Is the purpose of baptism to cleanse the body with water?

Peter explained what happens at baptism when he said, ';Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'; (Acts 2:38). But he did not restrict this teaching to adults. He added, ';For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him'; (2:39). We also read: ';Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name'; (Acts 22:16). These commands are universal, not restricted to adults. Further, these commands make clear the necessary connection between baptism and salvation, a


connection explicitly stated in 1 Peter 3:21: ';Baptism . . . 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.';





Paul notes that baptism has replaced circumcision (Col. 2:11–12). In that passage, he refers to baptism as ';the circumcision of Christ'; and ';the circumcision made without hands.'; Of course, usually only infants were circumcised under the Old Law; circumcision of adults was rare, since there were few converts to Judaism. If Paul meant to exclude infants, he would not have chosen circumcision as a parallel for baptism.





This comparison between who could receive baptism and circumcision is an appropriate one. In the Old Testament, if a man wanted to become a Jew, he had to believe in the God of Israel and be circumcised. In the New Testament, if one wants to become a Christian, one must believe in God and Jesus and be baptized. In the Old Testament, those born into Jewish households could be circumcised in anticipation of the Jewish faith in which they would be raised. Thus in the New Testament, those born in Christian households can be baptized in anticipation of the Christian faith in which they will be raised. The pattern is the same: If one is an adult, one must have faith before receiving the rite of membership; if one is a child too young to have faith, one may be given the rite of membership in the knowledge that one will be raised in the faith. This is the basis of Paul’s reference to baptism as ';the circumcision of Christ';—that is, the Christian equivalent of circumcision.Is the purpose of baptism to cleanse the body with water?
No. Hopefully you took a shower before you went to be baptized. It is an outward show of a change that has already happened in your heart. It is to make a public confession that you have been born again by accepting Jesus as your Savior.Is the purpose of baptism to cleanse the body with water?
Baptism by water is not to cleanse our body but our souls of our previous sins or ignorance.
After approaching God privately in prayer to express our determination to walk in his ways, we take the next step. We make our dedication known publicly by our baptism in water. This is a public declaration that we have vowed to do God’s will. At the beginning of his earthly ministry, Jesus was baptized by John, thus setting an example for us. (Matthew 3:13-17) Later, Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples and baptize them.





The Bible shows that after getting baptized, Jesus “came up from the water” or “out of the water.” (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10) Clearly, John the Baptizer had immersed Jesus totally. Complete immersion appropriately symbolizes the dramatic change we have made in our life—we figuratively die to our former life course and begin life anew in the service of God.





Baptism is both a serious and a joyful occasion. The Bible indicates that Jesus was praying when John immersed him in the Jordan River. (Luke 3:21, 22)
We believe that baptism with water -- by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling -- in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, cleanses us from original sin and personal sin (and their punishments) and initiates us into the life of the Church. It is more than merely symbolic; it's more than an expression of belief of the one being baptized (or his parents); it is a Sacrament, both a sign and medium of sanctifying grace. Baptism does something; it remits sins:





Ezekiel 36:25


[Prophecy] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.





Acts 2:38


Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.





Acts 22:16


And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.








Like all Sacraments (the other 6 being Eucharist, Confession, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Unction), Baptism is not a work of man; it is a work of Christ, an act of His grace:





Titus 3:5-7


Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.








It is through Baptism that we are ';born again'; (or ';born from above';) of ';water and of the Spirit'; (John 3:3-5). Read the entire chapter of John 3 which speaks of being ';born again'; and please note that it is all about Baptism. Despite what some Protestants believe, being ';born again'; doesn't mean ';having an emotional high'; or ';making a decision for Christ,'; though these are fine and good, the latter being necessary after the age of reason; being ';born again'; very clearly refers to Baptism of water and of the Spirit. This regeneration of water and Spirit is necessary to enter the Kingdom of God:





John 3:3-5


Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God
The purpose of baptism is death of the flesh by drowning %26amp; alive in the spirit as you are lifted up out of the water, therefore indentifing with Jesus Christ.


John baptised for the remission of sins, it is not the same baptism that we recieve.


Jesus never sinned therefore the baptism was accually an enogoration into His priesthood, that all righteousness be fullfilled.
it is to die with Christ and to be resurrected in the spirit, the second birth
To clean us of original sin
No.





1 Peter 3:21 specifically says, “…not the removal of dirt from the flesh…”





Rather, “baptism now saves… through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It is “an appeal to God for a good conscience.”





Here baptism is compared to the salvation of Noah in the flood (verse 20). The flood washed away the wickedness in the world and delivered Noah and his family to begin a new life in a new world.





At baptism, sins are washed away (Acts 22:16), we are baptized into Christ’s death (where the saving blood was shed), and we “rise to walk in newness of life” (Romans 5:8-10, Romans 6:3-13, Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:27).





“And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21, NASB)
The simplest definition of ';believers baptism by immersion'; is...





This is how a believer identifies himself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a confession of faith in the Savior and a message to the world that I belong to Christ and that I am committed to following Him. Baptism follows salvation... It is not something that we do to earn God's salvation. We are baptized BECAUSE we are saved.. NOT in order to be saved. (Acts 2)





When a believer comes up out of the waters of baptism it signifies that he is raised from the dead to walk in newness of life...





A believer is ';cleansed'; by the blood of Christ, not by the waters of baptism. Baptism signifies that we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.





Remedial ';cleansing'; is accomplished by the ';washing of water by the Word';... ';How shall a young man cleanse his way.. By taking heed to the Word of God...'; (Psalm 119)
it's a symbolic gesture to dedicate your life to God,which is in my religion we don't get baptized until we are old enough to know what we want.