What is Baptism?
Baptism = The Greek word Baptiso = "to dip in water"
In the Bible people would usually be put totally into the water. Jesus himself was baptised in a river (see Matthew 3:13-17).
Today it depends on your church and what you want. Some churches put people completely underwater in their church hall. Some sprinkle water on you. Some still baptise people in rivers, and one church has even used the fountains in Trafalgar Square in London for baptising.
Phil at Trinity will sprinkle water on your head, three times.

What does it mean?
Baptism mainly symbolizes being washed clean. Just like water removes dirt, the water of baptism represents our sins being washed away.
It can also symbolize dying (as we go under the water) and being raised up (as we come out) - we say the old person has died and we are now a new person.
If water is sprinkled it symbolizes the three parts of God - God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Why do we do it?
There are two main reasons:
· To show we are now a different person - our sins are forgiven and we are part of Gods family
· To make a public sign that we want to follow God.
Jesus himself was baptised by his cousin, John the Baptist.

Do I have to be baptised to be a Christian?
The Bible says no.
When Jesus was on the cross he was next to a criminal, who asked Jesus to forgive him (Luke 23:40-43). Jesus told the criminal that he would go to heaven when he died. The criminal hadn't been baptised, but still went to heaven.

Does being baptised make you a Christian?
No, you get baptised to show you are already a Christian, not to become one.

So why should we get baptised?
Baptism lets us tell everyone we have decided to follow Jesus. It's the best way of showing that we are now part of his family. It's also a chance to celebrate.
Jesus got baptised, and told us that if we are his followers we should too. The criminal on the cross had a pretty good excuse for not being baptised - we don't have an excuse so ought to do it!

When should we do it?
In the Bible, baptism was usually something that happened to adults when they had decided to follow God. It wasn't very often that babies were baptised.
We should only be baptised if we are serious about following Jesus.

Why are babies baptised?
This began in the middle ages when people thought that if you were not baptised you would not go to heaven. Because a lot of babies died really young, people got them baptised as quickly as possible.
We still baptise babies today, to show that their parents will bring them up as part of the church. Anyone baptised can then be confirmed (see the page about confirmation for more on that).

What does the Bible say about baptism?
Lots of things! For examples, see:
Matthew 3:13-17 - Jesus gets baptised
Mark 16:15-16 or Matthew 28:19-20 - Jesus tells his followers to baptise people
Acts 8:36-38 - A man gets baptised
Acts 2:38-41, Acts 9:18, Acts 10:47, Acts 16:14-15, Acts 16:31-34, Acts 18:8 - Other baptisms

What is baptism in the Holy Spirit?
It's a phrase which people use to mean someone has received a lot of Gods power or strength. It's a completely different subject to baptism in water.

You can also read about confirmation

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