Baptism is the physical act which accompanies a person’s decision to turn from their sin and follow Christ. It is one of the two ordinances (the other being the the Eucharist) that Jesus prescribed and exemplified to the Church.
Because baptism is the physical act which signifies your decision to follow Jesus, you should be baptized as soon as you trust in Christ as your Savior. When ancient Christians committed their lives to Christ, they were baptized right then and there (Acts 8:12, 35–36)!
Baptism is a picture of forgiveness and new life. The water represents how Christ cleanses believers of their sin. The submersion represents identification with Jesus’ death and burial and symbolizes dying to your old self. The resurfacing represents identification with Jesus’ resurrection and symbolizes your spiritual rebirth and future resurrection.
Baptism is also an induction into a local body of believers and therefore mandatory for church membership, although an existing membership can be transferred to or from another local church.
Absolutely! We love to see children making decisions to follow Christ and confess their faith through baptism!