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Sacraments: Baptism

Holy Baptism

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

"Arise, O you children of the light"

"Added to God's family"

Baptism in the Scripture

Baptism Types in the Old Testament
  • Genesis 1:1-3
    • In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
    • Whenever we see Spirit and Water → Baptism & Confirmation
    • This is both a symbol and a prophecy about the work of the Holy Spirit in baptismal water
    • New Creation
  • Noah's Ark (Flood)
    • New Creation
  • Circumcision
    • Adoption into God's Family
  • Crossing the Red Sea
    • Salvation through water
    • Destruction of devil
  • Ritual Washings
    • Cleansing of Impurity & Uncleanness
  • Crossing the Jordan
  • Elijah's Sacrifice
  • Elijah's Crossing the Jordan
Baptism in 1st Century?
Baptism of St John the Baptist
  • Those who were baptized by John had to be baptized again...
Baptism of Christ
  • The Lord was baptized before He started His ministry, pointing that baptism is the beginning of all blessings
  • We, too, start our lives as Christians (children of God) with 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)
  • St John Chrysostom - Homily 4 on Matthew
  • St Gregory Nazianzen - Orat. 39
  • St Augustine - Sermon on Epiphany
  • St Ambrose - on Luke 3:21
Baptism in the Gospels
Baptism after Pentecost

Baptism & Salvation

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 3:5) 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. 
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

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]

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)
Adopted into God's Family
Put 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
Declare our Faith

 

Effectiveness of Baptismal Water

Rites of Baptism

Materials
  • Baptismal Font
    • Shape
    • Location
  • Water
  • Simple Oil (Oil of Catechumens)
  • Oil of Gladness
  • Holy Myron
Sanctification of the Water
  • Object: Water
  • Materials: Simple Oil, Oil of Gladness, Holy Myron
Absolution of the Mother
  • Object: Mother
    • Recently gave birth and finished post-partum bleeding, and the assigned time
  • Materials: Unction of the Sick Oil
Renunciation of Satan & Declaration of Faith
  • Object: Baptisee
  • Materials: Sanctified Water, Oils...
Baptism
Holy Myron
Crowning
Commandment
Procession
Loosing the Girdle

Special Topics

Immersion vs. Sprinkling
Baptism of Infants
  • Pelagian Heresy (4th Century)
40 and 80 Days
  • The Church can baptize any newborn boy or girl at any day without waiting 40 or 80 days. This period is required period before the mother can participate in her child's baptism.
  • Leviticus 12

    • Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days. ‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. 'And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

  • St Mary fulfilled this commandment (Luke 2:22-24)
    • Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
  • The doubling of the period for a female child reminds us of the fact that the woman was the first to be deceived and fall
    • "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control." (1 Timothy 2:14-15)
  • Why does this Old Testament rule still apply?
The Right-Hand Thief Was Not Baptized
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)

Resources

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