The Mode of Baptism & Athanasius Presbytery Updates

Some Baptismal Nuggets and Summary of Presbytery in Birmingham, AL

Most American Christians have never stopped to think about the mode of baptism in the Bible. Some assume that the Bible offers no alternative but immersion. It is common to assume that baptism is a new sacrament without any previous witness.

But the New Testament does not function without precedent. We can be confident that whatever Jesus or Paul does and teaches is already prescribed for us in the Old Testament in some type, shadow, or pattern.

This is undoubtedly true of baptism.

brick sculpture with mural of john baptizing jesus

Hebrews 9 says that certain practices in the Old Testament were necessary and accomplished their goal, but the New Covenant has greater promises because the blood of Jesus covers us.

But what were examples of those practices?

The Apostle writes in Hebrews 9 that they included matters of food and drink and various washings. That requirement is quite significant for our understanding of baptism. The word for “washings” is baptismois, which indicates its translation. We can follow some translations by the phrase “various baptisms.” The implication is that there were already baptisms in the Old Testament.