Baptism

Buried and raised with Christ

Baptism begins with the risen Lord's command:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

The verb, baptizō (βαπτίζω), means to dip or to wash. At Pentecost Peter called out, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). Above all, baptism signifies union with Christ: "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27). Buried with him through baptism, believers are raised so that "we too may walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Wesley noted that Paul was "Alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion" Wesley.

Baptism is given once: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). The baptized become members of the one body, learning the word together, sharing the Lord's Supper and growing as disciples.

The church's confession

The Didache, c. 100, directs that baptism be given in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in running water; if there is none, in other water; and if there is not enough of either, by pouring water three times on the head Didache 7. The Nicene Creed confesses "one baptism for the remission of sins" Nicene Creed. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines it:

Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's.

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 94

Where the traditions differ

Who is baptized. Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed and Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist churches baptize those who profess faith and also the children of believers (infant baptism). They point out that the promise is "to you and your children" (Acts 2:39), that whole households were baptized (Acts 16:33), and that baptism, like circumcision, is a sign of the covenant. Baptists, Anabaptists and many Pentecostal and free churches baptize only those who have repented and professed faith (believers' baptism), because in the New Testament baptism follows repentance and faith Schleitheim Confession, art. 1.

How it is given. The Orthodox and Baptists keep baptism by immersion Second London Baptist Confession, ch. 29; Presbyterians and others hold that pouring or sprinkling is also a right administration.

What it accomplishes. The Catholic Church teaches that baptism washes away original sin and all sins, gives new birth, and makes one a member of the church Catechism of the Catholic Church. Lutherans teach that baptism, with God's word, works forgiveness of sins and gives eternal salvation to all who believe Luther, Small Catechism. Reformed churches see baptism as a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, without holding that no one can be saved without it or that all the baptized are certainly born again. Baptists see it as an act of obedience that publicly confesses the grace already received by faith. Most churches recognise one another's baptism in the triune name, though churches that teach believers' baptism generally do not count a baptism received in infancy. See also the lesson Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and What are baptism and the Lord's Supper?