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Frequently Asked Questions

QWhat should I wear?

On the day of your baptism, you are advised to wear a dark shirt and pants or shorts. Ladies are encouraged to wear a one piece bathing suit under your dark shirt. Please wear these clothes to service and bring a change of clothes and a towel for afterwards.

QWhen should I be baptized?

People who have recently decided to follow Jesus Christ with their life often wonder how much they need to know or how much they need to learn before they are baptized.

QWhat does the Bible say about that?

Here are some examples. Acts 8:13, tells us, “Simon believed and was baptized.” Notice the order of events: first he believed, then he was baptized.

Acts 18:8 says, “…many of the Corinthians who heard…believed and were baptized.” The pattern is obvious and found consistently throughout the New Testament. People would first put their faith in Christ, and then they would express it publically with baptism. Other Scriptures to study: Acts 2:37-41; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 8:12,13; Acts 9:18; Acts 10:47; Acts 16:15, 25-34; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:5.

QHow soon after your commitment to Christ should you be baptized?

In the New Testament many people were baptized immediately. In Acts 16:25-34, one man was baptized in the middle of the night right after he came to faith.

Jesus did not make baptism optional. In the Great Commission He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19.

There are so many scriptures that show a very strong connection between
salvation and baptism. Every believer should seriously consider being baptized as soon as possible after believing in Christ. Please consider the following scriptures that give evidence of that connection: Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:37-41; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; I Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:26-27.

QShould I wait until I am a more mature believer before being baptized?

IYou do not have to wait to get your spiritual act together before you take the public step of baptism. Waiting until we grow up in our faith is not a requirement of baptism. The simple requirement is to have the faith of a child – to put your trust in Jesus. If you have been serving Jesus for years, but haven’t been baptized because no one has taught you or you just put it off, when you understand that you need to be baptized, just follow! Whether you made your decision five days ago, five months ago, five years ago, or 50 years ago, just do it!

QShould I wait until I am a more mature believer before being baptized?

From scripture we understand that baptism should be after they have made the decision to follow Jesus. They need to be ready to express outwardly what has happened inwardly. If your child has come to you expressing a desire to be baptized and understands the spiritual commitment they have made to follow Christ, it is a good time for them to follow God in this way.

QCan I follow Jesus without being baptized?

This is a puzzling question because anyone who truly wants to follow Jesus would be willing to do the first thing that Jesus asks them to do as His follower. Your Savior asks you to take this plunge. Baptism was never intended to provide salvation for an individual, but rather to publicly identify a person with Christ.

You do not have to be baptized to have Christ in your heart. However, if the inner commitment to trust Christ alone for salvation has been made, then the outward symbol of baptism should be just as valued. 1 John 5:3 says, “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.” Luke 12:8 says, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.”

QWhat if I was Baptized as an infant?

Many people were baptized as babies or as small children and wonder if they should be baptized again. Parents often have their infants or young children baptized in hope that they will follow Jesus out of the parents’ deep faith or even to protect their child from separation from God.

However, at the same time, if you look at the Bible, baptism always came after someone came to faith. If you decide to be baptized as an adult because you’ve come to your own sense of faith now, it does not reject the baptism you received as a child. You may look at it as a fulfillment of your parents’ hopes and prayers. Your baptism is actually an affirmation of your decision to follow Christ, which was their desire in having you baptized.

QWhy do so many Christian groups baptize babies and young children if it’s not in the Bible?

At Victory we have child/parent dedications where parents pledge to do their best to point their children toward Jesus. We do not baptize small children at Victory. Some may ask why do so many Christian groups baptize babies and young children if it’s not in the Bible? A couple of hundred years after the original church began, the doctrine of original sin got distorted and teachings became skewed. Some taught that the moment a child was born, God held them accountable for their sinful nature and if they were to die, they would spend eternity away from God.

Jesus said in Mark 10:14, “…the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (children). In 2 Samuel 12:22, David is grieving over the death of his infant child. Notice what he says, “But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” David wasn’t concerned about his baby going to hell; he was confident that he would go to him one day in Heaven.

The distortion of the doctrine of original sin led to a distortion of the doctrine of baptism. People came up with a doctrine called Baptismal Regeneration. This taught that if a baby is baptized it saves them from spending eternity apart from Jesus if they die. The Bible is clear however, that a baby’s soul is not in danger in the first place.

QWhy do we encourage immersion?

There are many different methods of baptism practiced in different Christian circles. Some sprinkle, others pour, some completely immerse, and some have the tradition of dunking three times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We only immerse once. In Matthew 3:16 it states, “came out of the water.” This seems to be the biblical pattern. Ultimately, we know that it’s not the water or the amount of water that saves anybody; Jesus does the saving as you follow Him.

QWhat is the biblical significance in being baptized?

Water baptism is vital because it was commanded by our Lord Jesus. Just before He ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”; he then added, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19,20) This would include water baptism. Furthermore, He said, “if you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) and “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14) Baptism is an act of obedience to our Savior and Lord and affirms our commitment to follow Him.

Water baptism testifies of a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). It gives public witness to our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Romans 6:3-13; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:5,6; Colossians 2:12) The ‘old man’ is symbolically dead and buried in a watery grave. Jesus, Himself, chose to be water baptized, not because He needed repentance, but as He said to John, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) We are following the example that He set before us by being water baptized.

QWhat method of baptism was used in the New Testament?

The Greek words “baptisma” and “baptizo” are used in the New Testament for baptism. They are words that mean “immersion” or “submission.” Since there are other Greek words that mean to sprinkle (“rhantizo”) or to pour (“cheo”) that were not used, it is significant that the Bible makes reference to the kind of baptism by immersion that was done in the New Testament.

The following scriptures give evidence of baptism by immersion: Matthew 3:16, “when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water.” Mark 1:5, “baptized of him in the river.” Mark 1:10, “coming up out of the water.” John 3:23, “baptizing…because there was much water there.” Acts 8:38, “went down both into the water.” Romans 6:4, “buried with him by baptism.” Colossians 2:12, “buried with him in baptism.”