STEP 9 OF 10
Baptism and Communion are two important practices Jesus gave His followers. Different Christian traditions explain some details differently, but both practices point us back to Jesus—His death, resurrection, our identification with Him, and our life together as His people.
1. Jesus Was Baptized
Jesus Himself was baptized by John in the Jordan River. His baptism did not mean He needed forgiveness for sin; the New Testament presents Him as sinless. His baptism identified Him publicly with God’s purpose and marked the beginning of His public ministry.
2. Why Do We Recommend Baptism by Immersion?
In this course, we recommend believer’s baptism by immersion because it fits the common New Testament pattern and powerfully pictures death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. The Gospel accounts say Jesus was baptized in the Jordan and came up out of the water, although they do not give a technical description of complete submersion.
Immersion is also reflected in Romans 6, where baptism is connected symbolically with being buried and raised with Christ.
3. Baptism Is a Personal Response of Faith
In the New Testament, baptism normally follows hearing the gospel, believing, and repentance. For that reason, this course teaches baptism as a personal response of someone who has chosen to follow Jesus.
The Basic Pattern
Hear the gospel → Believe → Repent → Be baptized → Continue following Christ.
📖 Read in the Bible
Acts 2:37–41 NLT | KJV
Acts 8:12 NLT | KJV
Acts 16:30–34 NLT | KJV
4. What About Babies?
Christian traditions differ here. Some churches baptize infants as part of their covenant understanding. Others, including the approach used in this course, reserve baptism for people who personally profess faith in Christ.
In churches that practice believer’s baptism, babies may be blessed or dedicated. A dedication is not the same as baptism. It is a time for parents and the church to thank God for the child and commit to raising the child in faith, while recognizing that the child will one day need to make a personal decision about following Jesus.
The word christening is also used differently in various traditions, so it is helpful to ask what a particular church means by it.
5. Does Baptism Save Me?
Baptism is important and should not be treated casually, but we do not teach that the physical act of going into water earns salvation. Salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
A Truth to Remember
We don’t get baptized to make Jesus save us. We are baptized because we have put our faith in Jesus and want to follow Him.
A person who trusts Christ should take baptism seriously as an act of obedience and public identification with Him.
6. I Want to Be Baptized. What Do I Do?
Talk with a pastor or mature church leader in a healthy church. Tell them you have chosen to follow Jesus and want to understand baptism. Ask what the church teaches, what preparation is involved, and how the baptism will take place.
Do not be afraid to ask questions. Baptism is a joyful step of obedience, not a test of whether you already know everything about Christianity.
7. What Is Communion?
Communion—also called the Lord’s Supper—is a practice Jesus gave His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. Christians gather around bread and the cup to remember Him, proclaim His death, and share fellowship as His people.
Different traditions explain the presence of Christ in Communion in different ways. For this course, our emphasis is on the biblical call to remembrance, fellowship, gratitude, self-examination, and hope in Christ’s return.
8. Remember His Body
The bread points us to Jesus’ body given for us. The cross was not an abstract idea. Jesus suffered physically. Communion calls us to remember the cost of our salvation and the love shown through His sacrifice.
9. Remember His Blood
The cup points us to Jesus’ blood shed for the remission of sins. Remission means forgiveness or release from guilt. The New Testament repeatedly connects Jesus’ blood with the new covenant, forgiveness, and cleansing.
This language can sound unfamiliar at first, but the central truth is simple: our forgiveness came at great cost, and Jesus willingly gave Himself for us.
10. Remembrance and Fellowship
Communion is personal, but it is also shared. The word communion carries the idea of participation and fellowship. We remember Christ together as one body.
This is one reason bitterness, division, selfishness, and mistreatment of others are serious issues around the Lord’s Table. Communion should draw us back to the cross and toward love for one another.
11. Examine Your Heart
Paul tells believers to examine themselves before eating the bread and drinking the cup. This does not mean you must become sinless before participating. If that were the requirement, no one could come.
Self-examination means coming honestly: confessing sin, taking Christ seriously, and refusing to treat Communion as an empty ritual while living carelessly toward God and others.
12. Communion Looks Forward
Communion remembers the past, strengthens faith in the present, and points toward the future. Paul says we proclaim the Lord’s death “until He comes.” Christians remember a Savior who died, rose again, is alive, and will return.
Try This This Week
If you have not been baptized after personally choosing to follow Jesus, write down your questions and speak with a healthy church leader.
If you participate in Communion, prepare by remembering Christ’s body and blood, confessing sin, and thanking Him for His grace.
Read Romans 6:1-14 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 slowly.
Take a Moment
Before moving on, sit quietly for a minute. Think about what stood out to you. You do not have to understand everything at once. Growth often begins with one truth that you are willing to keep thinking about and living out.
A Simple Prayer
Jesus, thank You for giving Yourself for me. Help me understand baptism as a step of faith and obedience, and Communion as a time to remember Your body, Your blood, Your resurrection, and Your promised return. Keep the cross at the center of my faith. Amen.
Keep This With You
Baptism is a public response of faith and identification with Christ. Communion is a shared remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice, forgiveness, resurrection, and return.