baptism
GOING PUBLIC
If you’ve been to Vertical, you know that these are some of our favorite words because we’re about to celebrate life change through the act of baptism. Baptism is going public with your faith in Jesus and communicating to the world your commitment to follow Him. Because Jesus went public with His love for us, it’s our privilege to go public with our love for Him. It’s the next step after salvation.
Baptism is a public declaration of how Jesus has changed your life. It is a symbolic act to profess one’s salvation, and while we do not believe it is a requirement for salvation, it is commanded by God. Baptism is a celebration of a believer’s decision to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Therefore 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
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Acts 2:38
why water baptism / immersion?
The original Greek word ‘baptizo’ literally means ‘to immerse or dip’. When Jesus was baptized it was by immersion and we see that each account of baptism in the Bible was done in this manner. When we are lowered into the water it represents our old way of life being buried along with Christ in his death. Then we are raised out of the water, just like Jesus was raised from the dead, so we can walk in newness of life.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water.
Matthew 3:16
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.
Romans 6:4
who is a candidate for baptism?
Baptism is for anyone who has turned from their sin, surrendered their life to Christ, and promise to die to themselves in order to live for Him on a daily basis. Water baptism is a one-time event that takes place after you have put your faith in Jesus. If you were baptized as a baby, prior to making a conscious choice to trust your life to Christ, we would recommend you get baptized now that you have a personal relationship with Jesus.