Grace Church Baptism Application When you are finished with this Application, please return it by email to Tami Sneen, Assistant to the Pastor of Involvement at tsneen@atgrace.com. Thank you! Name: Address: Personal Information City: State: Zip Code: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Work Phone: E-mail Address: Gender: F M Marital Status: Single Married Widowed Date of Birth: Spouse Name: Ministry Involvement Are you currently involved in a Small Group at Grace Church? Yes If so, who is your leader? No Are you currently involved in a ministry? Yes If so, which one? No Are you in the membership process? Yes No 1
Baptism Preference What name would you like on your baptismal certificate? Testimony Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? Yes No If you answered yes to the previous question, please write a brief summary of your personal testimony and include the following: 1. What was your life like before you received Christ as your Savior? 2. How and when did you accept Christ as your Savior? 3. How has salvation in Jesus Christ impacted your life? 4. Why do you desire to be baptized? 2
Baptism Bible Study There is no scriptural evidence of anyone being baptized in Christ before repenting of sin and trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Baptism is an outward physical sign of an inward spiritual reality. The reality of faith must precede one s professing faith through baptism. Some people assume that they are not that much worse than anyone else. They are hoping that God will ultimately judge on the basis of good deeds vs. bad deeds when compared with the whole of humanity. God uses a different measure. Part 1: Our need for grace 1. Put in your own words the message of the following passages: a) Romans 3:10-12, 23 b) Galatians 3:22-24 2. According to the following passages, why are we able to admit our sinful condition without fear? a) Matthew 11:28-30 b) I John 1:8-9 c) Romans 8:1 3
3. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:4-7. Write a letter to yourself explaining why you can t and don t have to earn God s acceptance. 4. God s forgiveness is the means by which He releases a person from indebtedness. Forgiveness is costly and the price for our forgiveness was paid by Christ on the cross. In the following passages, what does the Bible say about the penalty for our sins and the forgiveness that comes from above? a) I John 1:8-9 b) Romans 8:1 4
Part 2: Our response to God 1. Now that we are in agreement with God about our sin, what does the Bible indicate as the next step? a) John 1:11-12 b) Acts 16:30-31 c) Romans 10:9-10 d) Galatians 2:16 Part 3: Baptism An outward sign of grace received The word baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo which means to make fully wet, to dip, and to immerse. This literal meaning of the word is a beautiful picture of what baptism represents spiritually. Immersion best fits the reality of what baptism symbolizes. It was the mode of baptism practiced in the New Testament and was also representative of the baptism of Jesus. 1. According to the Bible, what was the response of new believers that visibly demonstrated what God had done in their lives? a) Acts 2:37-38, 41 b) Acts 8:12, 36-38 c) Acts 16:14-15 5
2. The New Testament pattern is believe then be baptized. Why do you think it is appropriate for a person to be baptized after his or her decision to follow Christ? 3. What does Baptism symbolize? (Romans 6:4-5, Colossians 2:12, I Corinthians 15:3-4) 4. Read Romans 6:3-11 and fill in the blanks below. Baptism is a declaration of the believer s identification with Christ in His: a) D (going down into the water) (vs. 4) b) B (total submersion into the water) (vs. 4) c) R (coming up out of the water) (vs. 5) Signature Date When you are finished with this Application, please return it by email to Tami Sneen, Assistant to the Pastor of Involvement at tsneen@atgrace.com. Thank you! 6