MORE THAN WATER · PART 4 OF 9
Quick answer: Anyone who has personally trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord should be baptized. Throughout the New Testament, people heard the gospel, believed and then were baptized. That’s why Wooddale practices believer’s baptism and dedicates children rather than baptizing them as infants.
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Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
— Acts 2:41
Almost every baptism conversation eventually arrives here. “Who should actually be baptized?” For some, the question is straightforward. They’ve recently placed their faith in Jesus Christ and want to know what comes next. For others, it’s much more personal. “Does infant baptism count? What if there is no memory of a specific moment of trusting Christ? Would believer’s baptism dishonor parents who chose infant baptism? When are children ready?” These questions matter because they often touch our family traditions, our church backgrounds and some of our earliest spiritual memories. Before we answer them, we want to say something important. If you were baptized as an infant, we want you to know this: We deeply respect the love and faith that likely motivated your parents. In many Christian traditions, infant baptism is one of the most meaningful ways parents express their desire to dedicate their child to God and raise them to know Christ. You should never dismiss or ridicule that. In fact, if your parents brought you before the church as an infant, they were likely making a beautiful declaration: “We want our child to belong to Jesus.” What a wonderful desire. The question isn’t whether your parents were sincere. The question is: What does Scripture say baptism is? Our goal isn’t to evaluate someone else’s faithfulness. Our goal is simply to follow God’s Word as faithfully as we can.
One of the Bible’s most beautiful features is its consistency. When we examine every baptism recorded in the New Testament, we find the same pattern again and again. People heard the gospel. They believed. Then they were baptized. Notice the order: Not baptized and then eventually believed. But believe and then be baptized. Consider just a few examples. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the gospel. Acts tells us, “Those who accepted his message were baptized…” The Ethiopian official first believed the good news Philip preached. Then he was baptized. Cornelius and his household believed. Then they were baptized. The Philippian jailer believed. Then he and his household were baptized. Again and again we see the same sequence. Faith precedes baptism. Why? Because baptism is a response. It is the public declaration of a personal faith that already exists.
One reason Wooddale practices believer’s baptism is that baptism consistently follows an individual’s personal response to Jesus Christ. No one else can believe for you. Your parents can’t. Your grandparents can’t. Your pastor can’t. Your spouse can’t. Faith is wonderfully personal. One day, each of us must answer Jesus’ question ourselves: “Who do you say I am?” When Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” he wasn’t repeating someone else’s faith. He was expressing his own. Baptism becomes the outward expression of that inward confession. It says, “I have trusted Christ.” “I belong to Him.” “My life has changed.” No one else can make that declaration for us.
This is where we want to speak carefully and graciously. Many wonderful Christians whom we deeply respect practice infant baptism. Some of the greatest theologians in church history practiced it. Many faithful parents continue that tradition today. Our disagreement isn’t about whether they love Jesus. It’s about what baptism represents. At Wooddale, we believe baptism should follow a person’s decision to trust Christ. Since infants cannot yet personally place their faith in Jesus or publicly confess Him as Lord, we believe baptism should wait until that decision becomes their own. That’s why we dedicate children rather than baptize them. During a child dedication, parents publicly commit themselves to raising their son or daughter to know and follow Jesus. The church also makes a commitment. We promise to come alongside those parents: to teach, encourage, support and point that child toward Christ. But we intentionally wait to baptize until that young person personally chooses to follow Jesus. Why? Because faith cannot be inherited. It must become personal.
This may be one of the hardest questions. We’ve heard it many times: “If we choose believer’s baptism, are we saying our parents were wrong?” Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite. If your parents presented you to God as an infant because they longed for you to know Christ, then your decision to be baptized as a believer is actually the fulfillment of what they hoped would one day happen. Think about that. They prayed you would trust Jesus. Now you have. They desired for you to follow Him. Now you are. Choosing believer’s baptism doesn’t erase their faithfulness. It honors the very spiritual foundation they hoped to build. We’ve watched parents become emotional, not because they felt rejected, but because they realized the prayers they prayed decades earlier were being answered.
