Who Can Baptize?

In Mark 11, verse 28, Jesus is asked an important question by those who should already know the answer.

“By what authority are you doing these things? They asked, and who gave you the authority to do this? Jesus replied, I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I’m doing these things. John’s baptism. Was it from heaven or of human origin. Tell me. They discuss it among themselves and said, If we say from heaven he’ll say, then why didn’t you believe me? But if we say of human origin, (they feared the people). For everyone held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, we don’t know. Jesus said, Neither will I tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”

So there we have it. We don’t know, never know. I want to kind of answer that question scripturally, but go into another direction that we might not expect. Let’s turn to 1 Peter 3:18.

“For Christ, also suffered once, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body, but made alive in the spirit. After being made alive…” [Interesting. Some people claim that this says that Jesus was actually still dead, but not according to the NIV.] “After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, to those who were disobedient. Long ago, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built in it only a few people eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you, also not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus, Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him.”

Other Speaker 

So after he died, he took back the authority of for over the every part of the Earth, whether above or below the ground, exactly

JOHN VALADE 

Yes, the authority that was supposed to be in Adam’s hand. But notice it, he says a few people, eight in all. All were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism, that now saves you also. So Peter is equating baptism with going through the water and coming out again on the other side, even though the Ark technically was on on the surface of the water…

Other Speaker 

Yeah, but it was surrounded by water for the 40 days.

JOHN VALADE 

I don’t have the reference, but Paul also says that when the Israelites went through the Red Sea that they were baptized into Moses. So, so baptism and this water thing is a is a theme that carries all the way through the Bible . You start making those analogies after the fact, yeah, because you have noticed the pattern, right? It’s not that God is writing the book to make the pattern that wasn’t there. The pattern is there, because God is consistent in how he works. We just are just slow. We have to catch up later on.

JOHN VALADE 

Okay, so I want to turn to Matthew 28 to start the the more surprising discussion. So, what’s in Matthew 28 is only the beginning. It’s going to get much worse.

JOHN VALADE 

Matthew 28 let’s start in verse 18. “Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I’m with you always to the very end of the age.”

JOHN VALADE 

So notice that he says that he’s with them even to the end of the age. These are the disciples. There are 11 of them in this passage that went with him to Galilee, to the mountain, where Jesus told them to go. They worship Him, which is important. They worship Him. But there are only 11 of them, okay, and he tells them, go out and baptize all the nations, and I’ll be with you until the end of the age. Well, they’re not going to be there till the end of the age. So what’s he talking about? Are these disicples going to with Jesus til the end of the age? So what’s going on here?

JOHN VALADE 

He’s saying that they’re going to be people after them, baptizing and making disciples. Right after them, baptizing and making disciples. Are these going to be officials, certain select people who are going to be commissioned to go out there and do that, because he’s only got the 11 there. I mean, they’re 120 in the building on the day of Pentecost. So what’s what’s going on here?

JOHN VALADE 

Okay, and we’ll turn to Acts two, because that follows pretty closely thereafter. This isn’t the shocking part yet. So what does Peter tell the people who have now seen the Holy Spirit at work giving them languages that they understand, by the way, and they’re wondering, “Brothers, what shall we do?” In verse 38 Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord, our God will call.”

Other Speaker 

So that’s pretty expansive.

Speaker 1 

It is pretty expansive. So whatever this gift of the Holy Spirit is, it will be spread out to a whole lot of people, everybody that the Lord calls. Okay, Peter has also said that this had been prophesied in the book of Joel, that the Spirit will be spread out to all his people. So at least the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all disciples. And it’s a promise: Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, right? There’s a connection there. So you’re baptized under those conditions, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And it’s a promise, and you’ll receive it. And then it says, this is the this promise is for you and for your children. So it’s a promise of the Holy Spirit for all people who believe In Jesus, and were baptized, going forward from then to Jesus’ return.

JOHN VALADE 

In Romans six the conversation that’s going on is this whole idea of, if you have the Holy Spirit, you can’t sin, therefore whatever you do is fine. “What shall we say? Then shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (This is from chapter six, verse one.) “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin. How can we live it in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We are therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him, so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

JOHN VALADE 

This is a very powerful message. Anyone who has died has been set free from sin. I didn’t even think to use that one in my book about what happens after death. I’m just noticing now anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Other Speaker 

Okay, in my margin there for the word freed says justified.

