Baptism at Tab

What Do We Believe About Baptism? 

Baptism is something that Jesus commands us to do.  In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you, for lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  This shows us that baptisms are important to Jesus because He commands us to baptize people as we are making disciples.  A disciple is a learner and a follower.  We are always learning more about Jesus and what it means to follow Him in this world.  Baptism is a sign that we are part of the family of God and following Christ throughout our lives.

The Bible describes sin as being like dirt that clings to our bodies and contaminates our souls.  Baptism is a visual image of how Jesus can wash the dirt of sin away from our lives, when we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior, and when we commit our lives to Him.

In Romans 6:3-4, the Apostle Paul says “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  So, baptism is a way to say, “I am dying to my old way of life, and Jesus is raising me up to my new life in Him.”

Throughout the history of the church, baptism has been a public profession of our faith, where we declare in front of others that we are serious about becoming like Christ and living our lives for Him.  We baptize people who join our church if they have not been baptized before.

We baptize both children and adults, but we believe that a person only needs to be baptized once.  Why do we baptize children?  Acts 16:33 says, “At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.”  The New Testament records some of these household baptisms where everyone would be baptized – parents, children, and servants.  When we baptize children, it reminds us that God calls us before we are able to respond to Him.  It is a sign of His mercy and grace that is leading us to faith in Christ before we are aware that His Holy Spirit is doing that.  If you were baptized as a child, you don’t need to be baptized again as an adult.  The Church has been baptizing people for 2,000 years and we continue this practice today.