BAPTISM IN PAUL, JOHN, AND PETER
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THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION ON THE TEXTS:  PAUL, JOHN,  AND PETER

BAPTISM IN PAUL
A unique feature of Paul's use of, and theology of baptism is that in his epistles he is writing to Christian who have already been baptized.  Unlike Acts where Luke is recording the Apostolic preaching to Jewish and Gentile unbelievers, Paul is writing to believers, members of the church, those who have already been baptized!

Baptism in Paul's use and theology is the means of reminding Christians of what happened to them when they were baptized, and that change in their lives that this new birth brought about.  Things are different because the Christians have been baptized and have entered into a new union with Christ and one another!  Because they have been baptized they are now members of his body, the church, and should behave accordingly!

We will consider baptism in Paul somewhat chronologically.

Gal 3:27:  Both Jews and Gentiles are One in Christ
24 So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In Galatians Paul is incensed that some were following a new gospel, not one which he had preached, and one that called Christians back to keeping the Law of Moses and circumcision.  His argument is that the Law had served a purpose of leading the Jew to Christ, but now that Christ had come they were no longer under the Law, they were under Christ and faith in Christ.  All Christians, both Jewish and Gentile, are children of God through faith in Jesus, and not through keeping the Law.  Notice verse 27 where Paul introduces the subject of baptism.  It was through their baptism that they were united with Christ and put on Christ.  The introductory word "For" explains how they became children of God through faith, for, through baptisms they became part of Christ, they were united with Christ, the ultimate son of God!  Baptism takes faith beyond the sense of believing or trusting, and translates or transfers one into Christ.

1 Cor 1:12-17 ; 1 Cor 12:13:  We are not Divided, but are One in Christ.
12 What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you  baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius; 15 lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Almost as though he were building on his argument in Gal 3 that we are all one in Christ through faith in Christ, Paul discusses a problem plaguing the Corinthian church, namely, that of division.  Paul's argument against dividing into sub groups favoring certain church leaders is that the body of Christ is not divided, that the disciples were not baptized into Cephas, or Apollos, or anyone else.  They were all baptized into Christ, and Christ is not divided.  Baptism was not the core of Paul's preaching; Christ was.  Paul's argument throughout 1 Corinthians is that because we are in Christ we are different and we treat people differently. But baptism still features prominently in Paul's theology and argument, for he has just made an argument from baptism; they were not baptized in the name of Paul, but of Christ!  In 1 Cor 12:13 he continues this argument by showing that by one Spirit (the Holy Spirit) we were all baptized into one body, the body of Christ.  As we learn from Acts 2:38 and Jn 3:3-5, the Holy Spirit is present in baptism brining about the new birth.  We are born into one family, the family of God.  We are baptized into one body, the body of Christ.  Division and favoring one human being over others is against the will of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.  
Comment on 1 Cor 1:17:
In the course of developing his argument against being divided over allegiance to church leaders, Paul makes this statement:  14 I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius; 15 lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

One could take this to mean that baptism was not important in Paul's theology.  However, there are two major flaws in this reasoning: 

First, this would lift the comment out of the context in which Paul is discussing the core of Paul's message and theology, namely, the cross of Christ, and being in Christ.  The very next verse emphasizes this, 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  Paul's purpose was to emphasize being in Christ rather than who baptized the person into Christ!  Being in Christ is far more important than who baptized the person into Christ!

Second, this thinking would lift baptism out of Paul's own practice and theology!  In the same text Paul mentions that he did baptize Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas!  The point Paul is making in the context of this text is that being baptized by Paul was not that important.  Being united in Christ is all important.  Notice verse 15; 15 lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name.  In Pauline theology the only manner by which one may be united with Christ, or gain entry into Christ, was to be baptized into Christ!  See 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27, 28; Rom 6:1-11.

Rom 6:3-9: United with Christ in Baptism

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For he who has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. 9 For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
In his Roman epistle Paul explains the doctrine he preaches to both Jew and Gentile.  Both Jew and Gentile are justified by the same principle, grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Justification is not through works, Jewish heritage, the Law, or human effort.  Justification is solely on the principle of grace through faith, for the Jew and for the Gentile.  God shows no partiality.  Both Jew and Gentile are lost through sin.  Paul has demonstrated that the whole world is under the power of sin and because of this will die.  Paul's argument in Romans is that the Law, although holy, spiritual, and good, served the purpose of indicting man for sin.  The Law cannot save.  It only indicts, and because of sin, the law, therefore, kills.  Anticipating arguments that since we are now under grace and no longer under sin, we could sin and grace could abound!  Paul will have nothing of this nonsense!  His argument is that we were once dead in sin, but are now alive in Christ.  When we were baptized we died to sin and a new person was born.  In baptism we are buried with Christ and raised with Christ.  The old man is dead, the new man is alive.  In baptism we are united with Christ, in a death like his, and in a resurrection like his.  It is in baptism we that are united with Christ.

