Authority For Baptising

Abstract

"I T would be possible to argue from the story of the Ethiopian in Acts 8, 26ff., that baptism is a purely individual concern, calling for no church authority and unrelated to church membership. But this would be a superficial view. It is sounder to place the incident in the general New Testament setting, which calls for a church reference. The authority to baptise was given to the disciples by Jesus and in the story of Pentecost, we see them fully exercising it. They appear to have practised it as a body. Those baptised were " added unto them " (Acts ii, 41), a phrase changed more definitely in Acts ii, 47 to " added to the church ". Thus New Testament baptism was a baptism of believers involving incorporation into church fellowship and followed by the continuing life of church membership (Acts ii, 42ff.). The Apostles baptised as leaders of the church authorised by Christ Himself; baptism was, therefore, an ordinance of the church"