Should You Get Baptized as a Believer?
Many of us come from different backgrounds and places in our walk with God. Even the image of Jesus has been portrayed in varying personalities. Think about the T-shirt designs people have come up with:
Homeboy Chad Jesus
Deadlift Jesus
The list goes on. Jesus is portrayed as this super chill guy who accepts everyone, loves everyone, demands little from our lives, and is always down for a good time. Yet Luke 14:25-33 reads, “A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ‘If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s a person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with this counselor to discuss whether his army of ten thousand soldiers could defeat the twenty thousand soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” This understanding of Jesus is a foreign concept due to our tendency to disregard it.
Adapting Our Lives to Christ’s Call
There is this fear in today's society that the American church is making the Gospel so convenient, comfortable, and cheap that people can go to church every week, sit under the word of God, give their life to Christ, and never get challenged to go all in with Jesus, no matter the cost or suffering. Instead, many Christians adapt Christ’s call to our lives rather than give our lives to Christ’s call.
Jesus was a man born of a virgin, growing in wisdom and stature among men and earning their favor. At just twelve, he was teaching in the temple, and when his ministry began, he was baptized, setting an example for all. Despite living the perfect life, his claims of being God led to his crucifixion, where he endured a sinners' death: flogged, beaten, and eventually pinned on a cross by nails through his wrists and ankles. This led to his last words: “It is finished.”
Then, three days later, he defies death and rises from the grave with hundreds of witnesses. After spending forty days with his disciples and others, he ascends to heaven and says this as reported in Mark 16:15-16: “And then he told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes safely, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.’”
The Gift of Baptism: Is It Your Time?
Jesus does more than give us the ability to be his followers. We are not to merely observe all his teachings yet refuse to go public with our allegiance to him. That is what baptism is—to declare his mighty name proudly, not sit on the sidelines.
He will always provide us with opportunities to grow in our faith and declare him fully as followers of Christ. So if you’re asking yourself if you should get baptized, it is a calling God places on all of his people. If you identify as a follower of Christ, baptism is the perfect opportunity to celebrate your allegiance.
