Baptism – What does it mean?
 
What does it mean to be baptized? Who should be baptized? How should a person be baptized? These and other questions have divided Christians for centuries. But should they? The question of the who, when and how of baptism should be answered, as with all other questions of faith, by looking in the scriptures. 
 
Baptism in scripture is always by immersion. The Greek word itself means to immerse, to dip or to plunge. No one in scripture was ever sprinkled, poured or baptized in any other manner. It always involved entering into the water and being put under the water. Baptism is a picture of the gospel. In fact, when we baptize, we say “Buried in the likeness of His death, raised in the likeness of His resurrection”. We do that to reinforce the fact that baptism pictures the gospel – the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Christ have experienced a death and a rebirth. The Old Life has died and been buried. There is new life.(Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12)
 
In Scripture, baptism always follows belief. In Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch, asked what prevented him from being baptized. Phillip replied, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” Therefore, we do not baptize infants or young children that have not the ability to consciously believe upon Jesus Christ. We also do not baptize adults who have not made a profession of faith in Christ.  Baptism is a picture of the Gospel as we said earlier, and it is a picture of what has happened in the heart of the believer. Without true belief, baptism is just getting wet. 
 
What does baptism do? Some teach that baptism is a requirement of salvation, that baptism washes away the sins and cleanses you. Some teach that being baptized makes you a Christian, a member of Jesus church. We believe that 1 Peter 3:21 clearly teaches what baptism is not (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh) and what it is (but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ). We believe that baptism is not an act that makes you a Christian, but an act that shows that you are a Christian. It is a voluntary act that symbolizes your affiliation with Christ. I wear a wedding ring. Wearing it doesn’t make me married, and if I take it off, I am not then unmarried. I wear it because I want everyone to know that I am married. Likewise baptism. We are baptized to show that we are Christians, not to become Christians. 
 
If you would like more information on baptism, we have a booklet that we would like to give to you. Please use our contact form and let us know you would like the booklet on baptism.