Thursday, March 31, 2016

What Does The Bible Have To Say About Baptism? Part 2


Christian baptism is one of two ordinances that Jesus instituted for the church. (The other being communion). Jesus’ last words to his disciples before ascending into heaven were, “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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Matthew 28:19–20. These instructions specify that the church is responsible to teach Jesus’ word, make disciples, and baptize those believers.
The Bible is abundantly clear of what baptism is, who it is for, and what it accomplishes. In the Bible, only believers who had placed their faith in Christ were baptized - as a public testimony of their faith and desire to follow him. Water baptism by immersion is a step of obedience after faith in Christ. It is a proclamation of faith in Christ, a statement of submission to Him, and identification with His death, burial, and resurrection.
With this in view, infant baptism is not a Biblical practice. An infant cannot place his or her faith in Christ. An infant cannot make a conscious decision to obey Christ. An infant cannot understand what water baptism symbolizes. The Bible does not record any infants being baptized. This is why we celebrate infant dedications on 5th Sundays instead of infant baptisms.
If you or someone you know has not been baptized (the Greek word means immersed) as a believer I invite you to do so THIS WEEKEND at Celebration Community Church after one of our 5 worship services.
To Register go to the C3hays app and click on the "Connect" or RSVP tiles.
This is going to be a great day of celebrating being raised to new life in Christ.
Your pastor and partner in ministry,
Kyle

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