Baptism and Missing Verses

In this episode of the Know and Do podcast, we take a deeper look at two important questions that arise from Acts 8:26–40: What does the Ethiopian eunuch’s baptism teach us about baptism, and why do some Bible translations not include Acts 8:37?

Baptism is an important part of the Christian life, but Christians have disagreed about what baptism means, who should be baptized, when it should happen, and how it should be carried out. The account of the Ethiopian eunuch provides a helpful case study—but it is also an outlier that should not be used to establish a theology of baptism by itself.

We begin by examining the eunuch’s encounter with Philip. After reading Isaiah and asking who the suffering servant is, the eunuch hears the good news about salvation through Jesus Christ, responds with joy, and asks to be baptized. While his baptism is legitimate, the circumstances surrounding it are atypical. The episode explores why we should not use this unusual situation to justify every kind of spontaneous or isolated baptism.

We then consider the ordinary New Testament pattern for baptism: the gospel is clearly communicated, a credible profession of faith is confirmed, and baptism takes place as a shared ordinance within the body of Christ. Baptism does not save us; salvation comes through faith in Christ. Instead, baptism serves as an important act of obedience and an early step in a healthy Christian life and a healthy church.

The second half of the episode addresses another question from Acts 8: What happened to verse 37? Some translations include it while others omit it or place it in a footnote. We discuss why this is not evidence that modern translations have removed Scripture. Rather, Acts 8:37 is a textual variant that appears in later manuscripts and is not found in the earliest and most reliable textual witnesses used in modern translations.

This leads to a broader discussion about why Christians can have confidence in the Bible. We consider the formation of the biblical canon, the criteria used by the early church to recognize New Testament books, manuscript evidence, the geographical spread of early Christian manuscripts, historical corroboration, eyewitness testimony, and the consistency of the biblical message.

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to answer questions about one baptism or one missing verse. We want to understand what the Bible says, trust it as God's Word, and allow it to shape how we live as the church.

Resources

• What Is The Bible Podcast Episode

• Why It Was Impossible to Corrupt the Bible

• Useful infographics on the makeup, transmission, and historicity of the Bible