BAPTISM (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. What is baptism and why do we do it?
A. Baptism is one of two sacraments that Jesus commanded His followers to observe. A sacrament is an outward SIGN that uses an ELEMENT (water in the case of baptism, and bread and wine in the case of communion) to show an inward grace or spiritual experience. In the case of baptism, the burial in water shows the believer’s identification with the death and burial of Jesus Christ which brought about our forgiveness of sin, and being raised out of the water shows our identification with the resurrection of Jesus, and our new life in Christ. The two sacraments (baptism and communion) were COMMANDED by Jesus, PRACTISED by the New Testament church, and TAUGHT AND COMMENDED by the apostles, Christ’s first followers and the first leaders of the early Christian church.
Q. Why do Baptists insist on total immersion?
A. In Greek (the language in which the New Testament was originally written), the word that is transliterated “baptize” means to dip, plunge, or immerse. This was the way that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, and it is the way that Christ’s apostles and the new believers in Bible days were baptized. Today, many other churches besides Baptists practice this mode of baptism. Immersion is the only mode that portrays the powerful signs of burial and resurrection that the Bible describes.
Q. What if I have already been baptized as an infant?
A. Infant baptism involves the promises made by parents to raise their child in the Christian faith. If you were baptized as an infant, it probably means that your parents intended for you to become a Christian. When people come to personal faith in Jesus, we teach and encourage them to follow Christ’s example and obey His command personally. Moreover, there is no precedent anywhere in the Bible that anyone was baptized without personal faith in Jesus. Faith is something YOU need to decide for. It cannot be done for you by proxy, however well intended that may have been.
Q. Does being baptized as a believer involve renouncing my infant baptism?
A. No - to the contrary because believer’s baptism is YOUR baptism and your decision, it can well depict your choice to affirm the faith that was pledged on your behalf.
Q. Isn’t it wrong to be “re-baptized”?
A. There are two ways of looking at this. One approach says that it is not so much a “re-baptism” as the first approach to a new way of understanding baptism. However even if regarded as a “re-baptism” it should be noted that there is at least one example in the New Testament of such a “re-baptism” to correct an important element that had been missing in the prior baptism (see Acts 19:1-6).
Q. How old does a person have to be in order to be baptized?
A. A person needs to be old enough to make a credible, voluntary profession of personal faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
Q. Is baptism mandatory to become a member of the Church?
A. Almost every Christian church requires some form of baptism as a pre-requisite to membership. The Baptist understanding of the church described in the New Testament is that a local church is a body of baptized believers who covenant together to follow Jesus.
Q. Does being baptized mean that you are automatically a member of this church?
A. No – just as partaking of communion does not make you a member of this church. Baptism involves a pledge and covenant with God. Membership is a personal commitment to a particular local body of believers.
Q. What is the process that is involved if I want to be baptized here?
A. The process is really quite simple:
• You contact the pastor for information (dreda@missionbaptist.ca);
• You will receive a bible study guide on baptism that shows you all of the New Testament references to baptism which you can work through on your own;
• You meet with the pastor once or twice to get your questions answered and to discuss your personal testimony of how you became a Christian;
• A date is set when you can share your testimony during worship and be baptized.
Q. Can I just have the study guide and think about it?
A. Yes. Just contact the church office (office@missionbaptist.ca).
Q. Does Mission Baptist recognize the baptism of other Christian denominations?
A. Mission Baptist recognizes baptisms that meet ALL of he following criteria:
• Must be administered AFTER personal faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord;
• Must be administered by immersion;
• Must be in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Interested in hearing a baptism? Click HERE.
