We are excited that you are considering being baptized at STF. We believe that baptism is an important step of obedience for every person who has accepted Christ as his or her Savior.
What We Believe About Baptism
I. Why should I be baptized?
1. To follow the example set by Christ.
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized by John in the river.
Mark 1:9
2. Because Christ commanded that we should be baptized.
Jesus said, "Go then, to all people everywhere and make them my disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20
3. Baptism demonstrates that we really are believers in Jesus Christ.
Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
Acts 18:7-8
II. What is the meaning of baptism?
1. Baptism illustrates Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.
For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ.
Colossians 2:12
2. Baptism illustrates our new life as a Christian.
By our baptism then, we were buried with Him and shared His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead ... so also we may live a new life.
Romans 6:4
Note: Baptism doesn't make you a believer; it demonstrates that you already believe. It's important to understand that baptism does not "save" you. You are "saved" only by your faith in Jesus. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward commitment.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-10
III. What if I was baptized as an infant?
Some churches baptize infants. At South Tampa Fellowship, we do not. We only baptize individuals who have made a decision to believe in Christ's death as the payment for their sin. In the Bible, men and women were baptized following their belief in Jesus.
