Baptism is the immersion of a believer into water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and is commanded for every Christian (Matt. 28:19-20). We practice immersion because of the example of Jesus (Matt. 4:16), the practice of the New Testament church (e.g., Acts 8:39), the meaning of the Greek word baptizo (“to dip, to immerse”), and the significance of baptism as a sign of the burial and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4, Col. 2:12). The New Testament assumes that believers have been baptized as part of identifying with Christ (Acts 2:38, Rom. 6:3-4, 1 Cor. 12:13, Gal. 3:27), though rare and extreme circumstances may prevent this from taking place (Luke 23:42-43).

Though baptism is a response to salvation, rather than itself saving a person, it is profitable to both the church and the individual as (1) a sign of the believer's new identity as one who is crucified and risen with Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), (2) a reminder of the call to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:5-14, Col. 3:1), (3) an expression of our cleansed conscience before God through the judgment carried out on Christ (1 Pet. 3:20-21), (4) a sign that we are unified with the people of God (1 Cor. 12:13, Eph. 4:4-6; cf. 1 Cor. 10:2), and (5) an expression of our hope of sharing in the resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:5).

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a believer in Jesus Christ, feel free to contact us.