Baptism and Confirmation

What is baptism?
In Acts 2:38 we read:

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". (ESV)

Baptism is a symbol. It's a symbol of the new life that a person receives in Jesus Christ. It is an identification with Jesus, and an opportunity to declare what we believe and be publicly identified as a Christian believer.

Baptism is a picture representing profound spiritual truths: death, resurrection and cleansing.

Death
The Christian has died with Christ:

I have been crucified with Christ. it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Resurrection
We have been raised with Christ:

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:4-5, ESV)

Cleansing
Our sins are forgiven and we are now clean in his sight:

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ... (1 Peter 3:21, ESV)

It is not the water in baptism that is magical or that saves people, in the same way that it is not a wedding ring that makes people married or that is the marriage. But as the wedding ring points to the reality of the marriage, so water baptism points to the greater reality that underlies it: the change in life that God works in us by his Spirit as we come to trust in Jesus' death and resurrection for our salvation.

Why should I be baptised?
If you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, it is right and appropriate to be baptised publicly and to declare your repentance of your former way of life and your trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.

Being baptised won't make you a Christian person (in fact, there have been people in the Bible who were baptised but then later abandoned the faith, such as Ananias and Sapphira). But baptism is the appropriate response of those who have been made alive in Christ. It is more a sign to others than ourselves, and it is a great way to proclaim the gospel with our very lives to our friends and family.

Baptism is a profound symbolic act that mirrors the spiritual reality that happens when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour: he cleanses you from sin and you receive new life in the Holy Spirit.

If you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and have not been baptised before, why not be baptised before your Christian family here at City Night Church?

What is Confirmation?
Within the Anglican Church, there is a service of confirmation that enables people to affirm their faith in God and their desire to serve him throughout their lives. In the confirmation service, the bishop lays hands on those who have been baptised and instructed in the Christian faith, praying over them that God's indwelling Spirit will strengthen and guide them.

For those who have been baptised as infants, the service of confirmation allows them to openly, before the whole church, take upon themselves and confirm the promises made on their behalf by their parents and godparents. It is a fantastic opportunity for them to declare their faith in Jesus Christ and give testimony to his work in them by his Holy Spirit.

Interested?
Talk to Mike or Mandy to find out more.

We are happy to baptise people any week (by arrangement) at City Night Church. We have Bishop Rob Forsyth coming on 24 May 2009 for a confirmation service, and we would be happy to include others on this night as well.