Does your church baptize?

Question

If so, how and do you baptize in the name of Jesus or Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Explain with biblical evidence your reasoning for why they choose that method.

If not, why not with biblical evidence.

Answer 1

As Orthodox Christians, the Sacrament of Baptism is our entry into the Church as members of the Body of Christ. It is the “new birth” by which we die to the world, and are raised with Christ to eternal life. It is through Baptism, that we are mystically born into spiritual life. The Holy Sacrament of Baptism serves as the door leading into the Kingdom of Grace, and grants access to participation in the other Sacraments of the Church. Even before the establishment of the Sacrament of Baptism, Christ indicated its absolute necessity in his conversation with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” When Nicodemus expressed his perplexity, “How can a man be born when he is old?” the Savior replied that this new birth is accomplished by water and the Spirit: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is truly born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” (John 3. 3-5)

In Baptism, man receives, in place of the old existence he had, a new existence and life, and becomes a child of God, a member of the Body of Christ and the Church, and an inheritor of eternal life. Baptism, therefore, is indispensable for all, including infants, so that growing in body and spirit one might grow in Christ.

The Great Commission

Christ appeared to the eleven disciples after the Resurrection and commanded them to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 28.19) The annotations of the Orthodox Bible explain this passage further, “if we observe the context for the Lord’s command we see that the making of disciples cannot be done in the strength of man, but only in the power of God. The reality of the Resurrection refers not only to its historicity, apostolic witness, and necessity for faith, but also its power in our Christian life and mission. The resurrected Son of God, living in us and energizing us, makes possible the salvation of all.”

The second part of what is known as the Great Commission is found in the next verse, “…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.20) By stating that He is ‘with you always,’ Jesus means that His Resurrection is not just the past, nor the future. It is always present in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We know Him directly, here and now, in the present, as our Savior and our Lord. ‘To the end of the age’ does not imply that we are to be separated from Him at some point in time, but rather that He will be with us forever, even unto the ages of ages.

The Early Church

Fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, while the disciples were gathered together ‘in one accord in one place,’ (Acts 2.1) to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared to them as ‘divided tongues of fire and sat upon each of them.’ (Acts 2.3) It should be noted that on this first Christian Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appears while the Apostles are gathered together ‘with one accord in one place,’ meaning that they are gathered as an assembly of faithful. Their unity creates an environment in which the Holy Spirit appears.

It is during his sermon following their ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ that the Apostle Peter exhorts, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Sprit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2.38-39.) Peter’s call to respond to the gospel requires specific actions that define Christian life within the Church. We must first, repent; second, be baptized; and third, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. To this day, people come to Christ in precisely this same manner in the baptismal service of the Orthodox Church. They first, repent, renouncing the devil; next they are baptized by immersion in water for the remission of sins; and finally they are christmated (anointed) thus receiving the Holy Spirit.

During the first and second century, after the Resurrection of our Lord, the majority of those being baptized as Christians were adults. The candidates for Baptism, called catechumens, were progressively introduced into the life of the Church by special rites that included exorcisms, prayers, explanations of the Scriptures, etc. This period of preparation, which according to local customs lasted anywhere from one to three years, involved the entire community, which was preparing itself for the reception of new members. It was during this time that each catechumen chose a sponsor (godparent) who would assist the Apostles and/or Priests in teaching them about Christianity. The sponsor would then stand as a witness to the sincere intentions and belief of the person to be baptized. vile spirits so that having found mercy with You, (God), they may be found worthy o

Answer 2

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indeed baptizes with water , as the Bible states.

Baptism must be followed by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost in order to be complete. Baptism by water and the Spirit is necessary before a person can enter the celestial kingdom.

Jesus also was baptized to fulfill all righteousness and to show the way for all mankind (Matt. 3: 13-17).

Essential: Suffer it to be so now to fulfill all righteousness, Matt. 3: 15. Jesus came and was baptized of John, Mark 1: 9.

The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God, being not baptized, Luke 7: 30.

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, John 3: 5.

Repent, and be baptized every one of you, Acts 2: 38.

Baptism by immersion: Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, Matt. 3: 16 (Mark 1: 10).

John was baptizing because there was much water there, John 3: 23. Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, Acts 8: 38.

