Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Communion) are two aspects of the Christian faith that Jesus Christ directed the church to observe. While there are other aspects of the Christian faith that require obedience to God, it is only these two sacraments that each and every believer has been directed to follow.
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sign of commitment to Christ and to his Church, and a seal securing an individual into the body of the Church. The Westminster Confession describes baptism as, "a sign and seal of the covenant of grace (Rom. 4:11; Col. 2:11-12), of his ingrafting into Christ (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:5), of regeneration (Titus 3:5), of remission of sins (Mark 1:4), and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life."
Baptism also recognizes:
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Our union with Jesus Christ (through his death & resurrection)
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Our union with the Church (other believers)
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Our consecration to God (to be set apart)
Who Should Be Baptised?
Every person who is a follower of Jesus Christ should be baptised. Throughout the Bible's New Testament, we see the command to "Repent and be baptised..." (Acts 2:38). There is no age limit set for baptism in the Bible, however, at Grace Church we believe that baptism is a step of obedience that should only be done by authentic followers of Jesus, who can comprehend the gospel message. Therefore, we do not practice the baptism of infants or babies.
Why Should We Get Baptised?
There are two key reasons why a follower of Jesus should be baptised:
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Obedience to Jesus Christ's command
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Presenting an outward expression of an inward act of faith
While baptism is an important step of obedience for the believer, it is important to understand that baptism is not a step of salvation - there is nothing about baptism that 'saves' a person. It is a symbolic expression of an individual's faith commitment.
Baptism at Grace
