The Meaning of Baptism

Author: Pastor Dale

Romans 6:4

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (ESV)

Baptism is a Christian ordinance of the church that all believers are commanded to partake in, publicly testifying to the washing away of their sins by the Holy Spirit, identifying with Christ in His resurrection, and triumphantly entering into the body of Christ. The meaning of baptism is found in the core message of the Gospel. Baptism is a picture of the Gospel we proclaim. Christ was buried in death, but raised by the glory of the Father. The church is instructed to baptize all believers who have experienced this regeneration from death to life, given them by Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). The symbols can be easily explained in three pictures: forgiveness, rescue, and newness.

Danny Bunch baptizing his son, Ethan

Forgiveness

The promise of the Gospel is that Christ will forgive every sin by the washing of His blood. From the very beginning, John the Baptist called sinners to baptism in this way:  John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4). Peter affirms this invitation to be forgiven when he preaches at Pentecost, saying “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19). Baptism does not forgive sins in and of itself, but it is a picture of the forgiveness that has already taken place. When a sinner repents (turns from sin) and trusts in Christ alone, they are justified instantly and their sins are forgiven - past, present, and future. Water is an appropriate symbol, because water is a method of washing. When a person is immersed in the baptismal waters, the message of the Gospel is made clear: Christ washes away sins.

Rescue

Secondly, baptism pictures the rescue that has already taken place for a new believer. The apostle Peter explains Baptism this way:

…when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ… (1 Peter 3:20–21)

According to Peter, Baptism is a reiteration of the rescue that took place in the days of Noah. Noah found favor with God, and decided to save him and his family, while pouring out his wrath on the rest of the earth. The water that flooded the earth was a form of wrath for unbelievers, but a form of rescue for the faithful. All sinners who have come to Christ have experienced a similar kind of rescue. They have been spared from the wrath of God. God’s wrath against them was fully satisfied on Jesus’ cross, and they have survived the watery death they deserved. Rising up out of the baptismal waters pictures this divine rescue that Christ has secured for all who believe.

Newness

Finally, baptism pictures newness of life. After showing their sin have been washed away, and that they have been spared from the wrath that once stood against them, all that remains is for the believer to walk in the newness of life that God has won for them. Christ did not just take away the sins, but He gave the sinner His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). A transaction has taken place, death for death, and life for life. The Lord now sees us covered in the righteous robes of His Son. This positional righteousness, found in Christ alone, is the meaning of “newness of life.” When the believer comes up from the water, it pictures Jesus’ own resurrection. Death has lost its sting, and we have been given the victory through the empty tomb. We are baptized into Christ as new creations. The old is gone, the new has come.

Christ Died & Was Raised

Baptism does not save anyone, but Christ has commanded it as an ordinance in order that the Gospel might be remembered and pictured rightly throughout all generations. The meaning of baptism is the very message of the Gospel. Christ died for sinners, and was raised for their justification.