Baptism is the sacrament that unites us with Jesus Christ and makes us members of God’s family, the church.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, baptism:

• initiates us into the Church
• bestows the promise of God’s grace upon us
• assures us that God forgives our sins
• calls us to a life of Christian service and fulfillment

Baptism is important because at baptism, we receive the promise of God’s love.  This promise enables us to find new life with:

God - Baptism represents our first step on the journey of faith.  It assures us of God’s presence as we travel through life.

The Church – Through baptism, we become members of God’s family.  Each of us is joined as brother or sister with members of our congregation and with Christians everywhere.

Baptism is the mark of new life in Jesus Christ.  Through the Holy Spirit, God assures us at baptism of:

Forgiveness of sins - Sinless himself,  Jesus paid for our sins with his life.  He did this so that all people may live as one according to God’s will.  At baptism, the Holy Spirit marks us as God’s own – and enables us to accept God’s forgiveness through repentance.

Victory over Death – Jesus’ baptism was a kind of burial by water that fore-shadowed his death on the cross. At our own baptism, each of us also dies with Christ.  But Jesus conquered death. So his victory over death is our victory, too.

Baptism is the sign and seal of our oneness with Christ.

Water – is the special sign of our oneness with Christ.  It is the everyday element by which God’s promise at baptism comes to us.  Water cleanses and renews us, just as Jesus Christ cleanses our sins from us.  It is the simple life giving sign of God’s grace.

The Holy Spirit – is the seal that confirms our union with Christ at baptism. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, baptism brings us God’s promise of love.  It nourishes our faith. It unites us in fellowship with Christ and with all people who accept Christ.

The History of Baptism

Through Jesus, God commanded the sacrament of Baptism.

The Old Testament – Water has always been an important symbol. In Old Testament days, it was used in cleansing rituals to purify the body. In Jewish culture, Gentile converts were immersed in water as part of their initiation into the Jewish faith.

John The Baptist – Sinners were baptized by John the Baptist. He proclaimed that the Day of Judgment was soon at hand, and urged people to confess their sins.  For John, baptism in water was the special sign that a person had repented and accepted God’s goodness and mercy.

Baptism of Jesus – John the Baptist also baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.  When Jesus came out of the water, a voice spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. In this way, Jesus was united with God’s will and found renewed strength to carry out his mission. Jesus was also united with all people who share God’s promise and bring their sins to the water of baptism.

The Command to Baptize – Later, on a mountain near the sea of Galilee, Jesus gave this command to the disciples:

“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.” (Matthew 28:19)