JOHN VALADE 

Has been justified, yes. justified from sin.

JOHN VALADE 

So as soon as you die you’ve paid your penalty for your sin, exactly.

JOHN VALADE 

Okay, so he’s talking baptism here. Baptism symbolizes that death to sin and coming out of the water symbolizes rising to new life. So that’s not the shocking part which we’re still coming to. Luke, three, verse 16:

JOHN VALADE 

Nothing like keeping you guys in suspense, huh? Where’s this shocking part coming? Come on. I’ll get to it. Luke, chapter three. Luke chapter three. We’re going to stop short of the extensive genealogy.

JOHN VALADE 

Verse 16: “John answered them all, I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come the straps of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear the His threshing floor and to gather up the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up a chaff with unquenchable fire, and with many other words, John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

JOHN VALADE 

Herod eventually locks John up. However, in verse 21 we read, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. As he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a bodily form, like a dove and a voice came from heaven. You are my son, whom I love. With you, I am well pleased.”

JOHN VALADE 

So John predicts that he’s going to baptize somebody who will be able to baptize with the Holy Spirit. And so how do you know? Well, when you see the Holy Spirit descending bodily on somebody that’s probably the guy. Just saying.

JOHN VALADE 

Okay, so when does this spirit end up being given? Let’s go to John chapter 20. This is the very day that he shows himself to his disciples, on the first day of the week after his death, on the evening of that first day of the week. John 20, verse 19,

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace, be with you. After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side, and disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord again. Jesus said, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” [That’s good news and bad news, because the father sent him to die. So you know, take take note. It’s a dangerous business that he has sent us into.] “And with that, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”

All right. So this is the day they received the Holy Spirit, not Pentecost. But the day of the first fruits offering. It’s not until Acts two that they display it. All right. This is John chapter 20. Well, in Matthew 28 the 11 disciples, are told to go out and evangelize the world, right? Make disciples as you baptize. But let’s go to John chapter four. Remember, in chapter 20 is day that they received the Holy Spirit. Let’s go to chapter four verses 1 and 2. Now comes the shocking part.

“Now, Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John.” This is John chapter four, okay, 16 chapters before John chapter 20, when they received the Holy Spirit. Just to remind you,

Other Speaker 

Alright? So now, now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although, in fact, it was not Jesus who was who baptizing, but his disciples. Did you catch that? Do they have the Holy Spirit Yet? No, but Jesus tells them to baptize, and they go and baptize. Jesus is not the one baptizing. He’s he has delegated that to his disciples. They don’t have the Holy Spirit. Is that shocking? They’re baptizing without the Holy Spirit. Go figure. We know John, the Baptist had the Holy Spirit. Well he’s baptizing, and yet the Spirit didn’t rub off on anybody except Jesus. Okay, okay, let’s go to Luke chapter nine, starting at verse one.

“When Jesus had called the 12 Together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, take nothing for the journey, no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there till you leave that town. If people do not welcome you leave their town to shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. So they were sent. They sent out, set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”

So Jesus sends them out proclaiming the good news. Does it say anything about baptizing? Not specifically, no. So I decided I would have a quick look in my handy harmony of the Gospels, and to see when relative to John four, this happened. So this is where Jesus is telling them to go, and where Jesus is being told that the Pharisees are finding out that He’s baptizing more people than John the Baptist.

Speaker 1 

And in Luke chapter nine. This is John four. This is Luke nine. See how many pages are in between them. They already had authority to baptize in Jesus’s name when they’re going out too.

Other Speaker 

This time you have a little more duties.

JOHN VALADE 

It was now not just baptizing, now it’s baptizing, casting out demons, healing people, all that kind of stuff. So clearly, you know he’s not going to take back baptizing after he’s given it to them, what he’s doing here is adding more, right? On top of that, we find out in the next sentence that Herod and his entourage are even thinking that John the Baptist has come back to life. Why would they think that?

