POINT #1: Obedience to a Command:
As opposed to calling it a ritual in the old testament where OT believers had to be immersed in Mitzvors for cleansing, water baptism is actually a Command of Jesus Christ for all who believe in Him. This can be seen in the Gospels of John 3:3-5 , Mathew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18. Jesus explicitly commanded that those who believed in him should be baptised to demonstrate they are his followers.
Mark 16:15-18
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved [Born Again]; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
POINT #2: Fulfill all righteousness
How do we know that this is also an act of fulfilling all righteousness, because we see Jesus in the gospels coming to John the Baptist to be baptised in river Jordan. When John sought to excuse himself from such a task, Jesus told him that He needed this to be done in order to fulfill all righteousness. And His glorious Father in heaven declared His approval through a voice that came from heaven.
Matt 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
POINT #3: Get new identity
When a believer is soaked in the waters of water baptism, they come out dyed with the dye colour called Jesus. In other words, the believer gets their entire body soaked or in other words clothed in Jesus Christ just like a fabric artist would dye a cloth in dye by fully dipping it into the dye and when he brings it out, it is entirely soaked bearing the colour of the dye. At this point you cannot separate the dye from the cloth, the two have become one.
This simply means that in the waters of baptism we loose our former identity. We are not Americans or Africans or Europeans or Asians but now take on the identity of Jesus. We are Sons of God and his citizenship is ours too. We are actually identified as heavenly citizens. Galatians 2:20
Galatians 3:26-29
26 For you are- all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
POINT #4 Become Useful to Jesus‘s work
Only those who are water baptised become fully useful to the Work of Jesus Christ in this life because they are identical to him and he can use them to do his ministry. Just like a dyed cloth eventually comes from just being a white fabric with less value but once dyed takes on the colour the designer desires and turning into a fabric useful for his creative fashion work, so is water baptism.
POINT #5: Remission of Sin
In baptism our sins are washed away. All our past sins are forgiven completely. We start over as new babies without sin like we have never sinned at all, perfect as pure as snow. (Acts 2:38, 1 Cor 6:11, Hebrew 10:22)
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
POINT #6: Added to Christ‘s Family
In baptism we are added to the body of Jesus Christ which is called the Church of Christ.. (1 Cor 12:13). Believers are not added to the church of Jesus Christ through attendance, or association, or fleshly birth but only through the baptism of water and spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink [g]into one Spirit.
POINT #7: Public declaration of Christ as Lord
Water baptism is a way for a believer to publicly declare their faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to following Him. It’s a visible expression of the new choice to have Jesus as their Lord and saviour. This act serves as a witness to others, demonstrating the believer’s willingness to live a life dedicated to Christ. Why this is true is because always in baptism there will be a minimum of one person as witness. and a maximum of thousands.
Matthew 10:33
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
POINT #8: Identification with Christ’s death and resurrection
The immersion in waters of baptism symbolizes the believer’s identification with Christ’s death, His burial, and His resurrection. Going under the water represents dying to the old life and emerging into a new life in Christ. This act reflects the believer’s hope of resurrection when we shall be resurrected on the final day and resurrection to a new life presently.
Romans 6:4
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
POINT #9: Represents a new life and new creation
Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 2:12-13
POINT #10: Unifies us in Faith
Water baptism unifies us in the faith. We are all under one faith and we ought to have one mind.
Ephesians 4:4-6
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.