Christian baptism represents “the request made to God for a good conscience.” (1 Peter 3:21) It symbolizes that an individual has wholly dedicated himself to God to serve Him as a disciple of Jesus.

Complete immersion in water is an appropriate symbol of such a dedication. A person’s going under the water represents his dying to his former life course. Being raised out of the water symbolizes his being made alive to do God’s will.

God grants a good conscience to those who make such a dedication and are baptized. The inspired apostle Peter could thus tell fellow believers: “[Baptism] is also now saving you.” That is something that no amount of Jewish ritual bathing could ever achieve.

Your dedication and baptism are the beginning of a very close friendship with God, an intimate relationship with him. Psalm 25:14.

Baptism does not guarantee salvation. The apostle Paul wrote: “Keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) Baptism is only a beginning.

Why should I be baptized?

The Bible gives a number of reasons to be baptized:

• Acts 2:38 - Tying repentance and baptism together provides forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Romans 6:1-7 - This shows us that the mode of baptism (immersion) pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. In the same way that He went through these things, our old nature is to “die” and we are to be “buried with Him through baptism into death” and raised to “walk in newness of life” (live like Jesus). So we do not just try to be a better person, we bury the “old person” in the water and become a “new person” through our acceptance of Christ. It is like a new birth and a new beginning for us.
• Galatians 3:27 - We “put on Christ” when we are baptized.
• 1 Peter 3:21 - Baptism is not an outward cleaning, but saves us through an inward cleaning. It is an appeal to God for a good conscience and asks God to take away the guilt of our past sin (that Christ paid for, wiping our “inner slate” clean).

Well, now you have it—the what, when and why. The only question left to ask is, “what will I do now?” That is between you and God.