Baptism
Baptism is a significant sacrament in Christianity, symbolizing a spiritual connection to the Holy Trinity through the physical act of water immersion, sprinkling, or pouring. It serves various purposes depending on the denomination, including the cleansing of sin, the granting of salvation, and a public declaration of faith. The practice has roots in the Old Testament and was notably highlighted in the New Testament through the ministry of John the Baptist, who baptized believers as a sign of repentance and forgiveness.
Different Christian groups interpret baptism differently; for instance, while the Catholic Church views it as essential for salvation and a means to remove original sin, some Protestant denominations, like Baptists, believe that only adults can be baptized due to the necessity of personal faith. Infant baptism is practiced in many traditions, accompanied by the appointment of godparents who commit to guiding the child's spiritual journey. Overall, baptism represents a transformative act, marking the believer's entry into the faith community and their commitment to a new life in Christ.
On this Page
Baptism
Baptism is a Christian sacrament and a religious symbol in which a spiritual element is transmitted by means of physical elements. Water is the physical element in baptism, and the spiritual element is the connection to the Holy Trinity. The baptism candidate either immerses in water or has water sprinkled or poured on his or her head while traditional and ceremonial words are spoken.
The different denominations within Christianity have different meanings for baptism. Most commonly baptism is viewed as a combination of cleansing away sin, granting salvation, publicly expressing one’s faith, conferring grace, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus, and fulfilling the command of Christ to baptize.
In some Christian denominations, both adults and infants are baptized. Others maintain that only adults can be properly baptized.
Brief History
Baptism is widely believed to have first appeared in the Old Testament, although it contains no explicit reference to the practice. The use of water for ceremonial purification of the priests, and possibly circumcision, are considered forms of baptism by many theologies. In fact, the Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church believe that baptism is the Christian form of circumcision, in that it marks the infant’s entrance into a covenant with Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament, the first clear mention of baptism occurs in the story of John the Baptist, who is a relative of Jesus. His immersion in the Jordan River is described in the text as a baptism of repentance, which serves the purpose of having his sins forgiven.
When God sends John the Baptist to spread the word about the coming of the Messiah, John is instructed to baptize the believers who have accepted the news and declared their belief in the Messiah’s capacity to forgive their sins. Thus, baptism became identified with forgiveness and cleansing from sin as delivered through faith in Jesus Christ.
In the first century CE, baptism was an important Christian ritual, and most adults who were converting to Christianity were baptized at the time. By the second century, baptism had become an established ritual involving water and statements about the Trinity. Infant baptism was introduced.
By the fourth century, St. Augustine had formulated views about baptism that were accepted for the next thousand years. Baptism was considered a necessary prerequisite to salvation, infant baptism was obligatory, and unbaptized infants who died were considered unable to ascent into heaven.
During the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, the radical reformers rejected some of these ideas. The Anabaptists argued that infants and children cannot make an honest profession of faith, so only adults can be rightly baptized. In modern times, some Christian religions, such as Disciples of Christ and Baptists, continue to practice only baptize adults and not of infants.
Overview
The word "baptize" stems from the Greek word baptizo, which stems from the root word bapto, a first-century term describing a procedure that changes the color of a garment after it had been cleansed. Literally, baptize means to immerse in water.
The significance and understanding of baptism varies within Christian religions. According to the Catholic tradition, baptism is the first step in a child’s journey in the Christian faith. Some Protestant religions view infant baptism as a statement of faith by the child’s parents. According to the Baptists, only adults have the maturity and understanding to undergo baptism.
Churches that practice infant baptism name godparents, friends or family members who take on the role of helping the newly baptized child. The godfather and godmother must be firm believers who are able and ready to assist the child on the road of Christian life.
Other Christian religions believe that baptism is an act of obedience. Jesus commanded his believers to baptize every person who followed him as proof of their faith and willingness to follow God’s command. Additionally, becoming baptized announces a person’s faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism shows others that a person has been saved and is now like a new person, one who is full of trust and faith.
Catholicism believes that baptism is necessary for salvation and deliverance from sin and from spiritual death. Baptism removes the person’s guilt, personal sin, and the Original Sin, which was the sin granted to all mankind when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.
Protestants view baptism as a symbol of the covenant, or agreement, between God and man. Becoming baptized shows a person’s belief in Jesus Christ’s death and Resurrection. It is also a sign of the gift of the spirit, which means it shows that the Holy Spirit lives inside believers, allowing them to lead a new life of faith.
Additionally, baptism serves as proof that a person has joined the church. Following the baptismal ceremony, the minister presents him to the members of the congregation.
Protestants also believe that baptism is linked to conversion. In order to be transformed by Christ, those who are baptized have to change their attitudes for the better. Baptism signifies a new way of life for the person who has been baptized. Similarly, baptism testifies that a person’s sins have been forgiven.
Bibliography
Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2009. Print.
Heller, Dagmar. "Toward One Baptism." Ecumenical Review 67.3 (2015): 436–49. Print.
Helmholz, Richard H. "Baptism in the Medieval Canon Law." Rechtsgeschichte—Legal History 2013.21 (2013): 118–27. Print.
Jones, Rory. "At Site Of Jesus’s Baptism, Mine-Clearing Unlocks Holy Ground." WSJ. Dow Jones & Company, 2016. Web. 25 May 2016.
Kettering-Lane, Denise D. "Brethren Baptism in an Ecumenical Perspective." Ecumenical Review 67.3 (2015): 362–73. Print.
Overmyer, Sheryl. "Baptism and its Glorious Cortege." New Blackfriars 96.1066 (2015): 699–710. Print.
Wright, David F. "The Origins of Infant Baptism—Child Believers’ Baptism?" SJT 40.01 (1987): 1. Print.
Younger, George D. "Stories of Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry as Witness: Baptism as Witness." International Review of Mission 72.286 (1983): 239–40. Print.