In pastoral ministry, this is one of our favorite questions. Because it means God is already working in a young heart. Parents often ask, “How old should our child be before being baptized?” The Bible doesn’t give us a specific age. Instead, it points us toward something much more important. Personal faith. Every child develops differently. Some children sincerely trust Christ at a young age. Others need more time. Our goal isn’t to baptize children as quickly as possible. Our goal is to help them understand the gospel clearly enough that their decision genuinely belongs to them. As parents, we naturally become excited when our children begin asking spiritual questions. That’s wonderful. But excitement should never replace discernment. One question we often encourage parents to ask is this: “Can your child explain, in their own words, who Jesus is, what He has done and why they want to follow Him?” Not perfectly. But personally. If they can, that’s a wonderful indication that God is at work.
Some people have dramatic conversion stories. Others don’t. Some remember the exact date. The exact sermon. The exact prayer. Others simply know that somewhere along the way their heart became convinced that Jesus is Lord. That’s okay. The New Testament doesn’t require you to remember the exact moment. It asks whether you have trusted Christ. Baptism isn’t celebrating your memory. It’s celebrating God’s grace.
Another question people often ask is, “I was baptized years ago but later drifted far from God. Should I be baptized again?” Perhaps. Perhaps not. The better question is, “When were you truly united with Christ through faith?” Sometimes someone realizes they were baptized before they genuinely understood the gospel. Later they come to authentic faith. In that situation, believer’s baptism makes beautiful sense. Other times, someone truly knew Christ, wandered for a season and later returned. In those cases, Scripture calls us to repentance and renewed obedience, not necessarily another baptism. Baptism celebrates God’s once-for-all saving work. Just as Christ died once for our sins, we are baptized once into Him.
Yes. If someone hasn’t trusted Christ yet, baptism would be premature. Remember the pattern we’ve already seen. Faith comes first. Baptism follows. Baptism isn’t what creates faith. It celebrates faith. Likewise, someone shouldn’t feel pressured into baptism simply because everyone else is doing it. This isn’t about responding to emotion. It’s about responding to Jesus. But once someone has genuinely trusted Christ, Scripture gives no reason to delay.
If you’re waiting until you feel spiritually mature enough to be baptized, you’ll wait forever. Baptism isn’t for people who have figured everything out. It’s for people who know they need Jesus. Some people hesitate because they still struggle with sin. Welcome to the Christian life. Others hesitate because they don’t know enough theology. No one baptized in the book of Acts held seminary degrees. They simply believed. Jesus never said, “Become spiritually perfect, then be baptized.” He said, “Follow Me.”
The answer is beautifully simple. Anyone who has personally trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Not because they’ve earned it. Not because they’re spiritually impressive. Not because they’ve reached a certain level of maturity. But because they now belong to Him. Whether you’re sixteen, thirty-six or seventy-six; whether you’ve known Christ for six days or sixty years; whether you’ve never publicly identified with Him through believer’s baptism, your next step may have been waiting for you all along.
This article is part of More Than Water, a series on the beauty, meaning and mission of baptism. Start with the complete guide to baptism.
Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Jesus for years, we’d love to celebrate this step with you. Register for baptism, email our pastoral team or call 952.944.6300.
Wooddale Church is a multigenerational, Bible-teaching church in Minnesota with locations in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis near the University of Minnesota. Whether you’re looking for a church near you, exploring faith for the first time or simply curious about what happens at church, we invite you to join us. If this article has raised questions, encouraged you or helped you see baptism in a new way, we’d love to continue the conversation. Whether you’re exploring Christianity for the first time, considering baptism or simply looking for a church family where you can continue growing in your faith, we’d be honored to walk alongside you. Following Jesus was never meant to be a journey you travel alone.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
