Here is a brief video about our beliefs regarding baptism at Hope.
BAPTISM AT HOPE
Why Baptism?
We are expected to be baptized. Jesus told His disciples to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 ESV
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer[a] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
Acts 16:25-34 ESV
Why Baptism?
Baptism is subsequent to salvation. It is a public proclamation of your faith
in Christ.
Why Baptism?
Baptism symbolizes what God has done for us through
the work of Christ.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because
they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ...
1 Peter 3:18-21 ESV
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:26-27 ESV
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If I was baptized before, can I be baptized again?
The answer is yes. Pray about it, and if you feel God is calling you to be baptized again, then go for it. Baptism is a public proclamation of your faith in Christ, not a religious routine. There is no extra credit for double dipping.
Is sprinkling okay?
Yes, sprinkling is okay. Some in our midst may have been baptized as children and were "sprinkled" as opposed to "immersed." The Greek word for baptism means to submerge. Some who were "sprinkled" as children or infants may want to be baptized again after making the decision to follow Christ. Again, baptism is in intended to be a public proclamation of your faith in Christ.
If I have the opportunity to be baptized and don't, do I still go to heaven?
Yes, you will still go to heaven. The requirement for salvation is to believe in Christ and His work on the cross. Baptism occurs after salvation and is not a requirement for salvation. Baptism provides an opportunity to practice obedience.
