Have you and your children been Baptized?
Baptism is a gift from God through which He gives us:
- The Holy Spirit
- Forgiveness of Sins
- Faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior
- The Gift of Eternal Life
- Strength to live the Christian Life
The Bible teaches that:
- Baptism is a gift for babies, children, and adults.
- It is God's will that all people be baptized into the Christian Faith.
- True Baptism happens when water (any amount) is applied to a person "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
We at Immanuel care about your family's relationship with God, which happens through Holy Baptism and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
- If you or anyone in your family has never been baptized, Pastor Jim or Pastor Dave would be happy to talk with you about receiving this gift from God.
Click to download the Baptismal Form.
As Lutheran Christians, we believe that the Bible teaches that a person is saved by Godâs grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Bible tells us that such âfaith comes by hearingâ (Rom. 10:17). Jesus Himself commands Baptism and tells us that Baptism is water used together with the Word of God (Matt. 28:19-20).
Because of this, we believe that Baptism is one of the miraculous means of grace (another is Godâs Word as it is written or spoken), through which God creates and/or strengthens the gift of faith in a personâs heart (see Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 12.13).
Because of this, we believe that Baptism is one of the miraculous means of grace (another is Godâs Word as it is written or spoken), through which God creates and/or strengthens the gift of faith in a personâs heart (see Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 12.13).
The Bible uses terms such as âconversionâ and âregenerationâ to describe the beginning of faith. Although we do not claim to understand fully how this happens, we believe that when an infant is baptized, God creates faith in that infant's heart. As Lutherans, we hold Baptism in high regard, recognizing it as one of the divine and miraculous means of grace. This includes Godâs Word, whether written or spoken. Through these, God creates and strengthens the gift of faith in a personâs heart, as evidenced in Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 12.13.
We believe this because the Bible says that infants can believe (Matt. 18:6) and that new birth (regeneration) happens in Baptism (John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5-6). Of course, the infantâs faith cannot yet be verbally expressed or articulated by the child, yet it is real and present all the same (see, e.g., Acts 2:38-39; Luke 1:15; 2 Tim. 3:15).
The faith of the infant, like the faith of adults, also needs to be fed and nurtured by Godâs Word (Matt. 28:18-20), or it will die.
Lutherans do not believe that only those baptized as infants receive faith. Faith can also be created in a person's heart by the power of the Holy Spirit working through God's (written or spoken) Word.
Baptism should then soon follow conversion (cf. Acts 8:26-40) for the purpose of confirming and strengthening faith in accordance with God's command and promise. Depending on the situation, therefore, Lutherans baptize people of all ages from infancy to adulthood.
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, which Immanuel is part of, does not believe that Baptism is ABSOLUTELY necessary for salvation. All true believers in the Old Testament era were saved without baptism. Mark 16:16 implies that it is not the absence of Baptism that condemns a person but the absence of faith, and there are clearly other ways of coming to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit (reading or hearing the Word of God).
Still, Baptism should not be despised or willfully neglected since it is explicitly commanded by God and has His precious promises attached to it. It is not a mere âritualâ or âsymbol,â but a powerful means of grace by which God grants faith and the forgiveness of sins.