What Is Baptism? Meaning, Key Bible Verses and What to Expect

This year we've reported baptisms on a Florida beach, in a North Carolina church, in fire-department-filled troughs in a Mississippi parking lot, in Texas and on a university campus. If you've watched one and wondered what it actually means — or you're thinking about being baptised yourself — this guide is for you.

What Baptism Is

Baptism is the Christian rite of washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus commanded it as part of the Great Commission: "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).

The word comes from the Greek baptizō, to dip or immerse.

What It Means

Scripture uses several pictures:

• Dying and rising with Christ. "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4).
• Belonging to Christ. "All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27).
• Cleansing and forgiveness. Peter told the crowd at Pentecost, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38).
• Joining a family. Baptism marks entry into the church — the community of people who follow Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Jesus Was Baptised Too

Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptise Him in the Jordan. As He came up out of the water, the Spirit descended like a dove and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16–17). He didn't need cleansing; He was identifying with the people He came to save — and giving His followers a pattern.

The New Testament Pattern: Soon After Believing

In Acts, baptism usually followed faith quickly:

• About 3,000 were baptised on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41).
• The Ethiopian official asked, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?" — and was baptised on the roadside (Acts 8:36–38).
• A Philippian jailer and his household were baptised in the middle of the night they believed (Acts 16:33).

That's one reason this year's spontaneous beach and parking-lot baptisms feel so much like the book of Acts.

Where Christians Differ

Christians agree that Jesus commanded baptism. They differ, sincerely, on several questions:

• Who should be baptised? Many churches baptise only those old enough to profess faith themselves (believer's baptism). Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist traditions also baptise the infants of believing families.
• What does it do? Many evangelical churches see baptism as an outward sign of an inward faith already given. Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran traditions, among others, teach that God gives grace through baptism itself.
• How is it done? By full immersion, by pouring, or by sprinkling, depending on the tradition.

If you're considering baptism, the best next step is a conversation with a pastor at a church you trust, who can explain what their church believes and why.

What to Expect on the Day

Practices vary, but at a typical believer's baptism:

1. 1You may share your story — a short testimony of how you came to trust Jesus — or answer a simple question such as, "Have you trusted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?"
2. 2The pastor baptises you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit — often by lowering you briefly under the water and lifting you back up.
3. 3The church celebrates. Expect applause, tears and, often, family on their phones (as students did in Mississippi this summer).
4. 4Practical tip: bring a change of clothes and a towel, and wear something dark that won't go see-through when wet.

After the Water

Baptism is a beginning. The very next thing Acts records about the first 3,000 is that they "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). Read our guides on what to do after someone accepts Jesus and how to read the Bible for the first time for the next steps.