Are there qualifications for who performs baptisms?
Question:
Dear Minister,
May I ask for further clarification? You stated, "There is nothing in the Scriptures listing out a requirement on those doing the baptism" in the article "What is successionist baptism?" My query is, when Matthew 28:19 says, "Go and make disciples,... baptizing them.." doesn't it imply that saved people are the baptizers (by the fact that He initially said this great commission statement, as I understand, only to already saved people)?
Also, it seems all the examples of baptism in the Bible were performed by saved people. So, are Matthew 28:19 and these examples a pattern showing that the baptizer must be saved to baptize someone scripturally? Or, if not, how should I understand there are no qualifications for the baptizer despite Matthew 28:19 and these examples?
Answer:
Perhaps the original answer was not clear enough. Christians should baptize those wanting to become Christians because they truly understand what is needed for a person to commit his life to Christ. However, nothing in the Scriptures lists requirements for those doing the baptism. You have cited Matthew 28:19, which states that Christians are to go out into the world and make disciples of Christ by baptizing them. However, this passage does not address what happens if a person learns the Gospel on their own through the reading of the Bible. The examples in the New Testament all took place before the written word was readily available. People did not learn about Christ and his Law without someone teaching them. Thus, there was always a Christian available to do a baptism.
It is interesting that Paul taught a large number of people, but he didn't always do the baptisms. "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other" (I Corinthians 1:14-16). Paul was thankful because too much emphasis was being placed on who did the baptism, and that wasn't important.
When someone learns the Gospel on his own, the best thing is to find a Christian to make sure he understands the Bible correctly and to be baptized under the authority of the Lord. However, there are rare cases where no Christian is available, and the command to obey God is urgent. It is the obedience to God's command that is important, not who administers the baptism.
