Jesus, by submitting to baptism, acknowledged God s claim on Him. We, too, acknowledge God s claim on us through baptism. For the believer, baptism calls forth a total consecration of life and holiness of character. Christian baptism is recognizable as being a sign of the coming of God into a person s life. Christian baptism is hope in action.
Baptism is the sacrament of initiation and the door of grace.
Yes, so it seems, God s grace is appropriated through the medium of the visible sign of baptism. Through baptism in His name, believers are publicly set in Christ s fellowship. Through baptism, we, through God s grace, are allowed to share in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus our Lord. In baptism, we die to sin and are raised to walk in a new life. In baptism, we are clothed with Christ.