This paper defends the position that baptism is the act by which a person makes his public profession of faith and, therefore, should be the prescribed action for confession in an evangelistic presentation—rather than praying a prayer, as is common in witnessing tools like the Four Spiritual Laws or the Three Circles. It seeks to build upon the work of authors such as Bobbie Jamieson in Going Public, which argues that baptism is the biblically prescribed means for publicly confessing faith. While acts like praying a prayer may hold personal significance, Scripture reserves the public profession of faith for baptism.
The paper will begin by examining several popular witnessing tools that use the sinner’s prayer as the standard means of public faith profession. After presenting these tools, it will move to a biblical-theological argument demonstrating that baptism is the means by which a person calls on the name of Jesus and confesses with his mouth that He is Lord. This argument will start with an interpretation of Romans 10:9–10, establishing that the most likely referent for “confessing with the mouth” is baptism. To support this thesis, the paper will engage a broader range of passages, including Romans 6:2–4, Acts 22:16, Acts 2:21 in conjunction with 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, and James 2:7—each of which links calling upon the name of the Lord with baptism.
Romans 6:2–4 will demonstrate Paul’s connection between baptism and the beginning of the Christian life. Drawing from scholars such as George Beasley-Murray and Douglas Moo, the paper will argue that baptism was closely tied to the entire conversion-initiation process and often functioned as shorthand for the whole experience. From there, the discussion will turn to Acts 22:16, where Ananias tells Paul to be baptized and call on the name of the Lord, reinforcing the link between baptism and calling on Jesus. This connection will be further developed by examining Acts 2:21, where Peter declares that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” alongside Acts 2:38, where he instructs his audience to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus” in response to the gospel. The alignment of these passages will establish a direct correlation between calling on the name of the Lord and baptism. Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:21—where baptism is described as an appeal to God for a clear conscience—will further strengthen this conclusion. Additionally, James 2:7 will contribute to the discussion by highlighting the connection between baptism and the name of Jesus being called over a person.
By removing Romans 10:9-10 as an obstacle to recognizing baptism as the public profession of faith, evangelistic tools such as the Four Spiritual Laws and the Three Circles can, hopefully, shift their emphasis toward baptism rather than alternative outward actions like walking an aisle, raising a hand, or praying a prayer.