Biblestudy:Water baptism

This article is one in a series of studies on baptism - you are currently on the topic that is in bold:

Baptism in Vietnam.

This self-guided Bible Study lists most of the scriptures relating to Christian Baptism in the Bible.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:16-17)

Instruction on Water Baptism in the Gospels

Reference Text
Matthew 28 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mark 10 38:But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

39: And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

Mark 16 16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Luke 3 16: John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Luke 7 29: And all the people that heard [him], and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

30: But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Luke 12 50: But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

51: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Examples of Baptism and Instruction in the Book of Acts

Reference Text
Acts 1 5: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Acts 2 36: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call.

41: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.

Acts 4 10: Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11: This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

18: And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19: But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Acts 8 12: But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

14: Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

15: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

16: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

17: Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

35: Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36: And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37: And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38: And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Acts 9 17: And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

18: And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Acts 10 36: The word which [God] sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

37: That word, [I say], ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;

46: For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

47: Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

48: And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Acts 16 14: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

15: And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought [us], saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide [there]. And she constrained us.

27: And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28: But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29: Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32: And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

33: And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed [their] stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Acts 18 8: And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

24: And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, [and] mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25: This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26: And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto [them], and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

27: And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

28: For he mightily convinced the Jews, [and that] publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Acts 19 1: And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2: He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3: And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4: Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5: When they heard [this], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6: And when Paul had laid [his] hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Acts 22 10: And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

11: And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

12: And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt [there],

13: Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

14: And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

15: For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

16: And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Instruction on Water Baptism in the New Testament Letters

Reference Text
Romans 6 1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

I Cor. 1 12: Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13: Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

I Cor. 10 1: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2: And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

I Cor. 12 12: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ.

13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3 26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 4 4: [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5: One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Colossians 2 9: For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

10: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

I Peter 3 21: The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:


The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist

Reference Text
Matthew 3 1: In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2: And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

5: Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6: And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

13: Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14: But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15: And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 21 25: The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
Mark 1 4: John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5: And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

6: And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

7: And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

8: I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

9: And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

10: And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

11: And there came a voice from heaven, [saying], Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luke 3 21: Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

22: And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

John 1 32:And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33: And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

34: And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

John 3 22:After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

23: And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

24: For John was not yet cast into prison.

25: Then there arose a question between [some] of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26: And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all [men] come to him.

John 4 1: When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2: (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

3: He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.


He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)

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