Welcome to the family of God! We are overjoyed that you have committed your life to Jesus Christ, the Savior and King! The Bible teaches us that the first step after repenting of our sins and placing our faith and trust in Jesus is to declare it to the local church and the whole world through baptism (Acts 8:12, 35-38, 16:31-34). Baptism is the first step of obedience for all new believers (Acts 2:38-42)!

At First Baptist, we want to share your story with the church of how Jesus saved you. Whenever someone is baptized, one of our pastors will read aloud the testimony of the person being baptized. This form provides a space at the end for you to tell your story of how God saved you through the gospel of Jesus. We have also provided some helpful suggestions for writing out your testimony.

Before we jump into your testimony, we want to remind you of what exactly baptism is and what it means for you. Baptism is an outward, physical sign of an inward, spiritual reality. Baptism is the act of being immersed, or dipped completely, in water as a symbol of a believer’s identification with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12). Baptism does not save us, but instead, it is an act that tells the world we have been saved by Jesus Christ through our faith in him. The Bible teaches in Romans 6 that baptism symbolizes two things:

• As we are lowered down into the water, we are identifying ourselves with Christ’s death on our behalf. We are admitting that our sinful self is being put to death, and we are declaring that Jesus has paid the penalty of death for us. Baptism paints a picture of sin being washed away through repentance (Matthew 3:11; 1 Peter 3:21).
• As we are raised out of the water, we are identifying ourselves with Jesus’ resurrection which brings us abundant, eternal life! Furthermore, Baptism displays our unity with Christ as we put to death the old self and put on the new self (Galatians 3:26-28).

• Sometimes we only have 5 minutes to present our testimony to someone, other times we have half an hour. Be ready for both (1 Peter 3:15)! For your baptism testimony, please try to stay around 250 words.
• Have your testimony remain concise and to the point. People need to hear about the power of Christ in your life, so work hard to cut out unnecessary information or distracting tangents.
• For a biblical example, read through the account of when Paul shares his testimony before the Jewish and Roman courts in Acts 26:1-23.
• Present the gospel
  • The most important part of any testimony is a presentation of the gospel: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and how he has forgiven your sin and granted you his righteousness because of his work.
• Support your story with Scripture
  • The Word of God alone through the power of the Holy Spirit is what changes the heart of man. Someone becomes a Christian by hearing the gospel of Jesus and responding in faith and repentance (Romans 10:17).
• Above all: give God alone the glory for salvation!

1. Share what your life was like before you became a Christian.
   • What were you searching for? Was your life empty, and you were in pursuit of fleeting pleasures? Were you a church kid who was never outwardly rebellious, but instead inwardly sinful? Use this time to explain biblical sinfulness.
   • Be careful not to glorify your sinful lifestyle before you were saved. Instead, use it as a launchpad to display the power of Christ in salvation or to plead with your hearers to turn from sin to Christ.
   • This section might be around 75 words.
2. Share how Jesus saved you.
   • What happened in your life when the Lord began to work in your heart? What realizations did you come to about God’s holiness, your sin, Jesus Christ, and your need to respond?
   • Remember to include that you have repented of your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
   • This section might be around 100 words.
3. Share what your Christian life is like now that Jesus has saved you.
   • How do you see God working in and through you for his glory now? How are you striving in your daily life to follow Jesus’ commands and teachings? What is different about you now that you’ve been saved? How has Jesus shown his faithfulness, grace, love, and kindness to you? What is the Holy Spirit teaching you through the Bible?
   • This section might be around 50-75 words.
4. Conclude your testimony with a declaration of your faith and why you are being baptized. For example, “Today I declare to the church, and to the whole world, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!” or “Because Jesus has saved me and I have submitted to him in obedience as my Lord, I am publicly confessing this truth through being baptized.”