FAQ: Baptism
What Is Baptism?

We were therefore
buried with Him through
baptism into death. . .
Romans 6:4a What does the word itself mean? We believe that in New Testament times believers were immersed. Greek dictionaries define the word which was used (baptismos) as immersion, dipping or submersion.

At that time Jesus came
from Nazareth in Galilee
and was baptized by
John in the Jordan. As
Jesus was coming up out
of the water, He saw
heaven being torn open
and the Spirit descending
on Him like a dove.
Mark 1:9, 10 We believe Jesus was immersed. The Bible says that Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan (Mark 1:9, 10). The Greek word, eis , meant in or into . When Jesus came out of the water, the word ek was used, which means out of . So Jesus went into the water and came up out of the water. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote that baptism is a burial (Romans 6:4), and that’s why both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and came up out of the water (Acts 8:36-39).

For more than 1200 years of Christian history, immersion was universally accepted as the way a person was baptized. Even the great Reformers such as Martin Luther, John Wesley and John Calvin acknowledged that immersion was practiced in New Testament times.