Sacra

Baptism, as a "sacrament," is a means of receiving God's grace. It is not a source of grace; nor
is submission to baptism, in and of itself, a payment for sin. Baptism is the formal act which
makes an individual a Christian according to the New Testament. Its effect depends totally on
the presence of the individual's faith, which consists of complete dependence on Christ's blood
to wash away one's sins.

Baptism was commanded by Christ on the day He ascended to heaven. He said, "Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you"
(Matthew 28:19-20a). He also said, "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he
who believes not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). His followers obeyed this command, and
later, the apostle Peter preached, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts
2:38).

In the book of Acts, when people became Christians, they were baptized. The Greek
word for baptism is baptizo, meaning "immersion." The apostle Paul described baptism this
way: "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life"
(Romans 6:4).

Baptism was only administered to individuals who had freely surrendered their lives to
Christ. We follow the New Testament example and encourage you to do so.

The observance of the Lord's Supper is also a means of
grace, but a grace consisting of edification, rather than
salvation. The Lord's Supper was established by Jesus
Christ shortly before His death. He said, "This do, in
remembrance of Me." When immersed believers partake
of the Lord's Supper, we recognize Christ's presence with
us and in us. We examine ourselves and re-dedicate
ourselves to the service of Christ whose body was broken
and whose blood was shed to pay the penalty for our sins.
Each Lord's Day as we contemplate the sufferings and
death of our Redeemer, who on the cross completed one
sacrifice for sins, and as we partake of the bread and of
the fruit of the vine, we offer ourselves anew to pursue a
perfect expression of His will.