Baptism--The Christian View

If you were to do a scripture study of water, I think you would be amazed at how prominent a role it plays in scripture. Of course, without water there is no life. But water purifies as well as refreshes. At Easter we sing a hymn when the priests sprinkle us (in reminder of our baptisms) based on this scripture-- Ezekial 47. Here it is in part (1-9):

The Wonderful Stream.*

Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and there! I saw water flowing out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east. The water flowed out toward the right side of the temple to the south of the altar.

He brought me by way of the north gate and around the outside to the outer gate facing east; there I saw water trickling from the southern side.

When he continued eastward with a measuring cord in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and had me wade through the water; it was ankle-deep.

He measured off another thousand cubits and once more had me wade through the water; it was up to the knees. He measured another thousand cubits and had me wade through the water; it was up to my waist.

Once more he measured off a thousand cubits. Now it was a river I could not wade across. The water had risen so high, I would have to swim—a river that was impassable.

Then he asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” He brought me to the bank of the river and had me sit down.

As I was returning, I saw along the bank of the river a great many trees on each side.

He said to me, “This water flows out into the eastern district, runs down into the Arabah and empties into the polluted waters of the sea* to freshen them.

Wherever it flows, the river teems with every kind of living creature; fish will abound. Where these waters flow they refresh; everything lives where the river goes. ...


Water is life. So to answer your question, yes the water is critical to what happens.