what is baptism?
Baptism is an outward sign of an inward decision that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and
you have decided to trust Him with your life, your future, and to follow Him. Romans 10:9 says,
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved.” Baptism is the opportunity for public declaration, whether in front of
your church family – or perhaps for the very first time, that Jesus Christ is your Lord and that you
believe that God raised Him from death on the cross to pay for your sins.
Because of this precious gift from God, we can be reunited in a relationship with Him. When we
accept this relationship, God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence within us and we become a new
creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become
a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “We were
all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and
we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Baptism by water is a reenactment and a celebration of the baptism by the Holy Spirit when we
find new life in Him. Therefore, baptism by water is not a requirement of salvation. Salvation, as
Romans 10:9 says, is to declare Jesus Christ as your Lord and to believe in your heart that He
is the only one who has saved you from your old life of sin, and your new life – as you have
received His Holy Spirit – now begins. This will make a difference today, tomorrow, and for all
eternity as we are reunited in a relationship with God the Father!
how do we baptize at christ church?
There are a few ways that we baptize here at Christ Church. It is important to remember that it is
not the ceremony that matters as much as the public declaration of Jesus Christ as your Lord
and your belief that He is your Savior. During our services, we often baptize with water on the
forehead as we ask you Biblical questions about your decision to follow Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior. More and more often, we have special Baptism Services where you have the
opportunity to be fully immersed in water just as those in the first church were. Being
submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the
cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. Romans 6:4 puts it this way, “We were therefore buried
with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
DEDICATIONS FOR CHILDREN
In both the Old and New Testament we see examples of parents dedicating their children to the
Lord, promising to raise them as God has directed us to for generations: Deuteronomy 6:4-7
“The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these
commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk
about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed
and when you are getting up.” When parents dedicate their children in one of our church
services, they make a commitment to raise their children in the Christian Faith, to be a follower
of Christ, and to be an active member of the church. In the same way, the church family will also
commit to encourage the parents to bring up the child to know and grow in their relationship with
the Lord. Some parents choose child dedication over child baptism as they wish to allow their
child to become old enough to express their own profession of faith and be baptized on their
own accord.
BAPTISMS FOR CHILDREN
At Christ Church, we will baptize children for parents who are interested in doing so with water
on their forehead during one of our services. In the Old Testament, there was an old covenant
marking for those who followed God to set them apart from the world. Many traditions of the
Christian church today look at Baptism as a symbol of the new covenant as we now have a
restored relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Some entire families in the New Testament
would be baptized when the parents or the head of the household came to a new relationship
with Jesus. In this way, when you choose to baptize your child, you are promising to raise them
in the Christian Faith, to be a follower of Christ, and to be an active member of the church. In
the same way, the church family will also commit to encouraging the parents to bring up the child
to know and grow in their relationship with the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 “Direct your children onto the
right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” times throughout the year.
.
IMMERSION BAPTISM
If you would like to be baptized by immersion, fill out the online application below. We will contact you with the next available date.
what’s next?
- Attend our Baptism Class. For anyone who wants to be baptized or for parents seeking to baptize or dedicate a child. . Class is around 30 minutes long.
- Fill out the registration form below.
contact
Bob Cummings, 412-741-4900, ext. 115 or bcummings@ccgf.org
Debbie Huffmyer, 412-741-4900, ext. 143 or dhuffmyer@ccgf.org