Baptism is a process that immerses a thing or a person mostly in water. “Baptism” is derived from the Greek word Baptizo, which means to be immersed in. It is a term most relatable with the bible as pertaining to repentance and acceptance of the Lord Jesus, and as a result, a command of Jesus to they that will believe in Him.
Baptism carries a lot of weight and the significance is far-stretched, as not only a command, but an important one with great significance. There is spiritual baptism and there is the physical baptism that entails being immersed in water and brought out again of the water.
This process of baptism (immersing and being pulled out of water) is a figure of the spiritual oneness that it depicts as it ties us to the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. He rose to the newness of life with power and authority as He sits at the right hand of the Father above.
Baptism is not necessarily the ticket to heaven or salvation, but its importance cannot be watered down, because it is a sign and an announcement of our submission and binding to Christ. That just as He died, we are immersed in the water; and as He was raised, so also, we are raised out of the water to the glory of God.
Baptism is also something that Jesus underwent, as a pathway for believers to follow on the path to true salvation. Jesus was sinless, but would still be baptized as a sinner, just so we know that this is also a good step to take as a believer. (Mark 1:9)
Baptism is a command to believers, and therefore, we must follow this command. When Jesus was to ascend into heaven, He said that disciples should be made all around the world, and not only that, but that they should be baptized as well:
“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’”
- Mark 16:15-16 ESV
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” this is why the apostles went all out preaching the gospel and would never pass on a chance to get their converts baptized as well. (Acts 2:38,41; 8:13,38;18:8)
Baptism is the mark of oneness with Christ, and any person that has believed truly is obligated to go through this as a sign of their decision to join the body of Christ and be part of the fellowship and gathering of the brethren:
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
- Galatians 3:27 ESV
Being baptized is of great importance to any believer. It is a sign and declaration of what you have believed and in whom you have believed. It is a spiritual declaration of allegiance to the blood, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
The baptized believer is one that has fully come into Christ. Baptism is supposed to be the seal of the seriousness that the believer who has committed his life and faith to God shows. It should be a show of genuine repentance and a commitment to live the life of a Christian. It is a bold expression of the life that you have chosen. It is not the ultimate to salvation, but it is surely important to the walk of our salvation. It is a command that we must obey seeing that it is attached to the journey of our salvation.
Baptism brings believers into the full experience of the glory of the resurrected Christ. For if we have died with Him, then we will also be raised again to life and live in His glorious life. (Romans 6:3-5)