Welcome to the family of God! The Bible teaches us that the first step after repenting of our sins and placing our faith and trust in Jesus is to declare it to the local church and the whole world through baptism (Acts 8:12, 35-38, 16:31-34). Baptism is the first step of obedience for all new believers (Acts 2:38-42)!

What Is Baptism?

Baptism is an outward, physical sign of an inward, spiritual reality. Baptism is the act of being immersed, or dipped completely, in water as a symbol of a believer’s identification with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12). Baptism does not save us, but instead, it is an act that tells the world we have been saved by Jesus Christ through our faith in him. The Bible teaches in Romans 6 that baptism symbolizes two things:

• As we are lowered down into the water, we are identifying ourselves with Christ’s death on our behalf. We are admitting that our sinful self is being put to death, and we are declaring that Jesus has paid the penalty of death for us. Baptism paints a picture of sin being washed away through repentance (Matthew 3:11; 1 Peter 3:21).                                                              

• As we are raised out of the water, we are identifying ourselves with Jesus’ resurrection which brings us abundant, eternal life! Furthermore, Baptism displays our unity with Christ as we put to death the old self and put on the new self (Galatians 3:26-28).

Baptism is a one-time act that shows someone’s initial belief in Christ. Finally, baptism is a necessary requirement for church membership as it shows you are uniting with the body of Christ, his church (Ephesians 4:1-6).