The fun part comes in chapter 10 of Luke, verse 17. Luke 10, verse one “After this, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them out, two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” So now he’s got 72 people going out. “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord on the harvest to therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go. I am sending you out like lambs among the wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals and do not greet anyone on the road when you enter a house for say peace to this house. If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace shall rest on them. If not, they will return to you. Stay there eating and drinking, saying, eating and drinking whatever they give you for the work that deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you when you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you, heal the sick who are there and tell them the kingdom of God has come near to you. “

Other Speaker 

So now these 72 are going out healing the sick. So if they’re healing the sick, and it’s not just the 12 disciples, are they or baptizing or not? So baptism isn’t mentioned. Specifically but way back in John chapter four, much earlier in the story. This is quite early in Jesus’s ministry. And even Herod is kind of shocked that somebody’s going around baptizing a little bit later than that, also because he thinks of John the Baptist, has come back to life. I’ve killed him already, right?

JOHN VALADE 

Some of John’s disciples were still around. In fact, in fact, Paul ends up meeting 12 disciples in Ephesus of John the Baptist. And so he asked them if they’ve received the Holy Spirit. Their response was what’s this spirit thing that you’re talking about? So he lays hands on them, and they receive the Holy Spirit. Okay, let’s go to Acts chapter eight.

Speaker 2 

Is there any record of baptizing being done about, say, 100 years before this, or anything like that. You know what the Maccabees, or any of those people?

JOHN VALADE 

I’m not sure.

Other Speaker 

This baptism of John, somehow some people recognized it was from God, but why?

JOHN VALADE 

I think part of the reason for that was that he was doing it at the Jordan River.

Other Speaker 

Okay, yeah, right where they crossed.

Other Speaker 

the boys were circumcised, the girls were baptized. That’s my understanding, unless it’s a modern thing,

JOHN VALADE 

That makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense. You have to have some sort of ritual, some sort of welcoming into the into the community. Yeah.

We’ll start in verse one of Acts 8. ‘And Saul approved of their killing him. [That should probably be part of chapter seven.] On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, all except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him, but Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house. He dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 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. [Now, Philip is one of the originals, right?] So for, for with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in the city.

So there he is doing exactly what Jesus had told the apostles to do. Then we get the story of Simon, the sorcerer. So in verse 14, “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them, they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and Peter and Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

So Simon, of course, thinks, wow, this is a great thing. Something must have happened, right? How did they know that the Holy Spirit was received? So they must have been doing something. I don’t know, speaking in tongues, doing miracles, something and then,

Other Speaker 

or simply seeing Jesus in the Scripture,

JOHN VALADE 

Maybe, but then something, whatever it was, was obvious to Simon, who was a sorcerer and had kind of started believing..

Other Speaker 

“This is a neat trick. Can I buy it?”

JOHN VALADE 

Yeah. So, so it looks like Peter and John were sent to initiate the reception of the Holy Spirit among non Jewish people. That make sense. So that might be why Philip wasn’t a leader. Well, you’ll see in a moment something happens a little bit later with Philip. So go to verse 26, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official of the treasury of candy or Candace, which means the queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home, was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah, the prophet. So the angel tells him to go down the road. However, the Spirit told Philip go to that chariot and stay near it. Then Philip ran up to the chariot, heard the man reading Isaiah, the prophet. Do you understand what you’re reading? Philip asked, How can I? He said, unless someone explains it to me. So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of scripture the eunuch was reading. It was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearers is silent. So he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation, he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants, for his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is this prophet talking about himself, or someone else?” Then Philip began with the very passage of scripture and told him the good news of Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to someone. Eunuch said, “Look, here’s water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but he went on his way of rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at hazottis and traveled about preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Other Speaker 

I mean, he’s standing beside the eunuch, then all of a sudden he’s standing in somewhere else. How’d he get here?

JOHN VALADE 

I watched a fun movie about a guy who had lost his wife and was all down in the dumps, and this angel comes to try to get him on the right path. And every once in a while, he’ll turn, he’s talking to this guy. He’ll turn and this Angel’s disappeared. He’ll go somewhere else, and then all of a sudden he turns, and there he is. Or he’s trying to walk away from him. The angels back there, he’s trying to walk away from him, and the angel shows up in front of him. So yeah, kind of like that representation.

Other Speaker 

Was it a river?

JOHN VALADE 

Yeah, it was enough water. It was a desert road. So it might have been an oasis or spring.

So, the, the thing that I’m trying to get to here is, who can baptize? Everyone, everybody who is a follower of Jesus Christ can baptize. And you can see that Jesus had people baptizing even when they didn’t have the Holy Spirit. If they could baptize and they didn’t even have the Holy Spirit, what does that mean for those of us who do have the Holy Spirit? Right?

