What are the seven baptisms mentioned in the Bible?

1. The Scope of the Seven Baptisms

The term “baptism” in Scripture refers to different acts or experiences, often indicating immersion, identification, or a profound spiritual reality. Though the Bible uses the word “baptize” most frequently regarding water, there are other dimensions of baptism that emphasize a covenantal or transformational element. Below is a survey of seven distinct baptisms mentioned in the Bible, drawing on specific passages from the Berean Standard Bible.

Each baptism has a unique context and significance, yet all testify to the consistent biblical message of the need for cleansing, consecration, and identification with the divine purpose.

2. The Baptism of Moses (1 Corinthians 10:1–2)

Paul refers to an intriguing concept of baptism when describing the Israelites’ miraculous escape from Egypt. He writes:

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Corinthians 10:1–2)

In this instance, “baptism” is figurative. It points to a national identification of Israel with Moses as their God-ordained leader. They stood under the divine cloud (God’s guidance) and walked through the parted waters of the Red Sea (God’s deliverance). This collective experience was not about water immersion for repentance but about God setting His people apart and identifying them with the covenant made through Moses.

This event also foreshadows a spiritual reality: just as Israel was delivered from bondage by passing through the sea, believers are delivered from spiritual bondage by identifying themselves with Christ. It stands as a reminder that baptism in any form is a demonstration of dependence on God’s mighty power and leadership.

3. The Baptism of John (Matthew 3:1–6)

John the Baptist’s ministry was to prepare hearts for the coming Messiah. Matthew 3:1–6 details how people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and the region around the Jordan came to be baptized by John:

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ … People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance—a public declaration of turning away from sin and looking toward the imminent arrival of the Messiah. It prepared the people’s hearts for Jesus’s ministry. While symbolic, it did not impart the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 19:2–6). Instead, it prefigured the greater baptism that Christ would bring.

4. The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13–17)

When Jesus came to John at the Jordan, John was initially reluctant to baptize the sinless Messiah. Jesus insisted, saying, “Let it be so now; it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). John then baptized Him, and at that moment, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on Jesus, and a voice from heaven declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Jesus’s baptism by John served several purposes:

• It affirmed John’s prophetic ministry.

• It inaugurated Jesus’s public ministry.

• It demonstrated Jesus’s identification with sinful humanity, though He Himself was sinless.

• It previewed the Trinitarian reality: the Son in the water, the Spirit descending, and the Father speaking from heaven.

This baptism acted as a key revelation of Jesus’s identity—both fully divine and fully man—and as the fulfillment of righteousness before commencing His redemptive work.

5. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2; Acts 11:15–17)

Following Jesus’s resurrection, He promised His disciples that they would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). This promise uniquely came to fruition on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit descended upon the believers gathered in Jerusalem, empowering them to speak in diverse languages and boldly testify about Christ’s death and resurrection.

Peter later explained to believers in Jerusalem about Gentiles also receiving this same baptism, saying:

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as He had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, as He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 11:15–16)

This baptism is the inward spiritual work of regeneration and empowerment, marking believers as members of the Body of Christ. It is not a mere symbolic act but a profound transformation that equips believers for service and unifies them under one Lord.

6. The Baptism of Fire (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16)

John the Baptist foretold that while he baptized with water, the Messiah would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11). Scholars throughout history have discussed whether the phrase “and with fire” is a reference to the Holy Spirit’s purifying power or to judgment.

In the immediate context, fire symbolizes both purification and judgment. For those who believe, the Spirit purifies and refines the heart, removing the dross of sin. For those who reject, fire represents the judgment of God (cf. Matthew 3:12). Thus, this baptism underscores the gravity of Christ’s final authority—He is Savior to those who believe, Judge to those who persist in unbelief.

While believers experience the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit in a transformative and sanctifying sense, Scripture also warns of a coming judgment where fire is indicative of God’s righteous verdict on sin. Hence, the baptism of fire can signify either a positive work of purification or a sobering reality of judgment, depending on the individual’s relationship to Christ.

7. The Baptism of Suffering (Mark 10:38–39)

When two disciples desired positions of greatness in the coming kingdom, Jesus asked them, “Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38). He was referring not to water but to His impending suffering on the cross.

This “baptism of suffering” highlights Jesus’s unique role as the sin-bearer who would endure the unimaginable burden of human sin. The word “baptism” here underscores the totality of that experience—He would be immersed in agony and distress for the redemption of the world. Disciples too can share in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10), though His sacrifice remains singularly sufficient for salvation.

8. The Baptism for Believers (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38)

The final type of baptism to consider is the ordinances practiced by believers in obedience to Christ’s command. Jesus pronounced:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19)

The early church applied this directive, as evidenced in Acts 2:38: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…’” This baptism expresses:

• Identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4).

• Obedience to the command of Jesus, sealing one’s public profession of faith.

• The outward testimony of an inward regeneration inaugurated by the Holy Spirit.

Though water baptism does not save a person—salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9)—it serves as a staple practice in Christian worship, symbolically uniting believers with Christ and His Church.

9. Concluding Insights

These seven baptisms exhibit the multifaceted ways Scripture uses the concept of baptism. Some represent tangible water immersion, while others illustrate deeper spiritual truths and lived experiences. From Israel’s deliverance under Moses to Christ’s suffering on the cross, from John’s call to repentance to the Spirit’s inauguration of the Church at Pentecost—each “baptism” underscores a unique dimension of redemption and consecration.

For sincere faith communities through the centuries, applying and teaching these baptisms has brought greater clarity to the message that all of Scripture firmly presents: humanity’s need for repentance, identification with the Savior, and transformation by the Holy Spirit. Believers continue to practice baptism to demonstrate their oneness with Christ, while recognizing that only God’s power truly cleanses and gives new life.

This entire panorama of baptisms affirms the consistent biblical theme of God’s redemptive love, personal transformation, and the invitation for believers to step into a covenant relationship with the Creator—ultimately pointing to His sovereign plan for salvation in Christ.