BAPTISM

Want to get baptized? Let us know!

 
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”2 Corinthians 5:17

“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, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” 

Romans 6:3-11

Jesus commanded us to celebrate our new life through public baptism. That’s what Baptism is all about…celebrating your new life through Jesus! “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

Baptism is…

  • A step of obedience (Matthew 3:13-16)– Jesus set the example for us by being baptized to fulfill all righteousness, and told us to the same.
  • A statement of commitment (Romans 10:9-10)– Baptism serves as a public statement that we have surrendered our lives to Christ and that we believe in him. In baptism, we are declaring to the world that we belong to Christ and He is our Lord and Savior.
  • A symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-11)- Just as Christ gave His life for us and died, in making a decision to follow Christ, the person we were prior to becoming a follower of Christ is also dead. Modeling how Christ was buried and then resurrected from death, when being baptized we are buried in the water and then raised to become a new person.

Why should I be baptized?

  1. You don’t need to be baptized to be saved. You do need to be baptized to be obedient to Jesus. We are commanded to be baptized as a part of being His disciple. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19) Thus, we don’t get baptized when we “feel like it,” or when we “get around to it” or when we are “led to it by the Lord.” Baptism is one of only two ordinances or rituals that Jesus commands us to observe for all time. The other is communion.
  2. Baptism is a public profession of your faith. Baptism is done before a group of people who witness your confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism is not the only way we profess to be a Christian, but it is an important way.
  3. Baptism symbolizes your cleansing from sin. Baptism throughout the New Testament indicated that a person had “repented” or turned away from sin. The apostles often referred to the fact that believers were washed from sin. Peter stated that the water in baptism symbolized not the cleansing of the body from dirt, but the cleansing of the conscience. (1 Peter 3:21)
  4. Baptism symbolizes your union with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection. When you become a Christian, you die to sin and your old way of life and you begin a whole new life. Romans 6:8 states, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” The very act of baptism (being immersed in the water and coming up out of the water) is a picture of what happens to you spiritually.
You should be baptized as soon as possible after you have personally trusted Christ for salvation and been “born again”. Remember, you are not baptized in order to become a Christian. You are baptized because you are a Christian. We should not put off baptism, as it is a command of Jesus.
Perhaps you were baptized as an infant. How should you view that baptism? You certainly want to show respect to your parents and their viewpoints, as well as be grateful to God for any positive spiritual influence they had in your life. However, what the bible teaches is that baptism is an action that follows conversion. So, if you have not been baptized since you have made a decision for Christ, you need to be baptized. At the Vineyard, we do not baptize infants as do some denominations and traditions. Instead, we dedicate infants to the Lord and call parents to commit themselves to raise their children for Christ. We do this based on the model seen in scripture of infants being dedicated to the Lord.
As long as you were born again when you were baptized, and as long as the other church was a Christian church, then you should not be re-baptized. If, however, your baptism was merely a church ritual done prior to your conversion or if the church was outside of the mainstream of Christianity, then we would encourage you to be validly baptized for the first time. Feel free to call our church offices to discuss this further with a pastor, if needed.
Absolutely, as long as they thoroughly understand what they are doing. We ask that children and parents wait until the children can make an intelligent profession of faith that is their own. We certainly believe that a young child can be saved! This will vary from child to child. A child’s preparedness for baptism will be left up to the parents discretion, after speaking with a pastor.

What should I do if I want to be baptized at the Vineyard?
Just let us know! Fill out the form below and we will get in touch with you.