Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Baptism does
not wash away your sins; that happened the moment you turned from your sins and
trusted the Lord Jesus as Savior. It does symbolize your old life before Christ
dying and you “rising again” to your new life in Christ.
Romans 6:3-4, “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
-
Martin Luther…“I would have those who are to be baptized
to be entirely immersed, as the word imports and the mystery
signifies.”
John Calvin…“The word ‘baptize’
signifies to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the
ancient church.”
John Wesley…“Buried with Him, alludes to baptizing by
immersion according to the custom of the first church.”
-
Jesus told us to do this. Matthew 28:19-20, 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."
-
Jesus was baptized that way. Matthew 3:16, After his baptism, as Jesus came
up out of the water (NLT). People were baptized this way in The Bible. Acts
8:38-39, Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip
baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his
way rejoicing. The word “baptize” in Greek literally means
“to immerse.”
-
We appreciate parents dedicating their children to the Lord. We offer a way
for parents to do this, but not through baptism. Baptism represents a step of
obedience that a person takes after they profess belief in Christ. An infant
cannot yet make this decision. Also, the Bible does not give an example of
infant baptism.
-
As soon as you have believed! “Those who believed…were
baptized…that day!” (Acts 2:41) “Then Philip
began with the scripture and told him the Good News about Jesus. As they
traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the man said,
‘Look, here is water! Why shouldn’t I be baptized right
now?’ Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you
may.’ The man answered, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God.’ So they went down into the water and Philip baptized
him.”(Acts 8:35-38) There is no reason to delay. As soon as you have
decided to receive Christ into your life, you can and should be baptized. If you
wait until you are “perfect”, you’ll never feel
“good enough”!
-
Yes! If each family member understands fully the meaning of baptism, and each
one has personally placed his/her trust in Christ for salvation, we encourage
families to be baptized at the same time. It is a wonderful expression of
commitment. Young children who wish to be baptized are asked to meet with one of
our staff members for a pre-baptism conversation. We also have a
Children’s Baptism Class.
However, it is important to remember that baptism is a personal statement of
faith, not a family tradition. It is usually not wise to delay your baptism
while waiting on other family members to accept Christ, particularly children.
This puts an undue pressure on them, and delays your obedience.