John the Baptist’s baptism signified repentance:
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." - Matthew 3:11

John baptized Jesus:
"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." - Mark 1:9

Jesus commanded His followers to be baptized:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…" - Matthew 28:19
 
Baptism is for believers:
"They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.' Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized." - Acts 16:31-33

Baptism is commanded following a desire to repent from sin:
"Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" - Acts 2:38

Baptism demonstrates a person’s willingness to accept the gospel:
"As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?’" - Acts 8:36

Entire families of the early church were baptized:
"When she (Lydia) and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. 'If you consider me a believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay at my house.' And she persuaded us…"  - Acts 16:15

Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ:
"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." - Romans 6:3-4

"Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." - Colossians 2:12
 
Baptism publicly identifies us with Christ and His Body, the Church:
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." - Galatians 3:27
 
Baptism symbolizes God’s work of salvation:
"And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 3:21

Baptism is a God-given, God-chosen event that marks us as new disciples of Christ.
Baptism symbolizes with water what we are asking God to do in our souls through His grace alone by faith in His powerful saving work on the cross.
Baptism is a powerful picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we are putting our faith in for salvation.
It is clear that God’s will is that every believer in Jesus is to be baptized.
Baptism was not intended for infants and those who can’t or won’t believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Baptism in the Bible was by immersion, not sprinkling.
Baptism is part of becoming a member of the global Church and a Christian.
Baptism is not something we argue about; it’s just something we celebrate and obey.
The wrong question is: “Do I have to be baptized?”; the right question is: “What’s stopping me?”

A person should be baptized to follow the example of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17), to obey Jesus' command (Matthew 28:18), to receive forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), to express trust in Christ (Acts 8:12-13), and to testify to God's work in his or her life (Romans 6:1-8; Galatians 3:27). The only method by which the human soul can be wiped clean of sin is through the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:27-10:7), and this "washing away" of sin is most clearly symbolized in the act of baptism (Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21).  

It seems clear that in the New Testament, baptism is a willing pledge made by those who are old enough to recognize their sin, mature enough to comprehend the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross, and independent enough to commit themselves to him. I think it’s also important to note that there is no reference to a baby being baptized anywhere in the Bible. Almost every time baptism is mentioned, it is preceded by some command for belief. We are never told to be baptized and then later believe, but to come to a trusting faith that is soon after demonstrated by a decision to associate ourselves with Christ in baptism. That requires a certain level of maturity.

First, you should be grateful that you had parents who cared enough about you to take you to church and set you apart for God. Because of their devotion, you have the opportunity to complete their prayer by willingly submitting to believer's baptism. But please be aware that nobody can become a Christian for you. Not your parents, not your grandparents, not your godparents. Only you can decide to follow Jesus Christ. When you do, you should be baptized by immersion because that’s the way Jesus was baptized, and that’s the way it was done in the Bible. Only immersion conveys the compelling symbolism of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

You need to realize only that you are a sinner, and that apart from Jesus Christ, who took upon himself the punishment for sins, you cannot be made right with God. We ask for a simple statement of faith: I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I accept him as my Lord and Savior. Max Lucado writes, "Do the bride and groom understand all of the implications of the wedding? No. Do they know every challenge or threat they will face? No. But they know they love each other, and they vow to be faithful to the end. When a willing heart enters the waters of baptism, does he know the implications of the vow? No. Does she know every temptation or challenge she will face? No. But both know the love of God and are responding to him."

Could it be possible for someone to be baptized without knowledge of Christ? Absolutely. Churches are filled with people who have been baptized out of peer pressure, parent pressure, pastor pressure, and spouse pressure or even as a good luck charm. There are those who, upon reflection, decide that they had no idea what they were doing the first time. But now that they understand what God did for them, they want to say thank you in baptism. But that’s a personal decision, and only you know your heart. 

Any person who has trusted in Jesus as the only Son of God and who has willingly been immersed into Jesus may become a member of First Christian whether the baptism occurred here or elsewhere. Re-baptism is encouraged for those who lack confidence in their initial baptism experience because they don't remember it, they were coerced, or their heart was not right with God at the time.

No. If you were baptized in a Baptist church or at a Pentecostal church camp, or in a lake, a pond, a river, the ocean, at a family reunion, or in a friend’s swimming pool, it doesn’t matter. What is important is that you knew that you were a sinner and Jesus was your Savior, and you were pledging your life to follow him.

The answer to this is a resounding NO! The Bible is clear that only Jesus saves through the powerful work of salvation which is a finished work by Christ on the cross. Baptism has no redemptive powers of its own. There is nothing special about the pool, the river, the pond, or the baptistry. Tragically, some people believe they are going to go to heaven when they die just because a few drops of water were sprinkled over their heads a few weeks after their birth or a few minutes before their death. They have no personal faith, have never made a personal decision, and are banking on a hollow ceremony to save them. If your faith is in a sacrament and not the Savior, you are trusting a powerless ritual.  More than that baptism is picture of what you asking in faith for God to do in your soul, cleanse you from sin and give you a new life. 

