Custom essays on Baptism

Jesus Christ insisted on the necessity to carry on baptizing of believers even after his death. In his message to his disciples, Jesus Christ stressed the importance of Baptism for spreading Christianity worldwide. He insisted that his disciples should carry on teaching people to Christianity and they should baptize them in the name of the Father (God), Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Ghost. In this regard, it is important to point out that Baptism implied and still implies the forgiveness of sins committed by individuals because, when they baptize they confess in their sins and recognize them as improper acts. Baptism granted them with forgiveness and freed them from the burden of their past sins. As a result, on baptizing, believers could start a new life, which could be virtuous and meet basic Christian norms, standards and beliefs. This role of Baptism persisted throughout centuries and believers carry on the idea of Jesus Christ perceiving Baptism as an integral element of Christianity.
Furthermore, Baptism is crucial in terms of salvation and in terms of the concept of the Judgment Day. One of the founding fathers of the Christian church, Peter, the follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, stressed the importance of Baptism as an essential part of Christianity and the life of any Christian. Peter promoted the idea that Christians should be baptized for the sake of their future salvation when Messiah comes to save them and their souls. At the same time, Peter stood on the ground that Baptism was essential for the conversion of people to Christianity. At the same time, he expanded the concept of Baptism as a mere conversion of people into Christianity. Instead, he insisted on the fact that Baptism is a sort of symbol, a marker, which distinguishes Christians and true believers from the rest of the world. Taking into consideration the predictions of Biblical texts concerning the end of the world and the Judgment Day, it is only baptized Christians, who are supposed to find salvation brought by Messiah on the Judgment Day. The God will save only those Christians who are baptized. Therefore, Baptism distinguishes those who find salvation on the Judgment Day from other people who are going to die and vanish, according to Biblical texts and predictions.
In such a way, Baptism is the crucial concept which was established in Christianity and promoted since the time of early Christianity. In this regard, Jesus Christ and his followers, especially Peter, brought in the divine authority to the concept of Baptism.

What is meant here is the fact that Jesus Christ positioned Baptism as an essential element of Christianity, whereas Peter enhanced the concept of Baptism as an essential element of the salvation that comes on the Judgment Day to all Christians and true believers. In such a way, Jesus Christ and later Peter developed Baptism into a truly Christian concept to the extent that this concept was inseparable from Christianity, although its origin dates back to the time of Judaism and this concept precedes even the early Christianity. Therefore, the concept of Baptism was borrowed successfully by Jesus Christ and founding fathers of the Christian church and religion from the early beliefs existing in the Jewish society.
While the concept of Baptism has become the integral element of Christianity, the rite itself preserved its traditional elements, such as the use of water in the course of baptizing. As it has been already mentioned above, the water performed a symbolic function in the course of baptizing. At first glance, water has no value or virtuous effect on believers. Nevertheless, Christians strongly believe in the purifying effect of the water. However, this effect is a mere symbol of purification. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that Baptism implies the purification of a Christian. The transition of an individual from his or her past life, which could be sinful and which probably did not meet Christian norms and standards, to the new life of a true, virtuous Christian. In such a context, Baptism becomes not a mere conversion but also a sort of purification of a believer. In this regard, water is a material symbol with the help of which the purification occurs. Believers perceive water as a matter that purifies them and washes away their past sins and opens the way to the new, virtuous life. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the very meaning of the word “baptize” implies to drip, to pour. Therefore, the water is an essential element, a symbol used in the course of baptizing. No wonder, early Christians were baptized in streams, rivers, lakes and other pools where the water was considered to be of the natural origin and, therefore, blessed by God. In such a way, water becomes sacred and believers view the water as the matter blessed by God, whereas the use of water in the course of baptizing makes the entire rite quite symbolic and reveals its essence of purification, forgiveness and conversion.
The Mode of Baptism
Since ancient times people used the water to cleanse the body. In Christianity, the rite of baptism is used in the light of God’s influence on man. And like the water cleans human flesh, the grace of God purifies the soul from sins. Thus, baptism is not only carnal, but spiritual cleansing. In many places of the Old Testament ritual ablution occurs, symbolizing the washing away of sin and devotion to God. “Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments” (Genesis 35:2).