Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water as a sign of his previous commitment to completely follow the teachings of Christ. In the ritual a new Christian symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. By this external rite he professes his death to sin and resurrection to spiritual life. The ceremony sets forth the fact that the believer has already received Christ and in faith given himself to Him and shows outwardly what has already happened on the inside.

Christ commanded:
Matthew 28:19-20 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV)
Romans 6:2-8 We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (NIV)
Colossians 2:11-13 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, (NIV)

Paul is saying that circumcision and baptism are symbols of what has already happened, your commitment to Christ.

Believer’s Baptism
Luke 3:3.7-9,15-17 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (NRSV)

John the Baptist here talks of baptism as a ritual, symbolically showing that a person has undergone repentance. People who don’t repent before they're baptized or think that this ritual saves them or completes the salvation process are a brood of vipers. John didn’t baptize anyone until they proved by their works they had truly repented.

Children Baptized?
Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his.
Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household,
Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. (KJV)

These scriptures have lead some to believe that children were baptized; however, household means all of them that believed. John, in Luke 3:8, would not baptize until they first truly understood and repented. When a child can truly understand and become a Christian then he can be baptized.

Origin of Baptisms
Paul talks about the "doctrine of baptisms" in Hebrews 6:2
Among the Jews baptisms, called mikva’s, are ceremonial washings. Any time you would enter the priesthood, join a sect, get married, or repent of your sins you would enter into a ceremonial cleansing of baptism. In the same way clothing, utensils, and some articles of furniture were thus ceremonially cleansed. See Leviticus. 8:6; Exodus 19:10-14; Mark 7:3,4; Hebrews 9:10 and the Talmud for further details.

Baptism of Jesus
When Jesus was 30 he was baptized to fulfill the law of baptism for high priest, by a Levite (John), so He could do the work of high priest. See Exodus 29:4-7 and Leviticus 8:6-36 After being ceremonially washed he was anointed by the Holy Spirit. He was not repenting of his sins, for He had none.

Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (NIV)

In the name of Jesus
Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. (KJV)
Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
1 Corinthians 10:2-4 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (NIV)

In the name of "Moses" or "John" or "Jesus" means becoming a disciple of that one and obeying everything they taught. It is not a formula. The formula is " of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"

Baptism in the Spirit
Acts 19:1-7 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John’s baptism." 4 Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (NRSV)
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (NIV)
1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (NIV)
Galatians 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (NIV)
Acts 8:16 For as yet he (Holy Spirit) was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
John 1:33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ (NIV)

Baptism in the Spirit doesn’t mean water immersion. It means endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
This last one shows that some Gentiles were completely saved, dedicated disciples, and baptized in the Spirit and yet not baptized in water.

Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Baptism of Fire
Luke 3:7,16-17 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (NRSV)

The crowd John was talking to in contained believers, who were to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and unbelievers who if not saved will be baptized in fire at the second death.
The erroneous teaching that baptism of fire means the cloven tongs of fire or a heart purification is completely without basis in scripture.

Other kinds of Baptisms
Mark 10:38-40 "You don’t know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant." (NIV)
Luke 12:49-50 "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! (NIV)

Jesus here refers to the death on the cross as a baptism. Baptism has taken on the meaning of something I go through to get somewhere.

Baptism for the dead
1 Corinthians 15:29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? (NIV)

Some people taught that if your relatives believed in Jesus but died before they got baptized would go to hell. If you would be baptized for them, they would be saved. e.g. present day Mormons. Paul says that’s crazy especially since they also taught there was no resurrection. This was the beginning of the error of baptismal regeneration.

Errors about Baptism
Some have thought that baptism saves you. This is called baptismal regeneration. We have already seen that the word "baptism" took many meanings. Always remember that we are dealing with a different language, with it’s own idioms and a culture from 2000 years ago.

Acts 22:16 Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
The "Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" in Luke 3:3 and Acts 2:38 means a baptism to show they had repented not that baptism itself washed away their sins. Compare this to "washing by the word," Ephesians 5:26, and "washed by the blood," Revelation 1:5.
John 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) (KJV)
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Again baptism is a sign that he believes. It doesn’t say "if not baptized" but "if you don’t believe" you will be damned. Jesus and Paul didn’t make a practice of baptizing, just preaching the gospel.

1 Pet 3:20-21 ...God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (NIV)

Peter is not saying just as Noah wasn’t completely saved until he got wet in the flood, our salvation isn’t completed until water baptism. Baptism and salvation are so closely related in New Testament times that the symbol is often used to refer to the reality.

What Peter is saying is Noah going through the flood, in the ark, represented the death, burial and resurrection of mankind. Mankind was physically saved by what Noah did. Water baptism represents what now saves us, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are spiritually saved by what Christ did for us. We are not saved by "the removal of dirt from the body" or water baptism itself, but "a good conscience toward God" which is belief in the "resurrection of Jesus Christ."

The thief on the cross was never baptized, but Jesus said "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

Paul clearly teaches we are saved by grace through faith alone without anything else.

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (KJV)
Galatians 3:2-3 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law (water baptism), or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (KJV)
1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (NIV)

If baptism were necessary for salvation he would have never separated the two like that!
In 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 and 3:1-4, Paul warned those who were saying things like "I’m better than you because I’ve been baptized in Peter’s church" or "I’m more mature than you because I’ve been baptized in Apollos’ church." or "You're not even saved unless you’ve been baptized in Paul’s church." Some today say "you must be baptized in the name of Jesus only," while others will say "you must be baptized by us or you're not saved, or at least not a very good Christian."
Paul says they're still carnal, "babes in Christ", and that causing divisions on secondary issues is sinful.
In conclusion we can see we are commanded to be baptized, and if you are a truly saved you will want to be, but you will still be saved if you never get baptized.

Copyright June 1995 by Dr. Kenneth Johnson. Rev 1