Baptism at Skyline
Water baptism is such an important and exciting step in your faith. This is the moment you get to make your faith public and let the whole community celebrate with you! But why is baptism so important? I'm glad you asked...
Jesus teaches that those who have a personal relationship with Him should be baptized. Baptism shows your family, friends, people in the church and others that you have become a follower of Jesus. It shows that you want to live differently and for Him.
The requirement is simple. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and tell Him that you want Him to be part of your life.
The purpose of baptism is to publicly identify a new believer in Jesus Christ. The question may be asked, “Why are so many people baptized as babies?” In the Bible, we find parents bringing their children to Jesus. He held them, prayed for them, and told his disciples to welcome them, but he did not baptize them, and he did not tell anyone else to baptize them. Baptism is appropriate only for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation.
If you were baptized as a child, it was no doubt the intent of your parents that you would one day be a follower of Christ. Your baptism as an adult can be viewed as the fulfillment of your parents’ wishes. It in no way repudiates the baptism you received as a child.
The symbolism of Baptism requires a certain level of cognitive and developmental readiness, the leadership of Skyline Church believe that ultimately, this decision should be made by a child's parents. Proverbs 20:25 issues a significant caution against the danger of making a vow before adequate knowledge, forethought, and reflection have been given. In an effort to prevent young people from making a premature commitment, they may not fully understand, we ask that those being baptized fully understand what it means to be a believer and have asked Jesus Christ into their heart as their personal Lord and Savior and understand what that entails.
In Romans 6:1-11, the Apostle Paul explains how the immersion mode of baptism identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Going under water symbolizes Christ’s death. Coming out of the water illustrates his resurrection. Because of this, we hold to baptism by immersion but will sprinkle those with physical disabilities or those who have a psychological reason for not being immersed. It is important to understand that the value of the sacrament of baptism is in the life and heart of the believer, not in the amount of water used.
The New Testament records the baptisms of adults who are believers but never of children. Baptism can’t give a person anything, spiritually speaking. It can only signify something that has already happened. Therefore, Skyline will only baptize people who profess to follow Christ. We do, however, encourage Christian parents to present their children for the ceremony of dedication, whereby God’s blessing is formally invoked upon the children. The parents, family, and church body are given the opportunity to publicly commit themselves to raise the children in accordance with the teachings of Scripture.
If you have any questions about Child Dedications, please email us.
If you have come to a point in your life where you have decided to follow Christ in everything you do, whether 15 minutes ago, a week ago, or 20 years ago, baptism is the next step of obedience for you to take. Going public with your faith through baptism is a powerful, biblical response to your faith in Jesus.
Yes! At any time, you can call the church office and inquire or email our office any questions you might have. We also hold Baptism Class several times a year, just prior to our Sunday Baptism Services, where we explain how our baptisms work and answer any questions you may have. You are welcome to attend any of these class’s if you're considering being baptized but aren't yet sure.
Baptism can’t give a person anything, spiritually speaking. It can only signify something that has already happened. Therefore, at Skyline, we only baptize people who profess to be followers of Christ. This is a public declaration of someone who has already trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Are you ready to publicly declare your love for Jesus? We hold baptisms about four times a year.