“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Baptism is…

A step of obedience (Matthew 3:13-16) – Jesus set the example for us by being baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
 
A statement of commitment (Romans 10:9-10) – Baptism serves as a public statement that we have surrendered our lives to Christ and that we believe in him. In baptism, we are declaring to the world that we belong to Christ and He is our Lord and Savior.
 
A symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-11) - Just as Christ gave His life for us and died, in making a decision to follow Christ, the person we were prior to becoming a follower of Christ is also dead. Modeling how Christ was buried and then resurrected from death, when being baptized we are buried in the water and then raised to become a new person.