Baptism is one of the most visible and meaningful moments in the Christian life. Water is poured, words are spoken, and a person is marked as someone who belongs to Jesus. But what exactly is happening in baptism? Is it just a symbol, or is something deeper going on?
In this post, we’ll explore the foundational meaning of baptism in Scripture: union with Christ in His death and resurrection. At its core, baptism is not just a religious ritual—it’s a spiritual reality that speaks to who we are in Christ.
Baptism: More Than a Public Statement
In many modern churches, baptism is often described as a public declaration of faith—an outward symbol of an inward change. That’s true, but it’s not the whole picture. When we look closely at the New Testament, we see that baptism is not just something we do—it’s something God does in us.
Paul puts it plainly in Romans 6:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” —Romans 6:3–4
This isn’t just symbolic language. Paul is saying something deeply spiritual and personal: In baptism, we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Dying with Christ
Baptism is the visible sign of a profound truth: when we come to faith in Jesus, our old self—the person enslaved to sin—is put to death. The waters of baptism represent death and burial, just as Christ was buried in the tomb.
That’s why Paul says in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Baptism reminds us that the Christian life doesn’t begin with self-improvement—it begins with death to self. We cannot be raised with Christ until we have died with Him.
Rising with Christ
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end in the grave. Baptism also proclaims our resurrection with Christ. Just as Jesus was raised to new life, so are we. We emerge from the water as people who now walk in “newness of life.”
This new life isn’t something we achieve—it’s something we receive. In baptism, we are welcomed into a new identity: forgiven, cleansed, adopted, and filled with the Spirit.
Paul says it this way in Colossians 2:12:
“…you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Baptism as Initiation into the Body of Christ
In the early church, baptism wasn’t a private act—it was the gateway into the Christian community. To be baptized was to be joined not only to Christ, but to His body, the church.
“For 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.”
—1 Corinthians 12:13
Baptism is not just about “me and Jesus.” It’s about becoming part of a people—a redeemed family bound together by grace.
Baptism and the Sacramental Life
Like the Eucharist, baptism is a sacrament—a visible sign of invisible grace. It doesn’t save us in and of itself, but it is the sign and seal of the salvation we receive by grace through faith. It proclaims the gospel in water, enacting the truth that we have died with Christ and been raised with Him.
For the early church and most of church history, baptism wasn’t optional—it was essential. Not because it earns anything, but because it’s the way we enter into the new life of the kingdom.
Conclusion: A Death Worth Dying, A Life Worth Living
Baptism is not a sentimental ceremony or a box to check. It’s the beginning of the Christian journey, marked by death to sin and resurrection to life. It’s where we publicly—and spiritually—step into our new identity in Christ.
If you’ve been baptized, reflect on what it means: you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
If you haven’t been baptized, consider what God might be inviting you into—not just a moment, but a whole new way of living.
Next time, we’ll look more closely at how baptism connects to the Holy Spirit and the new birth. But for now, let’s remember: baptism is God’s declaration over us—
“You belong to me.”
