What Baptism Means
There are churches that teach you are not saved until you are water baptized and others that teach you can't go to heaven unless you are water baptized. Both are wrong in their knowledge of water baptism. Water baptism had extreme importance in the early church and should today but only because it is an outward expression of an inward work or change. If you have not been born again, the only thing taking place in baptism is that you are getting wet; it has no significance spiritually or physically. However, once you are saved (born again) you are saying to the world or those present that you have died to the old man or self (way of life) and are being raised up to a newness of life or a New Life (Romans 6:1-7). To the born again believer, baptism is symbolic of being crucified and buried with Jesus and being raised in the likeness of His resurrection.
We encourage people, if they were baptized as a child and did not know or understand what took place or what it meant, and they have been born again as adults and now understand what it means, to sign up to be baptized again. Remember, it is NOT necessary to go to heaven, but it will be a great experience now that you are saved and understand the significance.
