Believer's Baptism

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

Following Jesus' command, Christians throughout the centuries have baptized new Christians, those who have become "disciples of Jesus."

What Does Baptism Signify?
WHAT IS IT? Briefly stated, baptism is a public ceremony in which a new disciple of Jesus Christ is immersed in water as a statement that his or her old self has died and been buried, and that his or her new self has come to life through the power God. It is a public statement of that person's identification with, and commitment to, Jesus Christ.

I'M SAVED! The New Testament tells us that when a person turns from ruling his own life, places his personal trust in God for the forgiveness of sins and commits his life to Christ, God will forgive his sins and save him from the coming judgment. Christians say that person has been "saved."

A NEW ME! Not only has a new Christian been saved, he has been made a new person. At the moment of salvation, the believer's old self-life dies and is buried, and a new spiritual self-life is born. This is the person's second birth. Jesus called this being "born again." The Apostle Paul said that this death, burial, and new birth at the moment of salvation is like the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Thus, when a person trusts in Christ, God baptizes (immerses) that person into a permanent identification with Christ.

Don't you know that all of us who were baptized [immersed] into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him. . . .
Romans 6:3-5 (NIV)

AN OUTWARD SYMBOL OF MY INWARD CHANGE. The ceremony of baptism is an outward display of what has already taken place spiritually in the believer's life. In the ceremony of baptism, we can easily see that going under the water symbolizes the death and burial of the old self. Then, coming up out of the water symbolizes the resurrection of a new self. Often when a pastor baptizes someone, he will say something like:

By virtue of your faith in Jesus Christ, and your desire to be baptized in obedience to His command, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ... buried with Him in the likeness of His death [the person goes under the water]; raised with Him in the likeness of His resurrection [the person comes back up out of the water]."

IT DOESN'T SAVE ME. Baptism is not a part of our salvation. There is nothing spiritual that happens at the time of baptism. Rather, it is a public declaration that the new believer has been transformed and is identifying him or herself with Jesus Christ. What happens if you baptize an unbeliever? He becomes a wet unbeliever.

Who Should Be Baptized?
ONLY BELIEVERS. The Bible is very clear that only those who have repented and placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins can be baptized. As we stated earlier, baptism is an outward ceremony which depicts in a physical and artistic way a spiritual change that has already taken place. The Scripture never speaks of an infant being baptized.

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (NIV)

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:41 (NIV)

But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. Acts 8:12-13 (NIV)

ALL BELIEVERS. Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19-20 that all disciples of Jesus Christ should be baptized. It is a believer's first step of obedience.

Is Baptism Only By Immersion?
The New Testament was originally written in Greek. The word which the apostles used was baptizo (pronounced "bap-tid'-zo") which means immersion, or submersion. The word was used by the Greeks when they spoke of ships that had sunk, or of cucumbers being pickled in a solution. The Bible is also filled with verses indicating that plenty of water was needed for baptism.

"Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized." John 3:23 (NIV)

"Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." Matthew 3:6 (NIV)

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him." Matthew 3:16 (NIV)

"Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing." Acts 8:37-39 (NIV)

Is My Infant Baptism OK?
Infant Baptism came about as the result of European churches viewing baptism as a New Testament counterpart to Old Testament circumcision where a Jewish baby was identified at eight days with the "covenant people of God" by being circumcised. Infant baptism was eventually seen as a way of cleansing away original sin and was believed to convey saving grace to the child along with the six other sacraments. It also started their allegiance to "The Church."

The Reformers of the 15th and 16th centuries made it clear that baptism could not remove any sin from any child. Some reformers still held to the covenant concept that baptizing infants imparted a sanctifying grace which drew the child to salvation. Other reformers, known as Anabaptists (re-baptizers), felt that infant baptism was not biblical, and that it only confused people as to whether a child was really a Christian. They required new believers to be re-baptized even though they had been baptized as infants, since an infant cannot make a public declaration that he is a new person by virtue of their faith in Christ. MountainView Bible Church is essentially Baptist in its position on the doctrine of baptism.