Baptism Q&A: Going public with your faith in Jesus Christ
At True Hope Collister, we are passionate about being a church that makes disciples who make disciples by coming alongside people as they discover, experience, and follow Jesus as true hope. One way a person can follow Jesus is to make the decision to go public with their faith and get baptized. Many people have questions regarding baptism and why it is done, which is understandable. Different religions and denominations hold varying stances on baptism, which can make things confusing. Thankfully, through studying God’s word, we can find truth and clarity. Below are some of the most common questions people have about baptism, along with Biblical answers for addressing them. If you have yet to be baptized, we hope this blog post helps you to evaluate whether or not you are ready to take the plunge (sorry, I just couldn’t resist that pun)!
What is baptism and how is it done?
Baptism is the means by which a believer makes a public profession of their personal faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to follow Him. Once a person has believed and received the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, baptism is an act that outwardly demonstrates the inward transformation that has taken place in that person’s heart and life.
Baptism also demonstrates and identifies a believer with Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. In Romans 6:3-4, Paul declares, “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.” During baptism, a person will sit or stand in water, representing their old self and old life before they accepted Jesus as their savior. Then, the person is immersed down into the water, demonstrating being buried in the likeness of Jesus’s death as he went down into the grave. Under the water, the person’s old self and life of sin are left behind, acknowledging that through Christ’s death on the cross all sin was put to death and washed away by His blood. The person will then be lifted back up out of the water, demonstrating being raised with Jesus to walk in new life with Him. It is a joyous occasion in a believer’s life and a time of great celebration with your church family.
Why is baptism important?
Simply put, baptism is important because Jesus commanded it. Therefore, our decision to be baptized is an act of obedience to Him. Just before His ascension in Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So if our mission as a church is to make disciples who make disciples, we not only have a responsibility to teach God’s word and make new disciples but to also baptize those disciples, and we are to continue to do so all over the world until Christ’s return. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was also baptized, telling John the Baptist that it was fitting for Him to do so in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). By saying this, Jesus was referring to the righteousness He provides to all those who come to Him to exchange their sin for His righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’s baptism showed that He identified with sinners. When we make the decision to be baptized, we are publicly displaying our acknowledgement of being a sinner who has taken on a new life that is set free in Christ’s righteousness.
Is baptism required for salvation?
No. The Bible is abundantly clear that we are justified by grace through faith alone and that there is nothing we can do to add to this great gift (Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, John 5:24, Romans 4:3-5, Romans 5:1, Romans 11:6, Philippians 3:9). If water baptism were necessary for salvation, we could expect to see it presented every time the Bible talks about the saving gospel of Jesus, but that is not the case. There were also people in the Bible who received salvation through their faith in Jesus, yet who were never baptized. One example of this is the thief next to Jesus on the cross who passed away after Jesus’s death (Luke 23:43, John 19:32-33).
Who should be baptized?
Baptism is reserved for those who have already begun to live the Christian life by receiving the gospel and having made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. The New Testament provides evidence that the correct order of events in a believer’s life is to first place their faith in Jesus and to then be baptized. In Acts 2:41, after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, we read “those who received his word were baptized.” In Acts 8:12, we read “but when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Therefore, anyone who believes and has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord—trusting in Him alone for his or her salvation, should be baptized.
How young is too young? Should my kids be baptized?
If your teen or child has a believable profession of faith in Jesus, desires to follow Him with his or her life, and shows evidence of having already started the Christian life, then they should be baptized. If you aren’t sure if your teen or child is ready for baptism, asking them questions can help you identify where they are in their faith journey. Some good questions to ask are: Who is Jesus and what does the Bible teach about Him? What is sin? Do you have sin? What is the consequence of sin? What does it mean to put your trust in Jesus? What does it mean to be baptized? Do you want to be baptized? If so, why?
What if I was already baptized as a baby?
This is such a common occurrence and question for many believers, so if this is you, I hope you know that you’re in good company. The Greek word for baptism is baptizó, which literally means to “dip”, “plunge”, or to “immerse”, and the New Testament contains passages that support the idea that baptism was done using water immersion (Mark 1:5, Mark 1:10, John 3:23, Acts 8:36). Most infant baptisms today are conducted by either pouring water on a baby or by sprinkling water on a baby, not by immersing a baby in water (which would be dangerous to do, of course). Unfortunately, baptism by pouring or sprinkling water doesn’t demonstrate the putting to death of one’s old way of life and rising to walk in new life with Jesus in the way water immersion does. More importantly however, is that infants do not yet have the ability to exercise faith in Jesus let alone the ability to recognize their “old way of life” as sinful (after all, their life is just getting started). As stated before, the correct order of events in a believer’s life is to first place their faith in Jesus and to then be baptized. If you were baptized as a baby and have since put your faith and trust in Jesus, perhaps it is time to consider being baptized as a way to outwardly demonstrate the inward change that has taken place in your life. This same suggestion can be made for anyone who at any age got baptized prior to having faith in the gospel of Jesus.
How do I know if I am ready to be baptized?
While baptism is done publicly, the decision to be baptized is one that’s made personally. As with every decision in a Christian’s life, the very first step is to pray. Pray that if it is the Father’s will at this time, for the Holy Spirit to guide your heart towards baptism. Next, ask yourself these questions: Have you declared with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? (Romans 10:9). Do you recognize yourself as a sinner who is no longer condemned due to receiving God’s saving grace through His work on the cross and resurrection from the grave on your behalf? (Romans 3:23-24, 5:12-14, 8:1) Do you desire to live your life as a disciple of Jesus—becoming a living testimony of God’s grace, truth, goodness, and love everywhere you go? Are you ready for people in your life to know you are a follower of Jesus? If you answered “yes” to all of these questions then there is very good reason to believe you are ready for baptism and we’d love to know if you’ve made that decision and to celebrate with you!
If you are interested in being baptized let us at admin@jesusistruehope.com.