We are buried with him by baptism, Rom. 6: 4 (Col. 2: 12).

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Baptism for remission of sins: Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, Acts 22: 16.

After baptism comes a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

Proper authority: Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Matt. 28: 19.

Answer 3

Yes.  In Acts baptism is mentioned several times.

Here is one with the story of the Ethiopian eunuch: Acts 8:25-39 is the entire passage, but here is where it speaks of baptism:

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

Answer 4

Yes we do. As a matter of fact, I'm teaching a baptism preparatory class tonight. Here is material we will go over.

The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.

What is water baptism?

Baptism is subsequent to conversion and not a saving ordinance, but an outward sign of an inward work. Baptism is not optional for the believer, but a command of our Lord to be obeyed. Just before Jesus returned to heaven, He commanded His followers to preach the gospel to all people and to baptize believers. Baptism is a sign to everyone watching that he or she has accepted Jesus as Savior and that he or she plans to obey Jesus and live to please Him.

Matthew 28:19,  

Who should be baptized?

Everyone who is sorry for his or her sins, repents, and believes in Jesus as Savior should be baptized. There is no age limit for baptism. When a person is saved and understands what baptism means, he or she should be baptized. The requirements for baptism are given in Scriptures…

Acts 8:36-39, Acts 10:47-48

Does baptism save me?

No. Water baptism does not give us salvation. The Bible teaches that we can only be saved by repenting of our sin and believing on Jesus as Savior. If a person does not repent and believe, it does no good to be baptized. Water does not wash away sin—only the blood of Jesus can take away our sins.

Eph. 2:8-9

Do you know for certain that you are saved?                                                                                                             A Christian is not a religious person or merely a member of a church; a Christian is one who has been forgiven of his or her sin and has an ongoing personal relationship with God. Not only this, a Christian is someone that Jesus Christ lives in, one that has been born again (John 3.3) and lives in the assurance that Jesus paid the price for them to be right with God and go to heaven.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is . . .

1) God loves everyone and wants them all to live forever in His presence. John 3.16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

2) We are separated from God by sin. The Bible defines sin as things we do that are displeasing to God. As humans, not only have we done things that displease God, we cannot stop doing those things on our own. This is why the Bible calls us "sinners." Many sincerely believe that performing good works or religious acts will cause God to cancel out the wrong things that they have done. Spiritual and physical death came into our world because of sin. Physical death is a separation from loved ones on earth; spiritual death is separation from God. Romans 3.23 says, " . . .for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

3) Sin brings death. Romans 6.23 tells us that " . . . the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Physical death is separation from loved ones on earth; spiritual death is separation from God.

4) Through Jesus, God has provided the way for us to come to Him and be forgiven of our sins. Romans 5.8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God sent His Son, Jesus, to die and pay the price in full for all the wrong things we have done. We no longer have to be separated from God!.

5) We must individually admit to God that we are sinners and in an attitude of repentance (which means that we have changed our minds, the way we think, and turn away from sin to follow Christ), personally ask Him for forgiveness, the free gift of eternal life and to come into to our lives. Romans 10:9,10 says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Its as easy as A.B.C.

A. Acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness.

B. Believe that Jesus died for the forgiveness of your sins on the cross.

C. Confess Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

What does “baptism by immersion” mean?

The New Testament was first written in Greek. The Greek word for baptize means “to go down under, to dip, to submerge.” Water baptism represents our identification with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This is why each believer should be submerged in water at baptism, not have water sprinkled or poured on him or her. Since baptism is for those who have chosen to follow Jesus, this cannot include babies who are not old enough to make such a decision.

Matthew. 3:16, Mark 1:10

And here is how we baptise (from our churches 'Articals of

Answer 5

I baptized myself by drinking a 6 pack of Brooklyn Lager.

Answer 6

My Church baptized for 1,500 years before any other church even heard of baptism.

Answer 7

Yes, or church does indeed baptize by full immersion, the biblical way !

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

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Answer 8

Yes, my denomination baptizes.  Baptism is not under the ceremonial law of the Old Testament, therefore the church has the freedom to baptize in either Jesus' name or as prescribed in the great commission, i.e. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

If you need help with finding verses that tell us that we are no longer under the ceremonial law, feel free to e-mail me and I'll help you out.