Genuine repentance leads us to unconditionally surrender our will to
God. Once we come to that point, Peter says the next step is to "be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).
Water baptism is one of Christianity's most ancient practices. Far
from being useless and archaic, it holds deep symbolic meaning.
To understand the significance of baptism, let's first consider its
historical background. The Holman Bible Dictionary explains: "At
some point close to the time of Jesus, Judaism began a heavy emphasis
on ritual washings to cleanse from impurity. This goes back to priestly
baths prior to offering sacrifices (Leviticus 16:4,24). Probably shortly
prior to the time of Jesus or contemporary with Him, Jews began baptizing
gentile converts, though circumcision still remained the primary entrance
rite into Judaism" (1991, "Baptism").
Because of this precedent, no one considered it strange for Jesus or
the apostles to emphasize the need for baptism. But, in addition to
the symbolism of cleansing from impurities, did baptism have greater
significance for Christ and the apostles?
Only a beginning
Baptism is a reminder of several deep spiritual truths. It represents
death, burial and resurrection-both of Jesus and ourselves. Baptism
shows that we accept the shed blood of Christ for our sins and pictures
the death of our former life in the baptismal grave.
