Baptism and Following the Lord

This morning we want to look at the subject of Baptism. There are few subjects in Scripture that are as disputed as the subject of Baptism. On the one hand, Catholics and Lutherans believe Baptism is done to start bringing a person into the church. It is a sacrament to them that confers grace and marks an individual as a member of their church. Then there are the Presbyterians, who see it as the similar to the mark of circumcision in the Old Testament. It brings an infant into the start of a covenant relationship with God, like circumcision brought a Jewish infant into the Jewish tribe and covenant relationship with God. We follow a different belief in our Church that a man or woman is baptized after professing faith in Christ as a public confession of their belief and commitment to follow God. This makes it a very special thing. I would like to go over the Scriptures that we look at to come to this understanding why we believe this and to explain why this is an important step for a Believer and for those of you who have come to witness it.