The Lord Jesus committed two ordinances to the church as permanent practices: The Lord’s Supper and baptism (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-42; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Baptism is a visible symbol of God’s saving work within a person. It is a solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer who has been saved by grace from the judgment for sin (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). It publicly declares that those who have repented and put their faith in Jesus Christ gladly identify with the Lord Jesus, the Head of the Church, and his body. (Acts 2:37-39; Rom. 6:1-3).
All who have repented of sins and believed on Christ alone for salvation should be baptised by immersion.

As TCM Baptist Church, we are convinced by Scripture that biblical baptism is commanded of all believers (Matt. 28:19-20). We are also convinced that biblical baptism is only for believers: those who have repented of their sin and trusted in the Lord Jesus. Since infants and young children are unable to understand this, the church did not widely practice baptism of infants until the third century.

Further, we understand that biblical baptism is by immersion because “baptise” comes from a word that means to immerse. Immersion also reenacts what happened at salvation. When the believer is immersed into water, he is showing that in Christ he died to sin and buried the old self. When he comes out of the water, he is showing that in Christ, he is spiritually alive, a new creation (Rom. 6:4, 10). This is why immersion was chosen as the mode of baptism.

When a believer is baptised, he testifies through his action that his faith is in the crucified,
buried, and risen Saviour. Biblical baptism demonstrates union with the Lord Jesus in death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Rom. 6:1-11). Not only does it put the internal reality of
salvation on display in the physical world, it is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ (Acts 2:41-42).

At TCM, baptism is part of the membership process. Please contact admin@tcmlincoln.co.uk if you have any questions about baptism. If you want to know more about the gospel and how to be right with God, please look at our FAQ page or send us an email or make a phone call so we can speak with you.

Looking for more detail? Check out our Baptism FAQ article.