There is continuity between a number of the covenants in Scripture, and the Bible communicates that Jesus’ work ushered in the New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31-34. We believe this covenant is completely sufficient in and of itself for salvation. Everything one needs for eternal life has been accomplished by the Messiah and is received through faith in Him alone. One need not come under the Mosaic Covenant in order to enter into the family of God. However, we do want to affirm that the Torah is good (see Rom 2:20), and believers may certainly have the conviction that certain laws under the Old Covenant are valuable to observe. But they are not to be imposed as obligatory on other believers.

Baptism is a physical act and public declaration of loyalty to Jesus, where one personally identifies with His death and resurrection (Rom 6:1-4), and by extension, relates to those who have likewise done the same. While the EFCA broadly allows for both a credobaptist or paedobaptist theological position, Grafted’s distinct conviction is that baptism is an expression reserved only for those who have made a personal profession of faith in the Lord (Gal 3:27). Prior to baptism, infants may be dedicated within the covenant community, as the body of Messiah affirms that it will walk with the child and point them to Jesus in word and deed.

Because the Scriptures affirm that our redemption is by God’s grace, an unmerited gift in the Messiah, appropriated through faith, apart from any work we do (Eph 2:8-9; Gal 2:15-16; Rom 3:28; 4:3) we don’t believe that baptism is a salvific act. In light of this, we believe baptism is a important step of obedience to Jesus (Mt 28:19) for one who has already been saved, not a means by which they are saved (Eph 1:13; Acts 10:44-48). If you have responded in faith to the good news about Jesus the Messiah and haven’t yet been baptized, we’d love to walk alongside you as you take this important step. Feel free to click here and fill out a Connect Card to let us know!