Baptism at Ridgeland

When we become Christ followers by making a “faith-alone” commitment to Jesus Christ for our salvation, one of the next steps we should take is to be baptized. Baptism is an outward sign of our inward faith. It is an event in which we “go public” with our faith–commitment to Jesus Christ.

Why Should I Be Baptized?

Christ commanded that everyone who believes in Him be baptized (Matthew 28:19-20).  Not only did Christ command that we be baptized, but Christ himself was baptized (Mark 1:9) leaving us an example to follow.

What is the Meaning of Baptism?

Baptism is the public declaration of our personal faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to follow Him.

Baptism does not make us a believer — it shows that we already believe.  Baptism does not “save” us; only our faith in Christ does that.  Baptism is like a wedding ring — it is the outward symbol of the commitment we made in our heart.

Baptism is…

• A step of obedience (Matthew 3:13-16) – Jesus set the example for us by being baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
• A statement of commitment (Romans 10:9-10) – Baptism serves as a public statement that we have surrendered our lives to Christ and that we believe in him. In Baptism, we are declaring to the world that we belong to Christ and He is our Lord and Savior.
• A symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-11) – Just as Christ gave His life for us and died, in making a decision to follow Christ, the person we were prior to becoming a follower of Christ is also dead. Modeling how Christ was buried and then resurrected from death, during Baptism, we are buried in the water and then raised to become a new person.

To get more information about being baptized, please contact the Ridgeland Church office.