“With the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.”​—Rom. 10:10.

2. (a) What is the significance of water baptism? (b) For baptism to have real meaning, what is required of the individual?

² Just what does water baptism signify? It means that a person is going on public record that he has disowned himself to become fully dedicated to Jehovah God as a disciple of Jesus Christ. To have real value in the eyes of our heavenly Father, this step must be undertaken voluntarily and without reservations. Not just the act of getting baptized, but everything associated with the baptismal arrangement is essential for salvation. The individual must repent of his sins, be converted, or completely turn around from a wrong course, disclaim all ownership of himself in full dedication to Jehovah God, becoming a servant of the Most High and of his Son. (Matt. 16:24; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 1 Thess. 1:9, 10) In harmony with Romans 10:9, the baptismal candidate, before submitting to water immersion, would be expected to make public acknowledgment of his having a proper understanding of these important matters. That passage of Scripture reads: “For if you publicly declare that ‘word in your own mouth,’ that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.”