s with the cross, there are many interpretations. But according to one common Christian view, the act of immersing in water is essentially a kind of spiritual washing. The ritual says that before becoming Christians people are somehow dirty; i.e., sinful. So it makes a claim about the world as well as human life: they are inherently sinful. Only a special religious experience (which Christians call grace) can overcome or wash away that sin. But the water also reminds Christians that this experience of grace is available to everyone, when and if they become Christian. So the ritual of baptism tells Christians that they should be Christians and live the Christian lifestyle because of the way the world is: naturally dirty yet always washable. And baptism tells Christians that everyone can be washed by living a Christian life precisely because the world has this particular structure. Baptism tells Christians that the way they live their lives and the way they imagine the world to be coincide perfectly with each other. This message is supposed to sustain Christians in times of crisis and in their ordinary everyday lives.