Just to clarify, I am dividing the 6th Statement of Faith into two separate posts so I can cover the two parts-Water Baptism and Holy Communion-in more detail.
Official Assembly of God Statement of Faith #6(Part 1)-
*The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
In our church we believe that participation in water baptism and holy communion does not make us a Christian but rather they are symbols of what Christianity means to us. Let me explain, we believe that the two acts are ordinances while some denominations believe that baptism and communion are sacraments. An ordinance is an outward sign of an inward grace. It is a ceremony commanded by Christ and in the church as a part our public worship and prayer lives. The Assembly of God though believes that participation in the two ordinances is an act of obedience and that we do not become more holy or receive more grace by doing them.
In regards to water baptism, we believe that total immersion is scriptural. The root word of baptism is baptizo which means "to immerse." When being immersed, the water does not actually wash away our sin but it represents the washing away of sin and removal of our old selves. Coming up out of the water represents rising into our new Christian lives. The bible states in Romans 6:4, "We were buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Because of the meaning of baptism to us, we do not feel it is a choice we can make for someone. This is why in our church, we wait to baptize until the person reaches the age of accountability and is able to make the choice of Christianity for himself. Often one will see older children or teens baptized but more commonly as an adult. Just this past Sunday in our church there were 19 baptisms. Only about 4 of them were children/teens.
When an infant or young child joins our church family at birth or through adoption we perform a child dedication ceremony. This is a time during which the child is welcomed into the family and the parents and church membership dedicate the child to God and pledge to raise the child in a Christian environment in hopes that the child will one day choose Christianity for herself. In Luke 2 Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." -Matthew 28:19
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