Bible answers
What does the Bible say about baptism?
In the New Testament, baptism is commanded by Jesus, done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and joined to repentance and faith. Paul describes it as being buried with Christ and raised to new life. Christians differ on who should be baptized — believers only, or their children too — and on whether to immerse, pour, or sprinkle. They agree on this much: baptism is not a private ritual. It happens within the church.
Bible verses about baptism
- Matthew 28:18-20The risen Christ commands: make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Matthew 3:13-17Jesus is baptized by John; the Spirit descends; the Father’s voice names the Son.
- Acts 2:38-41Peter: repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; about three thousand are baptized.
- Acts 8:36-38The Ethiopian eunuch sees water; he and Philip go down into it, and he is baptized.
- Acts 16:14-15Lydia believes Paul’s word, and she and her household are baptized — a text churches weigh when they discuss who should be baptized.
- Romans 6:3-4Baptized into Christ’s death; buried with him; raised to walk in newness of life.
- Galatians 3:26-27Sons of God through faith; those baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- 1 Peter 3:21Baptism now saves you — not as removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience.
So through baptism we were buried with him into death, in order that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we also might walk in a new kind of life.The New Testament is full of baptisms: Jesus in the Jordan, the Great Commission, three thousand people at Pentecost, an Ethiopian official stopping his chariot by the road, Lydia’s household, a jailer’s family in the middle of the night. Paul says the baptized have been buried and raised with Christ, have clothed themselves with Christ, and have been joined to one body. That is why baptism is never a private accessory to faith. It marks you as belonging to Christ and to his people.
Churches read these texts differently. Credobaptists baptize those who profess faith themselves. Paedobaptists — including Catholic, Orthodox, and many Protestant churches — also baptize the children of believers, often pointing to the household baptisms in Acts. Traditions also differ on how baptism relates to salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). If you have never been baptized, or you are unsure what your baptism meant, talk with a pastor. That conversation is the next step.
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People also ask
- What is a key Bible verse about baptism?
- Matthew 28:19: make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Romans 6:3-4: baptized into Christ’s death, buried with him, raised to walk in a new kind of life. Acts 2:38 joins repentance and baptism in Jesus’ name.
- How should someone be baptized?
- Within a church, by its ministers, as the New Testament pictures it — not as a private ritual. Read the passages with the congregation that will baptize you, and ask your pastor how they practice it.
- Do Christians agree on baptism?
- Not entirely. Christians differ on who should be baptized — believers only, or also the children of believers, with household texts such as Acts 16:15 in the discussion — and on how: immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. They also relate baptism to salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in different ways. Ask your pastor what your church teaches and why.