BELIEVER’S BAPTISM as an act of obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and a sign of personal repentance, faith and regeneration; it consists of the immersion in water into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We continue walking through the seven Baptist Principles. These principles sit at the heart of our founding documents. You can find them on our website here.
Why now? Because we are updating our constitution. We have changed the section on deacons. Soon we will consider the section on elders. Before we talk about mechanics, we need the convictions that drive us. This is the third of those convictions.
In 1527, a man named Felix Manz was bound hand and foot. They threw him into the Limmat River in Zurich. His crime? Rebaptism. He had baptised believers who received infant baptism as babies. The authorities called him an Anabaptist. Rebaptiser. And they drowned him for it. Felix Manz believed baptism is for believers. He believed water follows faith. Not the other way around. And he died for his conviction. He would not baptise anyone who could not confess Jesus with their own mouth.
This is our third Baptist Principle. We move to elder-led congregationalism. So we must be crystal clear. Who belongs to this church? We need a regenerate church membership. The people who make decisions. The people who hold one another accountable. These are people who personally trusted Christ. They publicly declared it through baptism. Believer’s baptism is the front door. And that door makes it possible.
The New Testament pattern is unbroken. Faith first. Then baptism. Peter on the Day of Pentecost declared it, Repent and be baptised (Acts 2:38). Philip with the Ethiopian affirmed it, If you believe with all your heart, you may (Acts 8:37). Baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21). It is not a rite. It does not do something to you before you can believe. No. It is your personal declaration. I have died with Christ. I am raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
So how does this shape Benoni Baptist Church? Baptism is the door to membership. It ensures this church is made up of believers. Not just people with a Christian background. No. People who own their faith. So when we gather to affirm elders. To practise discipline. To vote on our constitution. We do it as a body of regenerate believers. That is essential. Healthy elder-led congregationalism requires it. The congregation that holds elders accountable must itself be a congregation of disciples.
Your baptism is a date you can remember. It is a moment you chose. You stood up. You said, I belong to Jesus. It is not a ceremony done to you before you had a say. Not at all. It is an act of obedience you owned. Every time you witness a baptism, you are reminded. Salvation is not inherited. It is encountered. And that gives you confidence. Because your faith is yours.