Voiceover: When it comes to baptism, everyone seems to do it their own way. Maybe you’ve seen it. A priest sprinkling water on a baby, someone getting quickly dunked, or water being poured over their head. For a lot of churches, it’s just a nice tradition, a way to show you believe. But is there a greater purpose for baptism? Here in the Church Of Christ or Iglesia Ni Cristo, there is. See, we believe baptism isn’t just for show. Jesus himself commanded it as the path to salvation. When you’re baptized here, you go all the way under the water and you come up new. Changed. That’s what Rashad Christmas found out. Like many people who started attending Bible studies in the Church Of Christ. He’d been baptized before. But in his studies, he learned that his previous baptism didn’t follow what the Bible taught.
Rashad Christmas, Bergen, New Jersey: I’ve been baptized twice before in my previous churches that I went to, and each moment was just like going to that water, you’re like, all right, this is me letting everybody know. At first I thought baptism was just like, I’ll let everybody know I’m with God now.
Voiceover: See in the Church Of Christ, we know that baptism and salvation go hand in hand. It’s not just another church tradition. It’s about accepting God’s teachings and finally being on the path to salvation.
Rashad: But it’s a process to come into this Church, you know, and this baptism, it was like, wow, all that I went through, you know, everything, this journey.
Voiceover: While other churches simply require you to express your interest in being baptized and believe, baptism in the Church Of Christ, come after a person is taught the fundamental teachings of the Bible, then shows that he or she understands and accepts. Or in other words, proves their faith in those teachings. So much is at stake when you are baptized, which is why great care is put in to help ensure you are ready to make that lifelong commitment to God.
Craig Kennard, Phoenix, Arizona: You know, after I got baptized, I just, it’s the cleanest I’ve ever felt in my life, you know, just pure and pure is not a word that I would describe myself when I was in the Navy or back then, you know, but just so clean and pure and fresh. It’s just like everything is new and you’re ready to make a change in your life.
Kevin Johnson, Las Vegas, Nevada: The day of my baptism was one of the moments I remember. Me and my wife got baptized on the same day.
When we got baptized, it was so, so spiritual because every moment leading up to it, I’m praying and I’m crying because I was going to be saved.
Voiceover: For Rashad, his baptism wasn’t just his third try. It was finally getting on the path to his final destination.
Rashad Christmas, Bergen, New Jersey: And now you got this path to the Holy City that you can truly walk. And I’m like, I have this chance now. And you have a choice to take the temptation or to remember your baptism and remember that now you are on a different journey.
Voiceover: So here’s the question, have you been baptized before? Maybe as a child or during your current search for truth? Wouldn’t you want to know for sure that your baptism was more than just a tradition celebrated on Sundays, but a reflection of your desire and willingness to follow exactly what Christ commanded? To be truly free from your past and know you’re on the right path. This is about finding your place in Christ’s true body, surrounded by people who believe exactly what the Bible teaches.
Rashad: And if you keep straddling the fence, you can have these same results. So coming off that fence and hopping on the side of Christ, the Church Of Christ, and then planting my feet there and then putting that support system around you and accepting that. And then, you know, that’s where you kind of just go,
Voiceover: Want to learn more? It starts with a simple Bible study. No pressure, just truth straight from the scriptures. Visit incmedia.org today and let’s talk about what true baptism really means.
Your fresh start could be just one conversation away.
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