GOODBYE YESTERDAY!
Celebrate your new beginning and leave the past behind in the waters of baptism.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
3 Great Reasons to be Baptized
Jesus himself was baptized. He was not a sinner yet it’s important to consider that he humbled himself in obedience to fully identify with us, and give us an example to follow. Jesus was baptized by an act of his will, by the body of Christ into the body of Christ. We’re not just given a suggestion to be baptized if we feel like it. Believers who are serious about their faith should view baptism as an act of obedience.
Mark 1:9 NLT
“One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River.”
Matthew 3:15-17 NLT
“But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.””
Mark 16:16 NLT
“Jesus told his disciples “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.””
Matthew 28:19-20 NLT
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
One illustration the Bible presents to help us understand baptism is a burial and resurrection. Paul compares a Christian baptism to a burial. In order to be buried, a person must first die. In the same way, the prerequisite for baptism is death to sin. After we are buried in baptism we are raised to live a new life. Water baptism shows the old life being put away, and a new life emerging in obedience to Christ. Before Christ we’re sinful; after we have Christ we’re washed clean.
Romans 6:1-4 NLT
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
Colossians 2:12 NLT
“For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”
Baptism is a public declaration of a personal decision we have made. Baptism is often likened to a married person wearing a wedding ring. The ring itself is not the actual commitment, but it is a symbol of a decision and promise that has been made, and continues to be made every day. If our hearts really have been transformed, then our actions will reveal that change over time. However, there’s no better way to announce that change immediately than to let others see us take this symbolic action.
You might be tempted to think that baptism is optional or preferential but there is no teaching in the Bible that supports this way of thinking.
Matthew 10:32-33 NLT
““Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”
What else happens when I get baptized?
There is something miraculous about the waters of baptism. Our conscience is cleansed and we grab onto the promises of God.
“Corresponding to that [rescue through the flood], baptism [which is an expression of a believer’s new life in Christ] now saves you, not by removing dirt from the body, but by an appeal to God for a good (clear) conscience, [demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” 1 Peter 3:21
Baptism also connects us to the ‘body of Christ’; his people in the earth. In baptism there is a real sense of being joined with other believers, not just participating in an individual act of our own spiritual journey.
“…For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…” 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
In baptism, the believer has the triune name of the triune God placed upon them, ‘Father’, ‘Son’ & ‘Holy Spirit’. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ is the name of the Godhead (one God in three persons).
The Gospels tell us to baptize believers “… into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19.
Baptism confirms our position ‘in Christ’ and affirms the blessings of the Father on us as his children.
Matthew 3:16 “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. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!’”
Many times what a person struggles with will be left behind in the waters of baptism. Baptism is symbolic of what the Lord did for the Israelites when they crossed the Red Sea and the enemy was drowned and cut off from them. This is the same thing that we can experience in the waters of baptism. From time to time, there will be old things that will want to come after you, but God has covered them over in the waters of baptism and you are permanently set free. God wants to drown your fears and anxieties and put to death the spiritual forces of darkness that are attacking your life. Water baptism is miraculous and represents your deliverance from sin!
1 Corinthians 10:1-2“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea; 2and they all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;”
Frequently Asked Questions
The example that Jesus set was to be immersed under water.
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.” Matthew 3:16.
The Bible uses the greek word “baptizo” which means “to immerse or dip under water." All of the baptisms we see in the Bible were by immersion under water. The book of Acts shows us that this was the norm for every believer.
“…then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water….” Acts 8:38,39
Is Jesus your boss? Have you made him the Lord of your life? Every person who has made the decision to believe in Christ should be baptized. When Paul writes to the believers in Rome, he assumes that all of them have been baptized (Romans 6). The one requirement for baptism is belief in Christ.
“Those who accepted his message were baptized….” Acts 2:41.
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Acts 8:12
“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:3-4
In the New Testament, believers were baptized the same day they believed. As soon as a person decides to believe in Christ, he can be, and is encouraged to be baptized. For some reason culturally in North America, it has become the norm for people to believe they should wait for a certain maturity or arrive at a certain level of Christian training before becoming baptized. This is not true.
“Those who accepted his message were baptized….” Acts 2:41.
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Acts 8:12
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” Acts 8:35-39.
We do not offer infant baptisms. We believe in baptizing children when they are old enough to understand what it means, and to make a personal declaration of belief in Jesus.
We offer a Jump Start class for parents and their children in grade 1-6. Our hope is to help children and their parents fully understand what it means to commit their lives to Jesus, why they should be water baptized and how they can continue to grow in their faith. If a child has accepted Jesus as their Saviour and is expressing interest in water baptism, please plan on attending the Jump Start class prior to the next water baptism event.
