How sprinkling might be biblically grounded or illustrated.

1. Hebrews 9:10 –

Refers to “various washings” (Greek: baptismois) and regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

Application:
This shows that under the Old Covenant, ceremonial cleansing (baptismos) often took place by sprinkling or pouring, not necessarily full immersion. Since baptism in the New Covenant inherits symbolic connections to these Old Testament washings, sprinkling can be seen as a valid form.

 

2. Hebrews 9:19–22 –

Moses sprinkled the book, the people, and the tabernacle vessels with blood and water, declaring it as a covenant purification.

Application:
The New Testament uses this as a picture of cleansing and covenant initiation. Just as people were brought into God’s covenant by sprinkling, Christians can be baptized by sprinkling as a sign of entering the New Covenant through Christ’s blood.

 

3. Acts 2:41 –

“Those who received his word were baptized, and about three thousand were added that day.”

Application:
Logistically, baptizing 3,000 people in one day in Jerusalem likely required a method other than individual immersion in large bodies of water. Sprinkling or pouring would have been practical and consistent with Jewish purification customs.

 

4. Acts 16:33 –

The Philippian jailer and all his household were baptized “at once” during the night.

Application:
The urgency and setting (likely indoors at the jailer’s home) suggest that a quick, accessible method like sprinkling or pouring was practical and possible, especially without access to a large immersion pool.

 

5. Mark 7:4 –

Refers to the Pharisees’ “washings” (baptismos) of cups, pitchers, and dining couches.

Application:
These “baptisms” did not involve immersing large furniture or objects in water; they were done by sprinkling or pouring water over them. This broadens the meaning of “baptize” beyond immersion and allows sprinkling to be a legitimate mode.

 

6. Acts 1:5 –

“John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Application:
The coming of the Holy Spirit was not by immersion but by the Spirit coming upon and being poured out. This analogy supports sprinkling or pouring as an appropriate picture of Spirit baptism.

 

7. Acts 2:3–4, 17 –

The Spirit came as “tongues of fire” resting upon them, fulfilling the prophecy of the Spirit being poured out.

Application:
The visual is of something descending from above (like sprinkling/pouring), not the disciples immersing themselves into fire or water. Water baptism can reflect this same downward application.

 

8. Acts 11:15–16 –

Peter recalls Jesus’ promise about Spirit baptism, describing it as something that “came upon” them.

Application:
This reinforces the imagery of baptism as an application from above — consistent with sprinkling or pouring.

 

9. Acts 10:46–47 –

The Spirit fell upon the Gentiles, and Peter asked, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people?”

Application:
If the Spirit’s baptism happened by descending upon them, the water baptism could naturally follow the same pattern — water applied to them (sprinkling) rather than submerging them.

 

10. 1 Corinthians 10:2 –

“All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

Application:
Israel was not immersed in the Red Sea; rather, they passed through on dry ground while the cloud and the sea surrounded them. This baptism was more about being under God’s covering presence than full submersion — fitting with the concept of sprinkling.

 

Overall connection:
The Bible repeatedly associates covenantal cleansing and Spirit baptism with water or Spirit being applied from above — often through sprinkling or pouring — rather than exclusively immersion. These verses provide both symbolic and practical support for sprinkling as a valid biblical mode of baptism.