Some Frequently Asked Questions

What does the word "baptise" mean?  
It means "to plunge" or "to immerse."  Some groups baptise by "pouring" or "sprinkling", but at EEC, we baptise by total immersion; that is, the entire body is immersed in water.  Every church - including those who baptise in other ways - will recognise baptism by immersion.

What is required and who should be baptised?
Repentance:  In Acts 2:38, Peter says, “Repent and be baptised ...”
Faith:  In Mark 16:16, Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  In Acts 8:37, Philip says “If you believe with all your heart, you may (be baptised)".
Discipleship:  In Matthew 28:19,Jesus said, “... go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them ... ”

Therefore, only those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Saviour should be baptised.  This is the New Testament pattern (where the word "baptise" appears 77 times).  See also Acts 8:12 and 10:44-48.

Why should a believer be baptised?
Because it is a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If a new Christian disobeyed this simple command of Christ at the beginning of his Christian life, he is not likely to be obedient to His other commands.

Does baptism have anything to do with salvation?
In the Book of Acts, nobody was baptised to be saved, but all were baptised because they had been saved.  Read Acts 9:18; 10:44-48; 16:14-15; 20-34; and 18:8.

1 Peter 3:20-22 makes it clear that baptism does not save us by washing away our sins, for only the blood of Christ can do that.  But obedience in baptism does save us from a guilty conscience, because we know we have obeyed Christ's command.

Are there Bible verses that connect baptism with salvation?
There are some verses, e.g.

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus have been baptised into His death?" (Romans 6:3), and

Who has the authority to baptise?
As we have seen, Jesus Christ gave His commission to the disciples; so the authority to baptise rests with the local church.  While any believer can be authorised by a local church to baptise people, this is usually done by an Elder or Deacon of the church.

Is baptism required for church membership?

We feel it is best for people to be baptised before becoming a full member of the church.  This shows that you have made a public commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. We encourage baptism because it is the Lord's command, and we want to be obedient to Christ.

What does baptism actually symbolise?
The symbolism of baptism is perhaps the most beautiful symbolism you can imagine.  The moment a person is born again they are brought into eternal union with Jesus.  Paul talks about it as being “in Christ”.  God the Father looks upon born-again believers as being eternally bound together with Jesus.  He sees them as one and therefore the believer, having been in Christ when He died, will have died with Christ.

Likewise He sees the believer as having been buried and raised with Christ. In a word He sees the believer as being one with Christ and Christ being one with the believer.  Through baptism God wants us to tell the world that we are as one with Christ.  Since the believer is totally immersed in water, the action becomes a picture of death, burial and resurrection.

The old life is symbolically buried, and we are raised to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4).

INTO THE WATER: speaks of death.

As we go down into the water we are saying: as Jesus died for our sins on the cross, so we have died to sin in our lives.  There has been a complete break with the past - a death!  “Consider yourselves dead to sin” (Romans 6:11).

UNDER THE WATER: speaks of burial.

Just as Christ was buried in the tomb, so when we are lowered beneath the water our lives as sinners are regarded as put out of sight.  Paul speaks of being “buried with Him through baptism” (Romans 6:4).  Death followed by burial prevents us returning to our former way of life.

OUT OF WATER: speaks of resurrection.

Paul says in Romans 6:4-5, "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.”  This is what it means to be born again!

This new life that we have is as a result of Jesus living in us. It opens up to us God’s vast resources. We are considered joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

When our Lord Jesus was baptised by John in the River Jordan, He said, "... it is proper for Us (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).  God “fulfilled all righteousness” through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, pictured in His baptism. Our baptism in water is a picture of what has taken place in our lives.  We have had the old life buried with Christ, and we are raised to live in resurrection power (Col. 2:12-15).

How many times should a person be baptised?
Only once.  We meet at the Lord's Supper repeatedly to remember His body and shed blood; but we are baptised only once, since we are saved only once. If a Christian gets out of fellowship with the Lord because of sin, he can confess his sins and be forgiven (1 John 1: 5-10); but it is not necessary to be baptised again.  Water baptism is a once-and-for-all public testimony of our identification in death, burial, and resurrection.  It is not a religious ceremony that washes away our sins.

What if a person was baptised before he was saved?
Then he was not really baptised - he was merely dipped into water.  Remember the prerequisites for baptism: repentance, faith and discipleship (see above).  This is also why an infant baptism cannot be considered a true baptism - a little baby is not capable of these things.  Infant baptism was not taught by Christ nor the Apostles (it is believed that it began to be taught in the third century).

Baptism takes on new meaning for the believer because he or she knows this was done in obedience to God's command.  Anyone who has been baptised prior to conversion should be baptised as the Scriptures command.  This is the way to maintain a good conscience before God.

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Last modified: 20-Jul-2010