What Is Christian Baptism?
Baptism in the New Testament is the act by which a person is publicly identified as belonging to Christ and his church, “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38) or “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Baptism is an outward act that signifies inward grace received by the believer (Romans 6:3–4; Colossians 2:12). It marks a person as a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13) and is bound up with Christian conversion, confession, and discipleship.
The earliest mode of baptism is debated; biblical language can accommodate immersion, pouring, or sprinkling (Acts 8:38–39; Ezekiel 36:25; Hebrews 10:22). Possible antecedents include circumcision (Genesis 17:10–12; Colossians 2:11–12), proselyte baptism, washings at Qumran, and the baptism of John (Mark 1:4–5). The New Testament authors primarily treat baptism pastorally and ethically: they appeal to baptism’s meaning to strengthen faith, call for unity, and exhort Christians to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
1. Baptism and Salvation
The New Testament first introduces baptism in connection with John the Baptist’s ministry. John baptizes in the Jordan “for the forgiveness of sins” as preparation for the coming kingdom (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Matthew 3:1–2). His baptism emphasizes repentance and warns Israel not to rely on physical descent from Abraham (Matthew 3:7–9). John’s water baptism anticipates the Messiah who will baptize “with the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).
Jesus also uses “baptism” metaphorically to describe his vicarious suffering and, by implication, the suffering his disciples will share (Mark 10:38–39). Here baptism is tied to salvation history and the cross.
In Acts, baptism is consistently linked with conversion. Those who hear the gospel, repent, and confess Christ are baptized:
the Pentecost crowd (Acts 2:38–41)
Samaritan believers (Acts 8:12–13)
Saul/Paul (Acts 9:18)
Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:47–48)
the Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:31–33)
Crispus and his household (Acts 18:8)
In each case, baptism follows hearing the word, believing, and confessing the lordship of Christ (Romans 10:9–10). Baptism is not presented as an isolated ritual but as the sign and seal of their response to God’s grace.
Paul uses baptism to ground his argument in Galatians 3:26–29. All who believe are “sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus,” and “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27). Baptism functions as a shared, visible marker of incorporation into Christ and participation in the Abrahamic blessing, undermining any claim that Gentile Christians are second-class members of God’s people.
2. Baptism and the Body of Christ
In Corinth, party spirit distorted the meaning of baptism. Some believers attached special significance to who baptized them—Paul, Apollos, or Cephas—and used this to claim status (1 Corinthians 1:12–15). Paul refuses this misuse and reminds them that baptism is about Christ, not about the baptizer (1 Corinthians 1:13–17).
Later, he warns them not to treat baptism or the Lord’s Supper as a guarantee of immunity from judgment (1 Corinthians 10:1–12). He recalls the privileges of Israel (described in “baptism into Moses”) and their subsequent fall in the wilderness to show that sacramental privilege without obedience invites judgment (1 Corinthians 10:2–5).
In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul appeals to baptism to correct Corinthian elitism about spiritual gifts: “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” Baptism is proof that all believers share the same Spirit and belong to the same body, regardless of ethnicity or social status. It is not a badge of superiority but a reminder of unity.
Similarly, in Ephesians 4:4–6, Paul lists “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” as part of the church’s foundational unity. Baptism depicts a complete break with the old life, a confession of Christ’s lordship, and incorporation into his body. It shows that believers, of every background, belong to one Father and are called to live in unity and mutual love.
3. Baptism and New Life in Christ
Paul’s teaching in Romans 6 directly connects baptism with new life. Having taught that where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Romans 5:20), Paul anticipates the objection, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1). His answer appeals to baptism: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Baptism dramatizes union with Christ in his death and resurrection; it calls believers to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11).
Colossians 2:12 makes the same point: Christians have been “buried with him in baptism” and “raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.” Baptism reminds them of the complete break with their former pagan life and the sufficiency of Christ against rival spiritual powers (Colossians 2:8–15).
Hebrews 6:1–2 lists “instruction about washings” (often understood to include Christian baptism) among foundational teachings that believers should not continually revisit but move beyond toward maturity. Baptism marks the beginning of the Christian life; from that foundation, believers are called to grow up into Christ.
In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter uses baptism to encourage suffering Christians. Baptism “now saves you,” not as a physical washing, but “as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). For persecuted believers, baptism is a decisive break with their old way of life and a public confession that they belong to Christ. It calls them to endure suffering for doing good, following Christ’s own example (1 Peter 2:21).
4. Baptism, Perseverance, and Christian Ethics
Across the New Testament, baptism functions as:
a sign of union with Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4)
a marker of membership in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5)
a reminder of the call to holiness and perseverance (Romans 6:12–14; 1 Peter 3:21)
a shared experience that crosses ethnic and social boundaries (Galatians 3:27–28)
Because baptism marks the beginning of the Christian life, the New Testament writers use it to:
strengthen faith by reminding believers what God has done in them
call the church to unity grounded in one Lord, faith, and baptism
exhort Christians to live in line with their new identity
Baptism thus plays a crucial role in Christian ethics. Those who have died and risen with Christ in baptism are to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4), resist sin’s reign (Romans 6:12), and accept suffering for obedience (1 Peter 4:12–19).
5. Summary: What Baptism Signifies
Theologically, baptism is a symbolic event representing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3–5). Through it, the church confesses that the baptized person has:
died to sin (Romans 6:11)
received new life by the grace of God (Colossians 2:12–13)
been incorporated into the one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5)
Baptism does not confer immunity from judgment or guarantee spiritual maturity, but it marks the beginning of a new life of faith, obedience, unity, and perseverance. It is a visible word of the gospel, calling believers of every race and background to guard their new spiritual state and live as those who belong to Christ.
Bible verses about baptism
Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38, “Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.’”
Acts 2:41, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Romans 6:3–4, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”
Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
1 Corinthians 12:13, “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”
Colossians 2:12, “Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.”
1 Peter 3:21, “Baptism… now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience.”
Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Mark 1:4, “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
