# Water Baptism by Immersion > [!summary] Our stance We believe every follower of Jesus should be baptized by full immersion in water after they have trusted Christ for salvation. Baptism doesn't save us. It's a public act of obedience that pictures what Jesus has already done: our death to the old life, burial with Christ, and resurrection to new life in Him. --- ## Jesus Commanded It Baptism isn't a church tradition someone invented. Jesus commanded it as part of making disciples. > [!quote] Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also modeled it. He was baptized by John in the Jordan River, not because He needed forgiveness, but "to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). Afterward, He "went up from the water" (Matthew 3:16), and the Father declared His love for the Son. If Jesus was baptized, and Jesus commanded it, then every believer should follow Him in it. --- ## What Baptism Means Baptism is a picture of the gospel and of our union with Christ. > [!quote] Romans 6:4 (ESV) 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. |Moment in baptism|What it pictures| |---|---| |**Going under the water**|Dying to the old life and being buried with Christ| |**Being under the water**|Our sin and old self left behind in the grave| |**Coming up out of the water**|Being raised with Christ to new life| Baptism also shows: - **Identification with Christ.** "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27, ESV). - **Cleansing.** Water points to the washing away of sin that Christ accomplished (Acts 22:16; Titus 3:5). - **Belonging.** Baptism marks a person publicly as part of God's family (1 Corinthians 12:13). - **A clear conscience before God.** Peter describes baptism as "an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21, ESV). --- ## Why After Salvation? Every baptism in the New Testament follows the same order: people hear the gospel, believe, and **then** are baptized. - **Pentecost:** "So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41, ESV). - **Samaria:** "When they believed Philip... they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:12, ESV). - **The Ethiopian official** believed the good news about Jesus, then asked to be baptized (Acts 8:35-38). - **Cornelius and his household** received the Holy Spirit and **then** were baptized (Acts 10:44-48). - **The Philippian jailer** believed, and he and his household were baptized (Acts 16:31-34). - **Corinth:** "Many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized" (Acts 18:8, ESV). Baptism is the response of someone who has already put their faith in Jesus. It requires repentance and faith (Acts 2:38), which is why we baptize people who can personally confess Christ. --- ## Why Full Immersion? ### 1. The meaning of the word The Greek word _baptizō_ means to dip, plunge, or immerse. Outside the Bible, it was used for dipping cloth in dye or for a ship sinking beneath the waves. ### 2. The biblical descriptions - John baptized at Aenon "because water was plentiful there" (John 3:23, ESV). Sprinkling wouldn't require much water. - Jesus "came up out of the water" (Mark 1:10, ESV). - Philip and the Ethiopian "both went down into the water" and "came up out of the water" (Acts 8:38-39, ESV). ### 3. The picture of burial and resurrection Paul describes baptism as being "buried with him in baptism" and "raised with him through faith" (Colossians 2:12, ESV; see Romans 6:3-5). Immersion is the clearest picture of a burial and a resurrection. ### 4. The practice of the early church The _Didache_, a Christian manual from around the end of the first century, instructs believers to baptize in running water, and to pour water three times on the head only when there isn't enough water for immersion. That tells us immersion was the normal practice, with pouring as an exception. --- ## Baptism Doesn't Save You, But It Matters ### Baptism is not what saves - We are saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). - The thief on the cross was never baptized, yet Jesus promised him paradise (Luke 23:43). - Cornelius received the Holy Spirit **before** he was baptized (Acts 10:44-48). - Paul said, "Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel" (1 Corinthians 1:17, ESV). The gospel saves. Baptism responds to it. ### But baptism isn't optional - Jesus commanded it (Matthew 28:19). - The apostles called new believers to it immediately (Acts 2:38; 22:16). - In the New Testament, there's no category of a believer who chose not to be baptized. Think of it like a wedding ring. The ring doesn't make you married, but anyone who is truly married would gladly wear it. Baptism doesn't make you a Christian, but every Christian should gladly be baptized. --- ## Common Questions **I was baptized as an infant. Should I be baptized again?** Infant baptism was likely done out of love by parents who wanted to dedicate you to God. But biblical baptism follows personal faith. If you were baptized before you trusted Christ for yourself, we'd encourage you to be baptized now as a believer. We see this not as a second baptism, but as your first baptism as a follower of Jesus. **I was sprinkled after I became a believer. Do I need to be immersed?** We encourage immersion because it's the biblical pattern and the clearest picture of the gospel. We're happy to talk this through with you personally. **What if I can't be immersed for medical or physical reasons?** God looks at the heart. In those cases, we'll gladly baptize by pouring, following the exception the early church allowed. **How old should children be?** Old enough to understand the gospel, personally trust Jesus, and explain what baptism means. We'd love to talk with parents about their child's readiness. **Do I need to understand everything first?** No. You need to know that you're a sinner, that Jesus died and rose again for you, and that you're trusting Him as your Savior and Lord. Growth comes after. --- ## Other Views Faithful Christians have held different views on baptism throughout church history. - **Infant baptism.** Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Anglican churches baptize the infants of believers. Many see baptism as the New Covenant sign that parallels circumcision (Colossians 2:11-12), and point to the household baptisms in Acts (Acts 16:15, 33; 1 Corinthians 1:16). We respond that the New Testament consistently ties baptism to personal faith, and that the household passages also describe those households hearing and believing (Acts 16:32-34). - **Other modes.** Many churches baptize by pouring or sprinkling and consider the mode less important than the meaning. We agree that the meaning matters most, but believe immersion best fits the biblical words, examples, and imagery. - **Baptism as part of salvation.** Some traditions teach that baptism is the means by which God gives forgiveness or new birth, often pointing to Acts 2:38 and 1 Peter 3:21. We read those passages in light of the many texts that tie salvation to faith alone (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10), and note that 1 Peter 3:21 itself clarifies that baptism saves not by washing the body but as "an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." --- ## Your Next Step If you've trusted Jesus but haven't been baptized as a believer, this is your next step of obedience. It's a chance to tell your story, celebrate with your church family, and publicly declare that you belong to Jesus. > [!tip] Ready to be baptized? Talk to a pastor at Real Life Church. We'd love to celebrate with you.