Baptism

• Sacraments


  Holy rituals that outwardly express an inner, spiritual experience, making visible for believers a special gift of grace (a free gift of God's love)
• Sacraments accepted by Catholic and Orthodox Christians

  • Baptism
  • Confirmation
  • Holy Communion
  • Marriage
  • Holy Orders
  • Reconciliation
  • Anointing of the sick
• Sacraments seen as important rituals by many Protestant churches

  • Baptism
  • Holy Communion
• Some churches that practise believers' baptism consider it an important ceremony but do not refer to it as a 'sacrament'
• Other churches like the Quakers or the Salvation Army do not use any sacraments
• How sacraments help Christians


  • Sacraments involve symbolic actions, words, and physical elements that help strengthen their relationship with God by making him a part of their life
  • Sacraments are important to the Christian community because they affirm that Christians are part of the Body of Christ, the Church, with all its responsibilities
• Baptism


  • The initiation rite by which people become members of the Christian Church
  • In baptism the person is formally acknowledged as a child of God and receives God's saving grace; the person's sins are forgiven and he or she enters a new life with Jesus Christ
• When John the Baptist baptised Jesus in the Jordan River, two extraordinary things happened that showed God's approval of his son's mission
• Jesus' baptism set an example for his followers to be baptised in order to receive the Holy Spirit and begin a new life in the Christian community
• Matthew 28:19: '"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."'
• Infant baptism


  The ritual through which babies and young children become members of the Church, where promises are taken on their behalf by adults; the infant is freed from sin and introduced to the saving love of God and the support of the Christian community
• Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that infant baptism removes original sin
• Infant baptism rites


  1. Priest/minister says 'I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit' while pouring blessed water over the head of the baby

  2. Godparents and parents promise to bring up the child in the Christian faith

  3. Other symbols used include making the sign of the cross on the baby's forehead, anointing with oil, dressing the child in white, and giving the parents a candle lit from the Paschal candle
• Believers' baptism


  Initiation into the Church, by immersion in water, of people old enough to understand the ceremony rite and willing to live at Christian life
• Believers' baptism rites


  1. Full immersion in a pool, symbolising the cleansing from sin and the rising up to new life with Christ

  2. Minister talks about the importance of baptism and asks if the candidates are willing to change their lives

  3. Each person may read a Bible passage and give a brief testimony of their faith in Jesus as their personal saviour

  4. Minister goes into the pool with the person and baptises them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit