Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19(NIV)
Though there are many reasons why baptism is important for Christians, some people think it’s not a must.
Well, not getting baptized won’t stop believers from going to heaven. But we can’t ignore the fact that it’s essential. See, there is more to baptism than just being dipped in water by a servant of God.
It’s not just some kind of formality that Christians need to do. It has a significant meaning for the body of Christ. In this article, we are going to look at why it’s essential for you as a Christian to get baptized.
Let’s get started:
What is Water Baptism?
It is our public identification with our Lord Jesus through immersion or the sprinkling of water. Or we can say that it is the outward act by a believer in accepting Jesus as the of God.
And the great sacrifice he made for man at the cross. Baptism is more like a visual testimony of someone’s commitment to Christ.
In simple terms, baptism is the act of identifying with a team, and in this case, that team is God’s Kingdom.
Why Baptism is Important to Christians?
1. Baptism is a way of confessing our commitment to Christ publicly.
When we accept to be baptized, we are actually confessing our commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ in public.
See, you cannot claim to be a Christian and yet be afraid to admit your faith in Jesus publicly.
If we do not confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He will deny us before his Father (Matthew 10:33).
Baptism is one of the first steps towards confessing our faith. Since we get baptized in public, we admit Jesus is our Lord before others. And that is why baptism is important for Christians.
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2. A way of imitating Christ.
One of the things that Jesus did before he started his ministry was to get baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16).
Now, if we understand our Savior, we know that he didn’t just do things for the sake of it. Jesus followed his father’s plan, and it means that baptism was part of that plan.
It is one thing to call yourself an imitator of Christ. It is another to actually imitate him. You need to do what he did, and one of those things is getting baptized.
When you accept to be baptized in public, you’re actually telling others that you are not afraid to imitate Jesus. And walk in the ways that you walked.
3. A Sign of taking Part in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
To belong to the body of Christ, you need to take part in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This does not mean that you have to go through the process of crucifixion and then resurrect just like Jesus.
God gave up his son to go through all the pain so that we don’t go through it ourselves.
But we can still take part in the death and resurrection of Jesus. And one of the ways that we can do that is by getting baptized.
See, when you’re dipped in the water during baptism, you’re taking part in the death of Jesus. When you’re taken out of the water, you’re taking part in the resurrection of Jesus.
Now, does that mean that those who don’t get baptized don’t go to heaven? Well, I don’t believe so because God is gracious. And it’s by confessing Jesus Christ and accepting him as our Lord and savior that will become part of him.
Baptism not only reminds us of the great sacrifice Jesus made for us. It is also a way of us being part of it. (Colossians 2:12)
4. To Celebrate the Forgiveness of Sin.
The fourth reason why baptism is important for Christians is it is a way of celebrating forgiveness of sin.
Our Lord Jesus went through a lot of pain to set us free from the bondage of Sin. When we get baptized or take part in it, we are celebrating the forgiveness of our sins.
It was not a must for Jesus to die on the cross for us. But he did it out of choice because he loved his father so much and wanted to please him.
He also did it because He loves us so much. So when we take part in baptism, we are actually admitting to Jesus that we’re so thankful that he sacrificed himself for us.
We are also in a way showing those around us that we celebrate what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross for us
5. Jesus commanded us.
Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples to go into the world and spread the gospel. He also told them to baptize and heal the sick. So you see, Jesus left us a command to baptize.
But we cannot just go around baptizing people when we are not baptized. We need to lead by example. If Jesus left a command about baptism, then we need to obey Him and just do it, right?
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6. Strengthens our faith.
Walking in faith and professing it publicly is not an easy thing. Most especially during these times when the body of Christ is under attack.
It is easy to be made fun of when you profess to be a Christian. But we need to understand that Jesus said we will go through this and much more because we live in a fallen world.
Just because people make fun of our faith does not mean that we should cower in fear and hide our faith. We should be like John and Peter.
Even after they were flogged and ordered to keep quiet about Jesus, they still went ahead and preached. They were not afraid of what would befall them.
The more you publicly proclaim your faith, the stronger you get. Baptism is a great way, especially for new believers, to proclaim and strengthen their faith.
Accepting baptism is a sign that you are walking in faith. And you are not afraid to declare that Jesus Christ is your Lord and savior.
Also Related: Why is it Important to Trust God: Top 13 Reasons.
