Baptism is all about identifying with Christ. Romans 6 tells us that in Baptism we are identifying ourselves with Jesus and what He has accomplished for us. Romans 6:3-5 “Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. We were buried with him so that we could live a new life, just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father. Christ died, and we have been joined with Christ by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from death as he did.

Baptism is a symbolic act by which we share in the death and resurrection life of Jesus Christ. Jesus died and was buried for the sake of our sins. The process of being submerged in the water represents the death and burial of our old life. But Jesus was also raised from the dead in order to give us eternal life. As we're raised out of the water, it represents our newfound life in Christ. By being baptized we're essentially saying that we identify with what Jesus went through for us. The believer being baptized recognizes that they have died to their old ways of life, and are choosing to live in newness of life. They are confirming their belief in Christ for their salvation and affirming that they now are choosing to live a life powered by the Spirit of God for ministry that will now bring glory to the Lord, just like Jesus did. In other words, water baptism is a physical picture of the spiritual work that God does within a person's heart when they place their faith in Him.

In that way, baptism is both a funeral and a birthday celebration rolled into one. As we go down, we recognize the death of the old us, and as we come up, we celebrate the birth of the new us. God gave us baptism as a physical reminder of the spiritual decision that we've made.

Baptism is all about going public. Baptism is something that has been done in the church since it’s inception. In the earliest stages of a believer’s life, it was standard operating procedure to be baptized. Usually done at a lake or river nearby, the new believer would come to the water and allow an elder of the church to immerse them. We see examples of this all throughout the book of Acts, especially verses like Acts 2:41, 8:12-16 and 8:36.

For those early participants, there was a commonly held understanding that this activity was a confirmation and declaration of their belief in Christ. Jesus said to His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:15,16). Those then being baptized are declaring their submission to Christ and identifying themselves with Him. Baptism then is an outward declaration that an inward work has taken place.

Baptism is all about being obedient. (John 14:15,) When we give our lives to Jesus we then live our lives in obedience to Him. Jesus told us that those who believed on Him were to be baptized. Baptism then is an act of worship and obedience. Believing in Christ should result in the action of baptism.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
• "Do we need to be baptized to be saved?" NO! (Luke 23:42-43, Eph. 2:8-10)… We do not need to be baptized to be saved, but baptism is something that should follow our salvation as an act of worship and obedience.

• “What is required for me to be Baptized?” The only requirements for you to be baptized is that you believe in Jesus Christ, and that you understand what baptism represents. Acts 8:36-37 "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?' Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'"

• "When is someone ready to be baptized?” Once a person admits that he or she is a sinner and turns to Christ for salvation, the Bible says that person should proclaim the life change that has occurred. You have given up on all effort to reach God through good works or religious activity. You recognize that the only way to bridge the gap between you and God is through Jesus Christ. If you have come to this point, you are ready to be baptized. Let the miracle that has happened on the inside of you come to public expression. We encourage you to take the next step and be baptized!

• "I was not a Christian when I was baptized, do I need to get baptized again?” Or maybe you were young and did not understand what was done to you. Baptism is an outward expression of an intward reality; but as a very young child there tends to be no clear understand of the significance of baptism. It was meaningful to your parents, but not to you. Jesus was not real to you at that point in your life. Baptism always follows salvation, and you were too young to understand salvation. Therefore, if you have not been baptized since receiving Christ, you need to be baptized! (Acts2:41)

• Why do we submerge instead of sprinkle? In some circles for some reason issue is taken as to baptism by submersion or sprinkling. The original word in the bible used for baptism speaks of dunking, immersion or dipping. Every reference to baptism in the Bible uses this word. We immerse because this is what was modeled for us in first century Christianity. (Acts 8:34-38)