Baptism does not save you. It’s clearly established in the Bible that you are saved only by accepting God’s free gift of grace. God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9. While baptism is not what saves us, baptism is necessary in that Christ commands it. To understand the reason for being baptized, it is important to carefully consider what the Bible says about it. Check out the next couple of questions to get more context on this.

It’s an opportunity to follow Jesus’ example. Jesus, Himself, was baptized. He was not a sinner, yet He humbled Himself in obedience to identify with us and give us an example to follow. All genuine Christ-followers should want to obey Jesus by doing what He said. "One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized Him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Mark 1:9-11. It’s an act of obedience. Throughout Scripture, we are taught to live a life of obedience—to back up our faith with actions—so that we grow closer in our relationship with God and live a life that points others to Him. Baptism is the first step for those who choose to follow Christ. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. It allows you to go public with your faith. Baptism declares that you are a follower of Jesus. It is a public profession of your faith in Jesus and your commitment to Him. It is the next step after salvation and is an important foundation for the Christian life. And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16

Every person who has made the decision to follow Jesus should get baptized. The only requirement is that they’ve chosen to put their faith and trust in Christ. "Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all." Acts 2:41 "But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized." Acts 8:12. Some churches baptize infants and others don’t. While Christians can debate this, we should never divide over it. At Elevate Life Church, we don’t baptize infants because every baptism recorded in the Bible occurred when someone was old enough to make a faith decision. Instead of baptizing infants, we encourage Christian parents to participate in child dedication. This is a ceremony in which parents formally call upon God’s blessing on their child and publicly commit to raise their child in accordance with Scripture. We believe in baptizing kids when they are old enough to understand what it means and have made a personal decision to make Jesus the leader of their life.

Believers in the New Testament were baptized the same day. As soon as a person decides to believe in Christ, they can and are encouraged to be baptized. While getting baptized the same day was the practice in the New Testament, it’s often not possible today, but that’s okay! Our campuses offer baptism services several times a year."Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all." Acts 2:41. So beginning with this same Scripture, "Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing." Acts 8:35-39.

Your infant baptism was certainly a very special moment for your family. Once you personally come to an age where you can decide for yourself to follow Christ, believer’s baptism is the next step. Don’t be afraid to get re-baptized as an act of worship and obedience to Christ.