Baptism

Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We believe that baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Why Baptism?

Because baptism is incredibly important! As we can see from Matthew 28 above, baptism is a new believer’s first step of obedience to Jesus. It is important not only for that reason, but also because it displays the gospel to others and it gives us an opportunity to publicly profess our faith in Jesus. Here are four truths that shape the way we view baptism:

1. Baptism is not a condition for salvation. Rather, serves as evidence of salvation.

Many people think that Scripture presents baptism as a necessary condition of salvation. We know that is not true because Jesus told one of the thieves on the cross next to him, Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). He said that to someone who had placed his faith in Jesus but who had not yet been baptized. The Bible is clear that “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT).

In this way, baptism is like a wedding ring. Wearing a wedding ring does not make you legally married. It simply acts to publicly show that you have entered into a marriage covenant with your spouse. A person is no more married when they wear their wedding ring than when they don’t.

But, that does not mean baptism is unimportant.

2. Baptism publicly declares to people your new life in Jesus.

Why do we need to publicly show people of the covenant we have entered into?

First, it functions as an outward sign of having committed ourselves to Jesus. It is God’s way of us giving a public confirmation of having entered into a New Covenant with Him. It is the God-given means by which we make our initial public confession of faith in Jesus.

Second, God has given us baptism because He knows that we need a concrete way to reinforce the decision which we have already made. God recognizes that, as humans, our faith can be weak at times. He knows that a public ceremony serves to firmly engrave our commitment into our hearts. Throughout the Bible, God frequently called His people to remember the ways in which they experienced Him in their lives. As God encountered His people, they would build public monuments, or markers, for this very purpose - to remember the event. Baptism is that concrete marker which reminds us of our having entered into a relationship with God through Jesus. It becomes a day to remember, much like a wedding ceremony with its reciting of vows in the presence of witnesses.

3. Baptism is intended for believers only after they have committed their lives to Jesus and have entered into a relationship with him.

That’s the order Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20: ➀ go, ➁ make disciples, made a disciple ➂ baptize them, and then ➃ teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded.

This is called “believer’s baptism.”  It is baptism that occurs after the individual has come to the  place in their life where they have experienced salvation through believing and  confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).  Peter describes baptism as the “pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21 ).  Only the believing individual can make this decision for themselves.  If a person gets baptized before they become a believer (say, as an infant), that is not an evidence of your faith; it’s evidence of your parents’ faith.

4. Baptism is by immersion.

There are two reasons why we submerge, or immerse, people.

First, the Greek word for “baptism” (baptizō) literally meant to plunge, dip, or immerse. The first translators of the English Bible were afraid to take a stand on this, so they just transliterated it from baptizō to “baptize.”  In doing so, they lost the original meaning.

In fact, baptizō wasn’t actually a religious word at all. Sometimes they used it for people who drowned or ships that went down at sea. We even have a recipe for pickles recorded by a Greek physician named Nicander who says to baptizō (as in, immerse and let it soak) a cucumber in vinegar.”

Second, we immerse people because of what it symbolizes.  Baptism tells the story of new life in Jesus Christ.  Coming to Christ involves a dying and rising with him, and there is no more vivid reminder of this than the act of baptism.  As I descend into the water of baptism and it closes over me,  it pictures the death and burial of my old way of life.     And as I burst forth out from under the water it marks the beginning of new life with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is a visible sign of an internal change in both one's relationship to God and in the direction of one's life.

If you are interested in talking to someone about baptism, please complete this form!

Note: The deacons have agreed set the minimum age of baptism at the age of 13. If you are interested in knowing the reasons or knowing how to speak to your child about baptism, please complete the form and include a request for that document.