How is Christian baptism performed? Some believe that it is sufficient to pour or sprinkle water on a person’s head. However, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized in “a body of water.” The account says: “Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.” (Acts 8:36, 38) If pouring or sprinkling water was all that was needed, it would not have been necessary for the eunuch to halt his chariot at a body of water. Even a minimal amount of water, such as that contained in a skin bottle, would have been enough. In fact, he probably had such a bottle because he was traveling on “a desert road.”—Acts 8:26.
According to A Greek-English Lexicon, by Liddell and Scott, the Greek word ba·ptiʹzo—from which the “baptize” is derived—means “to dip, to plunge.” Biblical references to baptism harmonize with this definition. John 3:23 states that John “was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was a great quantity of water there.” Likewise, the account of Jesus’ baptism says: “On coming up out of the water [Jesus] saw the heavens being parted.” (Mark 1:9, 10) So true Christians are appropriately baptized by complete immersion in water.