Many Christians often say that Baptism is simply a symbol. This is a dangerous idea which is contrary to Sacred Scripture.
There exist among many Christians of the Protestant persuasion the idea that baptism is an "outward expression of an inward faith": that it is nothing more than a symbolic ritual that does nothing and has nothing to do with one's salvation outside of declaring that you already have been saved. This perspective is a very wrong and dangerous idea that is not only in direct contradiction to the Bible.
We see many instances throughout Scripture where baptism is considered something necessary for the conversion and salvation of men, and not a mere symbol. A preeminent example of this comes from John 3, where Christ tells Nicodemus that men must be born again in order to be saved. He clarifies what He means by "born again" in verse 5, where He says "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (Jn. 3:5). Based on the fact that baptism was commanded by Christ in the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19, Mk. 16:16) and that all instances of conversion in the New Testament involve the convert being baptized, we can rationally say that Christ, in His discourse with Nicodemus, plainly says that one must be baptized in order to be born again.
Another instance of this is St. Peter's sermon in Acts 2:38, in which he tells the Jews to "repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Here, St. Peter tells us that repentance and baptism are what remits our sins, as well as what gives us the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The premier Apostle also tells us in his first Epistle that "baptism... now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." (1 Pt. 3:21). Peter clearly states that baptism is not merely the removal of dirt by a mechanical act of immersing or pouring with water, but is what saves us.
St. Paul also clearly states that baptism plays a key role in salvation. In his Epistle to the Romans, he writes, "we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Rm. 6:4). St. Paul says that those who are baptized are buried with Christ in His death in order for them to be raised from the dead as He did. Baptism, therefore, is not simply a symbol that shows our belief in Christ, but the method by which we come unto the resurrection of the dead. Paul also refers to baptism as the "Circumcision of Christ" in his Epistle to the Colossians, where he writes, "in him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism..." (Cl. 2:11-12). St. Paul tells us that circumcision in the Old Testament prefigures and points to baptism in the New Testament. Circumcision was not optional for the Jews. If you wanted to be a part of the Jewish community and part of God's Old Covenant, it was necessary to be circumcised. Likewise, to be part of God's New Covenant, it is necessary to be baptized. The Apostle to the Gentiles was clear: Christians must be baptized.
The view that baptism was more than a symbol was clearly the belief of practically all of the Early Church. The Church Fathers were clear that baptism is what cleanses us of sin and gives us the Holy Spirit. For example, St. Justin Marty says in his First Apology:
"As many as are persuaded and believe that what [Christians] teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly... are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, Unless you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."(First Apology 61, 151 AD).
Likewise, St. Hippolytus of Rome once preached:
“[P]erhaps someone will ask, ‘What does it conduce unto piety to be baptized?’ In the first place, that you may do what has seemed good to God; in the next place, being born again by water unto God so that you change your first birth, which was from concupiscence, and are able to attain salvation, which would otherwise be impossible... Therefore, fly to the water, for this alone can extinguish the fire. He who will not come to the water still carries around with him the spirit of insanity for the sake of which he will not come to the living water for his own salvation” (Homilies 11:26, 217 AD).
In the same vein, St. Augustine says "In three ways then are sins remitted in the Church; by Baptism, by prayer, by the greater humility of penance; yet God does not remit sins but to the baptized" (Sermons to Catechumens on the Creed, 395 AD), while St. Cyril of Jerusalem said, "If any man receive not Baptism, he has not salvation; except only Martyrs, who even without the water receive the kingdom" (Catechetical Lecture 3:10, 350 AD). The list goes on and on.
It is clear from Scripture and from the beliefs of the early Christians after the Apostles that baptism is not simply a symbol. It is clear that baptism is a necessary action that washes and forgives men of their sin, brings us unto the light of salvation, and gives us the power and gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us all, as the Apostles did, as the Church Fathers did, and as our Lord commanded, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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