Baptism at RiverStone

What is the Gospel?

The Bible depicts human beings, all human beings everywhere, as in revolt against God, and therefore under his judgment. But although God stands over against us in judgment because of our sin, quite amazingly he stands over against us in love, because he is that kind of God—and the gospel is the good news of what God, in love, has done in Jesus Christ, especially in Jesus’s cross and resurrection, to deal with our sin and to reconcile us to himself.

Christ bore our sin on the cross. He bore the penalty, turned aside God’s judgment, God’s wrath, from us, and cancelled sin. The brokenness of our lives he restores; the shattered relationships he rebuilds in the context of the church; the new life that we human beings find in Christ is granted out of the sheer grace of God. It is received by faith as we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. We confess him as Lord, and bow to him joyfully.

The gospel is good news—the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ.

One day he will make all things new. The good news culminates in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness, where neither sin nor any of its effects can survive, and where we enjoy the presence of God forever in the context of resurrection existence.

And we announce this good news to people everywhere, entreating them with the words, “Be reconciled to God!” by repenting of sin, asking God for his mercy, and trusting Jesus Christ.

*Adapted from The Gospel Coalition

What is Baptism?

The central focus of baptism is identification with Christ. The Scriptures indicate that baptism symbolizes our death and resurrection with Jesus (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:21). When we are lowered into the water, it is symbolic of our death to the old way of life in unbelief. When we are lifted out of the water, it is symbolic of our being raised to a new life just as Christ was raised from the dead.

While baptism is a symbol of an already completed spiritual work, it is nonetheless an important aspect of our journey with the Lord. The Bible commands us to be baptized. It is an act of obedience. Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River as an example to us. Peter emphasized repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38) as outward signs of our conversion. When the Apostle Paul was converted, he was baptized at the encouragement of the Christian brother, Ananias (Acts 22:16).

At RiverStone, we affirm Believer’s baptism. This means that one has to make confession of a saving relationship with Jesus before they are baptized. Infant baptism does not follow the clear pattern of the New Testament and one who was baptized or “christened” as an infant should seriously consider being baptized by immersion after their conversion. In addition, once one has confessed Christ as Savior, there should not be a long delay between initial conversion and baptism.

Baptism by immersion—meaning one’s entire body goes under the water—is the mode of baptism that we see in the New Testament. This is also the mode by which RiverStone practices baptism. A believer enters the pool and is asked to share their testimony of conversion and then they are fully lowered into the water and raised again.