You don’t need to be baptized to be saved. The New Testament teaches that a person is saved by faith alone in Christ alone. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” In Luke 23, the thief on the cross recognized who Jesus was, reached out to Him, and was promised salvation. That dying thief had no opportunity to be baptized.
We are commanded to be baptized as a part of being a disciple. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19) Baptism is one of only two ordinances or rituals that Jesus commands us to observe for all time. The other is The Lord’s Table, or what is often called communion.
How do we baptize? Vineyard believes the best way to express the spiritual reality of God’s new life is to be baptized by immersion. We really die and rise with Christ. The meaning of the word "baptize" in Greek is to be immersed. This was also a common practice in the early church.
When do we baptize? Vineyard believes you should be baptized any time after you have personally trusted Christ for salvation and have been “born again”. Remember, you are not baptized to become a Christian. You are baptized because you are a Christian.
Can children be baptized? Absolutely, as long as they thoroughly understand what they are doing. Vineyard requests that you wait until your children are around 10 years old so that they can make a thoughtful profession of faith that is their own.
Should I be re-baptized if I was baptized at another church? If you were born again when you were baptized, and as long as the other church was part of mainstream, orthodox Christianity, then you should not be re-baptized.
What if I was baptized as an infant? Among orthodox Christians, there are different perspectives on the way to baptize. Some denominations (such as Reformed, Anglican, Orthodox, and Roman
Catholic) baptize infants, while others (such as most Baptists) do not. If you were baptized as a baby, before you made your own personal confession of faith, then we would encourage you to consider being baptized again as an adult. At the same time, you certainly want to show respect to your parents and their viewpoint, as well as be grateful to God for any spiritual influence they had in your life. Our view of infant baptism is simply that it is more closely related to baby dedication.
We occasionally have people come to Vineyard with very strong convictions about their infant baptism. Because we honor your convictions, re-baptism is not a requirement to become a member of Vineyard. We do, however, want to know that you have a reasoned conviction for not being baptized as an adult.
Can I participate in the Vineyard without being baptized? You can participate in the Vineyard in many ways if you have not been baptized; however, you may not become a member without being baptized. Because we understand baptism to be our common entry point into the worldwide community of Christian faith, it is also our entry point for membership at Vineyard Columbus. If you would like to learn more about baptism, email us at baptism@vineyardcolumbus.org.
Baptism is a subject that Christians don’t all agree about. We at Vineyard, like other Christians, have tried to be faithful to our understanding of the Bible when it comes to baptism. We do, however, view it as a secondary issue and therefore allow room for disagreement between sincere believers.
