I.    Why should I be baptized?

1. Jesus set the example by being baptized.  “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized by John in the river.”  Mark 1:9

2. Because Jesus commanded it.  Jesus said, “Go then, to all people everywhere and make them my disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and then teach them to obey everything I have commanded you”  Matthew 28:19-20

3. The New Testament church set the example.  . . . Many of the people who heard Him believed and were baptized.”  Acts 2:41

4. It demonstrates that I really am a believer.  “We know that we have come to know Him, if we obey His commands.”   I John 2:3

II.    What is the meaning of baptism? 

1. It illustrates Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.  “For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ.”  Colossians 2:12

2. It illustrates my commitment as a Christian.  When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside.  “. . . the old life is passed away and a brand new life is begun!”  II Corinthians 5:17  Baptism does not make you a believer.  It shows that you already believe.  Baptism does not “save” you, only your faith in Christ does.  Baptism is like a wedding ring.  It is the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart.

III.    Why be baptized by immersion?

1. Because Jesus was baptized that way.  The word “baptize” means “to immerse” in water.  It is a Greek word.   “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water.”  Matthew 3:16
   

2. Every baptism in the New Testament was by immersion.  (Example)  “ . . . Then both Philip and the man went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came up out of the water . . .”  Acts 8:38-39

IV.    Final thoughts about baptism 

At First Baptist it is a membership requirement that every member must have been baptized (immersed, and after salvation) the way Jesus demonstrated, even though many may have been “confirmed” as children.  At First Baptist, we wait until our children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them.

Some churches practice a “Baptism of confirmation” for children, many even while yet an infant.  This ceremony is intended to be a covenant between the parents and God on behalf of the child.  The parents promise to raise their child in the faith until the child is old enough to make his own personal confession of Christ.  This custom began about 300 years after the Bible was completed.  This is different from the baptism talked about in the Bible which was only for those old enough to believe. Remember, the purpose of baptism is to publicly confess your personal commitment to Christ. So we do not baptize infants, and we do not sprinkle.