What is the purpose of baptism?
Baptism is the public sign Jesus gave his followers — being immersed in or marked with water — to declare their union with him in his death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6). It is initiation into the visible church and a vow to live as his.
Jesus himself was baptized. He commanded his disciples to baptize others "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28).
Christians differ on who should be baptized — believers only (Baptist), or believers and their children (Reformed, Catholic, Lutheran). All confess that baptism is an act of God’s grace, not a magical guarantee apart from faith.
Baptism does not save apart from faith. But every believer should be baptized, and every Christian community should treat it as the holy moment Jesus made it.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.