EC | Baptism

WHAT IS BAPTISM?

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.

WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?

Baptism follows the example that Jesus set for us when he himself was baptized (Mark 1:9–11) and is inseparable from the Great Commission given by Jesus (Matthew 28:18–20).

WHEN SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?

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)!

WHAT DOES BAPTISM MEAN?

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.

WHY DOES EVOLVE PERFORM IMMERSION BAPTISM?

We believe immersion to be the biblical method for baptism. The original Greek word translated as baptism literally means “to dip, plunge; to immerse; to drown, sink, to clean by dipping or submerging,” and baptisms in the Bible were performed by immersion (Acts 8:38–39).

SHOULD CHILDREN BE BAPTIZED?

Absolutely! We love to see children making decisions to follow Christ and confess their faith through baptism!

WHAT ABOUT INFANTS?

Infants and newborns don’t have the ability to comprehend their need for salvation. That’s why we wait until a child has the desire and the capacity to conscientiously follow Christ before we allow them to be baptized. In fact, if you’re a Christian who was baptized as an infant prior to your coming to faith in Christ, we encourage you to confess your faith through baptism, no matter how many years have passed!