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This article is about the Christian religious ceremony of Baptism and other water-related religious practices. For other uses, see Baptism (disambiguation).
Representation of baptism in early Christian art.
In Christianity, baptism (from Greek βάπτισμα and βαπτισμός, meaning "immersing", "performing ablutions" - see below) is the sacramental act of cleansing in water that admits one as a full member of the Church. Most Christians, such as Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutherans, are baptized as infants. Baptists and certain other groups baptize only after a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior ("believer\'s baptism"). Most Christians baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but some baptize in Jesus\' name only.
Jews baptized proselytes.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 The periodically repeated Jewish purification rite of mikvah is not normally spoken of as baptism, largely because of the Christian associations of the word "baptism". John the Baptist baptized for the forgiveness of sins,Bowker, John (ed.) The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 baptizing JesusJesus\' baptism is one of few events in the gospels generally considered historical even by more critical scholars. It appears in all three synoptic gospels and is suggested in John (see multiple attestation). See Mark 1:9, Matthew 3:13-17, and Acts 1:22. and many others. Jesus did not baptize as part of his ministry.Durant, Will. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972 In Matthew, the resurrected Jesus commands his disciples to baptize (see Great Commission). The Gospel of John says that Jesus baptized,3:22, 3:26, 4:1 but adds that "Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples."4:2 The most usual form of baptism among early Christians was for the candidate to stand in water and water to be poured over the upper body.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997
Baptism has traditionally been seen as necessary for salvation. Martyrdom was identified early in church history as baptism by blood, allowing martyrs who had not been baptized by water to be saved. Later, the Church identified baptism by desire, by which, when joined with repentance for their sins, and charity, those preparing for baptism who die before actually receiving the sacrament are considered to be saved.Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1259
By analogy, the English word "baptism" is used of any ceremony, trial, or experience by which one is initiated, purified, or given a name.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition 2000 See Other initiation ceremonies below.
The Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell and Scott gives the primary meaning of the word βαπτίζω (transliterated as "baptizô"), from which the English word baptism is derived, as dip, plunge, but indicates, giving Luke 11:38 as an example, that another meaning is perform ablutions.Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie, Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198642261.
Liddell and Scott is not the only authority to state that the Greek word βαπτίζω does not mean exclusively, dip, plunge, immerse. Scholars of various denominationsFor instance, The Mode of Baptism; The Sacrament of Baptism#How is Baptism to be Applied?; Baptism: Immersion Only? point to two passages in the New Testament as indicating that the word was used also for something much less than the total immersion of the person. Luke 11:38 recounts that, when Jesus ate at a Pharisee\'s house, "the Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash (βαπτίζω – literally, "be baptized" or "baptize himself") before dinner." Those who point to this passage say that the Pharisee will not have expected Jesus to immerse himself fully before having a meal and that his surprise will have been at Jesus\' omission of the customary ritual washing of the hands.This is the passage that Liddell and Scott cites as an instance of the use of βαπτίζω to mean perform ablutions. Jesus\' omission of the rite has been compared with that by his disciples, mentioned in Matthew 15:1-2: "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, \'Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash (νίπτω) their hands when they eat.\'" By Jewish tradition this washing of the hands before a meal is performed by pouring water over them, not by dipping the hands in water.Jewish Encyclopedia: Ablution The other New Testament passage pointed to is Mark 7:3–4a: "The Pharisees ... do not eat unless they wash (νίπτω, the ordinary word for washing) their hands thoroughly, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they wash themselves (literally, "baptize themselves" - βαπτίζω)".
Although the term "baptism" is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites (or mikvah - ritual immersion) in Jewish laws and tradition have some similarity to baptism, and the two have been linkedStoltz, Eric (2005). A Christian Glossary: Baptism. The Abraham Project. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. although their relationship is disputed. In the Jewish Bible and other Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. For example, Jews who (according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use the mikvah before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required for converts to Judaism as part of their conversion. Immersion in the mikvah represents purification and restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community, because the cleansed person will not impose uncleanness on property or its owners. (See Numbers Chapter 19, and Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Chagigah, page 12).
The mikvah is a rite that is meant to be carried out repeatedly, and is thus essentially different from baptism, which has an unrepeatable character.
