Water Baptism

Churches teach all sort of doctrine to their laity, most in error because of a lack of knowledge. When I was young, I would go spend the summers with my Nannymama and she went to a church of Christ assembly. Nothing against that denomination, but they told me that if I wanted to be saved, that I needed to be baptized in water. I think I wanted to have this Jesus that they spoke of...sort of, but I knew not WHO He really was. I don't really think that they really knew much of Him either, but I'm sure they were just teaching me all that they KNEW to do to get to Christ at the time. I decided to be baptized in water, I think I may have been about 10 or 11 at the time. I went under the water, they said some stuff, I came up out of the water. Some ladies nearby were crying at what had just happened, I couldn't understand why they were crying simply because I didn't even know what had just happened. Needless to say, I went on about my life as usual after that.

Was I saved, or no? The truth is, no, I was not saved and I know that because I remember specifically when I received Christ into my heart and life, and He changed me instantly...I was 24 years old when this happened. I tell this story to set us up for the true search of what saves us if it's not water baptism.

It's said that we should be immersed in water, because "even Christ was immersed in water." Let's go the instance where Christ was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. Matt 3:11, John the Baptist says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentence: but He that comes after me is Mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." He states right here that there is yet another baptism to be baptized with, other than in water. So then, why was Christ immersed in water? He certainly was not a sinner and needed not to repent of anything, for He WAS HOLINESS and utter PERFECTION!

In verses 14-15, John tells Jesus that he needs to be baptized of Jesus, not the other way around. Then Jesus tells him, "suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness." And the Bible says that John did as He asked him to. Why?

The best way that we know how to describe this to the reader is to say, when we get married in our culture, we use wedding rings to show outwardly as a constant reminder to us and our spouse that we have entered into this covenant. It also is a witness to others around us that we are taken, we belong to someone and are not single and allowed to be married to another. Jesus did this, not because He was a sinner, for He was the ONLY perfect One to walk this earth, but in this act, He showed us that He is married to us, the sinner.

When one is baptized in water, they start out a sinner. When they go underneath the water, it's to symbolize a death that takes place, they are showing that THEY are dying. We even have to hold our breath in order to do this, and until we come out of the womb of our mother, we are not able to breath in the water sac we have been formed in. The rising out of the water symbolizes our newness of life, being married to Christ. When Christ Himself was baptized in the Jordan River, by this action, He was stating that He would come to earth to be identified with us the sinner. In doing His immersion, He was going to die for us, in his rising out of the water, that He would be the Resurrection and the Life we would walk in upon our conversion.

It's not the dunking in water that saves us, it is Christ that saves us. All water baptism is, is the symbol, like a wedding ring for the outward showing of something that has inwardly taken place in our lives. It's not the water that cleanses us from our sins, if that were the case then we wouldn't need Christ at all and He would have died in vain. He told the woman at the well that when she would come to Him, she would never thirst again. He is the one that cleanses us and gives us the refreshing drink inside of us, that will sustain us through this life on earth. The outward cleansing comes after we drink of Him, He starts from the inside out, not the outside in. So, when you come to Christ, He will cleanse and sanctify you (1 Cor 6:11, Jn 4:13) which means to set you aside for His use now and not your own. What do we thirst for, but righteousness in the sight of a Holy God, (Matt 5:6), in which He says that when we hunger and thirst for righteousness we will be filled. And as we continue to abide in what He has done for us, He changes things in our hearts that will eventually cause the sins we have outwardly to fall away from our lives. One day, we will decide to let go of this sin or that thing, not because it is right verses what is wrong, but because we want more of Him and don't need it anymore.

We hope this aids in a greater knowledge of what Christ has done for us and how we should view water baptism.