Eph 4:5:  Maintaining the Unity of the Spirit
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Paul's point in Eph 4 stresses the urgency of maintaining the unity into which the Holy Spirit has brought us through being baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13).  Christians should so treat one another so as to live worthily of the Christian calling.  Unity in the body of Christ is brought about when Christians no longer forbear one another in love.  In the context of developing his argument for the maintaining the unity of the Spirit, Paul demonstrates the foundation or reason for this unity.  There is only one Holy Spirit who baptizes us into one body, therefore, there must be unity.  There is only one faith, one Lord, and one God the Father, therefore there can be only one body.  Since there is only one baptism by which we are baptized into the one body, there cannot be two bodies.  There must be unity for one body to survive.  here baptism plays a role in Paul's argument for unity in the body.  There is only one baptism!  There can be only one body!

Col 2:12: Buried with Christ in Baptism
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
In Colossians Paul argues for the all sufficiency of Christ.  Philosophy may have a sense of wisdom, but in providing security from an evil spiritual world, philosophy fails completely.  It is only in Christ, in whom all the fullness of deity dwells, that we have no fear of the spiritual world.  Circumcision of the flesh cannot help, only being buried and raised with Christ is there hope.  In baptism we are buried with Christ, but it is God who works in baptism, not us!  Baptism is not a work of merit or of law.  It is submitting in faith to the working of God.  In baptism, man is passively submitting to God's will, and it is God through his power and the Holy Sprit who works and raises us to new life in Christ.

We draw attention to an excellent article on Baptism in Colossians by Jeffrey Peterson,, Professor of New Testament, Austin Graduate School of Theology,  "The Circumcision of the Christ": The Significance of Baptism in Colossians and the Churches of the Restoration", Restoration Quarterly, Vol 43/2, 2001.  This references is linked from the Bibliography.
Peterson makes three salient points:
1. First, as a symbolic climax of the Colossians' conversion, baptism signifies the convert's transfer of allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord.
2.  Second, baptism signifies entry into the eschatological covenant people (church, IAF) of God.
3.  Third, baptism signifies the moral transformation of the people of God into the image of his Son.
We recommend careful reading of this article.

Summary of Paul's Theology of Baptism
Paul's theology of baptism is primarily paranetic or practical, that is, Paul uses baptism to explain how Christians should live because they have died in baptism to their old life of sin, and been raised in baptism to a new life in Christ.  Being united with Christ in baptism, Christians should live like Christ, not like the world.  It is through baptism that people gain entry into Christ, are united with Christ, and are therefore, in Christ, wherein are all spiritual blessings.

 BAPTISM IN JOHN
 John does not develop a significant theology of baptism, but there are instances in which we see a baptismal theme present in John.  We find the usual Gospel references to John the Baptist baptizing, and Jesus and his disciples baptizing, but beyond this little is said directly regarding baptism.  However, in Jn 3:3-5 Jesus discusses the new birth with Nicodemus.  
3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Key words in this discussion of the new birth are "unless one is born of water and the Spirit."  The expression "born of water and the Spirit" in the Greek read rather born of water and Spirit.  The small coordinating conjunction "and" forms a construction we call hendiadys in which two nouns in the same case are tied together in one sense.  Thus one cannot separate water and Spirit into two births as some would do, having the water refer to physical birth and Spirit referring to spiritual birth.  The birth Jesus has in mind is the new birth or the birth from above.  Being born of water is a reference to baptism in which the Spirit is also active, hence one is born again, born anew, or born from above at baptism.  A parallel passage in Paul would be Tit 3:3-5.  Although John does not present any full baptismal theology we do see a form of baptismal development in this passage on the new birth.

 BAPTISM IN PETER
The family of baptism words is found only one time in Peter, that is 1 Pet 3:21

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
In an interesting passage in which Peter encourages his readers to reverence Christ in their hearts, and to be wiling to suffer for him, he introduces Noah and his family.  Having said that eight souls in Noah's day were saved by water, Peter ads that baptism corresponds to the salvation of the eight by water.  His statement is clear, "baptism...now saves you!"  This salvation is not simply the removal of dirt from the body, but results from a clear conscience in regard to God.  The power of the salvation of baptism here in Peter's mind is the resurrection of Jesus.  Somehow baptism connects one with the resurrection of Jesus.  This should not surprise us since Paul has also made this connection between baptism and the resurrection (Rom 6:3ff).  Furthermore, baptism is the appeal (some translations have answer) of a good conscience.  God through Jesus has commanded baptism, baptism is a response to the command of God and Jesus.  Baptism results in a clear conscience before God. 

Although this is the only passage in Peter in which he discusses baptism, we do have two significant passages in Acts in which Luke has recorded Peters two key sermons in which baptism features.  The first was the great Pentecost sermon and the first Jewish converts (Acts 2:38), the other the sermon to Cornelius and his household, the first Gentile converts (Acts 10:48).  In both these sermons Peter "commands" that the believers be baptized.