Baptism FAQs

Over the past few months, we've been privileged to witness a number of people from different backgrounds, with different stories and various experiences of the Christian faith come to know Jesus and express an interest in being baptised. So in this episode of We Are Christchurch, Lewis and Bob run through some of the most common questions regarding this ancient practice. What is baptism? The New City Catechism describes baptism as "the washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; it signifies and seals our adoption into Christ, our cleansing from sin, and our commitment to belong to the Lord and to his church." As complicated as this sounds, baptism is actually very straight forward. To be baptised is to be immersed and raised out of water by another believer. This simple practice has been performed by the Church for over 2000 years, and is laden with symbolism: our sins being washed away; our belonging to the One who died, was buried and rose again; our rebirth and new life by the Spirit. In being baptised by the church, we're acknowledging that we are part of Christ's people, and in so doing before the watching world, we're making a public declaration that our allegiance now lies with him. But maybe most importantly, baptism is an act of obedience. At the end of Matthew's gospel, the risen King calls his church to follow his commands and baptism is often the first step in this new life of discipleship (Matthew 28: 18-20). This is why for centuries, before being baptised 'in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit', disciples have uttered the 'sacred confession' that 'Jesus is Lord' (Philippians 2: 11). Who should be baptised? Everyone who believes in Jesus! The sole requirement for baptism is faith in Christ (Acts 2:41). But… What about children? Faith is not age dependent. But for various pastoral reasons, we would advise caution before baptising children. If in any doubt, come chat to a pastor. What if I was baptised as a child?  On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the gospel and 3000 people believed and were baptised. This sets a pattern to follow. From here on, regardless of ethnic background or history or previous experience, baptism is linked to the faith of the individual believer and this is the practice we adhere to at Christchurch (Acts 2: 38, 41; 8: 12, 36; 9: 18; 10: 48; 16: 14-15, 30-33; 18: 8; 19: 4-5; 22: 16; Col 2: 12; 1 Peter 3: 21). What if I was baptised, fell away and have since returned to Christ. Should I be baptised again?  Maybe?! The answer to this one depends entirely on your personal story. If this is is you, come chat! When should someone be baptised? As soon as possible! Believers in the New Testament were baptised the same day (Acts 2:41; 8:35-39) and we see no reason not to follow this example and baptise believers at the first opportunity. What do I do now?  If you're faith and trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, get in touch and one of our pastors will be in touch to chat more.