Water baptism is one of the fundamental ordinances of the Christian faith. Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist. In turn, Jesus ordained baptism by water when He gave the Great Commission. He told His disciples to go and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
To add more significance to the rite of baptism, John the Baptist revealed that God was the one who had sent him to baptize with water (John 1:33). In other words, water baptism was not the brainchild of John the Baptist. God sent him to baptize and told him that the One that he sees the Spirit descending upon and remaining upon Him is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
We conclude then that if God and Jesus sanctioned water baptism, it must be important. Nevertheless, many churchgoers who become baptized don’t know exactly what they are doing. Furthermore, oftentimes, local churches or pastors who administer the rite fail to make sure that candidates understand what they are doing.
“Burial” through Water Immersion
In chapter 6 of his letter to the church at Rome, Paul explains the significance of water baptism. He addressed the idea of Christians trying to justify continuing in sin after accepting Christ. Some believers think that since they are under grace and not under the Law that it does not matter how they live. In other words, if we are saved by grace and not by works, why does it matter how I live?
Paul responds to that question by introduction of the subject of water baptism and what it means:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death…”
Romans 6:3-4, NASB
So, we are buried with Christ by water immersion. It symbolizes that we are identifying with the death of Christ. Before we were born, Jesus died on the cross. The way we identify with His death almost 2000 years later is by water baptism.
Life after Water Baptism
“If we have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (verse 5). This verse addresses how we should live after baptism. Since through it, we have been planted in the likeness of Christ’s death, we should thereafter live in the likeness of His resurrection.
So, we identify with the death of Christ through water baptism and we should live thereafter in the likeness of His resurrection. Obviously, a Christian can’t justify living in sin after accepting Christ. No! one cannot continue in sin when he is supposed to be dead to sin.
Water baptism by immersion symbolizes a burial. Coming up after immersion symbolizes newness of life. But that’s not the end of the matter. God has actually done something real on the inside of us so that we can literally walk in the newness of life.
“Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.”
Verse 6
That actually happened to us when God saved us. When we repented of our sins and placed our faith in Christ, our old man of sin was crucified. We became a new creation to the intent that we should no longer serve sin.
When a new believer in Christ becomes water baptized, he is making a public statement that he is identifying with the death of Christ. The purpose of baptism by water is to cement the idea that we can’t justify continued sin under grace. Instead, we are to reckon ourselves as being dead to sin.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
