The word "baptism" comes from the Greek word meaning "to dip" -- like, to dip under water.
The practice of baptism is associated with the Christian faith. Followers of Jesus Christ, or Christians, are "baptized". The act is a symbol for the believers: Going down into the water symbolizes Jesus's death and burial; and coming up out of the water symbolizes His resurrection on Easter Day.
Jesus Himself was baptized by his cousin, John (known as John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer). John said in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 3, verse 11, that he (John) baptized "with water for repentance" but he added something curious about Jesus: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
To be "baptized by fire" has become a saying meaning, "to be tested severely" --- "to be tried with no other helps at all." It can also mean "to have a very difficult start at something." Some might say that arriving in a new country and a new culture without knowing the language, without having a single friend, is a kind of "baptism by fire."
Have you ever felt "baptized by fire"?
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