How Much Does A Person Have To Understand About Baptism Before They Are Baptized?

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How Much Does A Person Have To Understand About Baptism Before They Are Baptized?

It might seem like an odd question, but how much does a person have to understand about baptism before they are baptized?

If baptism is a sign and seal of a relationship already in play, then it would seem that any long explanations regarding what baptism is afterwards, is a retracing of steps that should have already been covered. In the Great Commission, baptism comes after evangelism, but before “teaching others to obey all that Christ commanded.” (Matthew 28:19,20)

Here’s how this question surfaced in my mind:

We’re doing a lot of baptisms here in the Cloud Forest Region of Ecuador. Disciples are being made. One of our strongest leaders expressed a concern about people “falling off” after their baptism. He wants to lay the blame at our supposed inefficiency in teaching others what baptism is before they are baptized. I think he might be right in some regards, but ultimately one’s “falling off” after making any profession or confession of faith is extremely difficult to nail down.

I believe that most unstable conversions are the result of an incomplete and incorrect gospel. This leads us back to our original question; How much does a person have to understand about baptism before they are baptized? In answering this question, many would point to Philip and the Ethiopian. He was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet, when Phillip asked him if he understood what he was reading. After what seemed like an incredibly short time, and Philip told him the good news about Jesus, the Ethiopian spotted some water and said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” (Acts 8:26-40)

Some would say that the Ethiopian had a complete understanding of what baptism was and that it required no further explanation, but I’m not so sure that was the case. So, one more time;

How how much does a person have to understand about baptism before they are baptized?

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