Michael S. Heiser on Baptism
No stance fits — the question is held open on purpose
Engaged directly and left open, on the argument that it should not divide. A conviction about the weight of the question, not a gap in the evidence.
"I really don't care which view turns out to be right once we get to heaven. I think infant baptism is defensible... I also think believer's baptism is defensible. Enjoy either or both!" — drmsh.com, The Biblical Teaching on Baptism, Part 6. And on the mode: "I really don't think it matters at all."
THE POSITION
Declines to require either view and says so plainly — believer's baptism is what the New Testament actually describes, infant baptism is coherent as a covenant sign so long as it does not carry regenerative freight, and the mode does not matter at all. What he rejects is not paedobaptism but sacramental efficacy.
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
WHAT OTHERS HOLD HERE
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Old Testament and Semitic languages scholar (PhD, Wisconsin, 2004), Scholar-in-Residence at Faithlife/Logos, and host of the Naked Bible Podcast. Argued that the Hebrew Bible assumes a real divine council of lesser elohim under Yahweh, and held that this reading defends rather than threatens the deity of Christ.
Cite this page
"Michael S. Heiser on Baptism", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/heiser/baptism (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/heiser/baptism).