The Six Major Views of Baptism

By Robb Brunansky

Published April 21, 2026

There are several ways we could divide the different positions various churches and denominations hold for baptism. To keep things brief and simple, we’ll break this exercise up into the six major views of baptism that exist in the church today to discover the recipients, mode, and meaning of baptism for each one.

The first view of baptism is the Roman Catholic Church.

In Roman Catholicism, the recipients of baptism are new converts and their children. Roman Catholicism predominately practices infant baptism, sometimes called paedobaptism, from the Greek word for infant. The mode of baptism is typically pouring water on the head of the one being baptized.

The meaning of baptism in the Roman Catholic Church is complex. In summary, though, we can say it teaches that baptism washes away a person’s sins and includes that person as a member of the church. A sinner, therefore, cannot be saved under Roman Catholicism without receiving water baptism. According to this view, regeneration is accomplished when someone is baptized in water, which washes away that person’s sins, including original sin and personal sins.

What makes baptism effective in the Roman Catholic Church is the work of baptism itself (sometimes referred to as ex opere operato). Baptism itself accomplishes these things in the belief system of Roman Catholicism. We would reject these beliefs about baptism because we believe our sins are forgiven through faith in Christ alone, not by being baptized in water.

The second view of baptism to understand is that of the Orthodox Church in its various geographical divisions.

The Orthodox Church is closely aligned with the Roman Catholic Church when it comes to both the recipients and meaning of baptism. This Church teaches baptism should be applied to new converts and to infants within their first forty days of life. Through baptism, the sinner also becomes a member of the church, is cleansed of original sin, and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is necessary for salvation in Orthodoxy, although they also say it is possible that an unbaptized person could be saved in ways known only to God. In Orthodoxy, the mode of baptism is triple immersion, which is almost always non-negotiable.

This view of baptism is fraught with the same problems of Roman Catholicism because it makes salvation contingent on a human work, namely, baptism. Once again, we recognize the Orthodox Church is not merely in error about baptism, but their beliefs here are contrary to the very gospel itself. They preach a false gospel of salvation by the work of baptism rather than through faith alone in Christ, based solely on His justifying righteousness.

A third view of baptism is the Lutheran position (shared by Anglicans and similar denominations).

The recipients of baptism in this view are the same as in Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy, namely, those new to the faith (and unbaptized) or infants within the church. The mode of baptism is typically sprinkling, although pouring and immersion are considered acceptable alternatives.

However, what does baptism signify in this view?

According to Luther’s catechism, baptism “works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.” The order, then, of salvation in Lutheran theology is that baptism precedes faith and is how God gives the gift of faith. In contrast to Roman Catholicism, baptism itself does not do the work of washing away sins and granting forgiveness; the cleansing from sin is by faith. By baptism, though, such faith is given to the sinner. Therefore, when an infant is baptized, God imparts faith to that infant, forgiving the child’s sins and making him a member of the church. We might call this view baptismal regeneration, because it is believed that through baptism God regenerates those being baptized and gives them the gift of faith. This view has some significant problems, which we will unpack in future posts.

A fourth view of baptism is that of Presbyterians, sometimes called the Calvinistic or Reformed view.

In this view, the subjects of baptism are the same as in the other views: new adult converts and infants within the church. Presbyterians also agree with the Lutherans that the mode is not of great significance, so sprinkling, pouring, and immersion are all valid ways to baptize someone.

The heart of the difference between Presbyterians and Lutherans is in the significance of baptism. In the Presbyterian understanding, baptism does not impart grace but is a sign and seal of grace already bestowed. Baptism, then, confirms God’s promise to those being baptized, according to this theology. The key plank in Presbyterian infant baptism is God’s promise in the New Covenant must extend not only to the believer but to his or her children as well.

When we understand the biblical teaching about baptism, as well as what Scripture says about the New Covenant promises, we will see the Presbyterian view cannot be sustained under principles of sound biblical interpretation.

A fifth view of baptism is the Restoration Movement.

This movement, sometimes called Stone-Campbell movement, began in the early 19^th century. Adherents believe the recipients of baptism should not be believers and their children, or infants within the church, but only those who have made a profession of faith in Christ. The mode of baptism in the Restoration Movement is solely by immersion.

The primary belief, however, distinguishing this movement from baptist theology is their understanding of the significance of baptism. In the Restoration Movement, water baptism is necessary for salvation; faith alone in Christ is not sufficient. Many within this movement also believe people must be baptized in one of their local assemblies to be saved. This view of baptism is problematic because it compromises the gospel itself, asserting that faith alone is not sufficient for justification.

The final view we must consider is what we will simply call the baptist view.

Baptists believe recipients of baptism must be limited to those who have made a credible profession of faith. The baptist position can also be described as believer’s baptism, or credo-baptism (from the Latin word for believe). While baptists recognize they are not infallible in determining the genuineness of someone’s profession of faith, the intention is to baptize only true believers in Jesus. Admittedly, baptists sometimes unintentionally baptize someone who proves in time to be an unbeliever, but the difference between when a baptist baptizes an unbeliever and when paedobaptists baptize unbelievers is that baptists attempt to baptize only those who are truly followers of Christ, while paedobaptists knowingly baptize people who are not saved.

Second, baptists believe the mode of baptism should be by immersion. All baptists agree immersion is the biblical method regarding baptism, and pouring or sprinkling are inadequate modes for those desiring to conform their doctrine and practice of baptism to Scripture.

Third, baptists reject the sacramental nature of baptism, arguing that baptism does not save or regenerate anyone, wash away sins, join someone to Christ, make people members of the body of Christ, or deliver them from death and the devil. Furthermore, baptists insist that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Baptism adds nothing to salvation nor is it part of justification. We are justified by faith alone apart from any works we might perform or cooperate in, including baptism.

For baptists, baptism is first an act of obedience to our Lord, who commands His disciples to be baptized. It is also an outward sign of what the Spirit has wrought within us, publicly identifying us in our union with Christ to the church and the world.

In the next several posts, we’re going to take a journey through Scripture to see why believer’s baptism is the only biblical position on baptism.