Baptism
What is baptism? If you are interested in learning more about our church’s beliefs about baptism and how to start the process, please read below
Baptism is a symbol
Baptism serves as an outward expression of an inward spiritual reality. Paul describes this in Romans 6, in the context of talking about Christian freedom from sin. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4 ESV) As Christians go into the water, they symbolically identify with the death of Jesus. They acknowledge Jesus’ death is sufficient to pay for their sins. They embrace God’s forgiveness and consider themselves dead to their former lives of sin. As Christians come out of the water, they symbolically identify with the resurrection of Jesus. They proclaim that Jesus’ resurrection secured victory over sin and made a way for them to walk in newness of life, characterized by a right relationship with God.
Baptism is for believers
The normative pattern in the New Testament is for baptism to follow a profession of faith (Acts 2:41; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 10:47-48). For example, after Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, the individuals who respond to the gospel of Jesus in faith are immediately baptized. Similarly in Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch responds to the message of Jesus as Savior, then is baptized into the family of God. In the New Testament, baptism seems to always be the willing response of those who trust in Jesus for salvation.
Baptism is by immersion
Baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo, which literally means to dip. Based on the meaning of the word and the examples in the New Testament (Matthew 3:16; Acts 8:38-39), many denominations, including Baptists, believe baptism should be by immersion. Baptism seems to be the act of a person being dipped under water and pulled back up.
Baptism is an act of obedience
When Jesus prepares His disciples for ministry in light of His approaching ascension, He commands them to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)—specifically by going, baptizing, and teaching. One of the primary ways Jesus’ followers are to help individuals grow as disciples is by encouraging them to demonstrate their faith through baptism. Returning to the example of Peter’s first sermon, we see that he commands Christians to be baptized: “‘. . .Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38 ESV) God commands His people to express faith through baptism, and when a believer follows this command, he/she is acting in obedience to God.
Baptism is a topic of disagreement
While we believe these elements of baptism to be true in light of Scripture, it is important to know that not all Christian traditions understand baptism in these ways. Specifically, some coming from a Catholic background or a different Protestant denomination might experience confusion when it comes to the conversation about baptism—particularly with respect to its recipient and its purpose. Catholic theology teaches that baptism begins the process of salvation (is salvific). This is why infants are baptized in the Catholic Church and confirmed as teenagers—to begin and establish the work of salvation in a person's life. They believe salvation is maintained by following the sacraments. Other Protestant denominations—such as Presbyterians and Anglicans—view baptism not as salvific but symbolic (as we do), yet see the practice of infant baptism as biblical and helpful. They relate the Old Testament act of circumcision as a sign of the Abrahamic covenant to the New Testament act of baptism as a sign of the gospel covenant. We believe the issue of baptism as salvific is a misunderstanding of the gospel and therefore is a primary issue that we hold with a closed hand. In contrast, the understanding of infant baptism as symbolic but not salvific is not a misunderstanding of the gospel, but rather is a secondary issue in which we graciously disagree with our brothers and sisters in Christ and hold with an open hand.
With all that said, our conviction based on the testimony of Scripture is baptism does not accomplish salvation, secure salvation, or strengthen salvation. Rather, it expresses salvation. When a person embraces faith in Jesus, the next step for him or her to take is to express his or her salvation through baptism.
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