1. The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism is a distinctly Christian practice. There is nothing quite like it in any other religion.

Jesus Himself was baptized to launch His public career. The event occurred in the wilderness of Judea. There a young preacher named John was baptizing hundreds of people. Jesus came from his home in Galilee and asked John to baptize Him (Matthew 3:13-17).

In the ensuing months thousands of people began flocking to Jesus. When they accepted His message, they too were baptized. Soon Jesus was baptizing more people than John himself (John 4:1).

As He trained His own followers, Jesus instructed them to baptize everyone they taught (Matthew 23:19). According to the New Testament, they did so faithfully. The book of Acts, which records the earliest years of the church, describes one person after another becoming a Christian. In these stories there is a consistent pattern: once people come to believe in Jesus, they are immediately baptized.