Statement on Baptism

While recognizing the right for other churches to practice infant Baptism if it conforms to their theologies, the congregation of St. Paul's Collegiate Church understands Scripture to teach that only professing believers qualify for Baptism.

Scriptural teaching on Baptism may be summarized as follows:

Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ, fulfilled by individuals who have submitted themselves to His sovereignty.

Baptism symbolizes the spiritual cleansing through divine forgiveness and the newness of life experienced by believers by virtue of their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection.

Baptism provides an opportunity for believers to make a formal profession of their faith before the church.

As a biblical rite of initiation into the body of Christ, Baptism of believers may be considered a prerequisite for joining the membership of the church.

Although the old covenant practice of infant circumcision is sometimes given as a rationale for infant Baptism, the biblical definition of the functions of circumcision and Baptism shows that those two institutions fulfilled different purposes in their respective covenants. The equation is never made in the Bible between the circumcision of male infants, in the old covenant, and the Baptism of born-again believers, much less of infants, in the new covenant. However, St. Paul's Collegiate Church encourages Christian parents to present their children for the ceremony of dedication, whereby God's blessing is formally invoked upon the children, and the parents publicly commit themselves to raise the children in accordance with the teachings of Scripture.

Because the symbolism of Baptism requires a more adult level of cognitive and developmental readiness, the Elders require that children be at least 12 years old to be baptized. 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 that they may not fully understand, this minimum age has been established.

Baptism recognizes and celebrates the redemptive life change that is continually occurring within our church. The Elders encourage, new believers and believers, that have not yet participated in adult Baptism, the opportunity to be baptized as part of a weekend worship service.

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A WORD ABOUT REAFFIRMATION OF INFANT BAPTISM

If the purpose of Baptism is to publicly identify a believer in Jesus Christ, you may well be asking yourself, "What was the significance of my Baptism as a baby?" In the Bible, we find parents bringing their children to Jesus. He held them and prayed for them and told us to welcome them. But He did not baptize them, and He did not tell anyone else to baptize them. Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation.

If you were baptized as a child, it was the intent of your parents that you would one day be a follower of Christ. Therefore, we encourage you to PUBLICLY AFFIRM YOUR BAPTISMAL VOWS now as a believing adult. This REAFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM can be viewed as the fulfillment of your parents' wishes. It in no way repudiates the Baptism you received as a child.