The late David Lipscomb is attributed with saying, “There is no more propriety in calling baptism the work of the man baptized than there is in calling the burial the work of the person buried.” Stop and think about that analogy for a moment. The dead neither dig the hole in which they are buried nor do they shovel the dirt into the hole upon themselves. Someone else besides the dead is responsible for the activity associated with the burial.
Yes, Christian baptism resembles a burial, and it imitates the death, burial, resurrection and walking in newness of life observed in Jesus Christ.
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5 NKJV)
Just as in the literal, physical burial of the dead, in Christian baptism there are also administrators responsible for bringing about the figurative, spiritual burial of souls who die to sinful lives (Romans 6:6-7). The apostle Paul penned that one such superintendent of Christian baptism is the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
A second administrator of Christian baptism is Jesus Christ Himself. Notice John 4:1-2, which reads, “Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples)” (John 4:1-2). Here, we learn that John the Baptist was the administrator of the baptism prior to the baptism of the Great Commission (Mark 16:16). Jesus Christ also participated in baptizing people—an extension of the baptism attributed to John the Baptist (Acts 19:3) while it was still valid. Yet, our Lord did not personally with His own hands do the actual immersing of persons.
Now, Jesus Christ is an administrator of the baptism of the Great Commission, the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5 that is effective presently. It is into the name of Jesus Christ one is baptized today (Acts 2:38) or by His authority. Or, it is by the name or the authority of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit a person is baptized in the Christian Age (Matthew 28:18-20). Although our Lord is the administrator of Christian baptism, even while on earth He used proxies or deputies—human hands—to do the immersing. In our day, human hands do the baptizing, but Jesus remains as co-superintendent with the other members of the Godhead regarding Christian baptism.
In truth, neither the ones doing the immersing today nor the ones being immersed or baptized are responsible for the efficiency of baptism. Divine Administrators are responsible for Christian baptism. “…Christ, buried with Him in baptism” (Colossians 2:11-12) is primarily a divine work and not merely an activity of men, or either the baptizers or the baptized.
