Baptism is seen in various modes or ways throughout the word of God.

Christian
baptism has ancient roots in the events of the Old Testament. One passage is 1
Peter 3:20-21. Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of
God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that
is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure where unto even baptism doth
also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer
of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So today as
in the days of water, we can saved by means of faith and water. Hebrews 11:6-7 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By
faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world,
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Mark 16:16 He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned. Even Jesus said the end times would be like the first days. He uses water
here as the example again. John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter
the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Here the fact that were not talking about
the natural birth over again to be saved by is clear to all. Matthew 24:37-39 But
as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in
the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son
of man be. The next example is in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I would
not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and
all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in
the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and
that Rock was Christ. In verse 6, (Now these things were our examples) Paul says
the whole of this story is one of "example," or more literally, of pattern, or
type. Now the flood separated God's people from the wicked and brought them on
their way to a new creation. And something similar can be said regarding the Red
Sea, as well. As the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to escape Pharaoh.
The water separates the saved from the lost in the pattern. There are the two Old
Testament events which provide ancient roots for our baptism. And the baptism that
we use today also has it's roots in the ritual baptisms of the past. Hebrews 9:9-
10 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts
and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as
pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
The Greek word for washings there is baptismois (baptisms). The law had all sorts
of baptisms. And our baptism into Jesus Christ is closely related to them. A
another concept comes from Colossians 2:11-14. In whom also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of
the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also
ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised
him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Paul here is saying
the Colossians do not need to be circumcised. And that baptism is the circumcision
of Christ. The old covenant was by faith through circumcision and the new by faith
in baptism. We are buried with him (Christ) in baptism and have risen with him in
the newness of life. Paul is saying that the circumcision we have is Christ's
death, and we are made partakers of that in baptism. So baptism comes in the place
of circumcision. And because of the understanding of baptism as the defining event
in one’s salvation, the practice of child and infant baptism began at an early
historical period. A practice earlier than the baptism of infants, was based upon
a belief in the sinlessness of infants and the use of personal persuasion as the
means of conversion. This is communicated in a letter from Aristides of Athens to
the Emperor Hadrian in 125 A.D.: "if one or other of them have bondmen and
bondwomen or children, through love towards them they persuade them to become
Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without
distinction. And when a child has been born to one of them, they give thanks to
God; and if moreover it happens to die in childhood, they give thanks to God the
more, as for one who has passed through the world without sins” (Apology of
Aristides). Tertullian (160-220) is the first to specifically mention the baptism
of infants, and he was opposed to the practice. He believed infants are born
without sin and should wait until they can understand what they are doing. Clement
of Alexandria (150-217) also omits any reference to infant baptism and provides a
clear statement on the importance of baptism for one having an understanding faith
and personal repentance: “be not children in understanding; howbeit in malice be
children.” (The Instructor). These are the roots of deception. Hippolytus (170-
236) of Rome includes infant baptism in his development of an elaborate baptismal
ritual. Augustine (354-430) developed a comprehensive theology (From one scripture
taken out of context in Psalm 51:5) of original sin inherited from Adam, in
opposition to Pelagius of Britain (354-440) who affirmed the inncocence of
infants. The practice of submerging the baptismal subject was changed later at the
council of Ravenna or Vienna in 1311 AD. John Calvin, the founder of the
Presbyterian church, in its present form, said: "The very word baptize, itself,
signifies to immerse; and it is certain that immersion was observed by the ancient
church." Commenting on the baptism of the eunuch, he says: "Here we perceive how
baptism was administered among the ancients, for they immersed the whole body in
water." John Wesley, founder of Methodism, on Romans 6:4, says, "We are buried
with him, alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion." Martin Luther
says: "For to baptize in Greek is to dip, and baptizing is dipping. Being moved by
this reason, I would have those who are to be baptized to be altogether dipped
into the water, as the word doth express, and as the mystery doth signify."
( Works. Wittemb. Ed., vol. 2, p. 79.) Cardinal Gibbons, Roman Catholic, says:
"For several centuries after the establishment of Christianity, baptism was
usually conferred by immersion, but since the twelfth century the practice of
baptizing by affusion has prevailed in the Catholic Church, as this manner is
attended with less inconvenience than baptism by immersion." Faith of Our Fathers,
page 275. Still the mode of immersion remained the common practice in Italy until
the 13th century and in England as late as the 16th century according to the Book
of Common Prayer (1559). The following section from the 1549 version allowed the
immersion of infants in three stages for parts of the body, but the later version
refers to a full immersion unless the child is weak in which case “it shall
suffice to pour water upon it.” Then the priest shall take the child in his hands,
and ask the name. And naming the child, shall dip it in the water three times.
