{"id":27,"date":"2018-08-07T18:59:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T18:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/unfoldingfaithblog\/?p=27"},"modified":"2018-12-27T16:14:16","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T16:14:16","slug":"what-is-baptism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/unfoldingfaithblog\/2018\/08\/07\/what-is-baptism\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Baptism and Are You Ready For Yours?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baptism, often called \u201cthe first step of obedience\u201d in following Jesus, is one of the oldest elements of the Christian faith, and represents your personal declaration of faith in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\"Young<\/p>\n

Lots of people feel as though they want to\u00a0run\u00a0<\/em>to their baptism because they\u2019re so excited to declare their faith to the world. This may or may not be you, but as a new believer, you can rely on your gut to tell you when you\u2019re ready\u2014even if you don\u2019t feel like you have it all figured out just yet. God calls us to be baptized and the Holy Spirit leads us to the water.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s All About Identity<\/h1>\n

Identity. How do we define it? How do we identify ourselves? Be it by our ethnicity, our heritage, our sexuality, or even by our interests, our identity is really important to us. Christians have always understood that there is something greater that impacts all these things we use to identify ourselves. The Christian identity is formed primarily in and through Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

The Apostle Paul, one of the earliest Christian teachers writes:<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Paul understood that his identity changed the moment he believed in Jesus. Paul had been a devout Jewish man, but Jesus changed his identity in a profound way. Everything about him changed, and he wanted to let others know that.<\/p>\n

Today we might use Instagram to let the world know who we are, to declare our identity. In Jesus and Paul\u2019s time however, they had baptism. It was a common practice in the ancient world, a way to publicly say, in effect, \u201cThis is who I am; I am one of these.\u201d In fact, baptism is so important, even Jesus Himself\u2014who was without sin\u2014was baptized. He did this to identify with sinners and \u201ccarry out all that God requires<\/em>\u201d (Matthew 3:15<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"Lovely<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the\u00a0Christian Basics Bible<\/a>\u00a0has to say about why baptism is so important:<\/p>\n

“From the beginning of the church\u2019s existence, baptism was the way someone expressed their newfound faith in Jesus. Although adopted from Judaism, it was given new significance, no longer simply symbolizing cleansing but also speaking of the person\u2019s identification with Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection. Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize all who believed in him. Baptism serves as a sign of repentance, faith, and the desire to start life again.”<\/p>\n

So baptism was a common practice for declaring identity in the ancient world, and Jesus commanded it (you can find that in Matthew 28:19-20<\/a>); but it can seem weird to us today. Perhaps you had never heard of baptism before you came to faith in Christ, or perhaps you were baptized as a baby and you wonder if that still \u201ccounts.\u201d These are all perfectly normal feelings and questions, so it\u2019s a good thing we aren\u2019t in this on our own.<\/p>\n

\"Scripture<\/p>\n

Baptism and the Church<\/h1>\n

When you became a believer in Jesus you probably didn\u2019t do so on your own. Someone\u2014a friend, family member, mentor\u2014helped you along. Chances are there is a church that helped too, and that\u2019s where you should start your baptism journey. Baptism identifies us with Christ, but it also identifies us with His people\u2014His church.<\/p>\n

Different denominations and churches handle baptism in various ways, but no matter where you go to church, baptism is important. Being a Christian is not something we can, or should, do on our own. We are members of the body of Christ together (in other words, we are the church working together for the Lord), and your baptism signifies that bond you now have with your fellow church members.<\/p>\n

Many churches have special classes to help you prepare for your baptism, clear up any questions you have, and set the time and date. Talk to the pastor or leaders of your church about how they view baptism and what your next steps should be. Then go get baptized!<\/p>\n

\u200b\"Scripture<\/p>\n

What is a baptism? What will happen to me?<\/strong><\/h1>\n

During your baptism, something similar to this will happen (bear in mind that the format may change depending on your church or denomination):<\/p>\n