The New Testament gives accounts of baptisms performed, in the lifetime of Jesus, by John the Baptist in the Jordan River,Matthew 3:6-16, Mark 1:4-11,Luke 3:3-23, John 1:25-33 and John 10:40. John\'s "baptism of repentance" was considered to be distinct from Christian baptism, and those who had received it had nonetheless to be "baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:3-5) and by Jesus himself,John 3:22-26, 4:1 not personally but rather through his disciplesJohn 4:2
In the apostolic period, the Acts of the Apostles reports baptisms of about 3,000 persons in Jerusalem within a single day, that of Pentecost,Acts 2:41 of men and women in Samaria,Acts 8:12-13 of an Ethiopian eunuch,Acts 8:36-40 of Saul, whose Greek name was Paul,Acts 9:18 and Acts 22:16 of the household of Cornelius,Acts 10:47-48 of Lydia\'s household,Acts 16:15 of the Philippi jailer\'s household,Acts 16:33 of many Corinthians,Acts 18:8 of certain Corinthians baptized by Paul personally.1 Corinthians 1:14-16
None of these accounts gives an exact description of the method(s) by which baptism was administered in the apostolic period, whether by full immersion, by pouring water on someone standing in a stream or pool (as envisaged by the Oxford Dictionary of World Religions),Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 or in some other way. For instance, when Acts 8:38-39 says that "both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him", and continues: "When they came up out of the water ...", it uses terms that apply equally to the action of two people fording a stream by, both of them, "going down into the water" on one side and "coming up out of the water" on the other side, without either of them having been completely immersed in the water.Besides, the baptism, in whatever form it took, was done after their joint "going down into the water". However, the idea of washing implicit in the word βαπτίζω (see above) does imply the use of water, though in apostolic times there is only one explicit mention (Acts 8:36) of the use of water in connection with baptism.There are several mentions of the use of water by John, either water in general (Luke 3:16, John 1:31, 1:33, 3:23) or specifically that of the River Jordan (Matthew 3:6, Mark 1:5, 1:9).
Some claim that the mentions of baptisms by John in the River Jordan and that of the eunuch in the spring or pool of water found on the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza (Acts 8:26 and 8:36-38) imply the use of immersion.Twelves, H. A.. Baptism -- Essential to Salvation. Retrieved on 2007-08-17. They also seek support in the figure of speech of "burial" used in connection with baptism in both Romans 6:3-4 ("Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.") and Colossians 2:12 ("When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead"). They take this as implying baptism by full immersion to symbolise burial.Pearce, Fred. Why Baptism Really Matters: What must we do to be saved?. The Christadelphian Magazine and Publishing Association Ltd (UK). Retrieved on 2007-08-17. Additionally, some take the figure of speech used in John 3:3-5 of how a Christian is "born again" by being "born of water" as implying a baptism of complete immersion in water from which the person baptized comes out from under the water as if being born again.Growcott, G. V.. There Is One Baptism. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
Others, while not denying that total immersion may have been the usual form of baptism in apostolic times, claim that there is no evidence that it was the only form in use. They point to physical problems in supposing that total immersion was used when, for instance, 3,000 people were baptized in a single day in Jerusalem,Acts 2:41 which only had mikvahs for immersion, or when the whole household of the Philippi jailer were baptized immediately during the night of the earthquake;Acts 16:33 they also point to the explicit recognition in early Christian writings, one of which, the Didache, may even date from apostolic times, that other forms of baptism were valid.Baptism: Immersion Only?
The Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, an anonymous book of 16 short chapters, is probably the earliest known written instructions, outside of the Bible, for administering baptism. Most scholars date it to about the year 100.Audet in La Didache argues for a date of 70, of which Lightfoot says "he is not likely to be off by more than a decade in either direction". Draper estimates 80 C.E. It indicates a preference for baptizing in "living" (i.e. running, as in a river or stream) water at its natural temperature, but considers that, if necessary, it is enough to pour water of any kind on the head: "Concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if you have no living water, baptize into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit."Didache, chapter 7
Many scholars believe immersion, whether partial or complete, was the dominant mode of baptism in the early church."It is evident that Baptism in the early Church was by immersion" (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. II, p. 56)"The first Christians received baptism by immersion everywhere where water was found" (Larousse du XXe Siècle, Paris, 1928)"Baptism was originally administered by immersion." (Augustus Neander, History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries)"The majority of theologians and liturgists admit in a general manner: 1st, that there was total immersion from evangelical times until about the fourteenth century; 2nd, that from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, partial immersion of the body was used with affusion [pouring] on the head; 3rd, that from the fifteenth century affusion alone replaced affusion accompanied by immersion" (Jules Corblet, Histoire Dogmatique, Vol. 1, page 223.)Catholic Encyclopedia: Baptism Other forms were also admitted in certain circumstances, as today in the East, where immersion continues to be prevalent.
In imitation of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, early Christians preferred rivers for performing baptisms, and this was also suitable for the baptism of large crowds.Jules Corblet, Histoire Dogmatique, Liturgique et Archéologique du Sacrement de Baptême, volume II, opening words. Since rivers were not available everywhere, some important writers of the second and third centuries (Justin, Clement, Victor I, and Tertullian) remarked that seas, lakes, ponds and springs are equally proper baptismal sites.
