In Consideration of Baptism
Knowing that baptism is an important and necessary step we are excited that you are considering this next step in your spiritual journey. This site is intended to equip you with essential information and to answer any of your potential questions.
This site will take you through a few important steps in your baptism process. The links on this page will take you through these steps. First of all we would like you to read what we believe about baptism. Finally you will need to fill out the online baptism registration.
Thank you for taking the time you complete all the necessary steps in this process. If you have any question concerning the baptism process at Winston-Salem First please contact Jini Speas at jspeas@wsfirst.com or by calling her at (336)759-7517.
What We Believe About Baptism
The concepts that govern our thoughts are not just matters of the intellect but the way we think about things and interact with God and people. When a person comes to faith in Christ they are immediately introduced to a set of vocabulary words they may have never heard before, concepts and rituals that may seem very foreign. This is because you have entered into a new family. Coming into a new family means learning the stories and special days celebrated by that family and even the way they carry out certain traditions.
Sometimes the way we learn the most complicated things about that family come in the form of pictures or stories told by the grandma or grandpa. In those stories someone who has been in the family a long time will usually tell a story with lots of pictures and real life stories about this thing or that. They might even use a metaphor to describe something that is too complicated or time consuming to really explain. Water baptism is just like that. It is a spiritual metaphor of what is happening to you right now. You are dying to who you were and being raised to this new life in God. You can understand that by watching a water baptism with very few words being spoken.
Water baptism is certainly one of those things. It is more than just a ritual or a church tradition. It is a living example to the new Christ followers and to everyone watching the very participatory event. Some religions have the followers playing a very passive role. But when one comes to faith in Christ – it is active and requires the whole heart of the follower from day one.
You are not going to be able to sit on the sidelines and watch your faith grow. God is inviting you after coming to faith in Him to aggressively participate in His kingdom by having the courage to be completely immersed in water as a sign (metaphor) of your following Him. It represents a shift from the way things were in your life, where you tried to do things on your own, to a place now of complete trust. The trust of your heart is so significant that you are willing to be immersed completely in water and trust your very life to God.
Why go all the way under?
- Immersion in water means that you have surrendered your life completely to the Jesus of the Bible.
- Immersion in water means that you are outwardly expressing to others what has happened to you internally through Christ.
- Being completely immersed in water is a symbolic act of literally dying to the old and being raised up to a new life in Christ Jesus.
Biblical Mandate:
Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, "Go then, to all people
everywhere and make them my disciples, baptize them
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..."
Every person who has taken the dramatic step internally to come to faith in Christ and has counted the cost of that decision as far as possible should follow the example of Christ by being baptized in water. Acts 2:41 "Those who believed...were baptized...that day."
Why should I be baptized?
- It shows the importance of Jesus' story for all those watching.
- It allows us to offer a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ.
- It symbolizes this invisible and very spiritual union with Christ himself.
- It is a part of our confession of faith in Christ.
- It means that you are in a deep and very personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Water Baptism is the next step in your journey with Christ demonstrating your allegiance and love for Him and His kingdom.