Sent To Preach, Not Baptize, Pt. 2

October 16th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

1 Corinthians 1:17a For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…

Though Paul readily admits to baptizing some Corinthians, namely Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanus (1 Cor. 1:14, 16), he did not recall baptizing anyone else. With so many conversions in Corinth during his 18 months there (Acts 18:11), one wonders why Paul did not baptize more. Clearly he is talking about water baptism, and since the early Church practiced this rite following a conversion to Christ, why wouldn’t Paul have baptized more? He answers this question in v. 17, saying that he was sent by Christ to preach the gospel, not baptize.

In his writings, Paul often speaks of baptism as a dry act. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, baptism has the sense of unite—all Christians being baptized by one Spirit (12:13), a dry baptism with the Holy Spirit. Also, in Romans 6:3 baptism is synonymous with the dry act of believing. Then in Romans 6:4, baptism is used in reference to death. In Ephesians 4:5, Paul speaks of baptism, saying, “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” In Colossians 2:12, Paul speaks of being “buried with Christ in baptism,” yet when one is baptized with water, they are not literally buried with Christ. Coming up out of the water may signify rising from the dead, but baptism in Colossians 2:12 has to do with faith—the work of God done through dry baptism with the Holy Spirit. Likewise, Peter speaks of a dry baptism in 1 Peter 3:21, saying, “…baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Clearly Peter is using “baptism” for faith, not water.

In Jesus’ so-called Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, the main verb is “make disciples” (mathēteuō) which in context entails evangelism leading to conversion. But mathēteuō is also accompanied by two acts: baptizing (baptizontes) and teaching (didoskontes), two participles that modify the main verb. Those who “make disciples” are to be “baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and “teaching [converts] to observe all that [Jesus] commanded.”

Notably, nowhere in the Book of Acts, or anywhere else in the NT, are believers ever baptized under Jesus’ Triune formula prescribed in Matthew 28:19. Believers are baptized simply in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 10:48; cf. Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). The reason for this seems to be that Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19 were not formulaic; rather, they revealed the means through which converts are made—dry baptism through immersion in the truth of the gospel of our Triune God. Perhaps hearing the gospel preached is the dry baptism commanded?

Like Paul, Jesus spoke of His own dry baptism in Luke 12:50 when He said, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished.” In Jesus’ context, His baptism was His future betrayal in Jerusalem, arrest, pre-crucifixion tortures, and His crucifixion resulting in death. His baptism thus entailed the worst agony any man has ever endured, Jesus enduring the penalty for mankind’s sins. His death is thus depicted not as a misfortune or tragedy but as God’s plan—a divine “must” (Luke 9:22) uttered by Jesus’ desire for fulfilling His mission, namely His dry baptism. Also in Luke 12:50, Jesus speaks of being “distressed,” a Greek term that speaks of being “gripped with fear,” meaning that the agony Jesus endured in Gethsemane (22:44) the night before He died was a perpetual agony that wasn’t new to Him by the time He got to Gethsemane. Yet His distress had an ultimate goal, for Jesus sought to accomplish the payment for sin (cf. John 19:30) in His death—His dry baptism.

So how could Paul seemingly shun Christ’s command to baptize? Perhaps the answer is that “make disciples” entails immersing unbelievers in the truth of our Triune God—baptizing them and teaching them all that Christ commanded. Paul seemed to think so. Why else would he say, “Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” when Jesus commanded it for all?

Food For Thought
Baptism is certainly an important sacrament in the life of a Christian. Though it does not save and is not, in and of itself, essential for salvation, it is vital as an outward act of obedience to Christ after salvation. It may serve a purpose for parents dedicating their child to Christ soon after birth, but it should be done publicly as a decision from a convert to Christ after being born-again (cf. John 3:3). Since baptism means nothing apart from an outward confession of Christ as Lord and Savior, what is more important than baptism is the preaching of and received of the gospel. Without the preaching of the gospel first, and its reception second, baptism has no effect on the life of one who has been baptized. No wonder Paul prioritized preaching the gospel over baptizing converts. Let us do the same—making disciples through immersing them in the truth of our Triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.