Question to O. A.: I’m shy in crowds and I don’t attend a church anywhere. But I was watching a Christian TV show recently, and prayed to become a Christian. Now I feel a desire to be baptized. Can I baptize myself in the privacy of my home? L. B., Alberta, Canada.
Dear L. B.: The short answer is “Yes.” You can water-baptize yourself anywhere, anytime, you want. Let me give you some background. First, water-baptism isn’t necessary for Christians. Second, it doesn’t need to be done formally in a church building, and it doesn’t need a priest or pastor to preside.
Among the original Christians, water-baptism was symbolic and optional. It was an external celebration showing a person had been internally baptized in the Holy Spirit. Water was used for the celebration because it’s one of the Early Christian symbols of the Holy Spirit. But, always remember that the water is only symbolic. Water has no Spiritual properties, and does nothing Spiritual to a person.
The Early Christians had two guidelines for water-baptism: First, people had to be old enough to make the conscious decision to become a Christian. Second, the baptism had to be by full immersion, since people are showing symbolically by the celebration that their inner spirits have been immersed in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Originally, Christians who wanted to be water-baptized had to find a source of water deep enough for the celebration (a river, lake, pond, swimming pool, or even a bath tub). Then they often took their friends and family members with them, praying and singing as they went (although witnesses aren’t required).
Then the Christian entered the water alone, as family and friends sang and prayed from the bank or shore. Next, the Christian lay down, or knelt, or stooped, in the water for a moment so that it covered him or her completely. After that, the Christian stood up, came out of the water, and the celebration was over – except for a lot of tears, hugging, praying, and singing.
In your case, it’s clear that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to be water-baptized. So think about it this way: What would you do if you were all alone on a deserted island? You’d have no choice but to do what the early Christians did … baptize yourself, with God as your only witness.
My advice is always to do what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do. So go ahead and water-baptize yourself the way the early Christians did. Then, and most importantly, continue to let the Holy Spirit guide you daily as you grow Spiritually. May God richly bless you and your water-baptism.
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Hi could you please give scriptural evidence on your comment “water baptism isn’t necessary for Christians” as I can only find very clear guidance in the bible on it being completely necessary.
Thanks :)
Dear Hannah, thank you for writing! I assume we’re talking about whether water-baptism is necessary for Salvation? If so, we can actually ask the question in reverse: Is there any evidence that water-baptism IS required for Salvation? And I don’t know of any evidence for that. For example, there’s no evidence that Jesus water-baptized people; and the apostle Paul specifically said that water-baptism wasn’t necessary in his ministry (First Corinthians 1:14, 17). However, let me be brief and give you a clue that many people don’t think about: Many Scriptures that people assume are talking about water-baptism are actually talking about baptism in the Holy Spirit — which is necessary for Salvation because it’s the Spiritual process that Saves people. Two obvious examples are Acts 2:38 and Ephesians 4:4-6. A careful reading of these verses in context will show that Peter and Paul were talking about baptism in the Holy Spirit in the verses, not water-baptism. Another fact is that where Scriptures are talking about water-baptism, the verses usually make that clear (as in Acts 10:47). Finally, most people would agree that water has no Spiritual properties, and that water-baptism can’t Save people, which would automatically make it optional and not necessary. We could say much more if we had the time and space, but these are some of the reasons why I say water-baptism is an optional ceremony for Christians who want it, but that it’s not required for Salvation. Hannah (I like your biblical name), I hope some of these points help answer your question. — In His Blessed Assurance, Owen.