Water Baptism and Authority

The Greek word baptismos,” which we have transliterated into English letters in our Bibles (rather than translated) as “baptism,” is the subject of much controversy in Christian circles. This word actually only appears in the Bible 23 times, once in plural. Related words, such as Baptist or baptize, occur a total of 93 times, making a total of only 116 occurrences in the New Testament, which should make the topic a relatively easy one for the diligent student to study from a Biblical standpoint. However, for sake of time, I will confine these next few paragraphs to the study of ONLY those occurrences of baptism in which water is specifically mentioned as having been used. In looking at these occurrences, I will examine the question of baptism and authority, and how the men who baptized in Biblical times received the authority to perform this ceremony.