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Baptism is a vital part of our response to Jesus

Those who heard the message about Jesus had to be shocked to hear that they needed to baptized. Jews were part of God's people. Only non-Jews were baptized when they wanted to become one of God's people. Yet from the beginning, and throughout their lives, the apostles taught that people needed to be baptized to be a true follower of Jesus.

These first followers were taught that baptism was a way to share in Jesus death burial and resurrection. As they called on, or confessed, the name of Jesus as Lord, they were immersed and shared in His saving death, burial, and resurrection. (Notice the parallel between the saving message about Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and the early followers' sharing in that message in Romans 6:3-5.)

The apostles taught the importance of this participation with Jesus in baptism. Jesus had told them to do this in His last words on earth. Like Jesus, they emphasized that the power behind baptism was not the action of the person being baptized, but the work of God through the Holy Spirit as a person trusted in Jesus as Lord. Because of their participation with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection, they could be certain that they belonged to Christ, that Jesus had given them the Holy Spirit, that their sins were forgiven, and that they belonged to the people of God.