What Baptism Means

When we trust Christ as our Saviour we are baptized into Christ and into the body of Christ. (John 14:20; Rom. 6:1-4; I Cor. 12:13) This baptism is a spiritual baptism done by the Lord. Spiritual baptism means in position one is identified with Christ. God now identifies the believer with Christ’s death and His resurrection. Christians are dead to sin and now alive unto God in Christ. All of the believer's sins are forgiven. The Christian is now viewed as holy in God’s sight. This is a great positional truth. The one professing Christ as Saviour should live out a Christ-like life every day by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We baptize with water. God commanded the disciples to baptize. (Matt. 28:19) The early church baptized. (Acts 2:41) Even our Lord was baptized as an example for us. (Luke 3:21) Water baptism is a symbol of what the Holy Spirit has already done in the life of the believer. Water baptism does not save anyone. Out of obedience to our Lord the one trusting Christ as Saviour should be baptized.

The New Testament Greek word for baptize means to dip, to immerse or to wash. Baptism symbolizes that the believer is washed clean from his sins when he trusted Jesus to save him. Being submersed under water and returning up again signifies what the Lord has done for us. It means the Christian has died to sin and now is alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Baptism pictures that the Christian is now identified with the death and resurrection of Jesus. It also identifies one with other Christians who share a common belief in Jesus.

James Utter 12/2010