Baptism
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Baptism is an important step of obedience that shows others we have personally trusted Jesus for our salvation. Jesus was baptized when He was on the earth, and we do this to follow His example. When Christians are baptized, they are submerged under water to identify with the death and burial of Jesus and raised out of the water to identify with His resurrection. We believe that water baptism is a public declaration of three important things: you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are beginning a changed life in Christ, and you are part of a new family.
BAPTISM AT LCC
We practice baptism by immersion, which best represents the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:1-5) and symbolizes the burial of the old self and the emerging of a “new creation” in our own lives as we seek to walk and grow with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Salvation is a gift that is given freely by God through the complete and atoning sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. According to the New Testament, baptism is the first visible expression of our faith. We are compelled to be baptized because Jesus both commanded it and modeled it.
Several times throughout the year we provide opportunities for people to stand before family and friends and confess that Jesus Christ has saved them from sin and death and given them new, abundant & eternal life through faith in Him. These people have identified with Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. They have called Him Lord and intend, by His grace and power, to continue following Him. Through their baptism in water, they announce to the world their new life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. They are boldly witnessing to the fact that Jesus Christ has set them free to walk in the newness of His life and His love.