What is baptism and why it is important to Christians

15
Sep

In the world of today, it is not uncommon to find Christians who have never been baptized. However, the Bible teaches us that baptism is very important, as it is the first step of discipleship (Acts 8:26-39). Therefore, it is fundamentally important to know what baptism really is and why it is so important to the Christian community.

Baptism is like a symbol that shows that one has declared his or her love, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ. Therefore, baptism is a Christian’s identification with Christ and the Christian faith. It is recorded that even Jesus had to undergo baptism to declare his faith when he wanted to begin his earthly ministry.

What is Baptism?

Baptism is defined as a Christian religious rite of sprinkling water on the forehead or immersing a person in water to symbolize purification and admission to the Christian faith. This is to symbolize the death of the old self and the resurrection of the new self. As we see in the gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was baptized, he went straight out of the water, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit of God descending in form of a dove and descending upon him:

Jesus Baptism

By being baptized, Jesus himself set an example on the way believers are supposed to identify with him as the savior. Even Jesus had to prove his obedience to God. He was not a sinner, yet he humbled himself in obedience to identify with us and give us an example to follow. Baptism shows our obedience to Christ.  In fact, baptism is our first act of obedience in the lord and the Christian faith.

So why should you be baptised?

As a Christian, you should consider being baptized because baptism is an act of obedience after salvation. The earthly understanding of baptism is that one has been ordained by Jesus. It is an expression of faith and a symbol of spiritual birth. It is a symbol of Christ’s burial and resurrection. Our entrance into the water during baptism identifies us with Christ’s death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His resurrection from the dead.It is also a symbol of your new life as a Christian. We bury the ‘old life’ and we rise to walk in a ‘new life’.

In addition, it is a public confession of your faith and commitment in Jesus Christ. It is the next step after salvation through repentance and faith and is an important foundation for the Christian life. Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.”

So now, we know that baptism was a direct command from our savior and it is very important. The act shows our obedience and identification with Christ. Baptism shows our association with the church by publicly demonstrating our testimony of salvation and desire to be part of God’s flock.

 

 

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