First dipping the right side, second the left side, the third time dipping the
face towards the font, so it be discreetly and warily done, saying, I baptize you
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And if
the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it, saying the foresaid
words (1549 Book of Common Prayer). Then the Priest shall take the child in his
hands, and ask the name; and naming the child, shall dip it in the water, so it be
discreetly and warily done, saying, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And if the child is weak, it shall
suffice to pour water upon it, saying the foresaid words (1559 Book of Common
Prayer). Now we can read in history that until the year 325 AD, baptism was
performed using the name "Jesus Christ." It was then changed to the titles
"Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," by the Catholic Church at the Synod (or Council) of
Nicea. Even though they themselves once performed baptism in the name of Jesus.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition (Volume III, Pg. 365,366) The teaching of
the Apostles, indeed, prescribes baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, but on the next page speaks of those who have been baptized into the name
of the Lord, the normal formula of the New Testament. In the 3rd century baptism
in the name of Christ was still so widespread that Pope Stephen, in opposition to
the Cyprian of Carthage, declared it to be valid. From Pope Zachariah (Ep. X.) we
learn that the Celtic missionaries in baptizing omitted one or more persons of the
Trinity, and this was one of the reasons why
the church of Rome anathematized them; Pope Nicholas, however (858-867 AD), in
the Responsa ad censulta Bulgarorum, allowed baptism to be valid tantum in vomine
Christy as in the Acts. Dictionary of the Bible, by Scribners (Volume 1, Pg. 241)
The original form of words were into the name of Jesus Christ or Lord Jesus.
Baptism into the Trinity was a later development. Dictionary of the Bible, by
James Hastings, It has been customary to trace the institution of the practice to
the words of Christ in Matthew 28:19, but the authenticity of this passage has
been challenged on historical as well as textual grounds. It must be acknowledged
that the formulas of the three fold name, which is here enjoined, does not appear
to have been used by the primitive church, which so far as our information goes,
baptized "in" or "into" the name of Jesus, or Jesus Christ, or the Lord Jesus,
without any reference to the Father or the Spirit. Can these changes be biblical
or scripurally correct? No. Way back as the trinity was being formally adopted by
the Catholic church (Which became the state church and religion) Eusebius (who
always translated Matthew 28:19 from the original manuscripts to "into my name"
and Jesus being the speaker here) questions the new practices by some. In the 4th
century, Eusebius (325 A.D.) questions the validity of substitutes for total
immersion and refers to a letter from Cornelius, bishop of Rome (251-253 A.D.)
regarding Novatian: fell seriously ill and was thought to be about to die. In the
bed itself on which he was he was laying he received grace by water being poured
around over him, if it is proper to say that such a one received it. When he
believed, he was counted worthy of the office of presbyter by the favor of the
bishop who laid his hand on him for this rank. The bishop was opposed by all the
clergy and many of the laymen, since it was not lawful for someone who had
received pouring in bed on account of sickness to become a member of the clergy,
but he asked to be allowed to ordain this one alone. Today the Catholics have
these said the following things. The 1997 Catechism of the Catholic Church
recognizes immersion as “the original and full sign” expressing the biblical
description and depth of the personal experience of baptism. “Baptism, the
original and full sign of which is immersion, efficaciously signifies the descent
into the tomb by the Christian who dies to sin with Christ in order to live a new
life. "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness
of life" (Section 628). While this sounds good and true to the original practice
of the Apostles in the book of Acts. What they actually practice is another story.
Seeing that the growing practice of believer’s immersion has converged with the
awareness of the non-necessity of infant baptism. On January 2007, Benedict XVI
approved the following statement regarding The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who
Die Without Being Baptized: “In the contemporary context of cultural relativism
and religious pluralism the number of non-baptized infants has grown considerably,
and therefore the reflection on the possibility of salvation for these infants has
become urgent. The conclusion of this study is that there are theological and
liturgical reasons to hope that infants who die without baptism may be saved and
brought into eternal happiness.” (International Theological Commission, source:
vatican.va). While in the word of God the only purpose, meaning, and importance of
baptism is the defining moment in one’s life and their salvation. We can look at
the scriptures and the history concerning water baptism that it was performed by
the early church in the name of Jesus. May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ
be yours in all things.