Baptism by Sprinkling and by Immersion

The Issue

Korean churches translate the New Testament Greek word baptisma in two different ways. Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and other churches call it serye (a rite of washing), while Baptist and Full Gospel churches call it chimnye (a rite of immersion). The question at issue is whether the way water is applied belongs to the essence of the rite.

The View That Baptism Must Be by Immersion

• This view holds that the basic meaning of the Greek baptizō is "to immerse" or "to dip."
• It cites the statement that Jesus, after being baptized, was "coming up out of the water" (Mark 1:10), and the statement that Philip and the eunuch "went down both into the water" (Acts 8:38).
• It argues that if baptism signifies dying, being buried, and rising again with Christ (Romans 6:3–4), then going under the water and coming back up expresses that meaning most clearly.

Baptists, Full Gospel churches such as the Korea Assemblies of God, and the Churches of Christ hold this position.

The View That the Mode Is Not Essential

• This view holds that in the New Testament baptizō was also used in the broader sense of "to wash" (Mark 7:4; Luke 11:38).
• It argues that the baptism of three thousand people in a single day at Pentecost (Acts 2:41) and a baptism performed at night in a prison (Acts 16:33) are difficult to explain by immersion alone.
• The early Christian document known as the Didache is understood to have permitted pouring water on the head when sufficient water was not available.
• It maintains that what matters is that baptism is administered with water in the name of the triune God.

Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Anglican, and Lutheran churches hold this position, although these denominations do not regard immersion itself as wrong.

The Situation in Korean Churches

Most churches administer baptism inside the sanctuary, either by sprinkling water or by wetting the hand and placing it on the head. Baptist churches either have a baptistery in the sanctuary or administer immersion in rivers, the sea, or swimming pools. Whether a previously received baptism is recognized when a person changes denominations is a practical issue, and this question is closely tied to the infant baptism controversy.