Baptism

Baptism is a visible response to one’s trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Baptism is a picture of the death (dying to our sin and old life), burial (washed and cleansed by Jesus’ blood), and resurrection (raised to new life) of Jesus (Romans 6:1-23).

In the Bible, baptism was the consistent response for people who trusted in Jesus. When people accepted Christ as Savior in New Testament times, they believed in Him (Acts 16:31), repented of their sins (Acts 2:38), confessed Christ as Lord (Matthew 16:16-18, Romans 10:9-10), and were baptized (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38- 41, Acts 8:36-38).

You’re ready to be baptized once you’ve made a personal decision to make Jesus Lord and Savior of your life.

Receiving Christ requires a response on our part—one that includes belief, repentance, confession, and baptism. Each part expresses our trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation. The actions—including baptism—do not save us, but each action is mentioned in Scripture as part of becoming a Christian.

The Bible teaches that Christ saves. Acts 4:12 states salvation is found “in no other name” than Jesus. The Bible teaches us to believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. As mentioned before, the actions do not save us, but each action is mentioned in Scripture as part of becoming a Christ follower.

Jesus is our leader, and we follow His example of baptism found in Matthew 3:13-17. When Paul and other authors wrote of baptism, they always used the Greek word that meant “to dip or immerse.” There are other Greek words that mean “to sprinkle or pour,” and the authors would have used those words if they had intended to include other modes of baptism.

At Southland, we believe baptism requires a personal understanding of the gospel that leads to a personal decision to follow Jesus. Since infants do not yet have that capacity, we do not baptize them. A good next step for parents who want to dedicate their children to the Lord and make a public decision to raise their children to know Jesus is our Rooted Event.

No—to be a member of Southland, you must be a baptized believer who has completed Starting Point.

In the book of Acts, which records the history of the early Church, everyone who accepted Christ was baptized. Here are some Scriptures to study:

Acts 2 - The Samaritans
Acts 8:26-40 - The Ethiopian
Acts 10:23-48 - Cornelius
Acts 16:11-15 - Lydia
Acts 16:30-34 - The Philippian Jailer
Acts 22:6-16 - Paul on Trial
1 Peter 3:21-22
Colossians 2:11-15
Romans 6
John 3:16-21
Matthew 28:18-20
Matthew 3:13-17
1 John 2:4-6