DECIDE

Baptism is a meaningful step of faith and a powerful expression of our trust in Jesus. It is a visible picture of what Jesus has done for us through His death, burial, and resurrection. When we are baptized, we identify with Him, leaving behind our old life and rising into a new life shaped by grace, forgiveness, and freedom.

Baptism does not save us, but it is a personal and public declaration that we believe in Jesus and are choosing to follow Him. It marks the beginning of a new journey, empowered by God’s Spirit, as we walk in the life He has made possible for us.

The Bible teaches that only Jesus saves. Acts 4:12 states salvation is found “in no one else” but Jesus. We encourage people to believe, repent, confess and be baptized. As mentioned before, the actions do not save us – but each of these actions are mentioned in Scripture and are part of becoming a Christian.

It’s not profitable or fruitful to argue at which point one is saved. We do not judge anyone who has followed a different pattern. Judgment belongs to God alone (Romans 14:4, 8-12). God has the right to save any heart, for He alone sees the heart. No one this side of heaven can fully understand the majesty and meaning of baptism.

In the Bible, baptism was the natural and consistent response of those who gave their lives to Jesus. When people came to faith in the New Testament, they believed in Jesus (Acts 16:31), turned away from their sins (Acts 2:38), confessed Him as Lord (Matthew 16:16–18; Romans 10:9–10), and were baptized (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 2:38–41; Acts 8:36–38).

As followers of Jesus today, we’re called to carry on that same pattern teaching others to believe, repent, follow Christ, and take the step of baptism, just as the Apostles taught the early church.

All you need to begin is the simple but life-changing realization that you’re a sinner in need of grace, and that Jesus is your Savior. Following Him is a journey, not a destination.

As you grow in your faith, you’ll continue to learn more about God and what the Bible teaches. But this moment, saying “yes” to Jesus, is just the beginning of an incredible new life with Him!

Christ set the example for us when John baptized Him. “But John tried to talk him out of it. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,’ he said, ‘so why are you coming to me?’ But Jesus said, ‘It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.’ So John agreed to baptize him” (Matthew 3:14-15, NLT).

If Jesus was obedient in being baptized, shouldn’t we?

What matters most in baptism is the heart behind it, your faith in Jesus and your desire to follow Him. The physical location, whether it was in a church, a lake, a pool, or even another country, isn't what makes your baptism meaningful.

What’s important is that you were baptized as a response to your faith, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, just as Jesus taught.

If you were baptized in a different church or denomination and you're wondering if it “counts,” we’d love to talk with you. We’re not here to question your past, but to walk with you as you take your next step in faith. And if you’ve never been baptized, or if you were baptized as a baby and are now choosing to follow Jesus for yourself, we’d be honored to help you take that step now.

The leaders at 1C are responsible to God for what we teach. Our heart is to lead people to lives of godliness and growth in Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism was an ordinance of the New Testament church. Everyone who accepted Christ was baptized.

As a modern-day Church seeking to return to Biblical standards, 1C’s leadership feels we should “do what they did” and “teach what they taught” in scripture. Baptism is too important to be compromised. We realize not everyone agrees regarding its importance, but we are called to lead the best way we know how. We believe that people who call 1C home should hold an elevated view of baptism.

In Acts, which records the history of the early church, everyone who accepted Christ was baptized. Take a look at some of their stories:

The Samaritans- Acts 8:4-17
The Ethiopian- Acts 8:26-39
Cornelius- Acts 10:23- 48
Lydia- Acts 16:11-15
The Philippian Jailer- Acts 16:16- 34
The Corinthians- Acts 18:7-8
The Ephesians- Acts 19:1-7
Paul- Acts 22:1-16

Baptism is very important, but it’s not what saves you. The Bible is clear that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by any works, including baptism (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a gift we receive by trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

That said, baptism is an essential step of obedience for every believer. It’s a public declaration of your faith, an outward symbol of the inward transformation that’s already taken place in your heart.

