Some have taught that circumcision of the Old Testament typifies infant baptism. This is a gross error. The circumcision of the Mosaic law is typical of a broken, penitent heart. “For he is not a Jew, that is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Rom. 2:28, 29. A man was made a Jew under the old law by circumcision. He is made a spiritual Jew by the circumcision of the heart under the New Testament. It was only the male children that were circumcised according to the law of Moses. If circumcision be typical of infant baptism, it is only the boy infant that would be Scripturally baptized. You may ask, “What harm can result from such ceremony, even if it accomplishes no good?” It leads the child into error, and blinds his understanding to the true mode and object of baptism. To be a light in the world is to be and do just as Jesus did. To be in error concerning any doctrine of the Bible is to be to that extent in darkness.
The baptism of infants is wholly without Scriptural foundation, and is one of the erroneous teachings of the apostasy, a doctrine that aided in darkening the pure light of the gospel.
Sprinkling And Pouring.
These forms of baptism originated among the heretics of the second century. “Ego men baptizo humas en hudati.” Mat. 3:11. To give this a true literal translation, we have: “I indeed immerse you in water.” Immersion is a mode of baptism, and the only Scriptural one. We have no account of sprinkling and pouring until the third century. The Novatians practised it in the third century. When we understand the true object of baptism, and what it represents, we find that sprinkling and pouring would be altogether inappropriate.
Trine Immersion.
This is another doctrine of the apostasy. We have before stated that baptism represents a burial. Rom. 6:4. We can at once see the inappropriateness of three immersions. So far as we know all trine immersionists immerse forward. This does not fitly represent a burial. The baptismal formula of Mat. 28:19 is the trine immersionists strongest proof-text. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” These three, we are told, are one. 1 John 5:7. There are three personages in the Godhead, but these three are one. It does not require three acts of faith for pardon, yet we are told to believe in God, and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, etc. To be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus [pg 440] Christ is to be baptized in the name of the full triune God, because in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead. Col 2:9.
The disciples well understood the Savior in his commission in Mat. 28:19. They baptized under his direction before the commission. One act in the name of the Lord Jesus is all we can find them practising. “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” Acts 10:48. “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 19:5. “They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 8:16.
Tertullian in the third century in writing on the subject of baptism says, “We solemnly profess that we disown the devil and his pomp and his angels. Hereupon we are thrice immersed, making a somewhat ampler pledge than the Lord has appointed in the gospel.”—The Crown.
Trine immersionists make use of such historical records to establish the doctrine of trine immersion. Instead of being in its favor, it is against them. They were at this time under the delusions of a heresy. Apostate teachers had elected exorcists in what they called the church, whose business it was to expel the devil from the candidate for baptism. This is an awful heresy. Those of whom Tertullian writes disown the devil under the hand of these exorcists and are then thrice baptized. Tertullian understands, however, that this heresy is performing more than [pg 441] the Lord Jesus had appointed. Sprinkling, pouring, and trine immersion originated under the apostasy. Single immersion is the only Scriptural mode of baptism.