Baptism

After professing your belief in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are ready to partake in a ceremonial (sacred) service called baptism.

Baptism is the outward action taken by the new convert, which conveys an inward change. The purpose of baptism is to give visual testimony of our commitment to Christ. It is an example of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

It is the first step of discipleship, as described in Acts 8:35-38.

As believers, we are commanded by Jesus to follow His example in all things, including baptism. Matthew 28:19 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." The Bible confirms that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River at the start of his public ministry. The Lord chose to identify Himself with sinful man even though he was sinless. As we follow His example in being baptized, we publicly confess our faith in Jesus and demonstrate our connection with Him and other believers.

It's important to remember that Ephesians 2:8-9 it says faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing after repentance to receive salvation, not baptism. However, to complete His command, we must be baptized following our choice to accept Him into our lives."

Just as Christ died and was buried, the baptized person is immersed underwater to show that their past (old life of sin) was buried. Just as Christ rose again from beneath the earth, the baptized person is then raised from under the water to a new life, cleansed by the blood of Jesus. This shows their devotion and commitment to Christ.

Paul spoke in Romans 6:3-4," Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we should also walk in newness of life."

Here at Grace, our general practice is to wait until a professing child has reached the age of twelve. Because baptism is seen as something clear and final, our primary concern is that when a younger child is baptized, he tends to look to that experience as proof that he was saved.

At some point in their future, when they are old enough to choose, they will choose to sin and disobey God. We all do. As a result, they will need to receive forgiveness of sin through the work that Jesus did for all on the cross. When they understand the power of the cross and the opportunity to have a "new" and "spiritual" life in Christ, they can be water baptized in the biblical sense of the word.

But in their infancy, the best thing we can do for them is to present them to God in dedication and to pray for God's powerful blessing down upon the beginnings of their life. This is the most historically accurate biblical consistent practice of baptism and dedication.
During the baby dedication, we practice something the Bible calls "Speaking a Blessing."