Baptism is a transliteration from the Greek word meaning immersion. I understand the term was used in the dyeing business, as cloth was immersed/dipped into the dye. As a Southern Baptist, I believe baptism is a symbol of what has already taken place in a person’s soul. It represents dying to the old life, being buried with Jesus and raising with Him to a new life. Of course this only makes any sense when you are baptized by immersion, but OTOH, if it’s not immersion it needs to be called something else, not baptism!
“i believe baptism is a symbol of what has already taken place in a person’s soul”
no where in the Bible does it say anything about a “symbol”
Peter didn’t say this in Acts 2 and Paul wasn’t told this in Acts 22.
“it represents......”
show me in the NT where the words baptism and represents are ever used together.
this is a 16th century tradition of men, not the Apostolic Faith.
Acts 2:38,
| 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
| 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. |
| 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have 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. |
| 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God |
| 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. |
| 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ |
| to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, |
| 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[a] was put off when you were circumcised by[b] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. |
| 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, |
| 19 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, |
| 15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. |
remember
Titus 3:5
| 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; |
| 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
Mt 28:19-20
| 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. |
Mk 16:15-16
| 15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. |
Mk 10:38
| 38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? |
Lk 12:50
| 50But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! |
The blood and water that flowed from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus are types of Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacraments of new life.
Jn 19:34
| 34But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. |
1 Jn 5:6-8
| 6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. |
From then on, it is possible "to be born of water and the Spirit" Jn 3:5
| 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
Note of course that this was after He died, opening the New Covenant. The sacrifice of Christ, His death on the cross, after that we have Baptism for the remission of sins. This is as all in orthodoxy plus Lutherans, Anglicans etc. believe it.
How you may choose to believe is your own free will in this, I just point out the verses if you care to read. Bless you
Rom 6:3-4;
| 3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. |
cf. Col 2:12
| 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. |
The baptized have "put on Christ."
Gal 3:27
| 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. |
Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies
1 Cor 6:11
| 11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. |
1 Cor 12:13
| 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. |
Baptism is definitely not ONLY "a symbol", definitely not ONLY "representing", but as one reads deeply, one sees how this is specifically for the remission of sins as Christ Himself said