Upon genuine, godly repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal
Savior, the believer must be baptized by complete immersion in water for the
remission of his or her sins. Water baptism symbolizes the death and burial
of each repentant believer--a spiritual co-joining into the death of Jesus
Christ. Through this baptismal death, the believer becomes a partaker of the
crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, and His blood is applied as full payment
for his or her sins. Rising up out of the water is symbolic of being co-joined
into the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the believer comes up out of the
watery grave of baptism, he or she rises to newness of life. In order to become
a new person, each baptized believer must be begotten with the Holy Spirit
through the laying on of hands. The believer is then led by the Holy Spirit to
walk in loving obedience to God the Father and faith in Jesus Christ.
Scriptural References:
|
Acts 2:38 |
Mat. 3:13-16 |
Mat. 28:19-20 |
|
Col. 2:12 |
Acts 8:12-17 |
Rom. 6:3-13
|
