What Is the Importance of Christian Baptism?
1) Direct Answer
Christian baptism is a command of the Lord and the Bible way of identifying with Jesus Christ. It is for the remission of sins, it publicly buries the old life and raises the believer to walk in newness of life, and it brings the believer under the promise of the Holy Ghost. It must be by immersion in water in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Command and salvation: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16).
- The Name to use: Jesus said baptize “in the name” (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). The Scripture shows that Name to be Jesus Christ: “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38); “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16); “he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48); “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5); “arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
- Identification with His death, burial, resurrection: “As many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death… buried with him by baptism… raised… to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–5). “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). “Buried with him in baptism” (Colossians 2:12).
- The meaning, not mere ritual: “Baptism doth also now save us—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21).
- Mode is immersion: Jesus came “up out of the water” (Mark 1:10). John baptized where there was “much water” (John 3:23). The eunuch “went down both into the water” and “came up out of the water” (Acts 8:38–39).
- Unity of the ordinance: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Now notice, the Bible uses one Name. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are titles of the one God; the revealed Name that carries all that God is to us is the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostles understood the Lord’s command and always baptized in that Name. You see, if the Scripture never shows anyone baptized in titles, why should we?
- It’s not three Gods, and it’s not three baptisms. One God revealed Himself as Father above us, Son with us, and Holy Spirit in us—and the one saving Name that declares that revelation is Jesus Christ.
- Baptism does not work as a bare ceremony. The water itself cannot cleanse the soul. But faith obeys the Word, and obedience brings us under the Blood’s promise: “Repent, and be baptized… and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). That’s the Bible order.
- Because baptism is burial, it must be immersion. You don’t sprinkle a burial. You go under and come up, testifying that the old life is gone and the life of Jesus is your new walk.
- If someone was baptized without the revelation of the Name, the Scripture pattern shows that when truth comes, you can be baptized correctly (see Acts 19:1–6).
4) Reinforcing Statement
Do it God’s Bible way: repent, be baptized by immersion in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and expect the promise of the Holy Ghost. That’s the straight path of Scripture and the testimony of a clear conscience before God.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Water baptism
59-0329M §67
...is opened] This is Sister Downing, also from Memphis, Tennessee. God has been good to this family; how He has been to her mother, who has had a long sick spell. This is one of my wife's best friends. And she comes today, not because of persuasion; she comes because of conviction, that she wants to be rebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ. God, bless this woman. I want to say this: I'd rather give a person a little bud now than a whole wreath after they're gone. I have watched this woman for many years, since I com...
What is the Holy Ghost?
59-1216 §20
...ot. So can you. It separates them; it's a mark; it's a sign. And the Holy Spirit is a sign. Any child that refused circumcision in the Old Testament, which was a foreshadow of the Holy Ghost, was cut off from amongst the people. He could not have fellowship with the rest of the congregation if he refused to be circumcised. Now pattern that to today. A person that would refuse to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost can have no fellowship among those that has the Holy Ghost. You just can't do it. You have to be a n...
We would see Jesus
62-0727 §8
And now, we believe that Christianity is convincing, and then we come not representing any certain denomination, but representing all of them. And the way of... We believe that Christ is the head of the church, which He has purchased with his own blood; and by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body. We believe that we join our different organizations, but we are baptized in one body, Christ, by the Holy Spirit. One Lord, one faith, and one baptism. I've always made a little remark (oh, not always, but several...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §72
QUESTION: "Please explain if a Christian should observe feet-washing, and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (name) instead of the name of the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." Please. All right. I had about three of those in here that asked that same thing. Feet-washing, well, I might as well start on that. All right, now you may differ, that's all right. Let me just read a few, just a moment. Or if you want to read it, get St. John, the 13th chapter, just a moment. I want to ask you something here. And listen to wh...
God's Provided Way
53-0613 §84
God bless you, my Christian friend. When you set down, you Christians around them, shake their hands now, and give them your right hand of fellowship, and say, "God bless you." And all of you all happy they come to Christ? If you are say, "Amen." How many will promise these Christians that tonight before going to bed, these that just now accepted Christ... Now remember, you're just accepted Christ. See? Now, God will give you the Holy Ghost in confirmation of your faith. See? Now, you get to some good Full Gospel c...