One Baptism - Nicene Creed

Scripture: Romans 6:3–4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Luke 23:43; 1 John 2:19; John 6; John 10; Acts 8. Key themes: baptism as public faith ownership; death and resurrection with Jesus; covenant identity; one baptism and ongoing repentance; baptism and salvation; infant baptism and believer’s baptism; assurance, perseverance, and unity around the Nicene Creed. Description: In the final message of our Nicene Creed series, we turn to the line, “I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” This message begins with the question students often ask after a powerful week at Hume Lake: should I get baptized? To answer that, we walk through what baptism is, why Christians have practiced it for centuries, and what it symbolizes. Baptism means immersion, and the act of going under the water and coming back up pictures the gospel itself: we are buried with Christ and raised to walk in new life. We also spend time clarifying what baptism does and does not do. Baptism is deeply important, but it is not a work that earns salvation. The thief on the cross had no opportunity to be baptized, do good works, or prove himself, yet Jesus promised him paradise. That means baptism is not the covenant itself, but the public sign of the covenant—like a wedding ring points to a marriage. From there, we address some of the sticky questions: Should someone be rebaptized after drifting from God? What about someone baptized as an infant? Why does PCC practice believer’s baptism? Can someone lose their salvation? The message encourages students not to rush into baptism out of pressure or fear, but also not to delay if they understand the cost of following Jesus and are ready to publicly confess Him. The series ends with the hope that the Nicene Creed gives us clarity about true Christianity, unity with other believers, and ownership of what we personally believe.