Baptism: You are a child of God!
Baptism was practiced long before Jesus waded into the
Jordan River with John the Baptist in the first century. In the 6th century B.C.E. - the period of
the Exile or Diaspora of the Jews - proselyte (non-Jewish) baptisms were
offered to entire families coming to Judaism, or to children of those adults
who had already converted to Judaism. Both circumcision and baptism were signs of the Covenant between God and
God’s people.
The word ‘baptism’ is from the Greek
baptisein meaning to immerse or dip.
Water used in baptism and other religious rituals has always been linked to purification,
to new life and life itself. Baptism in
the Christian faith signifies a new beginning; a birth; death and resurrection.
In the Bible, John the Baptist is
seen in the Gospel of Mark ‘proclaiming a
baptism of repentance and forgiveness
of sins’’. (Mark 1:4) He also
declared that the One who would come after him (Jesus) would ‘baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ (Mark 1:7-8) Jesus was baptized not to repent
for His sin, as He was and is
sinless, but, as Emmanuel (or God-with-us), in order to enter into our world
and reconcile us to God. Jesus' baptism points to His death on the cross.
Likewise, the Apostle Paul, in Romans ch.6, speaks of baptism as ‘a dying and rising with Christ.’
(Romans 6:4)
From
the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church, USA:
The
Meaning of Membership and Baptism
of Christ. Baptism is the visible sign of that call and claim on a human life and of entrance into the membership of the church. The baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God’s love claims people before they are able to respond in faith.
Christian denominations have
embraced baptism in different ways, and have instituted various practices reflecting
their own understanding of God’s relationship to humankind as well as their
interpretation of Scripture. Some churches prefer to completely immerse the
person into a tank of water; some sprinkle the child or adult’s head lightly
with water from a ‘baptismal font’. Some
churches authorize ‘God parents’ as
sponsors for the child. The PC[USA] understanding is that in baptism, the
entire congregation takes a part in the nurturing of the faith of the newly
baptized, rather than only one or two people. Some churches link baptism with
an individual’s ability to hear and understand the Gospel, repent of sin and verbally
confess Christ. These acts typically exclude infants or very young children
from the sacrament.
Presbyterians take a
different point of view. Baptism is
available to people of all ages, including infants of believers. John Calvin, one of the forefathers of the
Reformed faith, believed that baptism was not a cause of salvation but rather a
sign of salvation. For Calvin, baptizing infants was a clear reminder that
grace is a gift from God, and that the grace
of God precedes faith, and is most clearly revealed in the baptism of
infants who cannot profess faith, yet are still included in the covenant of
grace.
Presbyterians
recognize that baptism is not salvific. In other words, the act of pouring water or stating one’s intentions does nothing to save a person from their sin or justify
their relationship with God. Only God can do that for us, and in fact, has already
done so through the New Covenant made by the life, death and resurrection of
Christ. The sacrament of baptism for Presbyterians, does not rest on what the
person being baptized says or does; rather, it has everything to do with what
God will do, and has already done for all of us in Christ, through the Holy
Spirit.
In
baptism, a person is ‘engrafted into the
Body of Christ (the church), (Larger Catechism, Q.165) therefore, baptism is not offered in private, but
rather is witnessed by the church, as part of the worship of the church. Baptism
is “the beginning of a life of faith and
the whole life is lived in response to the grace manifested at baptism”, to
quote Claudio Carvalhaes, for the Thoughtful Christian. Baptism, unlike communion which is celebrated regularly, is offered only once to an individual. It celebrates one's transformation and union with Christ, therefore it is not something that can or should be repeated. To that end, Presbyterians recognize baptisms of other Christian denominations when receiving new members
Baptism
and Communion are the only two sacraments observed by Presbyterian USA
churches, including St. Mark. Like
Communion, baptism points to the Holy within the ‘ordinary’. We use the common and most necessary substance
of life - water -to confirm the mystery of grace that is in Christ. Every time
we witness a new baptism, we are reminded that we are baptized into the faith of
the whole church, and have the chance to refresh our own faith and rededicate
our lives to service to others, as did Jesus.
January 13, 2013 was recognized as "Baptism of our Lord" Sunday in the Lectionary. St.Mark sermons may be accessed on our website: www.discoverstmark.org - under the "Listen and Read" tab.
January 13, 2013 was recognized as "Baptism of our Lord" Sunday in the Lectionary. St.Mark sermons may be accessed on our website: www.discoverstmark.org - under the "Listen and Read" tab.
The follow sources were used as reference:
The
Go-Anywhere Thin-line Bible, NRSV, HarperCollins, 2010
Howard L. Rice and James C. Huffstutler, Reformed Worship, Geneva Press, (2001)
Claudio Carvalheas; www.The Thoughtful Christian.com, Baptism
101,(2009)
The Presbyterian Church, USA; The Book of Confessions (1999)
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