How to Get Baptized: What the Bible Says, What Happens, and How to Take the Step

A baptism tank in a public park is a strange and wonderful sight. At Jesus Festival 2026 more than fifty people stepped into one in front of the whole crowd, many of them people who had met Jesus that very weekend. Friends cheered. Strangers cried. And a lot of people watching quietly wondered: is that something I should do?

This is the plain answer to that question, from the Bible, with the practical details people are usually too shy to ask about.

What baptism is

Baptism is going under water and coming up again as a public sign that you belong to Jesus. The word itself just means to dip or immerse. It pictures what has already happened inside: your old life buried with Christ, and a new one raised with Him.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Romans 6:4 (KJV)

It is also a declaration. In the ancient world, baptism was how you announced which teacher you followed. Going under in Jesus' name says out loud, in front of witnesses: I'm His now.

Do I have to be baptized to be saved?

No. Salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus, not by any act we perform: by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works (Ephesians 2:8–9). The thief on the cross was never baptised, and Jesus told him, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

But "not required to be saved" is very different from "optional." Jesus commanded it. His last instruction to His followers was to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). Baptism isn't how you get saved. It's the first thing a saved person does.

Who should be baptized, and when?

Anyone who has personally turned to Jesus and trusted Him. In the book of Acts the pattern is always the same: people hear the good news, believe, and are baptised, usually right away.

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

Acts 2:41 (KJV)

Same day. The Ethiopian official in Acts 8 saw water by the roadside and asked, what doth hinder me to be baptized? The jailer in Acts 16 was baptised in the middle of the night. There's no waiting period in Scripture, no course to pass first. If you've said yes to Jesus, you're ready.

If you were baptised as a baby and have since come to faith for yourself, many people choose to be baptised as a believer, as their own public declaration. Talk it through with a pastor you trust. It's your yes, and it's worth making clearly.

What actually happens

• You say why you're doing it. Usually a sentence or two, sometimes a short testimony. "I've decided to follow Jesus" is enough.
• Someone asks you a question. Something like: Have you trusted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? You say yes.
• You go under, in His name. They say words like I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, lean you back under the water, and bring you straight back up. It takes about two seconds.
• People cheer. Loudly, if it's a park full of Jesus Festival. Heaven is cheering too (Luke 15:10).

It doesn't hurt. You don't have to hold your breath long. Nobody is judging your swimming. If you have a disability, a health concern or a fear of water, say so; it can be done gently, seated, or with sprinkling or pouring if going under isn't possible. God is not grading the technique.

What to wear and bring

• Dark, modest clothes you don't mind getting soaked: a t-shirt and shorts or leggings. White goes see-through; avoid it.
• A full change of clothes, underwear included, plus a towel. A plastic bag for the wet things.
• Flip-flops or sandals for the walk to and from the water.
• Someone to hold your phone and film it. You'll want this video for the rest of your life.

How to get baptized in Hamilton

Ask a church. Any Bible-believing local church will be glad to baptise you; most do it a few times a year, and many will arrange one sooner if you ask. If you don't have a church yet, that's the right first step anyway, and LoveonHamilton.com can connect you with one and with people who will walk alongside you.

And every September, Jesus Festival baptises people in Gage Park in front of the whole city. You don't have to wait for it. But if you'd love to be baptised outdoors with a crowd roaring for you, be first to know when 2027 is announced.

What comes next

Baptism is a beginning, not a finish line. Keep going: pray, read the Bible, find your people, tell someone what happened. The first steps guide walks through all of it, and IAmReborn.net is a whole site built for exactly this season.

Fifty-some people in a tank in Gage Park didn't have it all figured out. They just said yes, in public, in water. You can too.