Introduction
Believer’s baptism is a Christian ritual that dates back to the days prior to Jesus Christ. Baptism was a custom used by some Jews as an initiation ritual into their particular teaching. John the Baptist was a prophet who introduced Jesus Christ to the world. He taught repentance and baptized those who responded to his message. When Jesus came on the scene as a 30-year-old man, he was baptized by John in the river Jordan. His baptism was unique, in that He did not need a baptism of repentance. His baptism marked the beginning of a pattern for His followers.
Why should I be baptized?
Although there are several good reasons that ought to compel a follower of Christ to be baptized, the one that is most obvious is also simple to understand. Jesus expects His followers to be baptized.
After his resurrection and just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave some final instructions to His followers who would spread the good news of the Gospel and plant churches everywhere. He said to them: “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” (Matthew 28:19-20). That is precisely what we see them doing in the book of Acts.
It is somehow contradictory to hear individuals talk in glowing terms about their love for the Lord Jesus, and yet balk at the idea of being baptized. If you, the reader, have not been baptized, stop for a few moments and analyze your objections. In many cases, people wake up to the fact that baptism is far more important to the Lord than they first realized.
One mistaken line of reasoning goes as follows. A person hears the Bible teacher or preacher say something like, “Baptism is not essential to salvation.” The conclusion is then drawn that baptism must not be important. It must be optional. Although it is true that baptism is not as important as salvation, obedience is nonetheless very important. Baptism is as essential as discipleship is. Baptism happens to be the first thing in our Christian walk that the Lord wants us to act on, while disobedience becomes a handicap in our walk with the Lord.
Who should be baptized?
You will notice that there is a particular order in the previously quoted verse (Matt 28:19-20). Jesus asked His disciples to
- Make disciples
- Baptize them
- Instruct them
The order seems obvious. A person must first become a disciple. Infants cannot make that choice; therefore we do not baptize infants.* see footnote
Is there a minimum age before one can be baptized?
There is no direct answer to this question. Obviously there are different degrees of maturity at every age. Some ten-year-olds can be more mature than some 14-year-olds. The difficulty with baptizing young children is the lack of the kind of life’s experience that typically tests the reality of that faith. A child’s ability to respond to concrete facts precedes by far his or her ability to process concepts and abstract thoughts. Young children simply do not adequately comprehend life-long commitments. In the days of the New Testament, when one stepped forward and declared allegiance to Jesus Christ, it meant a willingness to be ostracized from society; indeed it often meant a willingness to die for Him.
That was the nature of the decision, for there were many severe persecutions of Christians by various Roman emperors. Therefore, the decision to be baptized was the ultimate test at the very start of the young believer’s life. In later centuries, and during more peaceful times, some churches required baptismal candidates to learn their catechism for up to three years before they were baptized.
Rather than err too far on either side of this question, this church’s approach will be to wait until a child is at least 12 years old. It was Jesus’ age when he visited the temple with his parents and expressed that He must be about His Father’s business. It is also the age when a Jewish child was considered to be a young adult. There is no clear teaching on the so-called age of accountability, but it makes good sense to recognize that although a very young child can come to faith in Jesus Christ, a life-impacting decision needs a few years of experience and some consolidation of one’s faith before one commits to the waters of baptism. However, even at the age of 12, baptism will not be administered to a child who does not have full parental support.
What is the method of baptism?
We believe the Bible most clearly teaches that in baptism, a person is entirely immersed in water. In fact, the Greek word for baptism primarily means to “immerse”. Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan. Although we will recognize the baptism of those who have been sprinkled or poured upon, we will practice immersion in most every situation. Exception to this practice will be made if a person is unable to be immersed due to disability or illness.
What is the significance of baptism?
Baptism is the symbol that tells the world that your heart belongs to Jesus Christ. What the wedding ring is to a bride and groom, baptism is to the believer. It is the symbol that identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. It is also the symbol of a conscience that is clean before God. It is obedience, but a joyful obedience.
Romans 6:3-4 says:
3
Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
The above passage indicates that water baptism takes on a two-fold meaning:
1. The immersion of the person into water indicates that we identify with the death of Christ. Thus, baptism links Jesus’ death to the forgiveness of our sins. The imagery of washing is significant here and that’s the reason for the use of water. Instead of a physical washing of dirt off the skin, baptism symbolizes that a spiritual cleansing from sin and selfishness has taken place. But baptism doesn’t end there.
2. In addition, there’s also a rising up out of the water, illustrating a resurrection out of the grave into new life. Baptism affirms to us that the Holy Spirit is central to our lives now and that we can be assured that just as we died with Christ, we are now more alive than ever. Jesus said: W
hoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). That is why we encourage baptism to be a public event. Baptism is a powerful object lesson of the new life that we have in Christ.
* When did some churches and denominations start baptizing infants and what were their reasons for doing so?
Only a few generations passed in the life of the early church, when some leaders began to teach that sins are actually forgiven by means of baptism. Because baptism and the moment of salvation are seen so closely together in the Scriptures, it was easy to come to that conclusion. Soon, salvation itself was believed to come through the act of baptism. If salvation no longer depended upon an act of faith on the part of the convert, and if the act of baptism was actually the means of salvation, logically, the sooner one was baptized, the better. Thus, infant baptism came about. In fact, if the life of the mother or child was in peril during or prior to childbirth, some even sought ways of baptizing ‘in utero’.
Of course, we believe the Bible teaches that baptism follows salvation and signifies the washing away of all sin. The assurance of the forgiveness of sin can occur the moment a person trusts in Christ and is born again. Our sins are forgiven on the basis of the following word: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).