Water Baptisms

The act of water baptism is a very important step in the Christian life. In Matthew 3:13-17, we see the Lord Jesus Himself being baptized, in order to “fulfill all righteousness”. He then went on to establish water baptism as an eternal ordinance for His church, calling every believer to follow in His footsteps, according to Matthew 28:19.

Matthew 28:19 NKJV "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

A wedding ring is an outward sign that a person is married. A military uniform is an outward sign that a person is involved in that particular branch of service. Similarly, water baptism is a symbol designed by God to identify a person as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

However, to say that it is “just a symbol” takes away from the depth and beauty of water baptism. Baptism is a symbol, but it is so much more than that.

When we are saved, we are spiritually baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27), and into His Body, the Church (1 Corinthians 12:13). Baptism in water is an outward representation of this inward reality.

The word “baptize” is the English form of the Greek word “baptizo”, which means to immerse; cause to be dipped; to submerge; and to overwhelm. Therefore, in the Biblical sense, to baptize a person in water literally means to put that person wholly under the water. In Biblical symbolism, water represents inner cleansing (Ephesians 5:26, Hebrews 10:22), and spiritual rebirth (John 3:5), both of which are central themes of baptism.

Water baptism is an act of faith in which we testify, both to God and to the world, that the person we were before is dead and buried, and we are raised as a new creation in Christ. This is clearly illustrated by these Scriptures:

Romans 6:4 NKJV “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Colossians 2:12 NKJV “Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him though faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

Water baptism for the Christian symbolizes and appropriates our death, burial and resurrection with Christ. It signifies identification with Christ.

Being baptized is a command from God, not an option. It is an act that God requires of every believer that has been born again according to Romans 10:9,10. Therefore, we cannot take water baptism without first embracing the reality that it represents: A living relationship with Jesus Christ. Without this, baptism is simply getting wet.