First of all, we are to be baptized to follow Jesus’ example of water baptism. Jesus did not need baptism to be saved, He is Jesus! He did it as an example for us to follow. I believe this shows us that our baptism is also symbolic of what has gone on in our heart and not necessary for salvation. We get baptized with water because that’s how Jesus was baptized. The word used in the original greek is baptizo, which literally means to be submerged or washed fully. This is why we go completely under the water. Also, going under the water completes the symbolism that the old self is gone or dead. Just like a dead body is buried under the dirt, we symbolize being dead by going under the water. Then, we are raised out of the water symbolizing new life (Romans 6:3-5). When we accept the gift of forgiveness and God makes us new, He literally gives us new life. The same Spirit that gave Jesus new physical life in the tomb on the third day after His death, lives in us and gives us new life as well (Romans 8:11). Just like wedding rings are full of symbolism, baptism is full of deep and profound symbolism for the believer. When we participate in this rich symbolism in front of others, it’s a powerful testimony to what God has done in our hearts.

We hope this has helped you understand baptism and salvation a little bit better. If you have any other comments or questions, or if you’d like to schedule a time to be baptized, please don’t hesitate to contact our staff at the information below. God bless you!

What you do on the outside says a lot about who you are on the inside. You can tell a lot about a person by how they dress. I’m not saying it’s good to judge someone based on their outfit, but you can tell if a person is ready to play, prepared for the job, or dressed for success. You can also know things about a person if they place some stickers on their car. Maybe it says that they have a “Baby on Board” or that they “Love their dachshund.” Again, what you do on the outside says a lot about who you are on the inside.

It’s the same with our faith. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone and everything has been made new.” This means that God gives every new believer a brand new nature. He created something new on the inside that wasn’t there before. This new nature offers us so much blessing.

Ability to have a relationship with God. (John 17:3)
Forgiveness of our sinfulness (1 John 1:9)
Promise of eternal life in Heaven (John 3:16)
Abundant life here on earth (John 10:10)

Every example in the Bible where someone gets saved, they also get baptized immediately after. They do something on the outside to show others who they are on the inside. And if God has done this much for us, shouldn’t it be our desire to live out our faith in front of others?

I like to take it a step further and say that we should be baptized out of obedience. Our life in Christ is constantly striving to be obedient to the commands of Christ out of our love for Him (John 14:15). Christ commands us to be baptized in His final words on earth, “Go into all the nations baptizing them...”. So, if we are a new creation and our new life in Christ should be a life of obedience, and everyone in the Bible who got saved got baptized immediately after, I think it’s safe to say that our first act of obedience as a Christian should be to get baptized.