Water baptism is far more than a ritual or religious exercise. It is intended to be an essential part of the spiritual foundation for all Christians.
Enjoy this short teaching on Baptism
Water baptism is far more than a ritual or religious exercise. It is intended to be an essential part of the spiritual foundation for all Jesus followers. A believer’s baptism in water outwardly affirms the inward commitment they have made to Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life.
Being baptized in Jesus’ name is a public profession of our inner commitment to Jesus. While our commitment to following Christ may be strong and we may be well along in our walk with Him, we have been instructed by Christ to stop and celebrate this commitment publicly by being baptized.
Our entrance into the water during baptism identifies us w/Christ’s death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His resurrection from the dead. As Jesus freely chose to die in our place, so we must willingly enter into the waters of baptism to rise in newness in life. In Baptism we are declaring that we are:
“…all of us who have been baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”—Romans 6:3-5
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” *Because Jesus shed His blood on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins.” —Matthew 26:28
“We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin.” —Romans 6:6-7
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” —Galatians 2:20
Jesus stressed its importance when he said:
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” —Mark 16:16
Jesus set an example for us when he was baptized:
“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” —Luke 3:21-22
Peter, fulfilling Christ’s command, preached:
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.” —Acts 2:38
Faith in Jesus is enough to grant us entrance into God’s Kingdom:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, that any man should boast. —Ephesians 2:8-9
However, Baptism is the Sacrament that Christ commanded us to receive once we have accepted him as our Lord and received His saving grace:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”—Matthew 28:19
Society believes that baptism is intended for those who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. In the New Testament, those who were baptized were those who heard the gospel (Acts 10:44) and believed (Acts 16:31, 34).
Baptism is appropriate when a child displays evidence of a genuine relationship with God and a degree of understanding of what it means to trust in Christ.
It is impossible to set a precise age for when a child should be baptized, but around age 10 is a good time to start the conversation. Parents of younger children can also explore child dedication as a meaningful step in their family’s faith journey.
After you believe and have trusted in Christ’s death and resurrection for your salvation.
Jesus said: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” —Mark 16:16
“But they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ both women and men were baptized.” —Acts 8:12
In the name of the Triune God:
Jesus told His disciples to baptize in water “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.—Matthew 28:19
Immersed in Water:
Baptism is the process of submersion—being fully covered in water. At Society we baptize in a pool of water in keeping with the following Scriptures:
“Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water.” —Matthew 3:16
“…and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of water.” —Acts 8:38-39
When we turn away from Jesus, we are called to repent and turn back to Him to forgive us and change our ways.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” —1 John 1:9
Because of the forgiveness brought about by Jesus’ once-for-all, atoning sacrifice for sin, we do not need to be baptized a second time, even if we turned away from Jesus and the Church for a time.
We would only encourage you to be baptized more than once if your initial baptism was not out of a sincere faith in Jesus. For instance, if you were too young to fully understand or were pressured to do it.
Dark shorts and shirt, along with another change of clothes, a towel, your friends and family.
You will be asked before you are baptized, “why are you getting baptized today?”. We hope you will share from 1-3 minutes about why you are getting baptized.
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Our mailing address is:
Society Church
PO Box 162137
Sacramento, CA 95816