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.
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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 §48
And I pray that You will bless every person here, regardless of church affiliations or denomination. They are human beings that live and eat and love, and want to go to heaven. They are like us all. And we are not trying to dishonor anything or any work that anybody has done in Your name, but we're only trying to give a statement of the hope that lies within us, based upon Thy Word. Thy Word is truth. So we pray, Father, that if there be some here that You would desire to have them rebaptized, let them come forward...
The Messiah
61-0117 §72
I don't mean that the water baptism in Jesus' name saves you, but that's correct Christian baptism. You're saved by faith (that's right) through Christ. That's right. But that's correct baptism. That's the way you shall be baptized---exactly---the way you must be to keep in Bible order. You must be baptized that way. Then when you have received the Holy Ghost and the power of God comes upon you, then you'll do the very same things that Jesus did, because it's His Spirit in you. If there's not, there's something wro...
Water baptism
59-0329M §28
And then someone would say... Now, see, it was ordained as the Catholic church, The Faith Of Our ... Facts Of Our Faith---in the Catholic book, The Facts Of Catholic Faith---says that "The Protestants do recognize our baptism." The Catholic diocese, in about the six ... about the fourteenth century, baptized a man by sprinkling him, in the name of Father, Son, Holy Ghost, but there's not a Scripture for it. The church... Wesley come out, and Luther, with the same thing, from the Catholic church. Some of them still...
Presuming
62-0610M §17
...he said, "We have not so much as know whether there be a Holy Ghost." He said, "How was you baptized?", or "to what?" The original says "to how." And he said, "Unto John's baptism." He said, "John verily baptized unto repentance, saying unto the people they should believe on him that was to come, that is Jesus Christ." And when they heard this, they were rebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Paul laid his hands upon them, and they received ... the Holy Ghost come upon them; and they spoke in tongues and prophesi...
Water baptism
59-0329M §40
The next time baptism is spoke of, is in Acts 19, where they come up on the disciples of John. This is Paul; now listen close, Acts 19. And it came to pass, ... while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts of Ephesus: he finds certain disciples. And he said unto them, ... Now watch. They were disciples. They were believers, Christians. He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Gh...