Service Times | Sundays | 9 & 10:45

Why get baptized?

Three things we believe about baptism.

These were some of the last recorded words Jesus spoke before he returned to heaven. He told his disciples to spread the word about him to people everywhere, to baptize them, and to teach them how to follow him.

Jesus was essentially telling them to share his message with others—and when people came to believe in him, they should be baptized in God’s name.

So, if Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize future followers, we must first answer the question, “What does it mean to be baptized?”

Here are three things we believe about baptism.

1. Baptism is a public declaration.

It’s a way of saying, I'm going public with who I'm identifying with. When we are baptized, we are associating with the message and the person of Jesus Christ. 

2. Baptism is a personal declaration.

It’s a declaration someone makes of a decision they’ve made to follow Jesus.
Salvation was initiated by God because of his great love for us. When we trust in Jesus’s death and resurrection, we receive the gift of new life in Jesus and the promise of eternal life with him. This is what it means to be saved. When we are baptized, we are declaring ourselves as a follower of Jesus.

3. Baptism is not a condition of salvation; it’s evidence of salvation. 

Baptism is evidence of a person’s individual decision to become a follower of Jesus. Baptism does not make our salvation official. It’s a way of displaying an earlier decision to follow Jesus.

Have you been baptized since your decision to follow Jesus?  If you haven’t been baptized, what’s holding you back? We’d love to help you take the next step. Don't spend another season of your life being a Jesus follower, but not following his instruction about baptism. You’ll find that while your baptism is personal, it impacts more people than just you. Chances are, there’s someone whose faith will be impacted when you go public with your faith.
Get baptized