down in the creek I picked up a few, on the side of the road where you see them jutting out somewhere. That's why they're different colors, different shapes and different textures. That one's got holes all in it. I don't know what kind of rock that is. But, most of it is limestone rock and it comes from here in the hills of Tennessee. So, I laid it kind of in a quilted pattern of sorts. And, that's where I broke my ankle last year, dropped one of those big old rocks on my ankle. In fact, it was right there that I broke it. It put me out of work for a while.

So, we've got some Bible questions.

I'm Michael Pearl and this is Jared behind the camera. And, it's been kind of a rainy day here in Tennessee, but Jared's followed me up here interrupting my work all day long. But, I'm tickled to be here to help you out by answering any Bible questions you've got.

So Jared, what's the first question?

Jared:  Is the method of Baptism important to God? If so, which method is correct?

Michael:  Well, is it important to God? That question would need to be clarified. I'd need to know what you mean by important to God. God's will is important to God. [chuckle] It's important to God to do what God says. But when you say is it important to God, do you mean is God going to damn you if you get the wrong kind of Baptism or wrong words said or the wrong person doing it or the wrong church administering it? No.

But by is it important to God if you're sprinkled or poured instead of immersed? Does God care? Yeah, He cares because He's made it very clear in scriptures that Baptism is by immersion.

Does that mean you won't go to Heaven if you get sprinkled instead of immersed? No, it doesn't mean you won't go to Heaven. It just means you're out of the will of God. You may lose a reward for being stubborn and unbelieving and following what your church taught instead of what the Bible teaches.

So yeah, it's important to God.

Jesus went down into the water. The Ethiopian eunuch when Phillip got called away in the wilderness and the eunuch said here's water, what doth hinder me to be baptized, that's in about Acts eight or nine somewhere, that says here's water, what doth hinder me, they went down into the water, both of them. And then they came up out of the water.

So if Baptism were by sprinkling, they wouldn't even have had to stop the cart. Phillip could just have taken the container and sprinkled the guy with it when they went down the road or poured it on him. But, they needed water.

It says that John baptized in Jordon because there was much water there. Well, now there's water all over Israel. If it were just a matter of a sprinkling, you could go anywhere. But, John needed much water because he needed enough to put them all the way under. And so, the very word baptize is used secularly.

They found a recipe that some woman had made on pickles. And, it said take the pickles and baptize them into the vinegar. So, the word baptism has to do with complete indemnification, not some partial sprinkling. There's been no question about that down through the ages of people who are Bible believers.

Now, you say what if you've got somebody in the hospital that's sick, about to die. You can't immerse them in water. Well, if that's totally impossible, maybe sprinkle some water on them, pour some water on them, maybe that would be OK. It's not even essential that they be baptized to go to Heaven.

In other words, if someone believes in Christ like the thief did hanging on the cross, he didn't get a chance to be baptized, sprinkled or poured. It didn't keep him from being in paradise with Christ the same day.

So, baptism doesn't save. But, God does have his will regarding it and He's made it clear. So yeah, it's important to God that we do what He said the way He said it. If your church differs, go to your church and tell them you want to be immersed instead of sprinkled.

If you did get sprinkled, it's time to get immersed. Go to some believers. You don't have to have a preacher do it. Go to any Christian man anywhere and say to him, I want you to take me down to the creek, river, pond, lake, swimming pool, and baptize me the way John the Baptist baptized, by immersion in water. And, it's time you got really baptized.

Announcer:  If you would like to ask a Bible question, email us at [email protected] or call at 931‑805‑4820.