Q: What is the difference between immersion baptism and sprinkling baptism?
A: Baptism is an act of burying one’s sins in water. Different denominations perform baptism in different ways. The two main ways are immersion baptism and sprinkling baptism. The Greek word for baptize, “baptizô,” means to dip, or to submerge. The English word for “baptize” is a direct translation. So, baptism means immersion.
In movies, people often see baptism conducted in rivers or bodies of water. Nobody would consider it enough to sprinkle dirt on a dead body for burial. In the same way, it is necessary the whole body to be buried in water for baptism. It is because baptism is death and burial to sin. Baptism was conducted in areas with a lot of water.
Where there was not enough water, it was common to pour water over the body until it was completely soaked. In the desert area where there is very little water, baptism was conducted by sprinkling a few drops of water. This is because there was not enough water to soak the whole body. Initially, sprinkling baptism was permitted only in inevitable or exceptional circumstances. Around 120 A.D., sprinkling began to replace immersion even in situations with enough water.
