The Sacrament of Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism is a landmark event in the life of Christians. And though the various Christian denominations have the own vision of the Office of Baptism, the meaning of this act is the same because it means the adoption of a person into the church. Thus, the main aim of this assignment is to research the Sacrament of Baptism from various perspectives, including its meaning for the person’s existence, and the ways how it can influence on human life.
To start, it is necessary to state that the Office of Baptism has deep roots in the history of the mankind, while the attitude to this act was very different in the frames of different religions in the past. For instance, the Orthodox catechism gives the following definition of the Sacrament of Baptism (Greek “immersion”), mentioning that Christening is the Sacrament in which the believer, by the threefold immersion of the body into the water, and with the invocation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, dies to the carnal life, which is full of sins, and reborn of the Holy Spirit in the life of a spiritual and holy (Bulgakov, Cram and Lowrie, 1935). Stauffer and Brand added to the definition that “As sacrament, baptism cannot effectively be dealt with until its liturgical dimensions are explored. To be sure, baptism is an article of faith, but it is also an event in real time experienced both by the person baptized and by the baptizing koinonia” (Stauffer and Brand, 2000). So, since baptism is a spiritual birth, and a person can be born only one time, this sacrament is not repeated. Observing the same process in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations, it is possible to state that there exist some differences in the baptism’s procedures, but the initial meaning stays the same. Thus, the above presented facts demonstrate that baptism is one of the most important Christian sacraments, and it is recognized by all Christian denominations, though not
The Sacrament of Baptism is a landmark event in the life of Christians. And though the various Christian denominations have the own vision of the Office of Baptism, the meaning of this act is the same because it means the adoption of a person into the church. Thus, the main aim of this assignment is to research the Sacrament of Baptism from various perspectives, including its meaning for the person’s existence, and the ways how it can influence on human life.
To start, it is necessary to state that the Office of Baptism has deep roots in the history of the mankind, while the attitude to this act was very different in the frames of different religions in the past. For instance, the Orthodox catechism gives the following definition of the Sacrament of Baptism (Greek “immersion”), mentioning that Christening is the Sacrament in which the believer, by the threefold immersion of the body into the water, and with the invocation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, dies to the carnal life, which is full of sins, and reborn of the Holy Spirit in the life of a spiritual and holy (Bulgakov, Cram and Lowrie, 1935). Stauffer and Brand added to the definition that “As sacrament, baptism cannot effectively be dealt with until its liturgical dimensions are explored. To be sure, baptism is an article of faith, but it is also an event in real time experienced both by the person baptized and by the baptizing koinonia” (Stauffer and Brand, 2000). So, since baptism is a spiritual birth, and a person can be born only one time, this sacrament is not repeated. Observing the same process in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations, it is possible to state that there exist some differences in the baptism’s procedures, but the initial meaning stays the same. Thus, the above presented facts demonstrate that baptism is one of the most important Christian sacraments, and it is recognized by all Christian denominations, though not
Cited: Bulgakov, S., Cram, E. and Lowrie, D. The Orthodox Church. Centenary Press, 1935. Hanson, R. and Hanson, A. Reasonable Belief: A Survey of the Christian Faith. Oxford University Press, 1981. Klopfer, S. “From Personal Salvation to Personal Baptism: The Shaping Influence of Evangelical Theology on Baptism.” Baptist History and Heritage 45 (3), (2010). Scaer, D. Baptism. St. Louis: The Luther Academy, 1999. Schillebeeckx, E. Christ, the Sacrament of the Encounter with God. Sheed Andrews and McMeel, 1963. Schlink, E. The Doctrine of Baptism. St. Louis, Mo: Concordia Publishing House, 1972. Stauffer, A. and Brand, E. “Baptism and Communio”. The Ecumenical Review 52 (2), (2000). Turrell, J. Muddying the Waters of Baptism: The Theology Committee’s Report on Baptism, Confirmation, and Christian Formation. Anglican Theological Review 88 (3), (2006). Weil, L. “Baptism as the Model for a Sacramental Aesthetic.” Anglican Theological Review 92 (2), (2010). Willimon, W. Remember who you are: baptism, a model for Christian life. Nashville: Upper Room, 1980.