What Is Christian Baptism All About? Why Do Christians Get Baptized?
Being baptized is an important ceremony wherein new Christians are fully submersed in water … an act that illustrates their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
More specifically, being immersed in water symbolizes the act of dying out to sin and of being buried with Jesus Christ. Coming up out of the water symbolizes being resurrected into a new life in Jesus Christ.
Being baptized symbolizes a person’s commitment to permanently stop living a sinful life that displeases God and to start living a Godly life that pleases God.
Baptism symbolizes a commitment to turn away from sinful living. Baptism symbolizes a complete surrendering of one’s will and life to God through Jesus Christ.
Baptism is a public statement that a person is no longer going to live a life of habitual sinning … that they are instead beginning a new life devoted to righteousness … right living … as defined by God in His word to us which we call the Bible.
Baptism is a public pronouncement that a person accepts the death of Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for his or her past sins. The crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on the cross is God’s offer of eternal life to all of humankind and the act of being baptized publicly announces a person’s acceptance of God’s offer.
Baptism, as described in the Bible, means a complete immersing of one’s body in water which signifies the death and burial of a person’s old sinful nature.
Now, what requirements must a person meet before they can be baptized?
There are two requirements:
1) A person must have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior … as the supreme sacrifice for their sins … as the perfect sacrifice that reconciles them to God the Father. A person must have confessed their sins…and repented of their sins … and determined to live their life in a way that is pleasing before God. A person must have surrendered their will and their life to God through Jesus Christ.
2) A person must understand the meaning of being baptized … that baptism is an outward testimony of what has occurred inwardly in a believer’s life (requirement #1) … that baptism is a public proclamation of one’s faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to God’s precepts as defined within the Bible … and want to make that public proclamation so that everyone may know they have begun a new life in Christ.
In closing, there are many scriptures throughout the New Testament devoted to the topic of baptism. If you wish to know more about this subject, you are encouraged to do a Biblical search for the words “baptize”, “baptized”, “baptism”, and “baptizing”. Or, if you prefer, you are welcome to contact our church and speak with someone about being saved and being baptized.