Baptism is the immersion of the believer into Christ, crucified and risen.

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of fife" (Rom 6.3-4).

"For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him . . ."(Rom 6.5-6a).

"But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him" (Rom. 6.8-9).

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.... For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears then you also will appear with him in g1ory" (Col. 3.1-4).

"If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him" (2 Tim. 2.11).

Christ's baptism was in water and blood (Cf. 1 John 5.6).

"And when Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"' (Mt. 3.16-17).

"But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" (Mark 10:38) [referring to His passion and death].

"I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!" (Lk. 12.50).

Baptism effects a change from the old to the now.

"We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin" (Rom. 6.6).

"By abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace" (Eph. 2.15).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come" (2 Cor. 5.17).

"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Col. 3.10).

Baptism effects a change from darkness to light, from being no people, to being God's People.

"He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col. 1. 13).

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2.9).

"Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy" (1 Pet. 2.10).

Jesus reconciled "us both to God in onebody throughthe cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end" (Eph. 2.16).

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit' (11 Cor 12.12-13).

Baptism changes us from being filled with sin to being filled with the Holy Spirit and reborn in Christ

"Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgivenessof your sins; and you shall receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2.38) "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

"He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit which He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3.5)

We are baptized In the name of the Trinity 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28.19).

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, 'Abba! Father' it is the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our Spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8.15-16; cf. Gal. 4.5).

"As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ' (Gal. 3.27).

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?" (1 Cor. 6.19).

Authentic Interpretations of Scriptures whose meaning is disputed:

John 3:5-7 "Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew."'

The interpretation given to this passage consistently, for almost 2000 years, and other passages like it, is that baptism is necessary for salvation. The water spoken of here is not a mere symbol but actual, physical water. More recently, in the 19th and 20th centuries, a re-interpretation of this passage as merely symbolic is rooted not so much in Christ's words and desires, but human tradition.

1 Pet 3:21 "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

We note here that baptism is no mere symbolic act, but actually effects salvation.... "Baptism... saves you." Baptism is no mere external ritual removing dirt from the body, but a real effecting of a clear conscience."

Acts 16:15 "And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, 'if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay! And she prevailed upon us!' (cf. Acts 16:33; 18:8).

These phrases, 'with her household, all his household, all his family,' along with evidence from the second century tell us of the age old practice of infant baptism...