Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:5-6
Since the time of Abraham, when God made the first covenant, there has been a mark made on God’s people. For the Jewish people in the Old Testament, that mark was circumcision. Every male had this mark on them. It was tangible, and it involved shedding blood. This is part of the “old covenant,” made with Abraham and something which guided the children of Israel before the coming of Christ.
At the time of Christ, “baptism” was used in a similar way to how we use the sacrament of confession. People would go to the river to be baptized as a ritual cleansing from sin, or forgiveness of sin. Christ went to be baptized by John, to follow the custom of the Jews, since He was Jewish. At the baptism of Christ, the Holy Trinity was revealed. The Son was in the water, the Spirit alighted on Him, and the voice of the Father came forth from heaven and endorsed Christ as the Son.
In Matthew 3:11, St. John the Baptist indicates that a “greater” baptism is coming in the person of Jesus Christ: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Jesus indicates in Mark 16:16 that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned,” an indication baptism is necessary for the believer. And St. Paul writes in Galatians 6:15 that Neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
In His commissioning of the Disciples to be Apostles, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells them “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It is clear that baptism has replaced circumcision as the initiation into the new Christian faith. No blood is shed, because Christ has shed His blood on the cross. And the baptism is not in the name of Jesus only, but in the name of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament, the mark is baptism. In the Creed, we “acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.” We don’t believe in baptism, as in this later part of the Creed, the verb changes from “pistevo” (I believe) to “omologo” (I confess or acknowledge). We acknowledge that baptism is the way in which we enter into the life of the Church, following the Great Commission of Christ that all are to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That begins with each of us, and then goes beyond us as we are supposed to go and baptize “all nations.”
Baptism is the means by which we enter the church. It is a first step, not a last one. Baptism is very misunderstood by many Christian denominations and many Christians. Some people think that baptism assures salvation. The Orthodox understanding of salvation is that it is a continuous process. We are not saved in one finite moment, as if to say that the moments (years) following that moment are of no consequence to our salvation. We have the potential for salvation because Jesus died and rose from the dead, opening a path to Paradise. We have the potential for salvation because we have entered into the army of God through baptism. The “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) is sometimes referred to as “born again” by certain Christian groups. While we do not use that phrase in Orthodoxy, we are in fact “reborn” in baptism. We come out of the womb as children of our parents, and through baptism, we become children of God. The waters of baptism symbolize the death and resurrection of Christ. Through baptism we die to sin (our sins our drowned in the waters of baptism) and exiting the baptismal font becomes like a “resurrection,” we are born anew in the light of our baptism. That doesn’t assure salvation, however. We are working on our salvation today, and ultimately we will be saved by the grace of God. Baptism does not put one into heaven, nor does anyone’s proclamation (including our own) put us into heaven. God’s grace will put us there.
Baptism is not just for the forgiveness of sins. It is for their remission, or blotting out of sin, and our record of sin. Baptism is a necessary initiation into the life of Christ and the Church. And baptism takes place one time, it is not repeated. According to the Greek Orthodox practice (this is not speaking for all Orthodox jurisdictions as there seems to be some disagreement on this), if a person is baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they are considered baptized, even if the baptism is outside of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, if someone has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and wishes to become Orthodox, they are received into the Orthodox Church through the sacrament of Chrismation. They are not “re-baptized.” There is no such thing as re-baptized in the eyes of the Orthodox Church. One either is baptized or is not. If a person was “baptized” and the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was not invoked (either because baptism was based on profession of and no invocation of the Trinity, or because the Trinity was defined as something other than Father, Son and Holy Spirit [such as using Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, as is done in some churches], or if it is done in the name of Jesus alone), then this is not considered a baptism and one would need to be baptized.
Immersion and the amount of water on a person is not what makes a baptism valid. Sadly, in my ministry, I have done eight emergency baptisms, baptisms in the hospital where the baby was not expected to live. In these cases, I put four drops of water on the chest of the baby and invoked the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In four instances, the baby has died and was buried as a Christian. In the other four instances, the baby lived and was later Chrismated but not baptized again.
There seems to be some controversy with some of the many people who are flocking to Orthodoxy who are demanding re-baptism. Some are arguing that any baptism done outside of the Orthodox Church is invalid. Some are arguing that any church that is outside of the Orthodox Church is not a church at all. These are topics for discussion that should be amongst hierarchs, not parish priests, or internet influencers. The catholicity of the Church demands that decisions are made for the entire body of the Church by the Hierarchs entrusted with leading the body of the Church. In the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, in which I serve, there is a list of churches whose baptisms are seen as valid. If one comes to Orthodoxy from a church on that list, they are received through Chrismation. If one comes to Orthodoxy from a church that is not on that list, they are baptized. Today’s prayer is Psalm 32, which is chanted at Orthodox baptisms.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I declared not my sin, my body wasted away though my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; then Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to Thee; at a time of distress, in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. Thou art a hiding place for me, Thou preservest me from trouble; Thou dost encompass me with deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not keep with you. May are the pangs of the wicked; but steadfast love surrounds him who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in the Lord! Psalm 32
Baptism is a necessary initiation into the life of Christ. It is done once. However, it represents more of a beginning than an ending, and the beginning is the entrance into the life of Christ, a life and a process that lasts for the entirety of one’s earthly life and prepares one for entrance into eternal life, a gift and a grace that is awarded by God’s grace.
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