Jesus Himself was baptized, and He commanded His followers to do the same (Matthew 28:19).
So while baptism doesn’t save you, it demonstrates that you belong to Jesus. It’s a powerful moment of commitment, celebration, and identification with His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). If you’ve made a decision to follow Jesus, baptism is the natural next step.

Choosing to follow Jesus means committing your life to Him. It doesn’t mean you’ll be perfect, we all stumble at times. But when you do, you simply turn back to Him, realign your heart, and keep moving forward in faith. Following Jesus is about progress, not perfection.

Let’s look at how the word baptism is used in the Bible. The original language of the New Testament was Greek. When Paul and other authors wrote of baptism, they always used the Greek word baptizó, which meant, “to dip or immerse.” There are other Greek words that mean “to sprinkle or pour,” and the authors would have used those words if they had intended to include other forms of baptism.

The preference of baptism by immersion can be seen in Acts 8:38 when Philip baptized a man from Ethiopia. After the man expressed his faith in Jesus Christ, they went down into the water – an action not necessary if Philip were baptizing him by sprinkling. Immersion was the commonly accepted form of baptism in the church for hundreds of years. Only in later centuries did people begin to substitute different forms of baptism.

In order to answer this question, we must first understand the nature of human beings. First, are we born with the mark of sin on our lives? Or do we have a “clean slate” until we are old enough to understand when we are acting contrary to God’s commands?

At 1C we believe all mankind has a sinful nature, we all have the tendency to sin. However, we believe that a just God does not hold us accountable for sin until we are old enough to understand when we are in rebellion against Him. When someone is old enough to recognize their sinful nature, we encourage them to accept Christ, who died on the cross, paying the price for their sins.

We realize many parents have had their newborn children baptized, making a public declaration of their intent to raise the child to know God. Although this is admirable, we don’t believe a newborn baby is capable of choosing to sin – an act of willful disobedience to God – so baptism isn’t necessary.

Adult baptism is not a sign of disrespect for what your parents did. In fact, it can be seen as a fulfillment of their prayers. Be thankful for the heritage of concerned parents, but don’t neglect to make your own personal pledge of faith to God through baptism.

Baby Dedication is a special opportunity for parents to publicly commit to raising their child to know and follow Jesus. Offered twice each year, this moment allows families to pray over their child, seek God’s guidance, and commit to building a Christ centered foundation at home, supported by the church community. 

Re-baptism is only encouraged for those who lack confidence in their initial decision to be baptized. These reasons can vary but usually consist of making that decision for the wrong reasons: If you felt pressured by friends or family, if you did it out of guilt or if you feel that you decision was not made for the right reasons.

Baptism should be a personal decision of obedience to Jesus’ saving grace in your life. Scripture teaches that anyone who has fallen into sin after being baptized should confess and repent of that sin, making re-baptism unnecessary.

In the early church, there weren’t any situations where people accepted Christ without being baptized. As we discussed earlier, Jesus is the one who saves us. His sacrifice on the cross is what brings freedom from sin. Baptism is an obedient expression of a surrendered heart and one’s trust in Jesus as the leader of their life.

The closest scriptural example we can find of a believer who was not immersed is Apollos (Acts 18:24-26). He was a very spiritual man who was committed to his relationship with Jesus. But Apollos had not been taught correctly about baptism. Apollos knew only of John the Baptist’s baptism, which was one of repentance and preparation for the coming of Jesus (Luke 3:1-19). He wasn’t familiar with the Christian baptism as the Apostles in the early church taught it. When Priscilla and Aquila instructed him, Scripture tells us Apollos was willing to change his ideas and submit to Christian baptism – baptism in Christ. Priscilla and Aquila did not judge him; they taught him.

Surrendering your life to Jesus and being baptized is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. That’s why we want you to feel confident and clear about the step you’re taking.

You’re ready to be baptized if you believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for your sins, and you’re ready to surrender your life to Him and follow His leadership. If that’s where your heart is, then baptism is your best next step!