What is Baptism?
What Is Baptism and Why Do We Do It?
Welcome, everyone. Today I want to talk about baptism. What is it? Why do we do it? And why does our church baptize both grown-ups (Believer's baptism) and children (Child baptism)?
If you are thinking about baptism, I hope this helps you decide. If you are already baptized, I hope this helps you remember what it means. At the end, you can tell me if you are ready to be baptized.
Let's pray. Then let's begin.
What Is Baptism?
What do you think of when you hear the word "baptism"?
Baptism is a sign. It shows us a promise. But it is not a promise we make to God. It is a promise God makes to us.
Baptism does not save us. We do not do it to earn God's love. We do it because God has already saved us. Baptism is our answer to God's grace.
Jesus was baptized too, even though he had no sin (Matthew 3:13-17). He did it to show us the way. Before he left the earth, he gave us a clear command:
"Go 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).
So baptism is not just a nice tradition. Jesus told us to do it.
In Acts 2:38-39, Peter said: "Repent and be baptized... The promise is for you and your children."
Baptism is a public way to say, "I trust Jesus."
God likes to use physical things to show spiritual truth. Bread and wine at communion. Water at baptism. Our faith is not only inside our heads. We live it out with our bodies, in front of other people.
Baptism also shows a change. We no longer live for ourselves. We now belong to God's kingdom and God's family.
Two Kinds of Baptism
Christians have baptized people in two ways for a long time. Both ways come from the Bible.
Some churches baptize only adults who choose to follow Jesus. Other churches baptize only babies, to welcome them into the family of faith. We Nazarenes do both. This is not because we cannot decide. It is because we want to be faithful to the whole Bible.
Believer's Baptism
When someone is old enough to understand sin and grace, and makes their own choice to follow Jesus, they can be baptized. This shows their choice in public. We see this in the book of Acts (Acts 2:38-41, Acts 8:36-38).
Believer's baptism says: "I have decided. I am choosing Christ. I am dying to my old life and rising to a new life."
Paul writes: "We were... buried with him through baptism into death... [so] we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4). Going under the water is like burying our old self. Coming up is like new life.
If you were already baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — as an adult or as a child — you do not need to be baptized again. If you were baptized in a different religious group, not a Christian church, you should be baptized again.
Child (Infant) Baptism
Why do we baptize the children of believing parents?
We believe that God's grace is with children before they can choose to believe. We call this prevenient grace. God is already working in a child's heart and drawing the child close — long before the child has words for it.
In Acts, when the Philippian jailer believed, "he and all his household were baptized" (Acts 16:33). This likely included children.
Remember what Jesus said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14). Jesus did not say to wait until they were older.
When we baptize a young child, we are not saying the child has made a personal choice to follow Jesus. We are saying this child belongs to God's love, and this family and this church promise to raise the child to know Jesus. It is a promise from the parents and the whole church.
A baptized child still needs to grow up in the church and in faith. Later, the child will need to make their own choice to follow Jesus.
The New Circumcision
Before baptism, God's people had a different sign: circumcision. God told Abraham that every baby boy in his family would carry this mark, days after birth (Genesis 17:9-14). It showed the baby belonged to God's people.
Paul says baptism is the new sign, for everyone: "In him you were also circumcised... having been buried with him in baptism" (Colossians 2:11-12).
The old sign was only for some people. The new sign is for everyone — sons and daughters, men and women, every nation (Galatians 3:28).
But remember: circumcision did not save anyone, and baptism does not save us either. The sign points to something real. It does not replace it.
Bringing It Home
Baptism is a command, not just a suggestion. Baptism is a sign, not a magic trick. Baptism is a promise — from us, from our families, from our church — to walk with Jesus for the rest of our lives.
Whether you were baptized as a baby, wrapped in a blanket, or as an adult standing in the water — the message is the same: you belong to God, and God is not finished with you.
Are you ready to be baptized? Do you have a child you want to baptize? Let's talk about a time that works for you.
Closing Prayer
Let's thank God for grace that comes before we earn it, for the church family that surrounds every believer, young and old, and for the promise that none of us walk this road alone. If you are thinking about baptism, tell me — out loud now, or quietly afterward.