Apostles Baptized?

Full Question

Answer

We feel the evidence is fairly conclusive that all 12 apostles were bap­tized by John the Baptist. In John 1, five of the 12 are mentioned, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathaniel and one not named who is probably John. Remarks in the chapter indicate they were all disciples of John and thus would have been baptized by him (v.35, etc.).

The most telling comment is the criteria for selecting a replacement for Judas. The only ones to be considered would come from “These men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us…” (Acts 1:21,22). This makes it quite clear that the original twelve were of the group that had been together as fol­lowers of John the Baptist and as such would have been baptized by him.

A passage later on in Acts has been used to cast doubt on the validity of John’s baptism. Certain disciples in Ephesus did not know about the Holy Spirit, although they claimed they had been immersed into John’s baptism (19:1-5). After proper instruction, “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” We feel the reason that their baptism was not valid was because they did not understand at least two fundamental teachings set forth by John. They did not under­stand that Jesus was the Messiah, and they were wholly ignorant regarding the Holy Spirit, which was one of the fundamentals explained by John (Luke 3:16). They provide a contrast to Apollos; he also was a disciple of John (18:25) but did not require rebaptism no doubt because he was sound on the first principles.

Evidently the Lord Jesus deliberately delegated to others the actual function of immersing a person (John 4:2). The reason for his practice was, no doubt, to stress that baptism was not validated by the person administering the act. The apostle Paul followed his example and rarely administered the rite himself (I Cor. 1:14-16).