Question: “Should a new believer be baptise immediately?”
Answer: In the New Testament, new Christians
were often baptized immediately after
confessing Jesus as Lord. Should churches
continue this practice today? Two issues need
addressed. First, can new believers be baptized
immediately? The biblical answer is a definite
yes.
Three thousand believers were baptized on the
same day they believed when the church began
at Pentecost ( Acts 2:41 ). The Ethiopian with
Philip was baptized the same day he believed
( Acts 8:26–38 ). Paul (then Saul) was baptized
about three days after experiencing Jesus on
the road to Damascus ( Acts 9). Acts 16:15
shows a woman baptized the same day she
believed. Acts 16:33 notes the Philippian jailer
and his family were baptized the night they
believed. The first 3,000 people added to the
church were baptized ( Acts 2:41 ), and Jesus
commanded His followers to baptize other
disciples ( Matthew 28:19 ). Baptism is clearly
something expected of every Christian, whether
or not they are baptized immediately.
The second issue to address, however, is
whether a new believer is required to be
baptized immediately. Some churches argue
against spontaneous baptisms due to past
examples of people being baptized without a
true understanding of the meaning of salvation.
To prevent confusion, these churches offer a
class or other instructional time to help each
person understand these issues prior to
baptism.
Historically, during the third and fourth centuries
the theology of baptism continued to shift in
church practice. Originally, church instruction
took place after baptism. However, as different
heresies started to confront the church,
believers were increasingly given specific
instructions before being baptized. By the fourth
and fifth centuries, several weeks were required
to teach catechism before baptism. Because no
direct command is given in Scripture regarding
the length of time required between a person’s
confession of faith and his baptism, there is
freedom for each church and its leaders to
develop the best practice for their particular
congregation.
Though there is no requirement regarding
immediate baptism, there seems to be a clear
emphasis on closely associating a person’s
confession of faith and baptism. Therefore, a
church would do well to keep the space of time
between a person’s confession of faith and
baptism as short as possible. Further, many
churches do not allow a person to partake in
communion, become an official church member ,
or other important aspects of church life until
after baptism. These factors further add to the
importance of holding baptisms for new
believers in a timely manner.