ACTS 8:12

The word baptism means to be immersed or submerged. The word implies a full enveloping or surrounding. The biblical purpose of water baptism is an outward display of something that has taken place internally. The verse says …“when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” Their belief was the prerequisite for the act of baptism. They believed and then they were baptized. You might have been baptized as an infant, but according to the Bible, you weren’t baptized in the biblical sense. Only a willful, repentant convert of Jesus Christ can be baptized. You must first come to Jesus in humble repentance of your sins and trust Him as Lord and Savior. The physical act of baptism cannot remove your sin and it cannot save you; only a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ can.

The act of baptism tells an onlooking world that your faith is now in Christ and in all that He has done. It means that you have denounced your old life, your old way of living and now you live a new life by the power of God. At your baptism, you entered into full identification with Jesus Christ and by doing so declared that you are now a follower of Him.

I think of the thief on the cross who was being crucified for his terrible crimes and to make things worse, he began his last day on earth mocking Jesus. By the end of the day as the shadows lengthened and death drew near, this man had a change of heart. In a moment of total bankruptcy, he called out to Jesus saying, “Remember me when You enter into Your kingdom.” This man believed in Christ and his salvation was assured by Jesus Himself as He replied saying, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” What an assurance! Yet, this man was never baptized nor did he have any good works.