Take Me to the River

Ok, so the baptism thing is one area that raises lots of eyebrows, and isn't understood very clearly. I had a Catholic baptism as an infant. When I started attending Bible classes at my current Christian church, they had a very different idea of what baptism means. Firstly, it is a very simple process. Acts chapter 2 explains how some people repented after Jesus was crucified, and believed that He was Christ, and asked the apostles what to do. Peter said (Acts 2:38-39) repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. That's it! Of course the point is that it must come from your heart and be genuine. Just going through the motions won't do you any good, neither will you be saved if you act solely out of fear. Like when a child is asked by their parent if they are sorry for doing something wrong, the child might say yes only hoping to avoid punishment. But that would be a lie - you have to truly repent in your heart. The next point about baptism is the actual process that takes place. Everyone agrees water is involved - but the arguement arises about the quantity. Colossians 2:12 uses the phrase 'buried with him in baptism'. How is something buried? It is completely covered with dirt, stones, etc. Or in this case, water. If you have a little bit of water dribbled on your head as a baby, have you been buried in baptism? Still not convinced? Matthew chapter 3 mentions how John the Baptist baptized people in the Jordan (river), and how after Jesus asked John to baptize Him, as an example to us, He 'went up straightway out of the water'. One other point is important as well - in infancy, are you able to make the choice to accept and follow Jesus Christ? So then really, how can that type of baptism carry any weight? My church believes that whenever a person is ready, they should be baptized. Not just on the first Sunday of the month. No need for it to be in front of an audience, or a big to-do. Just the three important pieces - accepting Jesus as Messiah, repenting of your sins, and getting dunked. ;-)