what is baptism?

For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12). 

As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they must decide if they will commit their lives to Him (Romans 10:9).

Baptism follows a person’s decision to trust in Jesus for his or her salvation and commitment to follow Him (Acts 10:47-48). At The Gathering, we wait until children are old enough to express their own faith in Jesus and understand the meaning of baptism. 

If your child has already asked Jesus into his or her life, explain what baptism is and what it means. Facilitate the conversation, but don’t dominate it. Read more tips for talking to your kids about baptism. 

Every instance of baptism in the Bible was by immersion. The original word for baptism most often referred to being immersed or submerged in water. Jesus was baptized by immersion in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10).

Water immersion symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Being submerged underwater represents our death to sin and old way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us and gave us a new life (Romans 6:3-5).

If you haven’t been baptized by immersion since you decided to follow Jesus, we want to help you take your next step of being baptized. Once you’ve taken that step, there’s no need to be baptized again.

God never asks us to take a next step that isn’t good for us. He always gives us more than we deserve or can imagine, including the joy we receive from listening to Him and doing what He says.