The Doctrine of Baptisms

We want you to give due recognition to a monumental Bible passage, one which lays out the apostles’ most basic doctrine, it's Hebrews 6:1-2. The doctrine presented in this passage is so basic, that the writer asked Christians to leave it behind them. He wanted them to press forward to more challenging doctrines, ones that would move them towards maturity.

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of instruction about baptisms, and laying on of hands, and the Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Judgment… (Hebrews 6:1-2; NASB)

Instruction about baptisms is one of the foundations--basic experiences based upon the elementary teaching about Christ. The context of the passage reinforces the idea that this is basic doctrine. Just a few verses earlier, the apostle exhorts the Hebrews not to content themselves with spiritual milk—that is, he encourages them to move beyond the elementary principles they were taught when they were new in the Faith.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food (Hebrews 5:12; NASB).

The apostle placed instruction about baptisms after repentance from sin and faith in God on this very important list. That’s because the only people who should be baptized must first repent of their sins and profess their faith in God. Those who demonstrate the fruit of repentance have hearts free from evil and are ready to exercise saving faith in God through baptism.

There’s a specific chronological order among the foundations: repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, and judgment.

Baptisms Means Washings

You should note that here in Hebrews 6:2 a handful of English Bible versions translate the Greek word for baptisms [baptismos] as washings. Since the essence of baptism is a cleansing of the soul, washings works perfectly well. Although baptisms is the preferred translation for baptismos here, the author of Hebrews uses baptismos later in the epistle and there it should definitely be translated as washings.

… the present time, in which both the gifts and sacrifices which were offered were not able to perfect the worshiper with respect to the conscience, concerning instead only food and drink and different washings, regulations of outward things imposed until the time of setting things right (Hebrews 9:10; LEB).

So translating baptismos as washings works. Even Jesus used baptismos in the sense of washing on once occassion. Look at what he said while rebuking the Pharisees:

‘… laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do’ (Mark 7:8; NKJV).

Back to Hebrews 6:2. Since the original Greek for teachings on baptisms is baptismon didachys [notice how it sounds like the English baptism didactics], there’s no reason not to use the word baptisms. The noun baptism is used five times in the NT, and the verb to baptize is used more than 70 times. In almost every case, the preferred translation of the verb is baptizing and not washing. Out of the 5 cases of the noun baptism, at least two should be translated as baptism: Hebrews 6:2 and the following:

… having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him (Colossians 2:12).

The point is that the words baptism and washing are practically interchangeable. They are synonyms. Water baptism is, after all, the washing away of sins.

Moving On

Let’s not linger too long on the subject of baptism. Don’t forget that the apostle wanted his hearers to leave the subject behind them—not because baptisms weren’t important, but because they are so elementary that Christians wouldn’t mature if they dwell on them for too long.

Once a child learns the alphabet, he must then move on to spelling. Once he learns to spell, he should advance to reading. He needs to leave the alphabet and spelling behind him if he’ll become a good reader.

Today, it is still necessary to leave teachings on baptisms behind us to press on to more challenging topics. We’d like to do that now, but how can we stop teaching a topic which is unknown? Most Evangelicals haven’t even begun to study baptisms.

In fact, the thinking of most Evangelicals has been biased against baptisms--their pastors have brainwashed them by teaching that baptism doesn’t save.

Understanding how, when, who, and why to baptize is absolutely foundational. It’s not “majoring in the minors” to talk about it, nor is it “making a big deal out of nothing.” Anyone who says so is saying that baptism is "nothing."

A True Evangelistic Ministry

How can a true Gospel ministry be steered in the proper direction without having baptism defined and practiced correctly? It is impossible to have a legitimate evangelistic ministry without giving baptism its rightful place? Of course not.

Look at the way the only man in the Bible called an evangelist ministered the Gospel. His name is Philip, and he led people to baptism!

Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven (Acts 21:8-9).

Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said... when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized (Acts 8:5-6; 12-13).

... on his way he [Philip] met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official... Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet... Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the Good News about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, 'Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?' (Acts 8:27-37)