Throughout the life of the early church, Christians shared the message of Jesus, and when people heard what Jesus has done for them, they wanted to know how they could receive the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. People continue to ask that question today. As people encounter Jesus and recognize that he is inviting them into a unique relationship with God, they want to know what to do to receive the gifts of forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

The Bible consistently gives us the same answer. When people came to faith in Jesus in the New Testament, the next instruction that they received was that they should be baptized (Acts 2:38; 8:36-39, among others). And in baptism, they encountered the grace of Jesus, and this new relationship with God began.

Because the Bible is so clear about the place of baptism in beginning our relationship with God, we at TCC teach that anyone who comes to faith in Jesus should be baptized and that they should be baptized by immersion. The Greek word used in the New Testament is baptizo, which meant to dip or immerse. We have made an English word out of that Greek word (baptism), but for the New Testament writers, baptizo always meant to put something under the water. Thus, baptism is immersion, or being submerged under water. And our examples of baptism consistently involve people who had the physical and spiritual maturity to make this decision on their own.

To watch Pastor James teach on baptism click here.

If you have questions or are interested in being baptized, please fill out this brief form.