On the separate but related question of whether early Christians baptized infants, see the article on infant baptism.
Early Christian beliefs regarding baptism were variable.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 In the most usual form of early Christian baptism, the candidate stood in water and water was poured over the upper body.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997The theology of baptism attained precision in the 3rd and 4th centuries.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997
As baptism forgave sins, the issue of sins committed after baptism arose. Hardliners periodically insisted that apostasy, even under threat of death, and other grievous sins could cut one off forever from the Church, but the Church consistently readmitted the repentant. Some early Christians delayed baptism until they were dying, as is said to have been the motive for which Constantine delayed receiving baptism.Durant recounts Constantine\'s baptism. Durant, Will. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972; and the various alleged motives given in Eusebius\'s Vita Constantini 4.61-64, and in the different account of the Conversio Constantini included in the Actus Sylvestri are discussed in Marilena Amerise, \'Il battesimo di Costantino il Grande. Storia di una scomoda eredità. Hermes Einzelschrift 95. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 2005. ISBN 3-515-08721-4.
Baptism of the sick or dying used means other than even partial immersion and was still considered valid."In the case of the sick or dying, where immersion was impossible, the sacrament was then conferred by one of the other forms. This was so well recognized that infusion or aspersion received the name of the "baptism of the sick" (baptismus clinicorum), because it was hardly an "immersion" or "dipping" in water. Cyprian\'s Epistle 75 (third century) declared this form to be valid. From the canons of various early councils we know that candidates for Holy orders who had been baptized by this method seem to have been regarded as irregular, but this was on account of the culpable negligence supposed to be manifested in delaying baptism until sick or dying. That such persons, however, were not to be rebaptized is an evidence that the Church held their baptism to be valid." Catholic Encyclopedia.
Infant baptism became common, alongside the developing theology of original sin, displacing the earlier common practice of delaying baptism until the deathbed.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 Against Pelagius, Augustine insisted that baptism was necessary for salvation even for virtuous people and for children.
Baptism was subsumed into the medieval theology of the sacraments.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 Medieval theologians identified baptism as one of seven sacraments, all instituted by Christ and necessary for salvation.[citation needed]
In the period between the twelfth and the fourteenth centuries, affusion (pouring) became the usual manner of administering baptism in Western Europe, though immersion continued to be found in some places even as late as the sixteenth century. Throughout the Middle Ages, there was therefore considerable variation in the kind of facility required for baptism, from the baptismal pool large enough to immerse several adults simultaneously of the 13th century Baptistery at Pisa,Pictured in isolation, and in context to the half-metre deep basin in the 6th century baptistery of the old Cologne Cathedral.Baptismal Font from the Cologne Baptistery. Cologne Cathedral. Retrieved on 2007-07-31.
Both East and West considered washing with water and the Trinitarian baptismal formula necessary for administering the rite. Scholasticism referred to these two elements as the matter and the form of the sacrament, employing terms taken from the then prevailing Aristotelian philosophy.The Catechism of the Catholic Church, while teaching the necessity of both elements, nowhere uses these philosophical terms when speaking of any of the sacraments.
In the 16th century, various Reformers broke from the Roman Catholic Church and challenged numerous church doctrines and practices.
Martin Luther recategorized all the sacraments other than baptism and the eucharist as rites.[citation needed] Zwingli differed with Luther here, denying sacramental status even of these. Swiss Reformer Huldrych Zwingli identified baptism and the Lord\'s supper as sacraments, but in the sense of an initiatory ceremony or pledging.Stevens. 1986. His understanding of these sacraments as symbolic differentiated him from Luther.
Anabaptists ("Rebaptizers") rejected church authority so thoroughly that they even denied the validity of baptism outside their sect. They rebaptized converts. The Amish, Hutterites, and other groups descend from this tradition.
Men awaiting baptism in the Jordan River near Lake Kinneret in Israel.
Today, baptism is most readily identified with Christianity, where it symbolizes the cleansing (remission) of sins, and the union of the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection so that he may be called "saved" or "born again." Most Christian groups practice some form of literal water-based baptism and agree that it is important, yet strongly disagree with other groups regarding any or all of several aspects of the rite, such as:
A few Christian groups assert that water baptism has been supplanted by the promised "baptism of the Holy Spirit", and water baptism was unnecessarily carried over from the early Jewish Christian practice Baptism. Some require the explicit word "water" to be used in the text if it is to be interpreted as a literal baptism in water.[citation needed]
A woman being baptized in Benin, Africa.
