Holy Baptism
When to baptize and who should be baptized is one of the most divisive questions in Christendom. There are two fundamental approaches to Baptism. Baptism is either an outward work, a pledge, performed by a person in obedience to God’s command (a work of the Law that we do to please God), or Holy Baptism is a work performed by God wherein He gives all the benefits of Christ’s work (the Gospel) to the one being baptized. It is really that simple. Baptism either gives something, or it does not. It is either a work of man, or it is the work of God. It is either a mere outward symbol of a convert’s obedience, or it is the living Word of God itself wherein everything that is in the Gospel is given to the one being baptized.
Romans 6:3-5 says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death. . . If we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also [united with Him] in the likeness of His resurrection.”; 1 Peter 3:21, “Baptism now saves you– not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience– through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Baptism is the Gospel in liquid form. In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit washes away all sin, wraps the baptized in the righteousness robe of Jesus Christ, and adopts the baptized as His very own child, regardless of age. Through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism a person is brought into the Christian Faith, made a member of the Christian Church, and begins a life of worship, instruction, and service to God.
So come to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church where the Word of God, the Sacraments, and the liturgy are rightly used and your life in Christ can begin. Bring your children to be baptized and raise them in the church.
To learn more, please visit our online learning section on Holy Baptism!