Water baptism
Baptism is an important step of obedience that shows others we have personally trusted Jesus for our salvation. Jesus was baptised when He was on the earth, and we do this to follow His example.
When you are baptised, you're submerged under water to identify with the death and burial of Jesus and raised out of the water to identify with His resurrection. It’s a powerful picture of leaving the old life behind in the water - our past, our sin, our old ways - and being raised into new life. Water Baptism declares that you are a new creation in Jesus.
We believe that water baptism is a public declaration of three important things:
You are a follower of Jesus Christ
You are beginning a changed life in Christ
You are part of a new family.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Do you baptise children?
As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they are the ones to decide if they will commit their lives to Him (Romans 10:9). Any instance of baptism follows a person’s decision to trust Jesus for his or her salvation and commitment to follow Him (Acts 10:47-48). At Inspire, we wait until children are old enough to express their own decision to follow Jesus and understand the meaning of baptism. If your child has already asked Jesus into his life, explain what baptism is and what it means. Facilitate the conversation, but don’t dominate it.
Are there types of baptism?
Baptisms in the Bible were by immersion. The original word for baptism most often referred to being immersed or submerged in water. Jesus was baptised by being immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10). Submersion in the water symbolises the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Being submersed underwater represents our death to sin and old way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us and gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5).
