John the Baptist baptized for repentance,Bowker, John (ed.) The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 baptizing Jesus and many others. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, the resurrected Jesus commands his disciples to baptize (see Great Commission). Scholars are divided on whether or not Jesus baptized and, if so, to what extent. The most usual form of baptism among Early Christians was for the candidate to stand in water and water to be poured over the upper body.

Baptism has traditionally been seen as necessary for salvation. Martyrdom was identified early in church history as baptism by blood, allowing martyrs who had not been baptized by water to be saved. Later, the Church identified baptism by desire, by which, when joined with repentance for their sins, and charity, those preparing for baptism who die before actually receiving the sacrament are considered to be saved.

By analogy, the English word "baptism" is used of any ceremony, trial, or experience by which one is initiated, purified, or given a name. See Other initiation ceremonies below.

Meaning of the word in the New Testament

The Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell and Scott gives the primary meaning of the word '' (transliterated as "baptizô"), from which the English word baptism is derived, as dip, plunge, but indicates, giving as an example, that another meaning is perform ablutions''.

Liddell and Scott is not the only authority to state that the Greek word ??????? does not mean exclusively, dip, plunge or immerse. Scholars of various denominations point to two passages in the New Testament as indicating that the word, when applied to a person, did not always indicate submersion. It is Jewish custom that, before any meal of which bread forms a part, the hands must be solemnly washed, and this washing must be done by pouring water on the hands, not by dipping them in water. uses the verb ' of such a ritual washing: a Pharisee, at whose house Jesus ate, "was astonished to see that he did not first wash (' – literally, "be baptized" or "baptize himself") before dinner." This is the passage that Liddell and Scott cites as an instance of the use of ' to mean perform ablutions. The other New Testament passage pointed to is : "The Pharisees ... do not eat unless they wash (', the ordinary word for washing) their hands thoroughly, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they wash themselves (literally, "baptize themselves" - '''')".