Conversion is a messy business.
After being rescued from a swamp infested with all manner of nasties, and learning to walk by faith in an invisible friend; the funniest part is when your new companions want to give you a bath.
To the early Christians it was not something new, but to me it was an alien activity and I actually managed to avoid being dunked, dipped, sprinkled (whatever is the customary tradition in your denomination, cell, house etc.)
Up until the tall elder who did most of the baptizing cornered me with the question, "Have you been baptised in water?" I had generally spiritualized the event and regarded it is something I did not need to do.

When finally the date arrived, I was handed a pair of white shorts and a white tea shirt. There were about seven of us, all dressed in white. I guess one cannot avoid the symbolic significance of these white garments, and what followed.
Each of us required to give our testimony and then we marched out in single file to enter the baptismal bath from the side.
The bath was blue and the water was warm and up to his waist in water was the elder, who was also dressed in white.
It was all such a solemn event, though greeted with excitement from those who watched, and most certainly if you had not been sure about Jesus, you would have by the time you got to the bath. Or, as some call it the watery grave.

Then the elder gently too helped me down into the water after saying, "I baptise you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost"
Then back up the steps and dry off and dress.

Some folks have testified that at the moment of baptism they were filled with the Holy Spirit, I had been blessed to receive the Holy Spirit two years before that and can appreciate that some might experience this, who had perhaps not previously made a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and a demonstration to their brother and sisters that they were dead serious (pun intended) about being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Odd thing, I felt a bit disappointed. It seemed to pass by too quickly and here I am 33 years later, and if you asked me the above question, I would draw a blank. Well not entirely.

There is a passage in Colossians which used to always point to me the importance of this event. There is also the matter of Philip and the Eunuch.

I recall when my son who is very independant in his manner, finally decided he would like to be baptised, the pastor came to visit us and gave him a pile of books and one that was about water baptism. It had a whole Bible Study about the meaning of Water Baptism, and though I read it at the time, the details are fuzzy.

So my friends, here is a question for you.
Not the one which means you have to argue about whether dunking, or splashing, or sprinkling is the matter, but what does water baptism actually mean ? I remember there was something about the Exodus and the Egyptians drowning...? or was it the flood ?



What is Water Baptism ?

Lovingly,
HH.

There's a long-running debate on this topic, not surprisingly. Immersion baptists link baptism to the Mikvah cleansing rituals by which one became qualified to enter the temple; they tend to regard baptism as appropriate only for those who have verbally professed personal faith in Christ. Sprinkling/effusing baptists link baptism to other rituals in the OT, including the anointing of kings, the sprinkling of priests and of the children of Israel, etc. They tend to regard baptism as the ritual of inclusion in the visible church, but not a guarantee of personal faith or salvation, though normatively one anticipates children to follow in the faith of their parents. As a general rule that holds true, with many notable exceptions.

Baptism is a ceremonial identification commanded by Christ with his death burial and resurrection.
1. Death. Death of the old sin nature.
2. Burial. OK, down into the water you go.
3. Resurrection. Back up from the water you come.

It is a command of Christ, not a suggestion. Therefore it is sin not to be baptized. Of what benefit is it, it has the same benefit as any other command of Christ...

It accompanies your Calling Christ your Lord and Savior. If he is your savior, then he must be your lord.

Come out of the baptism knowing that you have just been obedient to your Lord who just happens to be your savior. Peter was refusing to have his feet washed by Jesus until Christ told him that unless he washed his feet, he would have no part in the fellowship in which he was involved, Peter said "not only my feet Lord, wash my whole body.

If you can find no joy in just simple obedience to Christ with all the blessings that it holds, then you probably ain’t ready to be baptized.

Originally posted by Chappie

Baptism is a ceremonial identification commanded by Christ with his death burial and resurrection.
1. Death. Death of the old sin nature.
2. Burial. OK, down into the water you go.
3. Resurrection. Back up from the water you come.

I view it this way, and also as a commitment to follow a new way of life where if we later sin, we can repent and be forgiven, "reborn" out of sin.

Like Chappie stated, it symbolizes death to sin, as well as the present spiritual and future physical resurrection. Incidentally, it also symbolizes the washing away of sins.

