What is Water Baptism?
The word baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo which means to immerse or dip. To baptize something, then, means to completely submerge it in a liquid. In a biblical sense, to baptize a person in water means to put that person completely under the water, then immediately raise him or her up again.
According to the Bible, water baptism is a symbolic act whereby a new Christian identifies with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism is a public profession of a person’s repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and a way of giving outward testimony to an inward work of God.
What Does Water Baptism Signify?
When God baptizes you into Christ, you become a new creation in your spirit, not in your body (flesh). Your body remains corruptible until the Resurrection (see John 6:39-40), but something inside changes. Your heart is washed clean by the blood of Jesus, and your spirit is quickened (made alive) by the Holy Spirit. You now have the ability to communicate with God, hear His voice, love and obey Him, overcome sin, and walk out your salvation by faith.