Let’s look at Matthew 3:13-17 :

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

So, yes, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. But why?

Look again at Matthew 3:15 “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Though Jesus was sinless he was signifying something more. He was both fulfilling prophecy and identifying that He was the messiah. The Son of God they had been waiting for. His baptism also symbolizes the sinner's baptism into the righteousness of Christ, dying with Him and rising free from sin and being given new life. His perfect righteousness alone fulfills all the requirements of the Law for sinners (us) who could never hope to do so on our own.

Something else to note is that during this moment in Matthew 3:13-17 , after Jesus comes out of the water, we see the trinitarian nature of God on display. Three divine persons, coequal and coeternal. There’s the voice of God the Father saying he is pleased with His Son, and the Spirit of God or Holy Spirit “descending like a dove” onto Jesus. This then affirms Jesus’ ministry but it is also an outline for God’s beautiful plan of salvation. The Father loves and chooses the elect from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); He sends Jesus to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10); and the Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8) and draws the believer to the Father through the Son (John 6:65).

Let’s look at Matthew 28:16-20 (also known as the Great Commission):

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Here we read that Jesus clearly commanded it. And to do so is an act of obedience to God. It's a way for us, followers of Jesus, to make our faith and devotion to him public. Again, there are also symbolisms that are represented in baptism. It symbolizes; the believer's new identity or new life in Christ, the washing and purification from sin, as well as, it symbolizes our death and resurrection in Christ. How wonderful that in Jesus you have a new identity. You are His!

Colossians 2:12 “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Romans 6:11 “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Look at Matthew 28:16-20 again.

Disciples, or followers of Jesus, should be baptized. Baptism is a public profession of an inward change in a believer's life. We see the order played out in Acts 2:41 where, after Peter preached the gospel, there are those who received his word and were baptized. Another example is Philip sharing the Gospel with the eunuch in Acts 8:35-38. He shares the Gospel and then baptizes him soon after.

• It does not cleanse you of sin. Read; 1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 1:7

• It does not save you. Salvation is only through faith alone. Read; Ephesians 2:8

• It does not grant you entrance to heaven. Faith is what saves and gives the sinner entrance into eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Read; Luke 23:39-43

• It is a sign that you have been cleansed of sin.

• It is a sign that you have been saved.

• It strengthens and affirms your faith.

• It is an important step of obedience for a Christian.

• It publicly identifies you as a disciple of Jesus, the community of his followers (the church) and the new life you have received in him. Read; Romans 6:3-4

1. Do you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead?

2. Have you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus as your King, Savior, and Lord?