Today, Christian baptism takes many forms among Christian denominations, but the three basic forms are as follows:
Aspersion is the sprinkling of water on the head.
Affusion is the pouring of water over the head.
Immersion is the submerging of the entire body in water.
A contemporary baptism in a North American church.
Biblical passages such as Romans 6:2-13 and Colossians 2:12-13 lead some Christians to believe that baptism is by full immersion in water in order to represent a death and burial (when the person being baptized is submerged under the water, like they are being buried), and a resurrection (when the person comes up out of the water, like they are rising from the grave) - a "death" and a "burial" to an old way of life focused on sinning, and a "resurrection" to the start of a new life as a Christian focused on God. John 3:3-5 is also sometimes taken as implying that baptism is by complete immersion in water to represent a birth to a new life as a Christian (when the person being baptized comes out of the water). It is maintained by some Christians who carry out immersion that other forms of baptism, e.g. sprinkling, fail to adequately represent these symbols of death, burial, resurrection and birth and thus are incorrect methods of baptism. Because of the fact that Jesus was not buried underground but in an above-ground tomb, some assert that the physical rite is not what pictures Jesus\' death, but what occurs spiritually, the death of the old life and the new life or baptism in the Holy Spirit.
There are differences in views about the effect of baptism for a Christian. Some Christian groups assert baptism is a requirement for salvation and a sacrament, and speak of "baptismal regeneration." This view is shared by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, and by Churches formed early during the Protestant Reformation such as Lutheran and Anglican. For example, Martin Luther said:
To put it most simply, the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is to save. No one is baptized in order to become a prince, but as the words say, to "be saved." To be saved, we know, is nothing else than to be delivered from sin, death, and the devil and to enter into the kingdom of Christ and live with him forever.– Luther\'s Large Catechism, 1529
Much later Restorationist Churches such as the Churches of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also espouse baptism as necessary for salvation.
For Roman Catholics, baptism by water is a sacrament of initiation into the life of children of God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1212-13). It configures the person to Christ (CCC 1272), and obliges the Christian to share in the Church\'s apostolic and missionary activity (CCC 1270). The Catholic Tradition holds that there are three types of baptism by which one can be saved: sacramental baptism (with water), baptism of desire (explicit or implicit desire to be part of the Church founded by Jesus Christ), and baptism of blood (martyrdom) (see topic below).
By contrast, evangelical and fundamentalist Protestant groups recognize baptism as an act of obedience to and identity with Jesus as the Christ. They say that baptism has no sacramental (saving) power, and only testifies outwardly to the invisible and internal operation of God\'s power, which is completely separate from the rite itself.
The baptistry at St. Raphael\'s Cathedral, Dubuque, Iowa. This particular font was expanded in 2005 to include a small pool to provide for immersion baptism of adults. Eight sided font architectures are common symbology of the day of Christ\'s Resurrection: the "Eighth Day."
The liturgy of baptism in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist traditions makes clear reference to baptism as not only a symbolic burial and resurrection, but an actual supernatural transformation, one that draws parallels to the experience of Noah and the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea divided by Moses. Thus, baptism is literally and symbolically not only cleansing, but also dying and rising again with Christ. Catholics believe that baptism is necessary for the cleansing of the taint of original sin, and for that reason infant baptism is a common practice. The Eastern Churches (Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy) also baptize infants on the basis of texts, such as Matthew 19:14, which are interpreted as supporting full Church membership for children. In these traditions, baptism is immediately followed by Chrismation and Communion at the next Divine Liturgy, regardless of age. Orthodox likewise believe that baptism removes what they call the ancestral sin of Adam.cf. Nikodemos Hagiorites (2006). Concerning Thoughts. Exomologetarion (A Manual of Confession). Uncut Mountain Press. Retrieved on 2007-07-28. Anglicans believe that Baptism is also the entry into the Church and therefore allows them access to all rights and responsibilities as full members, including the privilege to receive Holy Communion. Most Anglicans agree that it also cleanses the taint of what in the West is called original sin, in the East ancestral sin.
Eastern Orthodox Christians usually insist on complete threefold immersion as both a symbol of death and rebirth into Christ, and as a washing away of sin. Latin Rite Catholics generally baptize by affusion (pouring); Eastern Catholics usually by immersion, at least partial immersion. However, immersion is gaining in popularity within the Latin Catholic Church. In newer church sanctuaries, the baptismal font may be designed to expressly allow for baptism by immersion.[citation needed] Older church buildings may feature this as well by either building a new baptismal font or expanding an existing one. Anglicans baptize by immersion, affusion or sprinkling.
