Baptism

Jesus, Baptism, & You

What Are the Facts About Baptism?

It is an Act of Obedience

Being baptized does not make us a Christian. We become Christians when we repent of our sin and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Baptism is an important step of obedience.

Acts 2:41, Acts 8:34-40, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 9:18, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 10:47-48

It Follows Conversion

Baptism comes after our salvation experience. There is not a single Biblical example of baptism before conversion. The New Testament order is “believe and then be baptized” (Acts 2:38-41).

The idea of infant baptism is commendable, but is not Biblical and can mislead people to equate salvation with baptism.

Baptism is symbolic – water cannot wash away sin. The blood of Jesus Christ did that (I Peter 1:18-19). Baptism is an outward symbol of an inner commitment; it is to salvation what the wedding band is to marriage.

It Is By Immersion

The baptisms described in the Bible were by immersion.

Jesus – Matthew 3:13-17

Ethiopian – Acts 8:36-39

The Biblical descriptions always imply immersion because when people are baptized in water, they are pictured as going down into and coming up out of the water.

The word baptism comes from the Greek “baptizo” which means “to immerse, dip or plunge.”

Both archeology and church history testify that immersion was the mode of baptism used by the early church.

The symbolism of baptism is best pictured by immersion:

(a) It pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-4).

(b) It pictures our identification with His death, burial and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17). “The old John Smith has passed away, the new one has been raised.”

It is Practiced at Calvary Baptist Church

Scriptural baptism is required for church membership.

We are not rejecting previous spiritual or church experiences – only completing them.

We emphasize it because the Bible emphasizes it (Matthew 28:18-20).