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Baptism is a Christian practice that symbolized the death of the old self and the resurrection of new life within a believer (Romans 6:3-4). It is an outward expression of the change that Jesus has made in your heart by removing your sin and making you right with God through His death and resurrection.
When someone is baptized, they are fully submerged in water and then brought back up. Coming up out of the water symbolized new life in Christ and is an invitation to one’s church community to hold them accountable as they seek to become more like Christ every day.
You do not have to achieve a certain level of self-righteousness or status in order to be baptized. In fact, baptism represents our inability to achieve righteousness on our own and our complete dependence on Jesus for salvation. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and asked Him to be the Lord of your life, you are ready to be baptized.
The instructions to prepare for baptism are simple, “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). While some pastors or denominations may require a person to take classes on baptism before they are baptized, the only biblical prerequisites for baptism are belief in Jesus and repentance of sins.
Baptism symbolized your commitment to following Jesus and begins a commitment to living life His way. This doesn’t mean that all your problems, addictions, and sinful tendencies will disappear the moment you are baptized. But the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, will begin to live in your heart and transform you more and more into the likeness of Jesus as long as you yield to Him.
Sometimes a person seeks to be baptized a second time. One reason for this is that the person was baptized as a baby, as is the Roman Catholic tradition, but later becomes convinced that full immersion baptism is necessary. Another common reason for being baptized a second time is when an individual recommits their life to Jesus after abandoning their faith. Being baptized a second time is not a common practice and each individual should follow the conviction of the Holy Spirit when considering being baptized again.
If you are seeking a pastor to baptize you, you are invited to reach out to us and speak with one of our pastors at (989) 723-4510.