If we are saved by our faith in Jesus, what is the purpose of baptism?
By studying the Old Testament scriptures and the Law, we learn that no matter how penitent someone was for their sins, that wasn’t enough. None of the sacrifices was able to completely take away sin until Jesus came and offered Himself. By the same token, devoting oneself to God, doing good deeds, and following His directives are not enough either. No one, then or now, is able to live a perfect life, and at some point, we all sin. Our study of Moses bears that out. He did so much that was right, yet his sin kept him out of the Promised Land. It’s not possible for us to do enough on our own to earn salvation.
Thankfully, God had mercy on us. He extended His grace to us by sending His Son into the world. Jesus’s sacrifice would be enough for everyone, but it’s up to us to avail ourselves of this indescribable gift. We are free to either accept or reject Jesus. If we reject Him, there’s no other way to eternal salvation. Jesus declared in John 14:6 (NLT), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” The Apostle Peter later reaffirmed this when he said of Jesus, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, NLT).
Because of God’s grace, we are saved through our faith in Jesus. The Apostle Paul stated this beautifully in Ephesians 2:8–10 (NLT): “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Baptism is a way for us to symbolically begin our new life in Christ Jesus. Paul explains in Romans 6:3 that those who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into His death. When we do that, we die to sin, put off our old, sinful ways, and rise up out of the water to walk a new life.(1) That’s not to say we’ll never sin again—because we will. However, sin can no longer condemn us to a spiritual death because now we live under grace. As John explained in 1 John 1:5–7, as long as we continue to walk in the light, Jesus’s blood cleanses us from all sin. He also tells us in verse 9 (NIV) of that chapter: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”(2)
When we are baptized into Christ, we put on Christ. Paul explained it this way in Galatians 3:27 (NLT): “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” We symbolically put off our old clothing that’s been tattered and stained by sin and put on the beautiful new clothing of Christ. Baptism shows we belong to Him—every one of us, regardless of our gender or earthly heritage. Moreover, we shall be heirs with Him to eternal life, and God’s promise to Abraham will belong to us as well!(3)
Footnotes:
(1) Read the rest of Paul’s explanation in Romans 6:3–14.
(2) See 1 John 1:5–10 for John’s admonition to walk in the light.
(3) See Galatians 3:26–29 for more of what Paul said on the subject.