Peter stated that the Great Flood baptised the entire earth -- presumably by purifying it of all the sinful people and/or giants.

Paul stated that the Israelites were baptised when they crossed through the Red Sea. In that instance, they died to their old identity as Egyptians and left the ways of Egypt behind (or at least tried to).

Originally posted by Chappie

Baptism is a ceremonial identification commanded by Christ with his death burial and resurrection.
1. Death. Death of the old sin nature.
2. Burial. OK, down into the water you go.
3. Resurrection. Back up from the water you come.

It is a command of Christ, not a suggestion. Therefore it is sin not to be baptized. Of what benefit is it, it has the same benefit as any other command of Christ...

It accompanies your Calling Christ your Lord and Savior. If he is your savior, then he must be your lord.

Come out of the baptism knowing that you have just been obedient to your Lord who just happens to be your savior. Peter was refusing to have his feet washed by Jesus until Christ told him that unless he washed his feet, he would have no part in the fellowship in which he was involved, Peter said "not only my feet Lord, wash my whole body.

If you can find no joy in just simple obedience to Christ with all the blessings that it holds, then you probably ain’t ready to be baptized.

And it is the Christian's initiation, signifying, by one's burial in Christ's death, that this signifies one is to be dead to this world and live for God and not live for this world.

Ok, I'm holding onto my seat here because the rapture is surely nigh!

I agree with Chappie.

Undergoing water baptism is taking sides about a view. Hillel or Shammai. Jesus or John. Here Jesus' disciples have baptized those who have believed Jesus' teachings.

John 3:25An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

The fabric dyers would baptuo their ware (indigo for the nobles, lesser dyes for hoi polloi).

Originally posted by Chappie

Baptism is a ceremonial identification commanded by Christ with his death burial and resurrection.
1. Death. Death of the old sin nature.
2. Burial. OK, down into the water you go.
3. Resurrection. Back up from the water you come.
.

the question is, what did baptism represent before the resurrection (baptism dates back to egypt).

Originally posted by OneSizeFit

the question is, what did baptism represent before the resurrection (baptism dates back to egypt).

That is a good question, but we do not have to go back to the Old T in order to understand what its intententions were on the NT. Plainly elaborated on...

Originally posted by footwasher

Undergoing water baptism is taking sides about a view. Hillel or Shammai. Jesus or John. Here Jesus' disciples have baptized those who have believed Jesus' teachings.

John 3:25An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

The fabric dyers would baptuo their ware (indigo for the nobles, lesser dyes for hoi polloi).

The kicker of course is that fragments of a recipe for making pickle was found, with detailed instructions of how to baptuo olives in the pickling agent, thus INFUSING the olives with the identity of that agent.

IOW, the New Testament writers co-opted a secular term to describe the sacrament.

Why would any Christian not want to be baptized (water immersion)?
It is similar to taking the Lord’s Supper in that if gives us a physical act that adds to our experience of what should be happening spiritually. We talk about being born again, having our sins washed away, putting to death the old man, and placing ourselves in God’s hands. All of this can be physically analogist to water baptism, so it helps reinforces what is happening to us spiritually.

I'm not against it, but we got to remember it is only physical, and it is only ritual, and it is no guarantee the baptized will live a godly life in Christ, but it is a first step - Jesus came to baptize with fire (a spiritual baptism?), he didn't even baptize but his disciples felt it was necessary.

I know I had my moment of "clarity" not at my physical baptism but during a deep prayer where I got zapped, I consider that my real baptism (the Spirit was deposited in me, I am sure of it).

Originally posted by OneSizeFit

the question is, what did baptism represent before the resurrection (baptism dates back to egypt).

From everything I have read it was a ceremonial washing and not only represented purification, but, as far as the Law of Moses was concerned, at least eventually effected that purification.

See Lev. 15

Death itself is purifying. After the Christian dies physically, his sinful flesh is killed off and only his redeemed spirit remains. The baptismal water represents death. In Noah's era, God purified the earth with water...and with death. That's why Peter said that the earth was baptised.

Eph 4 indicates to me that just like Noah was saved from the water, we are saved (through obedience) by water. Not because it gets the body clean but because ti gets the conscience clean in God's eyes