The believer’s baptism service
This endorses the full immersion of the person in a special pool called a baptistery as shown in the picture. They can be baptised in running water as was the custom in the early years of Christianity, but the former is far more common. The tradition is to wear white, and this is usually followed with women wearing a white dress and men wearing a white shirt and grey trousers.
The service is carried out in front of the whole church, and the believer has to make a statement about his/her faith before the following symbolic acts take place:
The person descends down some steps and into a pool to show that they are leaving their old life as if in death as Jesus died wen he was crucified. he priest ten rocks the person back and holds them for a short amount of time to symbolise the total death of all that the person’s former life represented and symbolises the person being buried with Christ as Jesus was buried in the tomb. The person then exits the pool out of a different set of steps to show that they are walking into a new life and being resurrected from their old one as Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
The person now becomes an active member of the church, proclaiming the Christian message to others as an evangelist. This happens after the first Lord’s Supper after the person’s baptism, when he/she is given ‘the right hand of fellowship’ (a handshake) by the minister and welcomed into the church as a full member.
ao2- Explain the meaning and significance of baptism for Christians today
Most Christians believe that there are points in people’s lives when they progress from one stage of life to another, and these points are marked by ceremonies called ‘rites of passage’.
The plurality of Christians believe that the first stage of a person’s life begins with baptism. Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches believe that baptism should be performed on babies, and is thus called infant baptism.
Other churches, however, believe that someone should only be baptised when the are fully aware of what is happening. This is called believer’s baptism, and whilst other churches such as Anglicans do offer believer’s baptism it is usually subordinate to infant baptism. The only church that solely practises believer’s baptism is the Baptist Church.
The element that links all baptism is water, and people who are dipped beneath water are meant to be cleansed from sin. The idea of baptism was soon linked to membership with the church, and support of this can be seen in the Bible, such as Galatians 3:28 ‘For all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothes yourselves with Christ’.
Infant Baptism
The most well- known baptism is that of Jesus, who was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Jesus had reached adulthood by this time, which was the age that everyone at the time of Jesus was baptised, and baptism in the much earlier ages most closely resembles believer’s baptism. Infant baptism only really became popular in the 4th century when Christian families baptised their babies for fear that unbaptised babies who died would not enter heaven (the infant mortality rate at this time was high).
Nowadays, the different churches that practise infant baptism see the baptism as a sacrament, which is a channel of God’s love. They believe that from the outward actions performed on them, God’s spirit flows into their lives and a significant change takes place inside them. When the sacrament takes place, and God’s spirit flows into their lives, the person in born again, made more sensitive to God’s plan, turning from their old life and committing themselves to God.
Seeing baptism as a sacrament in referral to infant baptism is slightly difficult, because the baby does not understand the meaning of the service. Babies, when they are baptised, are freed from original sin, which fell upon them because the actions of Adam and Eve, and other sinful acts that took place before the baby was born that may make humanity in general unclean. These sins are washed away from the baby, and its soul is met by the spirit of God and opened up to him. The spiritual growth and development of the baby within the church as now begun, and it has been accepted into the church in unity with the other people. The candle that is lit also shows the light of Jesus coming into the baby’s life, and the baby’s journey from darkness and sin to light and forgiveness.
The idea of the soul being opened up to God’s spirit can be seen in Mark1:9-11, where Jesus ‘saw the heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove’.
Believer’s Baptism
As I have already said, the only primary church that practises believer’s baptism is the Baptist Church, and it originates from the Anabaptists, a group of Anglicans in the 16th century, who were persecuted for their belief that all other forms of baptism were pointless and that only believer’s baptism followed God’s instructions. This was because Jesus was baptised as a man and baptism at that time was not available for babies.
Baptists believe that baptism does not cause a change inside, but s a sign of a change that has already taken place. Baptism is not necessary for causing God’s spirit to come upon them, but more because Jesus commanded that it should take place as an act of witness. He can be seen to say this in Matthew 28:19- ‘Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptise them in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit’.
Baptists believe in following Jesus’ baptism as closely as possible because they feel they are following his example.
Before being baptised, the believer must repent of his/her sins and the water still symbolises a rebirth into Christ. There is the very strong view that the person shares in the death and resurrection of Jesus as I have explained in ao1. Romans 6:3-4 shows how significant the suffereing, death and resurrection of Christ are in the baptism ceremony.‘Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.’
The person’s unity with God ‘s spirit is carried with them beyond the grave.
ao3- ‘Baptising babies is pointless.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view.
As I have shown above, there is clearly some diversity as to what point in someone’s life they should be baptised. There are many arguments for and against the baptism of babies, infant baptism, and I will now highlight some of these.
Some Christians might say that baptising a baby is a way of freeing it from original sin and opening its heart up to God’s spirit to firmly establish its connection with him right at the beginning of its life.
However other Christians may argue that it the baby is not conscious of what is happening in the service, it cannot fully connect with God because it is not aware of any Christian faith.
Those who practise infant baptism would probably say to this that the chance for the person to openly confess to the Christian faith comes later at confirmation, where the person can then extend their relationship with God and make a conscious decision to follow Christianity. Confirmation also allows the person to learn a lot more about what they are about to commit to, making sure they fully understanding what is happening in the service and the significance.
But it could still be said that the baptism of babies could be skipped out and the person could only be baptised when the were sure that they wanted to follow Christianity. Why baptise a baby when it will not know what is happening?
I personally think that babies should be baptised. I think that the progression from baptism to confirmation is a good way of marking the stages in a person’s life- from ignorance of Christianity but still sharing a connection with the church to being able to make a conscious and positive decision to follow Christianity. It gives the person a certain feeling of responsibility and makes them feel as though they are growing up and progressing spiritually.
I think infant baptism provides a firm foundation on which to build the baby’s faith, and gives the baby a spiritual connection with God. The baby does not need to understand the meaning of a sacrament, God’s love will be just as strong, and I think that everybody should have a chance to share God’s love and membership with the church, regardless of their age.
Bibliography
- ‘Christianity- A new approach’- Kevin O’Donnell
- ‘Today’s Issues and Christian Beliefs’- Simon and Christopher Danes
- www.btinternet.com/~slough baptistchurch.offices/services.html
- www.wymondham-norfolk.co.uk/abbey/tour.html
- Order of service for infant baptism from Sherborne Abbey