frequently asked questions

Baptism is the first step of obedience. It is mentioned 70 times in the New Testament. Jesus Himself was baptized as an example for us (Matthew 3:16-19) and He commands all of His followers to be baptized (Matthew 28:19).

Baptism is for believers. Baptism by immersion follows after a person becomes a follower of Christ. Salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. Belief in Jesus Christ is what makes you a believer, not baptism. Baptism is for believers after they have put their faith in Christ. Every person baptized in the book of Acts did so after they believed.

Baptism is by immersion. The word baptism means “to immerse.” Every description of baptism in the Bible indicates that immersion was the common method. Through descriptions such as “plenty of water” (John 3:23), “came up out of the water” (Mark 1:10), “went down... came up out of” (Acts 8:36) and others, it is clear that immersion was the practice. The symbolism of baptism as described in Romans 6 can only be fulfilled through immersion.

Baptism is symbolic. Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is a visual picture that we have died to an old way of life without Jesus and are alive to a new life in Christ. It demonstrates that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again, giving us the hope and promise of eternal life in Him. It identifies us with Christ and with His body, the church. (Romans 6:3-9, Ephesians 4:4-6)

Baptism is a public testimony to the church. In our church, believer’s baptism (immersion) is required for membership. The Bible gives account in the book of Acts when the believers were baptized. These were the first baptisms of record and they took place with the local body of believers. When a believer was baptized, they were joining a church. The church family witnessed and celebrated this together. Because believers all over the world practice baptism, this ties us to Christians of all times all over the world.

Baptism is for believers; it is not for infants. In some churches, infant christening or infant baptism is practiced for children. Though many times this represents a decision by parents to raise their children to know God and follow God, it is important to note that infant baptism is not connected to the child’s own personal belief. The New Testament shows no example of baptism when the candidate did not request it. All instances of baptism followed an individual’s decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 10:47-48). At The Bridge, we wait until the child is old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of the gospel before we baptize them. When a child makes a decision for Christ, we gladly baptize them!