Ministry of Grace Church

lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

Truth to Learn

Baptism is a testimony of the salvation in the name of Christ.

Behind the Words

“Lest” is translated from the two Greek words hina mē. The first of these, hina, means “in order that” and mē is the conditional negative particle meaning “not.” So, literally these two words mean “in order that not.” The best English translation is “lest.”

The word “anyone” is translated from tis, which refers to some person or thing that is not specifically named or identified. It can be translated as “anyone, a certain person, something, or anything.”

The words “I had baptized” is transliterated from baptidzō, which we looked at in yesterday’s verse. There is some variation in the form of this verb depending on the text it is translated from. The better texts have this as an aorist passive verb in the second person, plural. Thus, it should be translated as “you were baptized” rather than “I had baptized.”

Meaning Explained

Apparently the people in the church in Corinth were making a great thing out of who they were baptized by. This may have been the original source of the division within the Corinthian church. As we have seen, Paul gets to the point in no uncertain terms that there were only a few in that church whom he had baptized.

Also, Paul makes it very clear that when he did baptize anyone, he did not do so “into my own name.” In other words, he did not proclaim, “I now baptize you in the name of Paul the Apostle.” Instead, he did so either “In the name of Jesus Christ,” or more likely, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The fact that Paul did not baptize most of the converts under his ministry is in keeping with the example that Jesus gave. Jesus did not baptize people; instead, his disciples did the baptizing.

Let me say a few words about the method of baptism. As we have pointed out, the Greek word baptidzō means “to immerse,” not “to sprinkle” or “to pour.” Therefore, it is most likely that Christian baptisms were originally performed by laying people completely under water and raising them up again. So, if people are baptized by sprinkling or by pouring, are they not really baptized? In the sixteenth century there was a group of Christians who became known as Anabaptists, from the Greek word meaning “baptize again.” Some people believe that their baptizing was a reaction to someone not being “properly” baptized in the first place. In reality, they were baptizing people who had been baptized as an infant. Since an infant could not possibly have confessed Christ as savior, they “baptized again” after a person was truly saved.

Keep in mind, however, that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Rather, it is a testimony regarding the salvation that has already taken place. Therefore, whether you were immersed, sprinkled, or poured upon, you have given a testimony that you are a Christian.

Application

If you were baptized after you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it doesn’t really matter how you were baptized. The important matter is that you did it as a witness to the fact that you are saved. Anything more than that is ritual.