3 Bible Tips: Why Be Baptized?
1. Peter explained that baptism is a vital step in the conversion process, following repentance and before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
"Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:38).
2. Baptism represents the death and burial of our old sinful self and our resurrection to a new life led by God's Spirit.
"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4).
3. Jesus Christ regarded the ceremony of baptism to be so important that He commissioned His Church to go all over the world baptizing disciples who believe the gospel message.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
For more about baptism, see "Why Be Baptized?" from the booklet Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.