The Christian ordinance of water baptism commanded by Christ. It publicly identifies a believer with Jesus Christ, signifies cleansing from sin and union with His death and resurrection, and marks entrance into the visible fellowship of the church.
Baptism is a commanded Christian ordinance that serves as a public confession of faith and a sign of cleansing, union with Christ, and participation in His people.
Baptism is the Christian ordinance instituted by the Lord Jesus in which water is applied in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as a public confession of faith and discipleship. The New Testament closely connects baptism with repentance, faith, forgiveness, reception into the visible fellowship of Christ’s people, and identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. In conservative evangelical teaching, baptism should be treated as a real and meaningful ordinance commanded by Christ, not as an empty symbol; yet its saving significance must be stated carefully, since Scripture presents salvation as grounded in God’s grace through faith in Christ rather than in the physical act itself. Baptism therefore signifies cleansing from sin, union with Christ, and commitment to walk in newness of life, while also marking a believer’s public allegiance to Christ and connection to His people. Because orthodox Christians differ over the proper subjects of baptism and the mode of its administration, this entry affirms clearly what Scripture teaches about its institution, meaning, and importance while avoiding dogmatic claims on disputed sacramental details.
In the Gospels, Jesus was baptized and later commanded His disciples to baptize new disciples in the triune name. In Acts, baptism normally follows repentance and faith and functions as the outward mark of conversion and incorporation into the visible church.
From the earliest Christian centuries, baptism was recognized as a central rite of initiation into the church. Historic Christian traditions differ on whether it should be administered by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling, and on whether it should be applied only to professing believers or also to infants in covenant households.
Second Temple Judaism knew ritual washings for purification, which provide an important background for New Testament baptism. John the Baptist’s ministry and the baptismal language of cleansing would have been readily understood in that broader Jewish world.
The main New Testament term is Greek baptizō, commonly used for baptizing or immersing. In biblical usage, the emphasis is on the act of baptism itself and its significance in Christian discipleship.
Baptism is an act of obedience to Christ and a visible sign of belonging to Him. It does not replace faith or the gospel, but it publicly testifies to the believer’s union with Christ, cleansing from sin, and participation in His death and resurrection.
As a sign, baptism points beyond the outward water to an inward reality. The sign and the thing signified must be distinguished: the ordinance is meaningful because Christ appointed it, but the saving power belongs to Christ and His gospel, not to the material act apart from faith.
Christians disagree on subjects, mode, and the precise relationship between baptism and conversion. This entry uses a conservative evangelical framework: baptism is commanded and important, but not a mechanical means of salvation. Care should be taken not to overstate what any single passage teaches apart from the whole New Testament.
Evangelicals generally agree that baptism is commanded by Christ and publicly identifies the believer with Him. They differ, however, on whether baptism is reserved for professing believers, whether infants of believers should also be baptized, and whether immersion is the required mode. Those disagreements should be noted without obscuring the core biblical meaning.
This entry affirms baptism as a Christian ordinance and sign, not as a work that earns salvation. It does not settle disputed questions about infant baptism, baptismal regeneration, or exact mode beyond what can be stated safely from Scripture.
Baptism remains an important step of obedience for new believers and a public testimony before the church and the world. It also reminds Christians of repentance, cleansing, union with Christ, and their call to live as identified followers of Jesus.