Is believer’s baptism / credobaptism taught in the Bible?

from the old testament

• Baptism is not mentioned in the Old Testament. However, it anticipates a type of internal cleansing or spiritual circumcision in the New Covenant, which points toward the cleansing symbolism of baptism.
• For example, God said, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33b). God was saying that there would be a day when He would internally renew the people of Israel such that they would be saved and no longer only externally obey.
• Using the imagery of water, God also said, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:25–27).
• Regarding sin, David prayed that God would “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
• In another picture of sin being cleansed, God argued, “Come now, let us reason together…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). Much like baptism figuratively represents the washing away of sins, God said there would be a day when He would clean Israel’s blood guilt such that their hearts would be like pure snow.
• In the Old Testament, physical circumcision was an outward sign of belonging to the Israel community (Genesis 17:1–14). However, God desired internal, not external, obedience (Deuteronomy 10:16). Spiritual circumcision is a picture in both the Old and New Testaments of the internal cleansing of the heart. Anticipating the New Covenant, Moses said, “the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6).
• In summary, while the Old Testament never mentions baptism, it looks forward to a time when people would obey from the heart. In order to obey, God said He would personally cleanse His people's hearts.

from the new testament

• The Old Testament anticipated the internal cleansing that would come through Jesus. Paul picked up on that theme, saying, “In [Jesus] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11). He then connected that internal process with baptism, continuing, “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).
• Paul was saying that the internal, spiritual circumcision prophesied in the Old Testament had been revealed in Jesus. Because of what Paul says here, some have mistakenly linked baptism too closely with circumcision, saying that baptism is a sign in the same way that circumcision was a sign. Because of this, they say that just like all male Jews were circumcised, whether or not they were believing Jews, so also all members of a household with believing parents are to be baptized, regardless of whether or not each individual is saved.
• That view is known as pedobaptism, where pedo is a Greek word for “child.” Note that Christian denominations that practice pedobaptism do not believe that the spiritual state of infants are changed as a result of the baptism. Like with circumcision, they argue that infant baptism is merely an external sign that marks them as part of the church community. This is in contrast with unorthodox versions of Christianity, like Roman Catholicism, which teach that infant baptism removes original sin from the infant, preparing him or her to enter into heaven.
• However, in contrast to these views, Paul is talking about baptism as analogous to spiritual circumcision. His point was the cleansing act, which occurred by a figurative spiritual circumcision done by God, is evidenced by the act of baptism, which, itself, figuratively represents being buried with Christ.
• The rest of the New Testament shows that baptism is always connected to salvation. This is what those who hold to “believer’s baptism,” also known as credobaptism, are teaching. Specifically, that baptism is for those who have expressed faith (salvation).
• For starters, it is important to note that Jesus commanded baptism for all believers. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20a). Therefore, all believers are expected to be baptized.
• We see this understanding from the start of the church in Peter’s first sermon. Those who heard him had asked, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37b). Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Notice that baptism is closely connected with repentance (salvation).
• However, in contrast to those who errantly believe that baptism saves people, Peter was not saying, “Repent and be baptized to be saved.” Instead, in the New Testament context, it was unheard of for a believer to not also be publicly baptized. In other words, baptism was expected to immediately follow salvation (i.e., Acts 8:26–39); thus, they were often mentioned together. Notice that Luke, who was recording Peter’s sermon, commented, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Those “who received his word” refers to those who were saved. Luke said that “they” (the believing, saved individuals) were then baptized. While Peter said “repent and be baptized” in one breath, Luke helps us to see that baptism was after their salvation, not the cause of it.
• This distinction is shown throughout the early church. For example, when Philip was preaching in Samaria (Acts 8:5), we read, “when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (acts 8:12). Their baptism was done after their belief.
• Later, Peter was preaching the gospel to the first group of Gentiles (Acts 10:44a). We read, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:44b–45). Peter’s response was, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47). Notice that it was the evidence of salvation (the receipt of the Holy Spirit) that prompted Peter to say that they were to be baptized.
• Other such examples include Lydia, who was baptized after God opened her heart to believe (Acts 16:14–15), and a jailer, after Paul shared the gospel with him such that he believed (Acts 16:30–33).
• By these and other examples, the evidence is clear that faith precedes baptism and that everyone who was baptized were believers. Therefore, the implication is that “believer’s baptism” is a scripturally sound conclusion.
• Beyond those descriptions of what happened in the early church, believer’s baptism is also supported by other teachings. For example, Paul connected baptism specifically with believers, saying, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4). It is expected that everyone who is baptized has been “raised” with Christ, meaning saved and able to walk in the “newness of life” that comes from the internal transformation of salvation.
• Elsewhere, Paul noted that salvation comes through faith and is evidenced by baptism. He said, “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27). Notice that being a son (or daughter) of God comes through faith. What then is baptism? Because all believers were expected to be baptized, Paul could refer to the believers as baptized, and it means the same thing as believer.
• In summary, the New Testament authors always connected baptism with salvation. Because the practice then was to baptize right after salvation, it was unheard of for a believer to be an unbaptized believer, and why some passages sound almost like baptism was required for salvation. However, when all passages are examined, it is clear that baptism came after salvation. This corresponds to what “believer’s baptism” teaches.

implications for today

The consistent biblical pattern supports believer’s baptism—baptism after faith in Christ. This view takes seriously the nature of the New Covenant, in which all members personally know God, unlike the mixed community of believing and unbelieving Jews of the Old Covenant. Baptism is not a rite to enter into salvation, nor is it used as a sign to mark one as part of a particular community. Instead, it is a public declaration that one has repented and believed the gospel.

Practicing credobaptism, as opposed to pedobaptism, protects the purity of the church. Baptizing only professing believers ensures that the church is composed of those who have experienced the inward change signified by the act and have the Holy Spirit and, thus, are able to obey Christ. This restriction avoids giving false assurance to unbelievers and maintains the clarity of the gospel message.

While we may respect the convictions of others, Scripture provides both a pattern and a theology that supports believer’s baptism. We honor God best when we submit to His design and guard the ordinance of baptism as a meaningful response of faith. Let us embrace baptism as a joyful step of obedience for every believer who has come to know and trust the risen Christ.