Baptism: Its Practice and Meaning

Act of Worship

The sacrament of Baptism is exceedingly significant and should not be neglected in Christians’ lives. Various interpretations surrounding Baptism subsist, all of which point to a greater reality that God’s people are changed by the Lord Jesus Christ and, in effect, have chosen to die to selfish desires. The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship defines Baptism as “the rite whereby a person is made a member of the church.”[1] In a way, therefore, the sacrament of Baptism includes covenant membership at its core (i.e. the act of Baptism is that which serves as an initiation into the family of God).[2] The roots of water for cleansing and Jesus Christ beckoning his people to be crucified with him daily and carry their cross (Gal 5:24) realizes the meaning of Baptism.

Baptism is a call to die, for in God’s Kingdom, the one that loses his life finds it (Matt 16:25) (i.e. God’s economy is inverted from the world’s and, in fact, does not make sense to the world—it is foolishness) (1 Cor 1:18). A proper survey of the Old Testament roots of Baptism should grant a better understanding of its meaning, significance, and why it is so crucial to living in obedience in the Christian life.

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[1] J.G. Davies, ed., The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship (Philadelphia, PA: SCM Press, 1986), 55.

[2] The practice and mode of Baptism (e.g. sprinkling, immersion, original meanings, etc.) will be discussed later. For now, however, this paper examines the definition of Baptism.