What Is The Symbolism Of Water Baptism?

What does water baptism symbolize? Can a person be saved without being baptized?

Water Baptism

Every person who is born again should be baptized by what is called “the believer’s baptism.” The water resembles the burial of someone; a sort of “watery grave.” They are submerged into the water and then come back up out of the water, picturing a new birth. Paul explains in Romans “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness” (Rom 6:3-4). This might not seem to make sense at first to those who believe that we cannot be saved unless we are baptized but baptism symbolizes our baptism into the death of Christ and the old man is buried and then we are “baptized into Christ Jesus.” Does water really have special redemptive properties? No, only the blood of the Lamb of God does. To say otherwise is to make it like an equation like this; Jesus + water = salvation. This robs God of glory for we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9). People that tell me that they were baptized believe that means they were saved but it is Jesus Christ and Him alone that saves (Acts 4:12) but every person that is saved should be baptized.

Being Identified With

Paul wrote something very different from most of his other writings when he said in 1st Corinthian 10:1-3, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food.” What does Paul mean that they were baptized into Moses? How is that possible? I think the clue is that they were not baptized into a person but they were identified with Moses. Jesus told the disciples, in giving the imperative command of the Great Commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). There is no mention of water but there is a identifying with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To be identified with someone means to be associated with them like ancient Israel was identified or associated with Moses (1st Cor 10:1-3). This explains Paul writing that “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27) so as Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, “baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Paul says, “as many of you as were baptized into Christ” are now identified with Christ, which is why we’re called Christians. We are not identified with water but with Christ.

The Greeks Use of Baptism

The Greeks would have never associated the word baptized or baptism with salvation. It was never, ever used in this way because the Greek word for baptism is “baptizo” means “to submerge” or “immerse.” The Greeks used this word when a fabric was submerged into water and then a dye or color was added. For example, if a garment was dipped (baptizo) into the water and the color purple was added, then it came out as purple or was identified with the color purple. It was not to be identified water but the color purple. The Greeks would use the word baptize (“baptizo”) when vegetables were submerged (baptizo) into the water and this produced a permanent change in the vegetables. When used in the New Testament, this word almost always refers to our union and identification with Christ more than simply getting wet, as we read in water Mark 16:16 and Matthew 28:19. Some take a text out of context to create a false pretext like the verse in Acts 2:38 Peter’s powerful Day of Pentecost sermon where he said “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ” This verse does not command us to repent and be baptized in order to be saved or to repent and be baptized so you can be saved but repent and be baptized and you will be saved. Repentance must come first because this is the order or sequence of events, just as Jesus said, “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Conclusion

Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit so that they would be identified with God and not identified with water. They are baptized into th Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; they are not baptized into or identified with the water. That would seem ludicrous.  If we believe that it must take water to complete our salvation, we are in effect saying, “Thank you Jesus, but it wasn’t quite enough. I must add water to be saved. Nice try anyway Jesus. The Christian baptism marks a rite of immersion into and under the water as commanded by Christ but it is only done after confession of sins and a public profession of faith in Christ due to their having been born again by the Holy Spirit unto a new life. This identifies them publicly with the fellowship of Christ and the church. They are now known as a Christian because they’ve been identified with Christ just as Israel was identified with Moses after passing through the Red Sea but never are they identified with water any more than ancient Israel was identified by the Red Sea. If we believe that it must take water to complete our salvation, we are in effect saying, “Thank you Jesus, but it wasn’t quite enough. I must add water to be saved. Nice try Jesus.”

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.