01 - What is Baptism?
Baptism
Definitions
Baptism is the Holy Mystery through which we are "born again" by being immersed in the water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Mystery of Baptism is the gate of the Mysteries. Only after baptism is one given the right to partake of the rest of the Mysteries.
Baptism is also known as the Mystery of Enlightenment
βάπτισμα meaning "immersion" or "dipping in water"
- Root Verb βάπτω meaning "to dip" or "to dye"
- Active Verb βαπτίζω meaning "to immerse" or "to submerge" or "to go under"
Institution of the Mystery of Baptism
Christ, Himself, was Baptized
The Great Commission
- (Matthew 28:18-20): And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- (Mark 16:15-16): And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Nicodemus Discourse
- (John 3:5) Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- (John 3:5): Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Visible Sign
Water as the Material Element
- Can Water Really Save?
- Why Water?
- "If you wish to know why it is by means of water and not some other element that grace is given, you will find the reason in going through the Scriptures. Water is a wonderful thing: - and the most beautiful of the four sensible elements of the cosmos - the sky is the dwelling of the angels, but the skies are made of water; earth is the home of men, but the earth has come out of the waters; and before the creation of visible things in six days, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. The water is the principle of the Cosmos, and the Jordan of the Gospel" (Cyril of Jerusalem - XXXIII, 433 A)
- "Why are you plunged into the water? We read: 'May the waters bring forth living creatures (Gen. 1:20). And the living creatures were born.' This happened at the beginning of creation. But for you it was reserved that water should bring you forth to grace, as that other water brought forth creatures to natural life. Imitate this fish, who has received less grace." (III 3)
- fish is ichthys, the image of Christ and so of the Christian.
- ⲒⲬⲐⲨⲤ - means "fish" in Greek, acronym for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior
- Ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ
- Ⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ
- Ⲑⲉⲟⲩ
- Ⲩⲓⲟⲥ
- Ⲥⲱⲧⲏⲣ
- "We are little fishes according to the ichthys, Jesus Christ, in Whom we are born, and we only live by remaining in the water" (Tertullian - De Bapt. I)
Three Immersions
- Three days in the tomb
- Name of the Trinity
- Immersion vs. Sprinkling
Declaration of Faith
Through baptism, the faith is declared; that is why in the Orthodox Church, we don't have walk-in baptisms!
Catechumens must first learn the faith and declare it in order to be baptized
In the case of infants, they are baptized based on their parents' faith; that is why the parents have to declare their faith and recite the Orthodox Creed during their child's baptism.
Conferred Grace
Death and Resurrection with Christ
"Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22)
- Christ did this part
"that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," (Phillippians 3:10)
- St Paul says that we should be conformed to Christ's death
- Unless we undergo such death, we cannot be saved. How do we undergo this death? How do we share in the death of the Lord?
- "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4)
St John Chrysostom: "What the cross and burial were to Christ, baptism is to us, though not in all respects. For Christ died and was buried in the flesh, whereas we have died and been buried to sin."
This baptism, therefore, is given into the death of Jesus: And so are owned to be heirs of His Kingdom. For since you have "been baptized into the Lord's death" - Apostolic Constitutions
"There are two mortifyings and two deaths. One of them is accomplished by Christ in baptism, and the other is our duty to effect by earnestness afterwards. For it was Christ's gift that our former sins were buried, but remaining dead to sin after baptism must be the work of our own earnestness, however much we find that God gives us enormous help here as well. For baptism does not just have the power to obliterate our former transgressions; it also protects us against subsequent ones." - St John Chrysostom
Special Topic: Right-Hand Thief Was Not Baptized
Born Again (New Creation)
- (John 3:5) Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- (John 3:5) Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
- (Titus 3:5) not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
- "We receive the hope of eternal life through the laver of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (St Ambrose)
- "Renew their birth a second time by the washing of the New Birth and the forgiveness of sins; prepare them to be a temple of Your Holy Spirit" (Rite of Baptism)
- "The baptistery is a tomb and a mother" (St Gregory of Nyssa)
Forgiveness of Sin (Original Sin)
"And the bishop shall lay his hand upon them [the newly baptized], invoking and saying: 'O Lord God, who did count these worthy of deserving the forgiveness of sins by the laver of regeneration, make them worthy to be filled with your Holy Spirit and send upon them thy grace [in confirmation], that they may serve you according to your will." (Apostolic Tradition 22:1) [215 AD]
Adoption as Children of God (Membership in the Body of Christ)
Putting on Christ
- "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
- To put on Christ is to put on His righteousness as a gift that He grants through Baptism
- To put on Christ is to put on His Salvation that He grants in Baptism through His Blood
- To put on the Divine Image & Likeness (Genesis 1:26) that was lost (or corrupted) through the Original Sin
Special Topics
Baptism of Infants
- Pelagian Heresy (4th Century)
One Baptism
One of the councils had a thing about who to rebaptize (based on whether or not the faith in the Trinity was intact)