Baptism

Baptism is a practice found throughout the Christian tradition, often involving the use of water in some symbolic or ceremonial way. It appears at the beginning of the Gospels with John the Baptist (Matthew 3:5-6, Mark 1:5, Luke 3:3, John 1:25-26) was practiced by Jesus' disciples during his ministry (John 4:1-2), and is commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). As a result, many churches and denominations hold baptism in high regard as a key spiritual milestone in a person's life. Before wading into the specifics of water baptism, it's important to note that there are different kinds of baptism.

Baptism Basics

Our word baptism comes from the Greek term baptizō, which means “to immerse” or “to dip.” In the first century, just like today, the most common thing people were immersed into was water: rivers, lakes, seas, or pools. Consequently, when baptism is discussed, the implied usage is water baptism. However, the New Testament also uses the word more broadly, in situations not involving water. Sometimes, it refers to being immersed into something spiritual, symbolic, or even painful.

Consider a few examples of what people are said to be baptized into:

• Water (Mark 1:5, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41, Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3–4)

• The Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:5)

• Christ (Galatians 3:27)

• Christ's Death (Romans 6:3–4, Colossians 2:12)

• Suffering (Mark 10:38–39, Luke 12:50)

• The Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13)

• Moses - corporate identification (1 Corinthians 10:2)

For the purposes of this section, we're going to focus in on the practice of water baptism.

Click on the pages below to begin characterizing your beliefs about baptism.