01 - What is 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

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 3:3) 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.

The Baptism of Christ and the Sanctification of the Waters

Christ was baptized in order to Sanctify the Waters for our baptism, and to point us to baptism
"No Baptism was necessary for Christ, but He freely received the baptism of a servant [John] to draw us towards His baptism" (Tractate 5 on the Gospel of John - St Augustine)
"The Lord was baptized, not to be cleansed himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of baptism. Whoever comes, therefore, to the washing of Christ, lays aside his sins." (Commentary on Luke 2:83 - St Ambrose of Milan)

What About the Cross?

Some Protestant objections to baptism will say “We don’t need baptism, we only need the Blood of Christ!”
- Baptism is not a "magical action" that works independently of God! It is the sacramental means established by Christ to grant us participation in His Blood - His Death and Resurrection.
- Baptism was not instituted until after the Resurrection!
Christ called the Cross His Baptism!
- “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)
- When James and John asked the Lord to sit on His right and left… the Lord Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38) - (Matthew 20:22)
- Baptism by water and Spirit IS participating in the Sacrifice of Christ. It is dying with Him and being buried with Him, and rising from the tomb with Him.

Conferred Grace - Born Again

(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 - On the Holy Spirit Book III, Chapter 10)

"And that Water of salvation was at once your grave and your mother." (St Cyril of Jerusalem - Mystagogical Lectures 2.4)

What does it mean to be Regenerated or Born Again or a New Creation?

Die and Rise with Christ
Forgiveness of Sins, Cleansing of Original Sin
Adoption as Children of God
Membership in the Body of Christ
Put on Christ

Imagine a slave who his taken out of slavery to live in the king's palace as his son.

He leaves his slavery behind, and becomes a free man.
His former life is forgotten.
He is adopted by the king and becomes his son.
He lives in the house of the king, among the family of the king.
He is arrayed in the clothing of kings.

This is baptism.

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? 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)

Baptism into Christ is baptism into His death
We are buried with Him in baptism
We are raised with Him
We should walk in the newness of life

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." (St John Chrysostom - Commentary on Romans 6:3)

"In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Colossians 2:11-13)

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 - Commentary on Romans 6:5)

"And that Water of salvation was at once your grave and your mother." (St Cyril of Jerusalem - Mystagogical Lectures 2.4)

Forgiveness of Sins and Cleansing from Original Sin

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:12-19)

"We confess one baptism, for the remission of sins" (Nicene Creed)

"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)

"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)

Adoption as Children of God

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:4-7)

Christ is the Son of God by nature
We are sons of God by adoption

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6)

"For you were bought at a price;" (1 Cor 6:20)

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

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:26-29)

Membership in the Body of Christ

"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many." (1 Cor 12:12-14)

Having the Church as my Mother
- “He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother." - Cyprian of Carthage
Participation in the Sacramental Life
Fellowship with the faithful
- We are not called to live as isolated Christians
- Serving one another according to our gifts
- Caring for one another in love

Putting on Christ

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
"But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:20-24)
A new identity and life
- 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

"keep holiness in all your members, as having put on Christ. "For," it is said, "as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." Wherefore let all your members be holy as becomes their investment in a raiment of holiness and light." (St Basil - Letter 292)

Visible Sign

Three Immersions
Three days in the tomb
- If we are dying and being buried with Christ, then just as he was in the tomb three days, so also we will immerse three times
Name of the Trinity
- Immerse three times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Living the Baptismal Life

"Beloved, be it known to you that those who are baptized into the death of our Lord Jesus are obliged to go on no longer in sin; for as those who are dead cannot work wickedness any longer, so those who are dead with Christ cannot practice wickedness. We do not therefore believe, brethren, that any one who has received the washing of life continues in the practice of the licentious acts of transgressors. Now he who sins after his baptism, unless he repent and forsake his sins, shall be condemned to hell-fire." (Apostolic Constitutions - Book II, Section 3, VII)

St Gregory of Nyssa when he talks about baptism he said “many of you boast about being baptized, about being renewed… but SHOW ME after the sacramental grace, the change in your ways. SHOW ME the purity of your conversion.”

What we see after baptism, with our eyes, is the same person. He doesn’t look different. He still has the same skin color, he has the same hair, same height, etc. Physically, he hasn’t changed. So, he says, how do I know that you have changed?
By the intentional motions of the soul - the soul separates itself from its old life. And this word separates is the word HOLY.
I become HOLY. SEPARATED from my old life. SEPARATED from the world. To the point that my old self is not even recognizable.
- Before, I was a liar. Now I am truthful.
- Before, I was without order in my life. Now, I have structure and order and routine.
- Before, I was envious of what others have. Now, I am content with my possessions - and not just content but impart from what I have to those who need it.
- Before, I was a gossiper. Now I am affable. Now I am courteous.
- Before, I used certain language. Now, my language is clean.
- Before, I dressed in a certain way - certain clothes, certain hairstyle, piercings. Now I put those away. Now I dress as a prince, the son of a King.
Like darkness - if a light is ignited, the darkness disappears. It’s no longer recognizable. Like black paint. If you put a single drop of white in it, it’s no longer black. No longer recognizable as black.
This is what it means - take off the old man and put on the new and superior one
We became children of God - children take on the characteristics of their father. So we look at our Heavenly Father’s characteristics and we grow in His likeness.
- “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven“ (Matthew 5:44-45)
Baptism is not just a ritual. It’s not just something we have to do. It is a change in my life.