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This question was asked of Philip by the Ethiopian eunuch as recorded in Acts 8:36. Prior to this, Luke records that Philip had taken Isaiah 53 as his text and preached Jesus to the eunuch. Philip responded by asking for a verbal declaration and affirmation of the eunuch's faith in Jesus, to which the eunuch responded, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (v 37). Based upon that confession, Philip immersed the eunuch in water for the remission of his sins (vv 38-39). But what if the eunuch had answered in some other fashion? What if he had said, "While in Jerusalem I saw many Jews being immersed in water, and, though I don't know why, it seems like something I need to do." Or, what if the eunuch said, "I love God and want my sins forgiven, but I'm not sure about this Jesus character". Would Philip have been justified in immersing the eunuch without further instruction on the purpose of baptism or the deity of Jesus? The point I am trying to get at is this -- is it ever acceptable to refuse to baptize an individual? Some would say we never have a right to refuse to baptize anyone, but what does the Bible say?

In the Great Commission, Jesus said one must be taught before he can become a disciple - "Go and teach all nations" (Matt 28:19). Mark's account says the gospel must be preached and believed before it can be properly obeyed (16:15-16). When Peter preached the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost, only those "who gladly received his word" were baptized (Acts 2:41). Would it have done any good to baptize those who did not receive (i.e., believe) the message preached? Absolutely not! Thus, one who is not adequately taught, is not a proper candidate for baptism.

Acts 18:24-19:5 teaches that one who is not properly taught cannot properly obey the gospel message. An area preacher was in his office when approached by a man requesting to be baptized. Since he did not know the man, he inquired of him as to why he wanted to be baptized.

The man replied, ‘I’m going around to all the churches in the area who baptize to make sure I get the right one. I’ve been baptized six times already.’ The man was not interested in knowing what the truth was, he just wanted to have his bases covered. The preacher refused to baptize the man; was he wrong in so doing? A thousand times NO!

In Matthew 3, John the Baptizer was preaching repentance and baptism for the kingdom of heaven’s sake (vv 2-6). Verse 7 says many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John to be baptized by him. What was John’s response? He refused to baptize them! But why? Because they had not brought forth "fruits worhty of repentance" (v 8). Thus, it stands to reason that we are not at liberty to baptize an impenitent person.

Getting back to Philip’s message to the eunuch — it would have been quite similar to his earlier message to the Samaritans when he "preached Christ unto them" (Acts 8:5). Acts 8:12 goes on to say that Philip preached to the Samaritans "the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ." Now, consider what Jesus said about the kingdom of God: (1) One must seek it first and foremost in his life (Matt 6:33); (2) One must do God’s will to enter it (Matt 7:21-23); (3) It’s like a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great price; one must be willing to sacrifice all he has to obtain it (Matt 13:44-46); (4) To enter it, one must prepare and perservere (Matt 25:1-13); (5) Anyone looking back after putting his hand to the plow is not fit for it - Luke 9:62. Thus, anyone not willing to count the cost is not a proper candidate for baptism.

In my past work, I know I emphasized the necessity of baptism while failing to properly teach the necessity of a lifetime of faithfulness to follow. This is why too many "new converts" didn’t last more than a few weeks after their baptism. Now, before I assist anyone in rendering obedience to gospel of Christ, I make sure they understand the commitment which follows the initial obedience. Read Matthew 10:34-38, Luke 14:25-35, and John 6:22-71 and see how Jesus warned his followers about the difficulties that lay ahead. We do people a terrible disservice if we do not adequately and properly teach them about the realities of Christian living. Anyone unwilling to accept the responsibilities of discipleship is not fit for the kingdom of God. In truth, to baptize anyone who is not adequately and properly taught about the demands of discipleship, including the demands of repentance, is to make a mockery of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us resolve to never be guilty of such!

TC

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