It is performed to symbolise that the person is now entering the Church. Holy water is used in the baptism ceremony, which is a symbol of washing away sins and starting afresh. Some Christians believe that a baptism ceremony is important to remove the original sin the baby is born with, as a result of the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Infant baptism Many denominations baptise infants. Baptism scene, Granada, Nicaragua. Holy water is used for baptism.
This is water that has been blessed. Holy water is kept in the font. Likewise, it's clutter to point out that the Bible doesn't command that babies be baptized or not baptized. The real issue is what the Bible says about the status of babies born to godly parents, and how that status relates to what the Bible says about baptism. Baptism is a sign and seal of entering the community of Christ, the community bought with Jesus' blood and given life by his Holy Spirit.
What's the status of babies born to Christian families? Do they belong to that covenant community? Do they have a place in God's family? Are they citizens of God's kingdom?
The Bible tells of people "bringing babies to Jesus" Luke The Lord's inner circle of disciples rebuked the parents for bringing the little ones. But what did Jesus do? When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these Mark , This story doesn't mention baptism, but it does say a great deal about the status of believer's babies.
Jesus embraces and blesses babies of believing parents and says his kingdom belongs to such as these. How, then, can the church refuse them the sign of citizenship in God's kingdom and membership in his family? God's covenant has always included not only believers but their children as well. Two thousand years before Christ, God told Abraham, "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you" Genesis God's covenant included not only Abraham but his household and his descendants.
The Bible uses the word covenant more than times, so it's obviously important. What does God mean when he speaks of a covenant? A covenant is a relationship grounded in promises and confirmed by a sign. For example, a marriage covenant is a relationship grounded in wedding vows and confirmed by rings. God's covenant with Abraham was grounded in God's promise to be Abraham's God and the God of his offspring, and this was confirmed by the sign of circumcision.
God told Abraham, "You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male who is eight days old must be circumcised" Genesis Abraham came to faith as an adult and was circumcised as an adult, as "a seal of the righteousness he had by faith" Romans His son Isaac and future children in their line were circumcised as infants and marked as members of the community of faith, even before they could consciously exercise faith of their own.
That was the pattern God established for his people. Circumcision was not just a physical ritual for a certain ethnic group. It had spiritual meaning, and it could include people who were not born Israelites. If a man grew up as a foreigner to the covenant community and wished to join it and serve the Lord, he was circumcised as an adult, and all males in his household were also circumcised Exodus From then on, any male born into that covenant family was circumcised as an infant, marking him as a member of the covenant.
God's covenant with Abraham was "an everlasting covenant," not a temporary one. That everlasting covenant remains in effect to this day. God doesn't change. The Lord who made promises to Abraham is the same Lord Jesus who embraced babies brought by believing parents, and still today this same Lord promises to be the God of believers and their children.
God doesn't just decide one day to dump his covenant and come up with something entirely different. He remains faithful to the same covenant. But he has brought that covenant into a new and better era, and he seals it with a new and better sign. In the old era, God promised a Savior. In the new era, the promise has been fulfilled. Jesus' perfect life and bloody death and glorious resurrection fulfill everything necessary for salvation by faith.
God "announced the gospel in advance to Abraham" Galatians , but now that Christ has come, the gospel is clearer than it was in Abraham's day, and the blessings are poured out more abundantly. In this new and better covenant era, God gives a new and better covenant sign. Now that Jesus has suffered and poured out his blood, God no longer calls for the bloody, painful sign of circumcision.
Instead he gives the sign of baptism. This better sign of baptism is without blood or pain. This better sign of baptism is not limited to males as circumcision was but is applied to females as well. The new covenant era and the new covenant sign are better than the old, so it would be a shocking letdown if the God who included children of believers in the old era excluded them in the new era.
How could babies from covenant families, circumcised in the old era, not be baptized in the new era? The Bible links the meaning of circumcision with baptism in Colossians There Scripture speaks of "the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Circumcision was the sign of becoming part of God's covenant community; so is baptism. Circumcision called for a heart in tune with God Deuteronomy ; ; so does baptism. The spiritual meaning of circumcision is fulfilled in the new covenant sign of baptism. On the day of Pentecost, the Lord poured out his Holy Spirit to launch the new covenant era. The apostle Peter told the people, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children" Acts Those words of Peter echoed God's promise to Abraham, to be a faithful God to him and his children. About 3, people were baptized that day. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit kept adding to the church, and not just one individual at a time.
The Spirit added whole families. Entire households were baptized. This has always been the practice of the Orthodox churches and of many Protestant denominations as well. Parents bring their babies to the waters of baptism by professing a belief in Christ on behalf of the child, and promising to raise him or her in the faith.
For adults who are to be baptized,the Church also requires them to profess their faith in Christ. On what basis does the Church believe that the faith of one person may be effective on behalf of someone else? The Scriptures are full of examples in which Jesus extends healing grace to people based on the faith of others.
For example, Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic based on the faith of those who brought him see Mt ; Mk Given these examples, then, we must ask ourselves: If God is willing to effect spiritual and physical cures for children based upon the faith of their parents, how much more will He give the grace of baptism to children based upon the faith of their parents?
Why do children need baptismal grace for salvation? Because they inherit original sin from the moment of conception.
He does not say that this sin is manifested only when the person reaches the age of reason. Because babies are born with original sin, they need baptism to cleanse them, so that they may become adopted sons and daughters of God and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the kingdom of God also belongs to children see Mt ; Mk He never put an age limit upon those eligible to receive His grace Lk ; Mt
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