Baptism is a sign of putting off the 'old' man and being raised again in new life. There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV) We believe this in its truest form. When we accept Christ's forgiveness and allow Him to change us we become a new creation. Baptism is the outward action that demonstrates the 'washing' away of previous offenses against God, and rising up as a clean person filled with hope and a future that God has for you. Jesus set the example of this for us which is captured in a story in the bible. It can be found in the book of Matthew chapter three. It reads, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan (river) to be baptized by John. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."