Baptism

Water baptism is an external symbol for an internal reality—the washing and renewal that happens when you ask Jesus to be your leader and forgiver. (See Titus 3:5.) It is also symbolic of your union by faith with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism represents your own death to sin and resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ. (See Colossians 2:12-13 and Romans 6:3-5.) In addition to being symbolic, baptism is a public confession of your new relationship with Jesus and is a visible sign of obedience to Christ. Baptism tells everyone that you have accepted God’s gift of grace and that you now identify yourself as part of His family. (See Acts 2:41, Acts 8:12, and Acts 8:35-38.)

Baptism is not a requirement to become a Christ-follower, but every person who has made Jesus their leader and forgiver will want to be obedient to what Jesus has commanded. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands that those who choose to follow Him be baptized, and in 1 John 2:3, we read that a key identifier of a true Christ-follower is being obedient to what Jesus commands. If you have asked Jesus to be the leader of your life, then you should follow His command and be baptized. For this reason, we encourage anyone who wants to become a member of Verve City Church to be baptized once they have put their trust in Jesus.

Our church recommends that you only be baptized once to symbolize your decision to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Through your decision, your confession of sins, and your profession of faith, you have received the promise of eternal salvation whether you were baptized at Verve City or another Christian church. There’s no biblical instruction that leads us to understand that we should be “re-baptized” as a symbol of recommitment or re-repentance. However, if you have NOT been baptized as a mature Christ-follower – if you were baptized as an infant, for example, you may wish to be baptized now, reflecting your obedience and understanding of Jesus’ direction.

We typically recommend baptism be considered for children in third grade and older. Because the decision to follow Jesus requires a mental understanding of the challenging biblical concepts of sin, grace, and redemption as well as personal decision of the will, we do not baptize infants or young children. Instead, we offer a special Child Dedication and Parent Commitment Service for parents who would like to acknowledge publicly that their child is a blessing from God. You can contact our Family Life & Children’s Pastor Jenn to learn more: jenn@vervecity.church