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WHAT
PRESBYTERIANS BELIEVE ABOUT BAPTISM |
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Baptism of Christ
c. 1502-1507 Gerard David |
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What
is baptism?
Baptism
is an outward sign that, in life and in death, we belong
to God. Presbyterians believe that baptism is the
sign and symbol of inclusion in God’s grace. It is
the sign of inclusion into the community of faith—the
body of Christ—the Church. As an identifying mark,
baptism signifies our participation in Jesus’ death and
resurrection. Baptism represents our dying to what
separates us from God, and it represents our being raised
to newness of life in Christ.
Baptism
is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ. In the
New Testament, we read that Jesus commissioned His
faithful followers to “go therefore 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).
Baptism has always been a celebration marked by the use of
water, and it has always been a rite in which persons are
summoned into a relationship with God and with each other
through Jesus Christ. |
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How
is baptism a sign of God’s grace?
Baptism
is God's gift of grace and also God's call to respond to
that grace. Presbyterians believe that baptism is
all about grace. The grace which God has extended to
us in Jesus Christ is prior to and calls forth our own
response of faith. Our relationship with God depends
primarily on what God has done and only secondarily on
what we may or may not do. As Presbyterians practice
it, baptism is a powerful enactment of this truth.
The
grace which God extends to us in baptism is not a
"cheap grace"—a grace which costs nothing.
Through faith, grace is certainly free to us, in the sense
that it is not earned or merited. But it was not
free to God. Its price was the life of God's
Son, Jesus Christ. And on the human level, it costs
us our own lives, which now belong unconditionally to God.
Baptism acknowledges our intention to live as God's
people. |
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How
is baptism a sign of God’s people?
The
sacrament of Baptism is a visible sign and a proclamation
to the world that we are members of the Church—the body
of Christ. Baptism implies active membership in
Christ's body—the community of faith. Trying to
live the Christian life apart from the Church is a
contradiction in terms. The Scriptures witness to
the corporate and communal nature of baptism. In his
correspondence to the church in
Corinth
, the apostle Paul emphasizes that together Christians
constitute the body of Christ and are individually members
of it. He writes, “In the one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body . . . and we were all made to drink
of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
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How
is baptism a sign of God’s covenant?
When
Presbyterians speak of baptism as a covenant, we emphasize
the multiple commitments involved. First and most
basic, there is God's commitment to us. Then there
are the commitments which the community of faith makes to
us. Finally, and no less important, are the
commitments which we make to God, to our children, and to
the church. Our Book
of Order states the matter as follows:
Baptism
enacts and seals what the Word proclaims: God's redeeming
grace offered to all people. Baptism is God's gift of
grace and also God's summons to respond to that grace.
Baptism calls to repentance, to faithfulness, and to
discipleship. Baptism gives the church its identity and
commissions the church for ministry to the world.
(Book of Order;
W—2.3006) |
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Do
Presbyterians observe the baptism of infants?
Like
all Christians, Presbyterians believe that baptism is a
sacrament for those who, by faith, respond to God’s
reconciling grace. But we also believe that baptism
is more than a matter of faith.
Some
Christians believe that repentance must precede baptism
and that baptism may be offered only to those who can
profess personal faith. This, of course, presupposes
cognition and awareness. Such a position clearly
rules out any possibility of the baptism of infants.
This,
however, is not how Presbyterians understand baptism.
It is not human repentance which precedes baptism; but
God’s grace. We believe that baptism emphasizes God’s
initiative. It is by the grace of God that an infant
is born to Christian parents. Because God's grace
precedes any human response of faith, it is normal for
Christian parents who are active church members to present
their children for baptism as infants or very young
children. Presbyterians believe that baptism is a
sacred covenant in which we and our children are
inseparably united as members to Christ and to the living
community of faith by the Holy Spirit. |
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Is
baptism required for salvation?
There is nothing in the water of baptism which achieves
our salvation. Salvation is not ours by our own
doing. Presbyterians believe that salvation is an
act of God. It is a gift which comes from God’s
love for us.
Baptism
is not a thing which we do in order to make ourselves
right with God. Rather, baptism is our discernible
response to the grace which reconciles us to God and to
one another. We baptize not to save but to signify
that we belong to God and to each other. |
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Do
Presbyterians baptize by immersion in water?
Because
baptism is a sign of God’s grace, we do not regard one
mode of baptism as better than another. Baptism,
whether administered by immersion, by pouring, or by
sprinkling, is regarded as one and the same baptism.
From
its Greek root, the word to
baptize means “to dip,” “to immerse,”
or “to wash.” Accordingly, Presbyterians can
baptize by immersion in water. But, we believe that
the water of baptism can be applied to the person by
pouring or sprinkling as well. So long as the water
is applied visibly and generously, it does not matter
which of these modes of application are used in baptism.
Back to
"What We Believe." |
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