This question is best answered with a question. Why hasn’t the person been baptized? There are three possible answers:
1. ”I never understood baptism." Perhaps nobody ever told you to be baptized. Maybe you’ve never been challenged to consider the issue before. Many of us grew up in a church that didn’t put a lot of emphasis on baptism, and it takes a while to understand the importance of it. That may very well be true for some of you. If this is the case, we urge you to give thought to what God says about baptism. This doesn’t negate your faith up to this point. But part of maturity is an openness to understand new truths of the Christian walk. Acts 18 tells us about a powerful preacher named Apollos, who was a brilliant man with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, he spoke with great fervor and he taught about Jesus accurately, but he only knew the baptism of John, not about baptism into Christ. A caring Christian couple named Aquila and Priscilla heard him and invited him to their home and explained the way of God more adequately.
It is the conviction of the leadership of this church, both elders and ministers, that believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and your Savior, repenting of personal sin, confessing your faith, and being immersed into Christ is the way of God more adequately. It is a trustworthy biblical pattern to follow, it is sound doctrine, and it is the infallibly safe way to trust and obey. You can find Bible scholars and teachers who support an opposing view, that de-emphasize baptism or over-emphasize it.  All of which create unnecessary confusion and disunity. In the New Testament, baptism was adopted as the way of displaying and celebrating saving faith, personal repentance, and conversion.
2. A second reason for not being baptized is "I don’t want to." Let’s think about that response for a moment: The God of the Universe humbles himself by leaving heaven and being born in an animal feed-trough. He eats human food, feels human feelings, and dies a disgraceful death. He is spat upon, beaten, stripped naked, and nailed to a cross. He takes our eternal condemnation on himself in our place. He then offers salvation as a free gift and asks that we say yes to him in baptism, and someone responds, "I don’t want to"? Such logic doesn’t add up. Such resistance doesn’t reveal a problem with baptism; such resistance reveals a problem of the heart. Such a person doesn’t need a study of a sacrament. He needs a long, hard examination of the soul. Such people were whom Jesus had in mind when he said, "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46
True believers not only offer their sins; they yield their wills to Christ. Baptism is the initial test of the believing heart. The heart of a penitent believer says, "If you want me to be baptized in a pile of leaves, I’ll do it. I may not understand it, but neither do I understand how you could save a sinner like me." If you’re resistant to the initiatory command of a disciple, you have to wonder if there is genuine faith and repentance.
3.  But there are those who are not baptized for a third reason. "What of the ones who died and never had a chance to be baptized? What if I entrust my soul to Christ and before I can be baptized, I drop dead of a heart attack?"
The answer to this question is found in the character of God. Would a God of love reject an honest heart? No way. Would a God of mercy and grace condemn any seeking soul? I don’t think so. Having died for you and called you, would God cast you away because of a curious sequence of events beyond your control? Not likely.
Is it possible for an unbaptized believer to be saved? All things are possible with God—including saving people with imperfect knowledge, and imperfect understanding, and imperfect opportunities. How arrogant of us that we would ever assume to judge what only God knows for sure. Is it God’s desire that every believer be baptized? Absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt! Our desire is not to endlessly debate the possibilities but to humbly present the pattern found in God’s word.  
Don’t allow baptism to be something it's not. Apart from the cross, it has no significance. If you are trusting a dunk in the water to save you, you have missed the message of grace.
Don’t prevent baptism from being what God intended. This is not an optional command. This is no trivial issue. It is a willing plunge into the power and promise of Christ.
If it was important enough for Jesus to do to begin his ministry, don’t you think it’s important enough for you to follow as you begin following him? And if it was important enough for Jesus to command as he concluded his ministry here on earth, don’t you think it's important enough for you to obey? 

In the New Testament, people were baptized very soon after understanding the gospel, and placing faith in Jesus, upon hearing the message preached and the call of God in their heart.  Romans 10:9-10 - "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." There is a moment when you begin to respond to the message of salvation in your heart. You are convicted by the message, confess your belief in Jesus' work on the cross, ask for forgiveness, declare a desire to repent, and pledge your life to follow Jesus by faith. For many people this happens in a church service, at a retreat, at summer camp, a late night conversation, or even alone.  
When you place faith in Jesus, and confess your need for salvation to God by asking him to save you, your next step is to follow Jesus into baptism. Baptism is meant to be a powerful defining moment of your personal experience of salvation with God. Many people choose to be baptized immediately, and that is perfectly acceptable and biblical. Several others want to share their testimony and moment of baptism in front of friends and family, and the whole church. This too is acceptable and biblical. This would be an example of scheduling a baptism. A person’s saving faith is represented and expressed in baptism.  
The exact moment of salvation has become a point of unfortunate conflict for several Christians and traditions throughout the years. Many have sought to over-emphasize a confession of faith, along with a de-emphasizing on baptism. And vice-versa; there has been efforts to over-emphasize baptism as a legalistic act that saves, and a de-emphasis of the confession of initial faith as the beginning point of God’s saving work in us. In the New Testament, there is no exact same way a person came to Christ, each story is unique, however we observe common elements, not always in the same order:  hearing the gospel, confessing faith in Jesus, repenting of sin, and surrendering to baptism. The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8, as soon as he understood the message of Christ, stopped his chariot at the first sight of water to be baptized. Paul is struck blind, then led into Damascus where he waits for Ananias to show up and baptize him. In Acts 19, twelve individuals were called ‘disciples’ without having been baptized yet, then they were baptized once they understood it better. Before the jailer in Acts 16 was baptized, he took time to wash Paul and Silas’ wounds, then he gathered the whole household together for baptism. The thief on the cross couldn’t physically get off the cross to be baptized. The point is God alone knows the moment and the heart of each person. And the same is true for us today. If someone places genuine faith in Jesus, it should be followed by baptism. Each person should desire to be baptized as soon as possible in order to give glory to God for his powerful work of salvation in a believer’s life.

Baptism can be performed by any baptized believer. Some churches and traditions require it to be an ordained minister or a church official.  But in the Scriptures we see examples of both. A pastoral title does not qualify you as a more holy person in God’s family any more than any believer. 1 Peter 2:9-10 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Every Christian is a part of the holy priesthood, which qualifies them to baptize others. Of course any of our ministers would be honored and thrilled to baptize you. Many people select an important spiritual influence such as a parent, family member, or friend as well as a minster or church leader.