ABOUT BAPTISM
Baptism is an important step of obedience that shows others we have personally trusted Jesus for our salvation. Jesus was baptized when He was on Earth, and we do this to follow His example. When Christians are baptized, they are submerged under water to identify with the death and burial of Jesus and raised out of the water to identify with His resurrection.
Still have questions?
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Baptism is a visible response to one’s trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Baptism is a picture of the death (dying to our sin and old life), burial (washed and cleansed by Jesus’ blood), and resurrection (raised to new life) of Jesus (Romans 6:1-23).
WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
In the Bible, baptism was the consistent response for people who trusted in Jesus. When people accepted Christ as Savior in New Testament times, they believed in Him (Acts 16:31), repented of their sins (Acts 2:38), confessed Christ as Lord (Matthew 16:16-18, Romans 10:9-10), and were baptized (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38- 41, Acts 8:36-38).
IS BAPTISM IMPORTANT FOR MY SALVATION?
Receiving Christ requires a response on our part—one that includes belief, repentance, confession, and baptism. Each part expresses our trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation. The actions—including baptism—do not save us, but each action is mentioned in Scripture as part of becoming a Christian.
DOES BAPTISM SAVE A PERSON?
The Bible teaches that Christ saves. Acts 4:12 states salvation is found “in no other name” than Jesus. The Bible teaches us to believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. As mentioned before, the actions do not save us, but each action is mentioned in Scripture as part of becoming a Christ follower.
CAN INFANTS BE BAPTIZED?
At Harvest, we believe baptism is a outward sign of a personal understanding of the gospel that leads to a personal decision to follow Jesus. Since infants do not yet have that capacity, we believe a good next step is for parents to dedicate their children to the Lord and make a public decision to raise their children to know Jesus.
WHAT BIBLE PASSAGES CAN I STUDY?
In the book of Acts, which records the history of the early Church, everyone who accepted Christ was baptized. Here are some Scriptures to study:
Acts 2 - The Samaritans; Acts 8:26-40 - The Ethiopian; Acts 10:23-48 - Cornelius; Acts 16:11-15 - Lydia; Acts 16:30-34 - The Philippian Jailer; Acts 22:6-16 - Paul on Trial; 1 Peter 3:21-22; Colossians 2:11-15; Romans 6; John 3:16-21; Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 3:13-17; 1 John 2:4-6