Describe and explain the central features of infant and believers baptism.
Describe and explain the central features of infant and believers baptism (400-600 words)
Baptism is based on the baptism of Jesus. In Mark 1:9-11 we find out that Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. When he was baptised he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. In Jesus’ baptism he was immersed in water. Water represents sin being washed away and a new life with God. Baptism represents an end to the person’s old life of sin and a new beginning with God. In the early church, Baptism was reserved for adults. It wasn’t until the third century that children were baptised.
Today baptism is still based on Jesus’ baptism and can occur when the person is an infant or adult. When babies are baptised the ceremony is called a christening. Baptism of infants is the most common in the Christian church today. The reason for infant baptism is the desire of the parents to bring up their children as Christians. The baby isn’t baptised because it believes but because there is a wish on the part of the parents to have the child received into the family of the church and also to pass on the faith. The main churches that baptise infants are the Roman Catholic, The Greek Orthodox, The Church of England and The Methodist Church.