The Sacrament of Baptism

You are reading this information for one of two reasons: either you have decided to be baptized or you wish to have your child baptized. In either case your church rejoices with you and the decision you have made. For, in presenting yourself to be baptized, you are indicating your commitment to Jesus Christ and His Church and your intention to be His disciple. In bringing your child for baptism you are saying you wish that your child also may come into a living relationship with God in Christ Jesus and that, with the help of the church, you are going to teach your child the truths and practices of the Christian faith. You are making an exciting journey!

The Westminster Shorter Catechism makes this statement:

Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to HIM...

The Westminster Confession of Faith, one of the Subordinate Standards of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, makes the following statement:

Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience to Christ, but also the infants of one or both believing parents are to be baptized.

Thus, any persons who believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized, as are their children. The church was commanded by Jesus Christ to do so (Matthew 28:10) for He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. (Mark 16:16) Our church teaches that to profess faith in Jesus Christ and to be baptized also means to become a member of the church. Therefore in the case of children, one or both parents must be a member(s) before their child(ren) can be baptized.

This exciting event should take place only once in your life as baptism is to be administered to any person only once. You may find yourself in the situation where you cannot recall, nor can anyone else verify whether you were baptized as an infant. In such a case your minister can baptize you, stating in the service that this baptism is being performed on the condition that you have not already been baptized.

Baptism normally takes place in the context of the worship service as baptism involves not only you and your family but the entire congregation. Together you are the family of God. Baptism lays a solemn obligation on the congregation as they promise to make your (your child's) incorporation into the church complete.

The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism speaks of:

... a washing ritual:     There is in baptism a very frank recognition of our human need. We all have fallen short of God’s expectations and our own self-expectations. To use the Biblical term, we all have sinned. Baptism as a washing ritual symbolically cleanses us. In early church times when a person was baptized in water, it was stated that one went down into the water unclean, but came up from the water clean - new. (I Cor. 6:11)

...union with Christ:    In trying to understand this you might read Romans 6:3 -11. This helps us to understand that in baptism the person baptized participates in the death (entering the water) and resurrection (coming out of the water) of Jesus Christ. We identify with His death, and thus our past is behind us. We also identify with His resurrection so we begin to walk in a new way of living. This union with our Lord changes our outlook on life and the way we conduct ourselves. (I Cor. 6:11; Gal. 3:27)

...God's grace:     The grace of God is something which is often difficult for us to understand. "Grace" means that unmerited and unconditional Love of God. God took it upon Himself to act for us and our salvation in Jesus Christ. it is only by God's grace that we can even contemplate having a vital relationship with Him. For by grace have you been saved... declares the apostle Paul. Symbolically, in baptism God is at work and we are passive. God has already forgiven us in Jesus Christ.

...a sign and a seal:     The Westminster Confession states that baptism is:

to be to him (the one baptized) a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up to God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life.

What do we mean by "sign" and "seal"?

Baptism is a sign and a symbol inasmuch as baptism is a witness to God's act of salvation. it is symbolic of Christ's death and resurrection in which we participate. It is also a seal. In baptism, the baptized person is made one with Christ. (Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5). This may sound like magic, but it is not. It gets back to God's grace again. God pledges His love for you and this sacrament serves as an 'official seal' of this pledge. It should be mentioned here that your faith is of importance and this will be considered a little later. Remember, in the final analysis, neither your faith nor baptism makes you right with God; it is by God's gracious act in Jesus Christ that you are made right with Him.

...receiving the Holy Spirit: Do you remember John the Baptist? He baptized people for "the remission of sins". What is the difference between his baptism and Christian Baptism? John answers this question himself: I baptize you with water, but He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:8). Union with Christ is possible only through the Holy Spirit. As baptism represents this union with Christ it also signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit within you.

Baptism and the Covenant Community

Baptism also serves as an initiation rite. When you are baptized you are visible entering into the family of God, which is the Church. By the Holy Spirit you are made one with Jesus Christ and everyone else who belongs to Him. The apostle Paul states it this way: by one Spirit are we baptized into one body (I cor. 12:13), and as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ... you are all one in Christ. (Gal. 3:27-28).

In the Sacrament of Baptism, God says that you belong to His family. At the same time, you say to the world that you (your child) belong to Christ. The Bible reveals a long history of how God included people in His family. This might be best understood by what is called a covenant. A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement with promises and obligations, entered into by two or more parties and often ratified by oaths and visible signs. In a Christian sense, a covenant is always initiated by God. In the Old Testament God made a covenant with Noah (Genesis 6:18), Abraham (Genesis 17:7) and Moses (Exodus 19:20). In New Testament times God's covetable dealings with people are equally apparent, (Acts 2:39). The interesting thing about the covenants that God makes is that they include children as well as adults. In Acts there are records showing that on the faith of one member of a house, the entire household was baptized. (Acts 11:4; 15:31). You (your child) are being baptized into the covenant community of men, women and children, which is the Holy Catholic Church.

Baptism and Children

Our church baptizes adults and also the children of Christian parents. There are several denominations that believe it is wrong to baptize children. They believe that baptism should follow a personal confession of faith. This is clearly not possible for infants. Why then, does our church teach that it is right to baptize children?

Here are a few answers:

1. Children are a part of the covenant. As we stated earlier, in the Old Testament, children were a part of God's covenant simply because they were born into a Hebrew home. God's promise was for the adults and their children.
   
   In a like manner, children born to Christian parents are a part of God's covenant. They belong to God's family too! In baptism we recognize and accept this in the same manner as Israelites did through the ritual of circumcision. (see Colossians 2:11-12).



2. A second answer has to do with what is called vicarious faith. In Mark 2, we read that Jesus healed a sick man not because of the sick man's faith, but because of the faith of his friends. They exercised vicarious faith. Parents and the congregation exercise such faith for their children. They feed, clothe, protect and give spiritual guidance to their children. In infant baptism, a child is baptized on the basis of a sure promise of God and the faith and intent of the child's parents and the church.



3. The New Testament speaks of household baptism. It is possible that household baptism included children (see Acts 16:15, 33; 18:8;     I Cor. 1:16) We have noted that because one member of the family believed in the good news concerning Jesus Christ and was baptized so, too, was the rest of the family. No mention is made of the commitment of the others in the household, yet they were included in baptism.

The baptism of a child represents purely and simply the grace of God. God so loved your child that even before s/he can sneak or believe, Jesus Christ died for your child. As you present your children for baptism you are not simply committing your child to the Christian way of life: you are committing yourself as well. And at the same time the congregation is making a commitment to nurture your child in the Christian faith and community. There is anticipation, a hope, that your child will one day confirm the baptismal vow by a confession of personal faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Which this understanding of Baptism, you and your minister will want to read through the Service of Baptism together so that you will understand fully the meaning of it. You may have concerns that this paper does not cover, for instance the way we baptize, Godparents / sponsors, or baptism under exceptional circumstance. Please ask any questions you may have at this time. Do not hesitate or think your questions or doubts unimportant. Your complete understanding of this Sacrament is important to your growth in the faith.

You and your child(ren) are taking an important and exciting step. The church welcomes you in the name of Christ.