Baptists argue that the Greek word βαπτίζω originally meant "to immerse." They interpret some Biblical passages concerning baptism as requiring an immersion of the body in water. They also state that only immersion reflects the symbolic significance of being "buried" and "raised" with Christ (see Romans 6:3-4). Many Baptist Churches baptise in the name of the \'trinity-\' the father, the son, and the holy spirit, few exceptions include full gospel churches, who note that in the bible, there were no references to such baptisms, accredit the Apostles with a special revelation, and baptise only in the name of their Saviour, and the name that they claim to be above other names- Jesus Christ.
Comparative Summary of Baptisms of Denominations of Christian Influence.Good News. Issue 3. St Louis, MO. 2003. p 18-19 Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England http://anglicansonline.org/basics/thirty-nine_articles.html The Baptist Faith and Message (1963/1998). http://www.utm.edu/staff/caldwell/bfm/1963-1998/index.html
| Denomination | Beliefs about Baptism | Type of Baptism | Baptize Infants? | Baptism Regenerates, Gives Spiritual Life | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglican Communion | A sign of profession and a mark of separation which, received rightly, affirms the forgiveness received by a believer through faith. | By immersion or pouring. | Yes. | No. (Except for the Diocese of Sydney) | Trinity |
| Apostolic Brethren | Necessary for salvation because it conveys spiritual rebirth. | By immersion only. Also stress the necessity of a “second” Baptism of a special outpouring from the Holy Spirit. [1] | No. | Yes. | Jesus [2] |
| Baptists | A divine ordinance, a symbolic ritual, a mechanism for publically declaring one\'s faith, and a sign of having already been saved, but not necessary for salvation. See Baptist - Believer\'s Baptism. | By immersion only. | No. | No. | Trinity |
| Christadelphians | Baptism is essential for the salvation of a believer.Mansfield, H. P.. Baptism. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. It is only effective if somebody believes the true gospel message before they are baptized.Christadelphian Bible Mission (CBM). Bible Q & A. Christadelphian Bible Mission. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. Baptism is an external symbol of an internal change in the believer: it represents a death to an old, sinful way of life, and the start of a new life as a Christian, summed up as the repentance of the believer - it therefore leads to forgiveness from God, who forgives people who repent.Levin, David. Forgiveness. Printland Publishers. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. Although someone is only baptized once, a believer must live by the principles of their baptism (i.e. death to sin, and a new life following Jesus) throughout their life.Norris, Alfred. His Cross and Yours. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. | By immersion onlyMorgan, Tecwyn. Understand the Bible for Yourself. Christadelphian Bible Mission. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. | No | Yes | Jesus |
| Churches of Christ | Baptism is a must for salvation as commanded by Jesus, Mark 16:16; Matt. 28:19. One receives forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and addition to God\'s church. Acts 2:38-41. This is done after one has expressed their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and repented from their sins. | Immersion only | No | Yes | Trinity |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | An ordinance essential to enter the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven and preparatory for receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. | By immersion performed by a person holding proper priesthood authority. | No | Yes | Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost (The LDS church doesn\'t believe in the general notion of the trinity) |
| Eastern Orthodox Church / Eastern Catholic | The old man dies the "New Man" is born free from ancestral sin. A new name is given. All previous commitments and sins are null and void. | By 3-fold immersion (other forms only in emergency, must be corrected by priest if possible). | Yes. Confirmation and communion immediately follows. | Yes | Trinity |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | Baptism is necessary for salvation as part of the entire baptismal arrangement: as an expression of obedience to Jesus\' command (Matthew 28:19-20), as a public symbol of the saving faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:10), and as an indication of repentance from dead works and the dedication of one\'s life to Jehovah. (1 Peter 2:21) However, baptism does not guarantee salvation. | By immersion only; typical candidates are baptized at district and circuit conventions. | No | Yes | Jesus |
| Denomination (Continued) | Beliefs about Baptism | Type of Baptism | Baptize Infants? | Baptism Regenerates, Gives Spiritual Life | Standard |
| Lutherans | Baptism is how God miraculously delivers a person from sin, death, and the devil; gives new life; and brings one into Christ’s kingdom forever (Titus 3:5). | By sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. | Yes | Yes | Trinity |
| Methodists (Arminians, Wesleyans) | Baptism not necessary to salvation, since it is an outward sign of one’s membership in the Christian community. | By sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. | Yes | No | Trinity |
| (Various “Holiness” groups, Christian Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God) | Water Baptism is an ordinance, a symbolic ritual used to witness to having accepted Christ as personal Savior. | By immersion. Also stress the necessity of a “second” Baptism of a special outpouring from the Holy Spirit. | No | Varies | Trinity |
| Pentecostal | Not necessary for Salvation, but is encouraged | By immersion only | No | Yes | Trinity |
