Baptism

About Baptism.

About Baptism.

Baptism is one of the first steps of obedience for every follower of Jesus. It's the way we publicly declare that we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life. Jesus Himself was baptized, not because He needed to be, but to set an example for us to follow.

At NorthEast, we baptize by full immersion in water because it's the beautiful picture we see throughout the New Testament. When someone goes under the water, it symbolizes being buried with Christ. When they are raised out of the water, it represents being raised to new life through His resurrection.

Baptism doesn't save us, Jesus does. But baptism is our opportunity to publicly declare what Christ has already done in our hearts. It's a joyful act of obedience that says, "I belong to Jesus, and I'm not ashamed to let the world know."

Frequently Asked Questions

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 modeled baptism for us in Matthew 3:13–17, and we follow His example. The New Testament writers consistently used the Greek word baptizō, meaning “to immerse.” Since Greek includes separate words for “sprinkle” and “pour,” their consistent choice of baptizō points to immersion as the biblical practice.

At NorthEast, we believe baptism requires a personal understanding of sin and the gospel, which 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 Parent Dedication that happens throughout the year. NCC Kids also offers a baptism class called Jump Start that would be great to attend once your child begins asking questions about baptism.

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