Biblical Topics A to Z
Baptism
What the New Testament says about baptism, its relationship to faith and repentance, and how the different passages bearing on this topic fit together.
At a Glance
Baptism is the New Testament ordinance by which believers publicly identify with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, following faith and repentance.
Overview
Baptism in the New Testament is the ordinance by which believers publicly identify with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, following genuine faith and repentance, and serves as an outward sign of the inward reality of new life in Christ.
Learning Objectives
- •Explain what Romans 6:3-4 teaches about baptism's symbolism of union with Christ's death and resurrection.
- •Identify the pattern in Acts where baptism follows belief and repentance.
- •Distinguish baptism as an act of obedience and testimony from the means of salvation itself.
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38
Read It in Context
This study quotes Acts 2:38, but no verse stands alone. Open a Bible and read the whole surrounding chapter to see the full argument the passage sits within, then look up the other references cited throughout this study — Romans 6:4 and beyond — in their own context. Scripture is the final authority here, not this summary.
Historical & Literary Context
Throughout Acts, baptism consistently follows a person's response of faith to the preached gospel, at Pentecost (Acts 2:41), with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:36-38), and with Cornithius's household (Acts 10:47-48), establishing a consistent New Testament pattern of belief and repentance followed by baptism as a public identification with Christ.
Buried and Raised With Christ
Romans 6:3-4 pictures baptism as being 'buried with him... into death' and being raised 'to walk in newness of life,' making baptism a vivid enactment of the believer's union with Christ's death and resurrection.
Following Faith and Repentance
Acts 2:38 places repentance before baptism, and throughout Acts baptism consistently follows a profession of faith (Acts 8:36-37, 16:31-33), showing baptism as a response to genuine conversion, not a substitute for it.
An Appeal of a Good Conscience
1 Peter 3:21 describes baptism as 'not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,' clarifying that its power is not in the water itself but in what it signifies through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christ-Centered Focus
Jesus himself was baptized by John, not because he needed repentance, but 'to fulfil all righteousness' (Matthew 3:15), identifying with sinners and setting the pattern his followers are called to walk in.
Practical Application
If you have believed in Christ but have not yet been baptized, consider Acts 2:38's pattern and take this step of public obedience and testimony; if you have already been baptized, let this week be an occasion to renew Romans 6:4's call to 'walk in newness of life.'
Prayer
Father, thank You for the picture of baptism, uniting me with Christ's death and resurrection. Whether I look back on my own baptism or am considering that step now, help me walk daily in the newness of life it represents. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture Memory
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Romans 6:4
Reflection Questions
- 1How does Romans 6:3-4's picture of being 'buried' and 'raised' deepen your understanding of what baptism symbolizes?
- 2Why does the New Testament consistently place repentance and faith before baptism rather than the reverse?
- 3How does 1 Peter 3:21's description of baptism as 'the answer of a good conscience' clarify what baptism does and does not accomplish?
- 4What would it look like this week to walk in the 'newness of life' your baptism represents?