| Presbyterians | An ordinance, a symbolic ritual, and a seal of the adult believer’s present faith. | By sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. | Yes, to indicate membership in the New Covenant. | No | Trinity |
| Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) | Only an external symbol that is no longer to be practiced. | Do not believe in Baptism of water, but only in an inward, ongoing purification of the human spirit in a life of discipline led by the Holy Spirit. | — | — | — |
| Revivalism | A necessary step for salvation. | By full immersion, with the expectation of receiving the Holy Spirit. | No | Yes | Trinity |
| Roman Catholic Church | "Necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1257) | Usually by pouring in the West, by immersion in the East; sprinkling admitted only if the water then flows on the head. | Yes | Yes | Trinity |
| Seventh-day Adventists | Not stated as the way to salvation, but a prerequisite for salvation since it symbolizes the acceptance of Jesus as your savior. A time for person to express personal faith in Christ. | By immersion only. | No | No | Trinity |
| United Church of Christ (Evangelical and Reformed Churches and the Congregational Christian Churches) | One of two sacraments. Baptism is an outward sign of God\'s inward grace. It is not necessary for membership in a local congregation. However, it is a common practice for both infants and adults. | By sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. | Yes, to indicate membership in the New Covenant. | No | Trinity |
The ecumenical paper Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, prepared by representatives across a spectrum of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions of Christianity, attempts to express a common understanding of baptism, as it is derived from the New Testament.
In Roman Catholic teaching, baptism plays an essential role in salvation.can. 849, CIC 1983 This teaching dates back to the teachings and practices of first-century Christians, and the connection between salvation and baptism was not, on the whole, an item of major dispute until Martin Luther\'s teachings regarding grace. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:"Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament."Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1257 Accordingly, a person who knowingly, willfully and unrepentantly rejects baptism has no hope of salvation. This teaching is based on Jesus\' words in the Gospel according to John : "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."John 3:5 As stated earlier, three forms of baptism are acknowledged by the Church. Baptism by water refers to the traditional baptism whereby the individual is immersed water or has water poured over his head in the name of the Trinity.
Catholics are baptized in the name (singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy SpiritOrdo initiationis christanae adultorum, editio typica, Vatican City, Typis polyglottis vaticanis, 1972, pg 92, cf Lateran IV De Fide Catholica, DS 802, cf Florence, Decretum pro Armeniis, DS , 1317 — not three gods, but one God subsisting in three Persons. While sharing in the one divine essence, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, not simply three "masks" or manifestations of one Person. The faith of the Church and of the individual Christian is based on a relationship with these three Persons of the one God.
It is claimed that Pope Stephen I, St. Ambrose, and Pope Nicholas I declared that baptisms in the name of "Jesus" only as well as in the name of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" were valid. The correct interpretation of their words is disputable.Baptism in Catholic Encyclopedia Current canonical law requires the Trinitarian formula and water for validitycan. 849, CIC 1983.
The Church recognizes two other forms of non biblical baptism: "baptism of blood" and "baptism of desire." Baptism of blood refers to unbaptized individuals who are martyred for the Faith, while baptism of desire generally refers to catechumens who die before they can be baptized. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes these two forms:
The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament. (1258)
For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament. (1259)
Non-Christians who seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try to do God\'s will as they know it through the dictates of conscience can also be saved without water baptism; they are said to desire it implicitly. (cf. Catechism, 1260). As for unbaptized infants, the Church is unsure of their fate; "the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God" (Catechism, 1261).
Since Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran Churches teach that baptism is a sacrament having actual spiritual and salvific effects, certain criteria must be complied with for it to be valid (i.e., to actually have those effects.) Violation of some rules regarding baptism renders the baptism illicit (in violation of the Church\'s laws) but still valid. For example, if a priest introduces some variation in the authorized rite for the ceremony, the baptism may still be valid (provided certain key criteria are met).
One of the criteria for validity is that the correct form of words be used. Latin Rite Roman Catholics and Episcopalians/Anglicans use the form "I baptize you..."; Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic Churches use the form "This servant of Christ is baptized..." or "This person is baptized by my hands…." These Churches recognize each other\'s form of baptism as valid to varying degrees. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the use of the verb "baptize" is essential.
It is also considered essential that the Trinitarian formula ("in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit") be used; thus they do not accept as valid baptisms of non-Trinitarian churches such as Oneness Pentecostals. There was an ancient controversy over baptism using the formula that Oneness Pentecostals use, with some ancient authorities holding it to be valid.
