Baptism is the Christian religious ceremony where water is either sprinkled or poured upon a person, or that person is immersed in water. It is the right of initiation into the Christian community. It symbolizes the person’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. 
Some Christian denominations practice baptism of infants as a covenant sign of identification in the covenant community of the faithful. But, the majority of Christian groups practice what is called believer’s baptism.
“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,” (Romans 6:3–5).
John the Baptist taught a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Matthew 3:11). There is also a baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; John 1:33). And, the Bible says there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” (Ephesians 4:5). Perhaps the most important baptism is that which Christ taught in the Great Commission.
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18–20).
Baptism is commanded by Jesus and it should be done in “the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The Bible does not limit to clergy the sole ability to baptize. We believe in the priesthood of all believers and so we can all baptize.
Some people say that baptism is necessary for salvation. It is not. For more on this, see the article Is baptism necessary for salvation?
βαπτ, Baptize, Baptism, Baptizer
The root word for baptism is ‘bapt’ which has several cognates: baptize, baptism, baptizer, etc. But is also used in reference to washing and dipping. Here’s a complete list of all the various forms of the word “bapt” as occurs in the New Testament.
- Baptize, βαπτίζω, baptízō, Strongs #907, 77, occurrences in the New Testament
- Matt. 3:6, 11, 13, 14, 16; 28:19; Mark 1:4, 5, 8, 9; 6:14, 24; 7:4; 10:38, 39; 16:16; Luke 3:7, 12, 16, 21; 7:29, 30; 11:38; 12:50; John 1:25, 26, 28, 31, 33; 3:22, 23, 26; 4:1, 2; 10:40; Acts 1:5; 2:38, 41; 8:12, 13, 16, 36, 38; 9:18; 10:47, 48; 11:16; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:3, 4, 5; 22:16; Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:13, 14, 15, 16, 17; 10:2; 12:13; 15:29; Gal. 3:27
- Baptism, βάπτισμα báptisma, Strongs #908, 19 occurrences in the New Testament
- Matt 3:7; 21:25; Mark 1:4; 10:38-39; Mark 11:30; Luke 3:3; 7:29; 12:50; 20:4; Acts 1:22; 10:37; 13:24; 18:25; 19:3-4; Rom 6:4; Eph 4:5; 1 Pet 3:21
- Baptism/washing, βαπτισμός baptismós, Strong’s #909, 4 occurrences in the New Testament
- Mark 7:4; Col. 2:12; Heb. 6:2; 9:10
- Baptizer, βαπτιστής baptistḗs, Strong’s #910, 12 occurrences in the New Testament
- Matt. 3:1; 11:11, 12;; 14:2, 8; 16:14; 17:13; Mark 6:25; 8:28; Luke 7:20, 33; 9:19
- To dip, immerse, βάπτω báptō, Strong’s #911, 3 occurrences in the New Testament.
- Luke 16:24; John 13:26; Rev. 19:13
Why was Jesus baptized?
In Matthew 3:13-17, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. But John the Baptist baptism was a baptism of repentance. Jesus had nothing to repent of. So why did Jesus get baptized? He did so because it was to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). I go into this more deeply in the article “Why was Jesus baptized?” But the basic reason is that Jesus was baptized in order to fulfill the Old Testament requirements of entering into the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Please see the linked article for more information on this fascinating topic.
Is baptism necessary for salvation?
Baptism is not necessary for salvation. But, it is an important ceremony in the Christian community and theological revelation of the New Testament. Though some hold to the necessity of baptism for salvation, it is not the thing that makes us born again. It is not the intent of this article to delve too deeply into that topic, but for more information, please see the article Is baptism necessary for salvation?
