What Is the Meaning of Baptism?

When this prisoner became a Christian and his life completely changed, why was it important for him to be baptized? The Bible makes clear the importance and true meaning of baptism. In a conversation with Nicodemus, the community leader who came to Jesus by night, Jesus declared:

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
—John 3:3. (Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptural texts in the DISCOVER guides are from the New International Version of the Bible [NIV].)

Nicodemus didn’t grasp just what Christ meant. After all, how can a person be “born again”? So Jesus explained:

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”
—John 3:5.

“Born of . . . the Spirit” signifies entering a new life, undergoing a change of mind and heart. Because entering the kingdom of God involves a completely new kind of existence, not just an old life patched up, it is called the new birth. Being born of the Spirit is important, and water baptism is the outward symbolic portrayal of this inward change. Our representative baptized the prisoner as a recognition of his commitment to Christ and as a symbol of the transformation the Holy Spirit had begun in his character.