Yeah. Okay, so, who could baptize? Anybody can baptize. That means Wanda can baptize. That means Nielsen can baptize. And Pat, of course, yeah, all of us, every one of us here, can baptize people making disciples, probably a little more complex, but…

Other Speaker 

But only if they’re receptive to the truth.

JOHN VALADE 

Bingo, that’s right, yeah.

JOHN VALADE 

We watched a pastor do that, actually throw water on everybody. He was trying to explain the difference between the indwelling of the Spirit and the baptism of the Spirit. So he had a water bottle, he drinks from it. See, this is the indwelling of the Spirit. Where’s the water? Inside, right? And then for baptism in the spirit he sprays the front row of the congregation from the water bottle.

Other Speaker 

So if a fire truck uses a water cannon to disperse the crowd, they’re not baptized.

JOHN VALADE 

So, so any disciple of Jesus can do this, but you have to be a disciple, right? It might help to have enough water too. And yeah, you might want to, yeah, you know, book a swimming pool or something I don’t know. So to that end, and

Other Speaker 

I you ever do baptize somebody, make sure you pinch their nose tight enough so the water doesn’t get into the nose. Whoever baptized me didn’t pinch my nose tight enough. I came up spluttering.

JOHN VALADE 

You might want to make sure that the water isn’t, you know, too cold in the garage in February. I was, I was doing a lot of shivering while the praying was being done over me. Yeah.

I have a little note here that anybody can use to give an outline. It’s an outline of what to do to baptize people. And I will, I will email copies of that to those of you who are not able to be here today, but it’s, it’s not very long, so I’ll just, I’ll just read through it.

Water baptism is an outward sign of a believer’s repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It symbolizes participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism of the Spirit and fire refers to the regenerating and purifying work of the Holy Spirit (translation: a complete makeover of the mind and heart in God’s image). We baptize by immersion in our Fellowship. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4-5; Luke 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Matthew 3:16) There is no prescribed ceremony in Scripture, but here is a format common to many churches: Once the person enters the water, ask two questions: 1.Have you repented of your sin, desiring to live a life free from the bondage of sin? 2.Do you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life, worshipping him alone and obeying him before any other? Declare: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Immerse the person completely in water very briefly. After immersion, bring the person to dry land and have the assembled people lay hands on the person. Pray for that person to receive the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus. If people feel moved to do so, they can pray for additional blessings on the new believer. After this celebration is definitely in order. Enjoy!

Other Speaker 

Also, weren’t there cases where people had the Spirit without being baptized?

JOHN VALADE 

There were some, some Yes. So the eunuch did it in the normal order, but Cornelius and his whole family, received it at once, and then had to be baptized, yeah.

Speaker 2 

So it’s interesting that they still perform the baptism ceremony for them, to show the importance of it.

Other Speaker 

One symbolizes forgiveness and the other symbolizes you’re part of the club?

JOHN VALADE 

Yeah, you’re the prophets of the Old Testament. Had it too. I mean, oh yes, yeah, yeah, clearly Moses did, yeah,

Other Speaker 

Well, even the Old Testament customs were based upon going to God for to ask for forgiveness. It’s just that when he died and was crucified, the high priest job went to him.

JOHN VALADE 

Right, he was a higher order of priest. Okay, so any further thoughts from those on the other side of the wall here, on the side of the screen, does it make sense that you have the authority to baptize people that you just just need to discern call upon the spirit to tell You whether this person is in need of baptism, because he also says that those whose sins you forgive are forgiven. Right? Jesus says that on the day that he’s giving him, giving them the spirit, that those whose sins you don’t forgive are not forgiven. So there’s a discernment there, right? Peter could say, nope, Simon, you’re out. You ain’t getting this from us.

Other Speaker 

Yeah, when Paul converted, it had to be obvious to these, yeah, it might have been hard to tell for a lot of people.

Speaker 2 

One thing that was gone those three years was that three, three and a half years, yeah, so that would be up, yeah?

JOHN VALADE 

It looks like he was at Mount Sinai those three and a half years, yeah, which tells you something, because that’s where Moses met God, right? God is consistent. He just seems to work in ways that, after it happens, you recognize that it should have been obvious. Of course, this is where you’re going to take Paul.

Conclusion: If you are a Spirit-born, baptized follower of Jesus Christ you have authority to baptize in the name of Jesus. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Baptize wisely.