Be Baptized
After Jesus arose victoriously from the grave, he gave his apostles what we call “the Great Commission”: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19–20).
As an historic Christian church, baptism is the “sacrament” or outward sign and seal (assurance) of his promise that we belong to God’s covenant family. It is a “pledge [of] his good will and grace toward us” and a tangible way “to nourish and sustain our faith” (Belgic Confession, art. 33). In the Old Testament, the sign of belonging was circumcision; now it’s baptism (Col. 2:11–12). Back then it was given to male children on the eighth day of life as well as to adult male converts; now it’s administered to all believers and their children.
As a sacrament, baptism outwardly teaches and assures us of:
The washing away of our sin by the blood of Christ (Acts 2:38, 22:16)
The renewal of our lives by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5)
That we are buried with Christ, thus, our sin has been condemned by God (Rom. 6:4)
That we are raised with Christ to walk with him in newness of life (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12).
For more on this, we recommend Pastor Danny’s short book: Jesus Loves the Little Children.
To be a disciple or follower of Jesus is to be baptized and instructed. If you are a new believer or even a believer who has never been baptized, we encourage you to reach out to our Pastor to begin the process.