Next Sunday, January 4th, Mars Hill Church | West Seattle will be baptizing believers during all services (9am, 11:15am, and 5pm). If you have never been baptized as a believing and professing Christian, this is your opportunity to do so. Sign ups will be accepted until Friday, so email westseattle@marshillchurch.org to get signed up.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about baptism:

Q: What is baptism?

A: Baptism is the Christian act of immersing a believer under water and then bringing him forth out of the water. It is a practical representation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the person being baptized is plunged beneath the waters and brought forth in the same way that Jesus was buried in the earth and resurrected on their behalf in forgiveness of their sins (Rom 6:1-10; Col 2:12). Baptism identified a Christian with Jesus (Acts 10:48; Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27), the universal church (1 Cor 12:13), and the local church (Acts 2:41).

Q: Why should Christians be baptized?

A: Jesus commanded that all Christians be baptized (Mt 28:19). His apostles also commanded that all Christians be baptized (Acts 2:38). Therefore, Christians should be baptized because their God and His servants command it.

Q: Who should be baptized?

A: First, John the Baptizer required that people repent of sin before they could be baptized (Mt 3:2, 6; Mk 1:4; Lk 3:3). Therefore, only Christians who have repented of sin should be baptized.

Second, every baptism in the New Testament is preceded by repentance of sin and faith in Jesus (Acts 2:38-41; 2:41; 8:12; 9:18-19; 10:44-48; 16:14-15, 40; 16:29-36; 18:8; 19:1-7; 22:16). Therefore, only Christians who have repented of sin and have trusted in Jesus should be baptized.

Third, baptism is reserved solely for people who have put on Christ (Gal 3:27). Therefore, only those who are Christians should be baptized.

In summary, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus are the marks of a Christian. And all Christians are commanded to be baptized in order to identify themselves with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Subsequently, no one but a Christian should be baptized, and this excludes all non-Christians and children who are too young to demonstrate repentance and articulate faith.

Q: May I be baptized if I have previously been baptized?

A: Once someone has been baptized there is no need for him to be baptized again (Eph 4:5). The only exception to this is if someone was baptized as a non-Christian and desires to profess his faith and be baptized as a Christian (Acts 19:1-5). Theis exception would include people who were baptized in cults and heretical churches, as well as those baptized as infants at the request of their parents. Mars Hill does not require that those who were baptized as children be re-baptized as believing adults, but leaves this decision to the conscience of each Christian.

Q: Do members have to be baptized?

A: Since Jesus commands that all of his disciples be baptized, baptism is a requirement for all Mars Hill members (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38; 10:48; 1 Peter 3:21). If you’ve already been baptized since you became a Christian, you don’t need to get re-baptized. Mars Hill performs believer baptisms only, which means we don’t baptize infants. If a prospective member was baptized as a baby and does not want to be re-baptized due to reasons of conscience, that is acceptable as long as this decision remains personal and does not become a divisive issue within the church. If you have more questions about baptism specifically, please speak with a pastor or other leader at your campus.

[FAQ's from "Baptism: An explanation of believer baptism and refutation of contrary beliefs" by Pastor Mark Driscoll]