Another condition is that water be used. Some Christian groups historically have rejected the use of water for baptism, for example the Albigensians. These baptisms would not be valid, nor would a baptism in which some other liquid was used.
Another requirement is that the celebrant intends to perform baptism. This requirement entails merely the intention "to do what the Church does," not necessarily to have Christian faith, since it is not the person baptizing, but the Holy Spirit working through the sacrament, who produces the effects of the sacrament. Doubt about the faith of the baptizer is thus no ground for doubt about the validity of the baptism.
Some conditions expressly do not affect validity — for example, whether immersion, affusion or aspersion is used. However, if water is sprinkled, there is a danger that the water may not touch the skin of the unbaptized. If the water does not flow on the skin, there is no ablution and so no baptism.
If for a medical or other legitimate reason the water cannot be poured on the head, it may be poured over another principal part of the body, such as the chest. In such case validity is uncertain and the person will be considered to be conditionally baptized – until such time as they can be baptized in the traditional manner later.
In many communions it does not affect validity for a single immersion to be performed rather than a triple, but in Orthodoxy this is controversial.
According to the Catholic Church, baptism imparts an indelible "seal" upon the soul of the baptized. Thus, once baptized, an individual cannot be baptized again. This teaching was affirmed against the Donatists who practiced rebaptism. Baptism is said to operate ex opere operato and is valid even if administered in heresy or schism.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997 Like holy orders, it confers a "character" on the recipient, who can never be rebaptized.Bowker, John (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of world religions. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997
The Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches accept baptism performed by other denominations within this group as valid, subject to certain conditions. It is only possible to be baptized once, thus people with valid baptisms from other denominations may not be baptized again upon conversion or transfer. Such people are accepted upon making a profession of faith and, if they have not yet validly received the sacrament of confirmation, by being confirmed. In some cases it can be difficult to decide if the original baptism was in fact valid; if there is doubt, conditional baptism is administered, with a formula on the lines of "If you are not yet baptized, I baptize you…."
In the still recent past, it was common practice in the Roman Catholic Church to baptize conditionally almost every convert from Protestantism because of a perceived difficulty in judging about the validity in any concrete case. In the case of the major Protestant Churches, agreements involving assurances about the manner in which they administer baptism has ended this practice, which sometimes continues for other groups of Protestant tradition. The Catholic Church has always recognized the validity of both baptism and chrismation in the Churches of Eastern Christianity. On the other hand, it has explicitly denied the validity of baptism conferred in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Practice in the Eastern Orthodox Church for converts from other communions is not uniform, but even a convert received without administration of baptism is considered to have his previous baptism retroactively filled with grace by whatever form is used to accept him, such as by chrismation or confession. The exact procedure is dependent on local canons and is the subject of some controversy.
In the eyes of the Catholic Church, the baptism conferred by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is invalid.Declaration of 5 June 2001 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith An article published together with the official declaration to that effect gave reasons for that judgement, summed up in the following words: "The Baptism of the Catholic Church and that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ essentially, both for what concerns faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in whose name Baptism is conferred, and for what concerns the relationship to Christ who instituted it."
Baptism ceremony of the Eglise du Christianisme Céleste in Cotonou, Benin.
There is debate among Christian churches as to who can administer baptism. The examples given in the New Testament only show apostles and deacons administering baptism. Ancient Christian churches interpret this as indicating that baptism should be performed by the clergy except in extremis, i.e., when the one being baptized is in immediate danger of death. Then anyone may baptize, provided, in the view of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the person who does the baptizing is a member of that Church, or, in the view of the Roman Catholic Church, that the person, even if not baptized, intends to do what the Church does in administering the rite. Many Protestant churches see no specific prohibition in the biblical examples and permit any believer to baptize another.
In the Latin Rite Catholic Church the ordinary minister of baptism is a member of the clergy (bishop, priest or deacon),(canon 861 §1 of the Code of Canon Law) but in normal circumstances only the Parish Priest of the person to be baptized, or someone authorized by the Parish Priest, may do so licitly(canon 530. "If the ordinary minister is absent or impeded, a catechist or some other person deputed to this office by the local Ordinary, may lawfully confer baptism; indeed, in a case of necessity, any person who has the requisite intention may do so(canon 861 §2) By "a case of necessity" is meant imminent danger of death because of either illness or an external threat. "The requisite intention" is, at the minimum level, the intention "to do what the Church does" through the rite of baptism.
