In the religious world, the subject of baptism has been up for debate for centuries. There are so many scholars who get into the greek language, and the history, and the ‘you name it’ to explain their view of baptism. There are really 3 main views when it comes to the purpose of baptism: 1) Baptism is for the saved person to outwardly show that he’s been saved. 2) Baptism is for admission into the church after you’ve been saved. 3) Baptism is for the purpose of becoming a Christian (i.e. receiving the forgiveness of sins).

To really get to the bottom of the question, “What is the purpose of Baptism?” We can’t rely on what preachers, scholars, or anybody else says. But rather, we must rely on what the Bible says, and that alone. So lets identify a handful of verses that identify the purpose of Baptism:

Mark 16:16 (Jesus speaking) — “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved…”

Acts 2:38 — “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

Acts 22:16 — “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name…”

1 Peter 3:21 — “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you — not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience — through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”

Notice what each one of these has in common: baptism is for the purpose of being saved, and for the forgiven of sins. Most people who argue against this will say, “but other verses say we are saved by faith!” The problem is that we can’t pin Bible verses against each other, but rather we must account for every verse and use them all together. I would never argue that we aren’t saved by faith because the Bible says we are. Likewise, we should never argue that we aren’t saved by baptism because the Bible says we are.

Consider the implications of this. If you haven’t been baptized, you haven’t been forgiven of sins. If you haven’t been baptized, you haven’t been saved. You can’t stand clean before God without those sins being washed away. Have you been baptized? If not, contact someone today and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins!

— Kolton Ballance