Historical Posts

Baptism is a Burial

Thanks to Johnny O. Trail from the Sycamore Chapel Church of Christ for the content of this post.

In the book of Romans, Paul makes it clear that baptism is a burial. Consider his words in Romans 6:4. Here, it is apparent that baptism means immersion.

Baptism is an immersion, or a burial, in water.

I was reading a 1936 history of Beech Grove, Tennessee a few years ago. It revealed an interesting fact about certain Confederate Soldiers who and their burial around the region. It seems that farmers in the area were complaining about the improper burial of soldiers who had died in battles around the small community.

In their haste to escape from advancing Union Soldiers, the Confederate Army placed their dead comrades in shallow, insufficient graves. In some cases, these deceased soldiers were barely covered with dirt and left to be ravaged by the elements. Needless to say, this created a morbid, grotesque scene for farmers and citizens of the region to contend with on a regular basis. Moreover, it was a constant reminder of a terrible war that cost so many American lives.

As late as 1935, farmers were complaining of having to farm around the remains of these soldiers that were, in some cases, above the ground. They wanted these men to be exhumed and have a proper burial, so they would not be continually farming around the remains of dead soldiers. In response to the complaints, the bodies were exhumed and placed in a Confederate Cemetery that is located just off of I-24 on the Coffee County / Bedford County line in Tennessee. To this day, one can see that particular cemetery from the interstate that runs parallel to the graves.

This reveals a very important principle about baptism that many in our world fail to realize. Baptism is a burial. The very word that is used to describe the process along with certain passages makes this fact apparent.

The dictionary does the Bible student a disservice in defining the word “baptism.” One dictionary defines baptism as “a religious ceremony in which somebody is sprinkled with or immersed in water…” Sprinkling is one way the word is defined by people in our age. This might also be termed baptism by effusion.

First, the Bible makes it plain that baptism required much water. John 3:23 makes this point in regards to the baptism of John. “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.”

As a matter of fact the same point is made regarding the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch. Acts 8:37-39 says, “And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.” From this text, we learn that there was enough water for both the eunuch and Philip to go down into and be baptized. The implication is clear. Baptism required “much water,” because it is an immersion, a burial, in water.

In the book of Romans, Paul makes it clear that baptism is a burial. Consider his words in Romans 6:4: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” When Jesus was buried, He was completely encapsulated within a new tomb. Matthew 27:59-60 says, “And Joseph took the body [of Jesus—J.O.T.] and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.” Thus, it becomes ostensible that any imitation of Christ’s burial would include a complete and total burial under water.

Finally, one might consider the linguistic arguments regarding the proper method of baptism. For this discussion, we need to look at the Septuagint translation of Leviticus 14:15-16. These passages say, “Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.” The three words considered from these scriptures are pour, dip, and sprinkle. In the Greek, these words are cheo (pour), rhantizo (sprinkle), and bapto (dip). This makes it obvious that the scholars who translated the Septuagint version of the Bible knew that there were three separate and distinct Greek words for these different actions.¹

From these arguments, it becomes apparent that baptism means immersion, or burial. As a matter of fact, Dr. Hugo McCord in his translation of the Bible, The Everlasting Gospel, IV ed., consistently renders the word bapto as immersion. Brother McCord does this because the word means “to immerse.” McCord avers in his appendix:

Likewise, the word “baptism” is eliminated, because it is not a translation: “baptism” only anglicizes the Greek word baptisma, using English letters to replace Greek letters, and does not tell what the word means. The root of bapto, “dip” is seen in Luke 16:24: “Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue.”

Thus, the scriptural and linguistic arguments make it apparent that immersion, or burial in water, is in mind when the inspired writers use the term “baptism” in scripture. Still, there are those who reject the truth on this matter. The American Bible Society refuses to translate the word baptisma as immersion. When pressed on the matter they responded. “No translation should employ a word which would rule out one or the other of the interpretations as to the mode of baptism.”²

We should desire the truth in regards to translating words and develop an understanding of their meanings. The translation of baptisma should be of no exception!

¹ Jackson, Wayne (1993). Notes From the Margin of my Bible, Volume I. Courier Publications, Stockton, pgs. 14, 15.

² Ibid, pg. 698-699. The word “mode” in their response is not a proper term to use in connection with the topic under consideration. Hugh Fulford has an excellent discussion of this term in an issue of the Spiritual Sword.

Works Cited:
Jackson, Wayne (1993). Notes From the Margin of my Bible, Volume I. Courier Publications, Stockton.
McCord, Hugo (2000). The Everlasting Gospel, IV ed. Gospel Light Publishing Company, Delight.

Johnny O. Trail preaches at the Sycamore Chapel Church of Christ
2699 Old Clarksville Pike
Ashland City, TN 37015

615-746-8624