Should I Be Baptised?

The short answer: If you trust Jesus, baptism is something He asks His followers to do, so it’s a question worth taking seriously. All Christians agree on what baptism points to, but faithful Christians genuinely differ on whether it’s for believers only or also for the babies of Christian families. Talk it through with your parents and your church.

Maybe a friend has just been baptised and you’re wondering whether you should be. Maybe you were baptised as a baby and someone has asked whether that “counts”. This is a question where the Bible is clear on some things and Christians read it differently on others, so this chapter will show you both.

Where Christians agree

Start with what almost every church holds.

• Jesus commanded it. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus Himself was baptised, though He had no sin to confess (Mark 1:9).
• It’s about being joined to Christ. “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Going under the water pictures dying to the old life; coming up pictures rising to a new one.
• It marks you as belonging. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). It’s like a uniform, a public sign that you’re on Jesus’ team.
• It’s once. There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). It isn’t repeated every time you mess up.
• It goes with faith. Baptism is never a magic ritual. Peter said that what saves is not “the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21).

Where Christians differ

Believer’s baptism. Baptists, Pentecostals and many independent churches baptise people who can say for themselves that they trust Jesus, often by going right under the water. They point out that in the New Testament the pattern is believe, then be baptised: “Those who embraced his message were baptized” (Acts 2:41). When an Ethiopian official heard about Jesus, he asked, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). For them, baptism is your own public “yes” to Jesus.

Infant baptism. Anglicans, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics and Orthodox Christians also baptise the babies of believing families. They point out that in the Old Testament, baby boys received the sign of God’s covenant, and that Peter said, “This promise belongs to you and your children” (Acts 2:39). They note that whole households were baptised together, as when the jailer at Philippi “and all his household were baptized” (Acts 16:33). For them, baptism shows that God’s promise comes first, before a child can understand it, and the child is then raised to trust Him and later confirms that faith personally.

Churches also differ on how much God does through baptism itself, whether it is mainly a sign we give or a means by which God gives His grace. All agree that it is Christ who saves.

Both sides are made up of people who love the Bible and take baptism seriously. This book won’t decide between them.

So what should you do?

If you trust Jesus and have never been baptised, talk to your parents and a pastor. They’ll be glad you asked.

If you were baptised as a baby, ask your church what it believes about that. Some churches will invite you to confirm your faith publicly; others will invite you to be baptised as a believer. Either way, the important thing is that the faith your baptism points to becomes your own.

And if you’re not sure you believe yet, that’s honest. Baptism isn’t a test you pass by being good enough. It’s a sign of belonging to Jesus, and you can talk to Him about that today.

Think about it: What does your church teach about baptism, and why? If you’ve been baptised, what does it mean to you now?

Go deeper: The Key Teachings of Martin Luther — Luther held the infant-baptism view, and the chapter explains why; but its heart is something Christians on both sides treasure: when the devil accused him in his darkest moments, he answered simply “I am baptised”, resting not on his feelings but on God’s promise. Start with chapter 12, “I Am Baptised”.