In the Eastern Catholic Churches, a deacon is not considered an ordinary minister. Administration of the sacrament is reserved, as in the Latin Rite, to the Parish Priest. But, "in case of necessity (in extremis), baptism can be administered by a deacon or, in his absence or if he is impeded, by another cleric, a member of an institute of consecrated life, or by any other Christian faithful; even by the mother or father, if another person is not available who knows how to baptize".(canon 677 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
The discipline of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy and the Assyrian Church of the East is similar to that of the Eastern Catholic Churches. They require the baptizer, even in cases of necessity, to be of their own faith, on the grounds that a person cannot convey what he himself does not possess, in this case membership in the Church.Ware, Bishop Kallistos (Timothy) (1964), The Orthodox Church, New York: Penguin Books, pp. 285 The Latin Rite Catholic Church does not insist on this condition, considering that the effect of the sacrament, such as membership of the Church, is not produced by the person who baptizes, but by the Holy Spirit. For the Orthodox, while Baptism in extremis may be administered by a deacon or any layperson, if the newly-baptized person survives, a priest must still perform the other prayers of the Rite of Baptism, and administer the Mystery of Chrismation.
The discipline of Anglicanism is similar to that of the Latin Rite Catholic Church. For Methodists and many other Protestant denominations, too, the ordinary minister of baptism is a duly ordained or appointed minister of religion.
Newer movements of Protestant Evangelical churches, particularly non-denominational, have begun to allow those persons most instrumental in one\'s faith to baptize. The rationale for such a practice lies in the New Testament accounts of John the Baptist baptizing his own disciples, Christ his own,[citation needed] Phillip his own (such as the Ethiopian eunuch), etc.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, only a man who has been ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood holding the priesthood office of Priest or higher office in the Melchizedek Priesthood may administer baptism.
Anabaptists ("re-baptizers") and Baptists promote adult baptism, or "believer\'s baptism."
Early Anabaptists were labeled such because they re-baptized persons whom they felt had not been properly baptized (having received infant baptism, sprinkling, or baptism of any sort by another denomination). Some modern Baptists do not believe baptism by immersion is the only legitimate form of baptism, they simply perform baptism by immersion for members who wish to be baptized. It does not imply that any previous form of baptism by affusion or sprinkling is invalid. Baptism is an act identifying one as having accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. And "one enters by baptism into the membership of the church which performs it."Baptist Handbook For Church Members
Baptist theologians (such as John Gill) teach that baptism is only for those who can understand and profess their faith. This is called believer\'s baptism. Some, such as Gill, argue that the regulative principle of worship, which many paedobaptists also advocate and which states that elements of worship (including baptism) must be based on explicit commands of Scripture, is violated by infant baptism. Some would argue that according to this understanding, the re-baptisms that Baptists generally perform if a person was not regenerate when baptized also violate the Regulative Principle for Worship. Furthermore, because the New Covenant is described in Jeremiah 31:31-34 as a time when all who were members of it would have the law written on their hearts and would know God, Baptist theology teaches that only those who are born again, as indicated by a profession of faith, are members of the New Covenant. They view this text as speaking of the visible church in the present age, rather than as a prophetic text of God\'s New Covenant in Christ administered to all saints from Genesis to the present, which will be fulfilled when Christ returns to earth. Baptism is therefore not administered to those unable to make a credible confession of saving faith in Christ prior to being baptized; but it will be administered upon making this confession, regardless of the confessor\'s age. Some Baptist churches take exception to this and are very hesitant to baptize young children because they want to confirm whether or not they are regenerate. A confession alone is not enough for these churches, they want to see fruit of regeneration in the life of the person to be baptized, which some argue violates the example set forth in the book of Acts, which performed immediate baptisms.
Those who hold views influenced by the Baptists may perform the ceremony indoors in a baptismal font, a swimming pool, or a bathtub, or outdoors in a creek or river: as long as there is water, nothing prevents the performance of Baptism. Protestant groups influenced by these convictions usually emphasize that it memorializes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6), which according to the grace of God has become the basis of repentance and new life for those who have professed belief in Him, symbolizing spiritual death with regard to sin and a new life of faith in God. They typically teach that baptism does not accomplish anything in itself, but is an outward sign or testimony, a personal act, indicating the invisible reality that the person\'s sins have already been washed away by the cross of Christ, and applied to their life according to their profession of faith. It is also understood to be a covenantal act, signifying entrance into the New Covenant of Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-12, Romans 6).
For Baptists, baptism is a requirement for church membership, rather than a necessary requirement for salvation. Once baptized, a Baptist may move their membership to another congregation by letter.
The above description applies not just to those denominations using Baptist in their names, but also to a wide variety of other Protestant denominations deriving from the Anabaptist tradition, including some Mennonites and non-Oneness Pentecostals.
Paedobaptist Covenant theologians see the administration of all the biblical covenants, including the New Covenant, as including a principle of fa
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