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 (Romans 6:3-4).
Baptism is a burial in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). It is essential to salvation (Mark 16:16). “Therefore we are buried” (Romans 6:4) and, “Buried with him in baptism” (Colossians 2:12). Using our God-given reasoning powers and conclusive evidence in the New Testament; baptism is a burial in water.
An incident in the life of James A. Garfield, our twentieth President, brings out the fallacy of arguing against baptism as immersion. While at a young age, Garfield went to work for a farmer one summer. In the fall, he found himself in the middle of an argument on the subject of baptism:
James was digging potatoes in October, and putting them into the cellar. On going to the house with a load one day, he found a neighbor discussing the subject of baptism with his employer’s daughter. “Sprinkling is baptism,” James heard him say. “Immersion is no more. A drop of water is as good as a fountain.” “Sprinkling is not baptism, according to Alexander Campbell,” replied the young woman; “and I don’t see how it can be.” “I said, according to the Bible. I don’t care a fig for Alexander Campbell,” the neighbor rejoined. “That makes your position harder to support,” interrupted James, with the design of affording relief to the farmer’s daughter, whom he very much respected. “What do you know about it?” exclaimed the neighbor, somewhat annoyed at the boy’s interruption. “You know more about potatoes than the Scripters, according to my idee.” “You can’t prove that sprinkling is baptism, from the Bible,” added James. “That’s all you know about it,” retorted the man. “See here,” continued James, thinking he would surprise the disputant by his familiarity with the Scriptures; “how do you get along with this?” And he proceeded to quote from Hebrews: “Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.” “There you see it says ‘sprinkled,’” interrupted the neighbor, quite elated. “But, hold on!” replied James; “wait, and hear the rest of it. You are in too big a hurry.” And James repeated the remainder of the text: “and our bodies washed with pure water.” He laid stress on the word “washed,” adding: “Now tell me, if you can, how you can wash your body in a drop of water.” Without waiting for a reply, he hurried away to the potato-patch. (William M. Thayer, From Log Cabin To The White House, pp. 180-182)
We must remember that the Bible is the final authority. As James A. Garfield turned to the Scriptures in the above incident; so must we, in all things that pertain to life and godliness! (2 Peter 1:3).
Steve Miller










