WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It’s a public declaration of how Jesus changed your life.
Being baptized shows others that you’ve decided to follow Jesus and allows them to celebrate this decision with you.
Baptism doesn’t save a person; it’s a symbol and celebration of salvation and joining the body of believers in Christ (1 Peter 3:21).
In Water Baptism:
A) As you stand in the water waiting to be baptized, you symbolize Jesus dying on the cross.
B) As you are lowered into the water, you symbolize Jesus buried in the tomb.
C) As you are raised from the water, you symbolize Jesus rising from the dead.
The power that brought Jesus back to life is the same power
Jesus uses to change our lives – and that’s worth getting excited about!
Acts 16:31-34
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
Why does baptism matter? Jesus instructs us to be baptized and set the example (Mark 1:9).
Obedience to Jesus shows we believe and follow Him. (1 John 2:3).
Because Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him.
Being baptized shows that we turn away from a life of sin toward Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41).
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.”
WHEN'S THE BEST TIME?
For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step.
Anyone who commits to follow Jesus is ready to be baptized.
Matthew 28:19-20
But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
DO YOU BAPTIZE CHILDREN?
As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they are the ones to decide if they will commit their lives to Him.
Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Any instance of baptism follows a person’s decision to trust Jesus for salvation and commitment to follow Him (Acts 10:47-48).
At Identity, we wait until children are old enough to express their decision to follow Jesus and understand the meaning of baptism.
If your child has already asked Jesus into their life, explain what baptism is and what it means.
This discussion should be encouraging and timely.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMMERSING AND SPRINKLING WAYS OF BAPTISM?
Water baptisms in the Bible were by immersion. The original word for baptism often referred to being immersed or submerged in water.
Jesus was baptized by being immersed in and rising out of the water.
Romans 10:9
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Mark 1:10
Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Submersion in the water symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Being submersed underwater represents our death to sin and the old way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us and gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5).
DO I NEED TO BE BAPTIZED AGAIN?
If you haven’t been baptized by immersion since you decided to follow Jesus, we want to help you take your next step in being baptized.
God never asks us to take the next step that isn’t good for us. He always gives us more than we deserve or can imagine, including the joy we receive from listening to Him and following His choice of path.
