Can I Baptize Myself?

by Sister Stephanie Mayberry

Can I baptize myself?

We get this question more often than you might imagine – or we get people who proudly proclaim, “I baptized myself!”

Either way, it is important to understand what the Bible has to say about it.

Baptism is Required for Salvation.

We already know that scripture says and demonstrates over and over that baptism is required for salvation.

We are directly commanded to be baptized in Acts 2.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua Hamashiach for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

And Yeshua Himself said that in order to enter the Kingdom of Yehovah, we must be born again – which includes being baptized.

Yeshua answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

John 3:5

Yeshua also said that believers who are baptized would be saved.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:16

Further, baptism is demonstrated in multiple accounts of people who were saved

• Acts 10:44-48 – The House of Cornelius
• Acts 19:1-7 – Paul and John’s Disciples on the Road to Ephesus
• Mark 1:5 – The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to hear John preach and he baptized them.

But Can I Baptize Myself?

Now, when it comes to how someone is baptized, there isn’t much by way of direct, literal instruction beyond baptizing in the name of Yeshua. Someone simply reading the Bible would likely miss all the clues that answer this question.

And if they are aware of the Mikvah, which is a Jewish “baptism” that people do themselves, they may think it is perfectly OK.

But the scripture does not tell us to read the Bible; it tells us to study it (2 Timothy 2:15).

And when you begin studying it out, you get a very different picture.

Let’s take it one step at a time.

Scripture Clearly Says that You Must be Baptized in the Name of Yeshua.

Throughout scripture, we are told that baptism must be done in the name of Yeshua. We must repent, be baptized in the name of Yeshua for the remission of our sins, and we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in other tongues.

We know that this is Yehovah’s will for us because in Luke 7:30 it says that the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God because they refused baptism.

Baptism in the name of Yeshua brings you into His power and authority. When you are baptized in His name, His power and authority are passed to you.

Without the invocation of that name, you have no authority. You have no power. Unfortunately, many churches do not teach this biblical truth.

But if you are not baptized in the name of Yeshua, then you are not one of His.

Many people think that it is just a ceremony, an act of obedience, or a formality of faith. They don’t see the transfer of authority and power that comes with that act. Yes, you are obeying the word, but you are also stepping into a new spiritual elevation (which is why baptism in the name of Yeshua is so important).

It is part of being grafted in to Israel.

That is why it is such a powerful experience. It is so much more than simply getting a place at His table and reserving a place in His Kingdom.

It means walking as He walked (1 John 2:6) and fully submitting to Him. It means shedding the world and sacrificing everything to follow Him.

It means having the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. It means that nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19). When you are baptized in the name, into Yeshua, you have put Him on (Galatians 3:27).

It is not something to take lightly.

You Don’t See Anyone in Scripture Baptizing Themselves.

In scripture, particularly during and after Yeshua’s ministry, you don’t see anyone baptizing themselves.

• Acts 10:44-48 – Peter baptized the House of Cornelius.
• John 3:23 – John baptized people in Aenon.
• Acts 2:41 – People who heard Peter preach salvation were baptized. It does not say they baptized themselves. Plus, Peter had just told them that it had to be done in the name of Yeshua. While He likely used a Mikvah (because it was about three thousand), he (and the other disciples) clearly oversaw the baptisms and invoked the name of Yeshua over them.
• Acts 8:2 – Philip baptized men and women, including Simon.
• Acts 8:14-17 – Peter and John went to Samaria to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit because they had already been baptized in the name of Yeshua.
• Acts 8:36 – Philip baptizes the eunuch who asked to be baptized because he understood the importance. The scripture says there was water there, but he didn’t baptize himself. Scripture says that he asked Philip to do it.
• Acts 9:18 – Ananias baptized Saul of Tarsus (Paul).
• Acts 10:47-48 – Peter baptized the House of Cornelius.
• Acts 16:15 – Lydia was baptized.
• Acts 19:5 – Paul baptized John’s disciples in the name of Yeshua when he met them on the road to Ephesus. They were already disciples. It seems that if they were able to do it themselves, they just would have gone ahead and done it without having Paul do it. But they didn’t.

Yeshua Had to Get John to Baptize Him.

Now, if anyone in the entire Bible should be qualified to baptize themselves, it would be Yeshua, right?

I mean, Yeshua is God Almighty! Certainly He, of all people, would be qualified to baptize Himself.

But He didn’t.

Yeshua had to get John to baptize Him.

He left Galilee and traveled to the Jordan where John was, and had him baptize Him there.

Wouldn’t it have been easier for Him to just wade out into the Jordan and baptize Himself?

Sure, but Yeshua said that we are to follow His example. His word says that we are to walk as He walked.

And the example He set was having John baptize Him. John was not just some random guy either. He was a holy man with a powerful ministry. In fact, throughout scripture, the people we see baptizing others were all people who were faithful to Yehovah and committed to walking in the ministry that He had given them. They were not new to the faith or lukewarm.

They were on fire and completely committed to Yehovah.

When Yeshua first approached him, scripture says that John tried to prevent Him by saying “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Yeshua persisted and John was obedient (Matthew 3:14-16).

This account is very revealing. It tells us just how important and sacred baptism is. It tells us not only can you not baptize yourself, you should also seek out an obedient believer who has been baptized according to Acts 2:38.

Yeshua sought out a believer who was walking in holiness and obedience to carry out His baptism. And that is the example we should all follow.

So, Can a Person Baptize Themselves?

The answer is no, you cannot baptize yourself. A person cannot baptize himself or herself.

If Yeshua can’t do it, neither can you.

If you would like to talk about baptism or want a Bible study on salvation, contact us and schedule a meeting. If you are local to Baton Rouge or want to travel, we can meet in person. If you are not local, we can meet over Zoom. And when you are ready to be baptized, Yehovah will make a way for that to happen and for you to be baptized biblically.