7. Encourages us to be accountable.
Now anyone can call themselves a Christian. But very few people practice their faith publicly. Why? They are afraid of giving an account since people are always watching and judging Christians.
For some reason, people will watch out for you the moment you declare that Jesus is your Lord and savior.
They will hold you accountable every step of the way. Even unbelievers will judge you harshly if you do something that is against your faith.
So some people would rather not profess their faith. They don’t want to be answerable. But we all know that it is not the right thing to do.
We shouldn’t be afraid to profess our faith. Most of all, we should not be fearful of being judged by others because even Jesus was judged.
Baptism will put you in a state where you will have to be accountable for your actions. We don’t have to be afraid of it. In the end, being accountable helps us to be watchful. So it doesn’t work against us. It helps us to become better Christians.
8. It is a way of us starting a new life.
Did you know that baptism symbolizes a new life? Since you are dying in Christ and resurrecting in him during baptism, all things are going away. And you are becoming a new person.
Now, this does not mean that you automatically become like Jesus. God is going to perfect you until the day of Christ. But baptism is one of the first steps towards achieving that.
When you get baptized, you are actually leaving your old ways of doing things and sinful life away and starting a new life in Christ.
9. Sign of defecting from the kingdom of Darkness.
It does not matter how good or morally upright you are. If you do not accept Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, you belong to the kingdom of darkness.
Now I know people say that there are so many ways to God. But the truth is, as believers, we only stand by what the Bible says. And it says that Jesus is the only way to God.
When you choose to start a new life by dying and resurrecting with Jesus through baptism, you actually defect from the kingdom of darkness. And enter into the kingdom of God through his son Jesus Christ. (John 3:5)
10. Baptism symbolizes belonging to the body of Christ.
As we have already seen, in order for us to belong to Christ, we need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We also need to get baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit.
Now when you become part of the body of Christ, you gain access to the kingdom of God and the privileges that the Children of God enjoy.
But God loves us all, right? So why should we give unique benefits to other people just because they have accepted Jesus Christ? Didn’t he create all of us?
Like any kingdom or country, we have rules or commands that we have to follow as human beings. The most important one is choosing whom to serve.
We choose God by accepting Jesus in our lives. And when that happens, we get the privileges of the kingdom of God because we become part of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
11. A Reminder of God’s grace for us.
God’s grace is another reason why baptism is important for Christians.
Unless otherwise, it takes someone who knows they are a sinner in need of a savior to get baptized. So when we Christians accept baptism, we are admitting that we are sinners saved by grace through Christ.
It is a great sign and reminder of God’s grace for us. See, there is nothing that you and I did to deserve God’s forgiveness. There is also nothing we will ever do without Christ to be right with God.
He chose to forgive us while we were yet sinners. Baptism reminds us that. It shows that we are not perfect or holy in and of ourselves. Jesus is the only one that perfects us.
It also reminds us that it is by grace that we have been saved.
12. A reminder of God’s love for us.
As we are reminded of God’s grace during baptism, we are also reminded of God’s love for us. See, it is because God loves us so much that he gave up his only son to die on the cross for us.
So as we get baptized, we embrace the great love that God showed us through his son Jesus.
Knowing and understanding this love enables us to keep on living in faith. And to keep our eyes on Jesus. God’s love also allows us to live in a way that is pleasing to him and to become christ-like.
13. A symbol of Eternal Life.
The thing that makes Christianity stand out is our Savior died for us so that we can have eternal life. There is no other religion where God came in bodily form and gave himself up for his people.
There is also no other religion that says God will come and live with his people on a new earth.
Although God isn’t visible right now, there’s going to come a time when we shall be united with him. And live forever and ever with him.
Baptism is a great symbol in the Christian walk about eternal life (Mark 16:16). When we get baptized, we are reminded that we shall rise up again even though we die.
Just the way Jesus resurrected on the third day and is with His Father, that’s the way we shall resurrect. And live with God.
All in all:
We need to understand why baptism is important for Christians. For it’s in doing so that we will be able to practice baptism for the right reasons.
There have been a lot of arguments about this topic. But it’s only by looking at what God says that we’ll know his heart concerning this issue.
At the end of the day, we Christians need to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Since Jesus commanded us to baptize others, we need to obey. If you still have doubts as to whether you should get baptized, read Matthew 28:18-20.
