Introduction To Believer's Baptism

What is baptism? And how does it function and for what purpose? In Acts 2 the first Christians were told to be baptized in the name of Jesus and for the forgiveness of sin. So what is meant by those statements by the Apostle Peter? Is baptism the way to be forgiven?
Are we to ignore the command of Jesus Himself when He said to baptize people in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit? Is baptism even something that important or is it optional
for believers? Is it something worth dividing over? These are the sort of issues this short series is designed to answer.