Beulah Alliance Church

Why is baptism important?

1) Because of our obedience to Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." It's as simple as that. When we love Jesus, we want to do what He says.

When we are baptized, we are following the example of Jesus who was obedient to God the Father, and was baptized "to fulfill all righteousness." The early church believers were baptized.  In Peter's first sermon he said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ."  (Acts 2:38)

Jesus told His disciples to "...make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)

2) Because of our testimony to others.

Baptism is an outward expression of our conversion to Jesus Christ. The Bible records that people always demonstrated belief in Jesus Christ and then were baptized as an outward testimony of their allegiance to Christ. Because salvation only comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), baptism does not earn us favour with God. Rather, it is an expression of our commitment to Him.

Baptism is a picture of the gospel story. The Bible refers to Christians as "...having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12)

Every single baptism is a witness (an acting out) of the gospel story - that Christ died and we are dead to sin through salvation; that Christ was buried and we are burying our old sinful life; that Christ was raised from the dead and that we are raised to live a new life in Christ.

3) Baptism is an expression of our identification.

The original word "baptizo" means literally to dip, to immerse, to place into. Just as a cloth placed into a vat of dye is "identified" with the dye, so in baptism a Christian is identified completely with Jesus Christ. The Bible says we have "clothed ourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:27)

We also identify with the church (the body of Jesus Christ), "for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (2 Corinthians 12:13). Our baptism is a powerful testimony to others.

Baptism by Immersion

At Beulah Alliance Church we practice baptism by immersion under water, which was the method of baptism in the Bible. Immersion best symbolizes the burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our own death to "self and sin" and commitment to live a new life in Christ.

Who should be baptized?

Anyone who has confessed and repented of their sins and is trusting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, should be baptized. At Beulah Alliance Church we do not baptize infants but wait until people are old enough to express their own personal faith in Jesus Christ and understand the meaning of baptism. Young children may therefore be eligible for baptism.

What must I do to be baptized?

At Beulah, people who wish to be baptized must attend a class about baptism. This will be followed later by an interview with a church elder to review your understanding of baptism and to hear about your faith in Christ. If you would like to be baptized, please contact Andrea at 780-486-4010 ext.344 or andrea@beulah.ca