The third foundation in Hebrews 6:2 is the doctrine of baptisms. At Grace Fellowship Church in Sarasota, water baptism is the believer’s first act of obedience — a public declaration by full immersion that the old life has been crucified with Christ and a new life has begun. Not optional. Not decorative. Essential.
“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.” — Romans 6:3–4
Water baptism is a public, outward act that pictures and confesses an inward, already-accomplished work. The convert goes down under the water in the likeness of Christ’s death and burial, and comes up out of the water in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:3–5).
The Greek word baptizō means to dip, to submerge, to immerse. The New Testament never describes sprinkling or pouring as baptism — always going down into water and coming back up. That is why we practice baptism by full immersion. It matches the Greek, it matches the picture, and it matches the examples in Scripture.
Baptism does not save. Salvation comes through faith in the finished work of Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9). But baptism is the first act of obedience every new Christian is called to take. A believer who refuses to be baptized is disobeying a direct command of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 28:19).
“Our old man was crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). Going down under the water is the public confession that the old self — the life of sin, the old identity, the old allegiance — has been put to death at the cross.
Baptism is “into Christ” (Galatians 3:27). The believer is not merely baptized as a gesture — he is identified with Jesus Himself. What is true of Christ (death, burial, resurrection) is now true of him.
“That just as Christ was raised from the dead… even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Coming up out of the water pictures the new creation. A Christian is not a better version of the old self. He is a new person.
The New Testament pattern is consistent: baptism follows a profession of personal faith in Jesus Christ. The Ethiopian official was baptized after hearing the gospel and believing (Acts 8:36–38). The Philippian jailer was baptized the night he trusted Christ (Acts 16:31–33). There is no example in the Bible of someone being baptized without first believing.
That is why at Grace we practice believer’s baptism by immersion. A person old enough to understand the gospel, trust in Christ, and confess Him publicly is ready to be baptized. Age is not the deciding factor — genuine faith is.
If you came to faith as a child and were baptized with sincerity and understanding, your baptism is valid. If you were sprinkled as an infant and have since come to faith, we would encourage you to be baptized now as a believer — this is about obedience, not about what your family did on your behalf.
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 2:38
Baptisms at Grace Fellowship Church typically happen on Sundays or at Family Camp, in front of the gathered church family. The candidate gives a brief testimony — how they came to Christ, what He has done in their life — and is then baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
It is a joyful, public moment. The family of God is a witness. Heaven is rejoicing. And the new believer walks away with a marker in the timeline of their life: this is where the old life was buried.
If you have come to faith and have not been baptized as a believer — or if you are unsure whether your earlier baptism counts — speak to one of our elders. There is no pressure and no hurry. Just the quiet expectation that a Christian will obey the Lord on this.
— Sundays at 10:00 AM · 4350 17th Street, Sarasota, FL.