Baptism in the Baptist Church

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Baptism is the “opportunity for a believer to draw nearer to God in Faith” and to show that they fully trust God to take a hold of their lives. We know that Baptism is important in Christianity because in the Bible it states "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38)

Baptism and Holy communion in the Baptist Church is not called a sacrament, as they do not believe that God becomes present during these ceremonies. Instead they call them Ordinances, “this is something that Jesus ordained or appointed for his Church to strengthen Believers” (Pastor Clive Johnston) The Baptism I am going to talk about is Believers Baptism. This is the baptism of an individual, who has made their own decision to follow Christ, It is the public announcement of their love and commitment for God.

Describe a baptismal service and the role played by all those attending.

A baptismal service is usually performed in front of the church congregation and it would be common for the individual’s relatives to attend. It is in front of these people because they are the witnesses of this giant leap of faith. In a Believers Baptism the individual is completely submerged in the water. The Baptism usually occurs during the Sunday service and at the start of the service a small bulletin would be given out. This would include a little background about those getting baptized during the service. It is conducted in a large tank in front of the church, on a normal Sunday the tank would be hidden behind doors or a screen. It is performed by the Church Pastor, the pastor is a representative of God and one of his disciples and is therefore able to perform the ceremony. It begins when the Pastor and the believer enter the tank, there is no strict dress code but the men would tend to wear a white shirt and dark trousers, the women a special baptismal robe. After entering the Pastor would ask the question “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?" the participant, answers “I do” and then has a chance to say a few words about how they got to this stage in their Christian lives and about their faith in Christ. Then the Believer clasps their hands on their chest and the pastor would place one hand on theirs and one hand on their back, this is so they do not fall but I also believe that this is because it shows their trust in the pastor. Before the individual is plunged beneath the surface the pastor will say “ On profession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.” This is also a key point to the service as it is showing their acceptance into Christ’s family. After this we reach the climax of the service, when the believer is quickly plunged into the water, then quickly rises. While ascending from the water the congregation would sing a song of the Believers choice which means something to their life and journey with God.

Explain the symbolism involved in this initiation ceremony

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Explain the symbolism involved in this initiation ceremony

Baptists believe that Baptism is necessary because Jesus commanded it “so go and make followers of all people in the world. baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of age”. It is seen as the public declaration of their faith in Christ and the announcement of their Love for God, it is also a way of thanking Christ for giving up his life for their sins. Total submersion in the water signifies the conversion of the believer, it is the death of the old way of life and the resurrection symbolizes the rising of the new life. It is a way of formalizing a person’s faith and accepting them into Gods family. The words said before the baptism by the pastor are an important part to the ceremony as they are explaining to others why they feel they have to take such a large step in their Christian life, also it helps others who are not believers understand why Christ is so important.

“Baptism should only take place when a person is old enough to confirm their own faith” discuss.

This is where the Presbyterians differ, the most in their beliefs, as the Presbyterians will baptize babies but Baptists do not believe that this should be practiced. Baptists believe “ Only those old enough to understand what is happening to them should be baptized, and only after they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour”. Although the youngest that would be baptized would be around the age of 8 or 9, yet many wait until they attend secondary school so they can be sure about what they believe. Although the Baptists will not baptize a child, they substitute this with dedication, this is mainly for the parents to agree to bring their child up in A Godly home and encourage their child to follow Christ. Then when the child grows up, they can make their own decision about their beliefs. The Roman Catholic tradition compromises between these two beliefs as they practice infant baptistery but they also give the individual the chance to renew their vows, becoming a full member of the Church, but only if decided by them selves, this act is called confirmation. This is seen as a milestone in their relationship with Christ. There is no indication that this ceremony is used in the Bible but they believe the tradition of the laying on of the hands in the new testament church is the origin of confirmation.

Before a believer is baptized they would celebrate Jesus death by Holy Communion; the bread symbolizes Christ’s body and the wine, his blood. Baptism is the way in which they can show God how much his son dying on the cross means to them. After their Baptism the individual would see Holy Communion as a way of being with God more closely and would be more significant to them than before.