"I'm glad I didn't baptize you!" - Joey Ferrell

Some years ago, I posted a couple of articles on my personal blog online that gained not only a lot of popularity, but also a lot of negativity. One of those articles was titled “5 reasons NOT to be baptized…and 1 reason TO!” The other, "What must I do to be saved? Oh...well, I don't want to do that..."

The first one got a lot of traffic on social media, a lot of concern by fellow Christians (because the title caused questions and the reader didn’t read the article in full), and actually a little one-on-one discussion on baptism. The second one…oh boy! There was possibly as much negative response from similar and different ideas than maybe there were positive.

Let me explain:

You see, the Bible teaches truth…and truth only. The Bible teaches salvation…and salvation only. The Bible teaches ONE truth and ONE form of doctrine to obey that truth…so where did the negativity come from? Ephesians 4:4-6 says this:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Did you see that? ONE baptism. Not many…and the emphasis should also be noted that baptism is among these other important “ones.” But, regardless of this verse that would seem simple to see in context, there are so many people who want to question that one form of doctrine when it comes to the nature and obedience of baptism. We could spend days probably on every single objection to baptism, but in this article, I want to focus on one specific argument that has been heard many times over…

“Paul didn’t baptize” or “Paul said it wasn’t important because of 1 Corinthians 1.”

Both of these are similar in argument, but let’s break this down a bit, starting with the context. 1 Corinthians 1:14-15 says this,

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

So, yes…Paul DID say that he was glad that he didn’t baptize them. That is a hard statement to read…or is it really? Let’s focus a little more on the context at hand. Paul is addressing a major problem in the church in Corinth. There was sectarian division. Some were claiming to be of Paul…others Apollos and so on. Paul answers this with the question of “Is Christ divided?” He also posed the question of “Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (v. 10-13)

Here is the problem with this statement that some will want to use to say that we do not have to be baptized to be saved. Paul NEVER said that one must not be baptized…nor did he say that he never baptized anyone!

While I am not sure how many will read this article, I can BOLDLY state something similar to what Paul said in verses 14-15 - “I baptized none of you except…”. It would be a blessing to know that someone I baptized into Christ (as the steward of God’s baptismal commands) is reading this very article…but in all likelihood, that is not going to be the case! I don’t keep a record of dates and names, but I can assure you that the list of people that I have personally baptized into Christ is much shorter than Paul’s would ever be! How can I say that? Well, remember what he said…”except Crispus and Gaius”. Wait…wouldn’t that indicate that they were both in that audience? I believe that to be the absolute case…and thus, Paul’s statement is a resounding truth in that the audience that included these men as well as possibly many others in this epistle as it was read had not personally been baptized by him…and his point is referring exactly back to what he had already stated about feeling some importance by the one who baptized a person instead of the One in which they were baptized into!

So, how many people DID Paul actually baptize? Well…I don’t know. We can ask him in heaven if the question is that important for us to know…but…notice this passage where we find that Crispus obeyed the gospel in Acts 18:8:

Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

So…yes, Paul baptized Crispus, who was in the audience in the letter to the Corinthians, along with his household…and notice the last part of the verse - “and MANY…heard, believed, and were baptized.”

So, what about Gaius?

Turn to Romans 16 and you will find this Christian brother listed in his good work with the church that he is a member. We don’t seem to have a record of his actual baptism, but 6 times in scripture, this brother is listed. Most of these indicate that he is a Christian and doing work for God. In Romans 16, he is part of the church…and who knows how many in that congregation were baptized at the same setting that Gaius was with Paul. Only God and Paul would know.

So…using this argument to “debunk” baptism is a fallible argument at best. Paul baptized. He baptized at least 2 men and as the record would speculate…many others at these same settings.

With that said…I personally did not baptize any of you…except those that I actually baptized. Paul is no different…and God’s word is clear.

Do you need to be baptized for the remission of sins? Do you know someone who is unsettled on this command from God? If so, we would love to help.