Water Baptism 

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What is Water Baptism? 

It is a celebration! It is as step in your decision to follow Jesus Christ and is an outward expression of an inward commitment to a personal relationship with Him. We believe the decision to be baptized is up to the individual and that he or she must fully understand what it means to be a Christ follower:

• Believers are those who have realized that their sins have separated them from God.
• They know that Jesus' death on the cross for their sins is the only thing that can bridge the gap between them and God.
• A believer is someone who has decided to trust Christ alone for their salvation.

Why do we do water baptism?

• Because Jesus got baptized! If we’re going to be Jesus followers, then we should do what Jesus did and get baptized.
• Because Jesus told us to baptize people. We want to proclaim Jesus as our leader, so out of our love we obey Him and do what He asks.
• Because baptism is this incredible reenactment of what Jesus did for us. As He went into the grave, we go into the water, as He was raised back to life, we come back out. Our broken souls and wrong living are healed and washed away by Him; the water doesn’t actually wash off dirt, but symbolizes the healing and washing that He has done and will do in our lives. This bold public symbol shows off what only Jesus can do.

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. Romans 6:4 ESV

And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:21 NLT

Here’s more of what the Bible says about baptism.

How does water baptism actually work?

There are lots of variations of baptism that Christians from different traditions practice. At Grace, we believe baptism is for people who are able to make their own conscious decision to follow Jesus. The day of, we have a short meeting to make sure everyone understands the importance of baptism and the commitment to Jesus they’re making. Then each person will go out before the church to a pool and be fully immersed in the water.

Some reasons people think about getting baptized:

• You’ve decided to follow Jesus but you’ve never been baptized. Baptism is not a requirement of knowing and following Jesus, but it’s something He asked us to do. If you’ve committed to follow Jesus and you haven’t yet been baptized, then now is a great time to think about taking that next step.
• You were baptized but you didn’t make the decision yourself. Sometimes people who were baptized as infants, or when the decision wasn’t theirs to make, decide they’d like to get baptized again, this time by declaring their own intention to make Jesus known.
• You got baptized but it was a while ago or at another church. Baptism isn’t something you need to keep doing. It’s a one-time public declaration of your faith.