Should You Be Baptized?

by Erin Bird,

If you follow Jesus, but haven't been baptized yet, here are four reasons why I think you should get "dunked" :

1. God expects it.
If you read Romans 6:2-4, you see that Paul (writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) assumes that if you follow Jesus, you’ve been baptized. He sees baptism as full identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. (We see this same expectation of baptism in the Great Commission.)

While there are some church denominations who say you aren’t “saved” or truly forgiven of your sins until you are baptized, I personally believe that according to Ephesians 2:8-9 our salvation is ONLY the work of God. Baptism simply reveals outwardly the inward work God has already done and is doing in us through the gospel.

So God expects us to "go public" with our relationship with Him through Jesus through the sacrament of baptism.

2. Jesus did it.
The four gospel accounts of the life of Jesus highlight different stories and teachings, giving us a well-rounded view of Jesus’ life and theology. But there are only a handful of stories that all four gospel accounts share. The most well-known is the death & resurrection of Jesus (no surprise there). But another one is His baptism!

Jesus did not need “saved” since He was the sinless Son of God. Yet he was baptized by his cousin John to launch the public aspect of his ministry. It is after this point that Jesus recruited disciples and began to travel around the Palestinian region proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

If we are to “live like Jesus lived,” then we should also go public via baptism as well.

3. You need it.
No, you don’t “need” baptism in order to be “saved” or to prove anything to God. Getting baptized doesn’t make you any spiritually cleaner, nor does it gain you super-saint status.

But it does help you put a "stake" down in your spiritual journey. We are all on a spiritual journey, and as we walk this path through life, occasionally we need some markers, some "stakes", we put down on our path to remind us of where we've been, where we are going, and who we belong to. Just like the "for better or worse" part of wedding vows, baptism is a moment when you say to yourself and others, “I follow Jesus, and will follow Him no matter what the future holds.”

4. We need it.
Baptism is an incredibly beautiful moment in your spiritual journey. But it isn't JUST for you. By being baptized during our Worship Gathering, you are helping your church family worship God through your story and your decision to publicly declare your faith in Jesus.

So I encourage you to be baptized - the glorify God, to obey Him, to help you in your spiritual journey, and to encourage the faith of others.

If you haven't been baptized as a follower of Jesus, simply send me an email, or shoot me a text letting me know your decision and I'll follow up with you.