Believer’s Baptism
Why Baptism?
You have become a follower of Jesus. And you want others to know about your experience. That’s where baptism comes in! There are a lot of ideas floating around today about what baptism is. And it’s easy to get lost in the process of trying to figure out what baptism is all about.
What Is Baptism?
The word itself was originally a Greek word that was slightly modified into English. It is interesting to note that many centuries ago, the word was used to refer to the sinking of ships. In short, it means, “to go under water, to dip, or to immerse”.
Jesus’ early followers were baptized as a way of demonstrating their partnership with Jesus. Just as he went into the grave and rose again to pay for our sins, so Jesus’ followers were commanded to dramatically show their unity with Jesus by going under water and coming out again as a sign that Jesus died and rose again from the dead for them.
What Does The Bible Say?
1. Baptism is a commandment:
“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
2. Baptism happens in water:
“John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and people were coming there for John to baptize them.”
3. Baptism happens after salvation:
“On that day about three thousand believed his message and were baptized.”