A READER ASKS: I was baptized (really "sprinkled") as a child. Does it still count? FATHER JOHN ATCHISON is the priest at St.
Nicholas Orthodox Church in Springdale. Yes. There is only one valid baptism. It is done with water and in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism places one in the Kingdom of Heaven. There are regular times of renewal and repentance for Christians, but this does not require a rebaptism.
Very ancient instructions for baptism are found in the Didache, an instructional writing for Christians in the first century. It states,"Now concerning baptism, baptize as follows: After you have reviewed all these things, baptize ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ in running water. But if you have no running water, then baptize in some other water, and if you are not able to baptize in cold water, then do so in warm. But if you have neither, then pour water on the head three times ‘ in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. ’"
Sprinkling is not at the top of the list, but it does get the job done. Our church usually practices total immersion three times in the sacrament of baptism.
In the Old Testament, parents would circumcise their male children to place them in the covenant relationship. When the child grew he made his own faith decision at his bar mitzvah and at other times. He did not ask if his circumcision still counted.
Water baptism for Christians is not the same thing, but the principle is similar. A valid baptism need not be repeated as this trivializes a very significant event. The baptism needs renewal regularly, and this is done by faith and repentance. Often, in the Orthodox church, this renewal — or rebaptism — is understood as occurring during the sacrament of confession. THE REV. ERIK POHLMEIER is the pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Hot Springs.
Yes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states," Through baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission, (CCC 1215)."In the rebirth of baptism we receive a spiritual mark, a certain character that can never be taken away. That mark may not be readily visible, but it cannot be erased. Baptism is the initiation into the life of grace, and grace is the free and undeserved gift of God that enables us to live the life of a Christian. Grace can be understood as God’s power by which we can confront the temptations and difficulties of life and rise above them to eternal life.
Once we are baptized that power is at work in us, but we must cooperate with it. While sin can’t erase the mark of baptism, sin can prevent it from bearing fruit. Imagine the waters of a pure spring. Sin can pollute the water as it flows or even cover over the source but cannot dry it up. Reconciliation with God allows the water to flow pure once again.
The focus of baptism should be on what God is doing. Once we open that door to God working in our life, He never ceases His work. Our work, as stated above, is to share the mission of Christ and His Church. By God’s grace we are able, even after past failures. THE REV. TOM HATLEY is the senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Rogers.
What a great question and one that many are considering. Our understanding of baptism comes from the Bible. In Bible times, baptism symbolized a person’s willingness to be submerged into the philosophy of a teacher. That definition fits the baptism John the Baptist offered. It fits the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. (Notice how I work that word "Baptist"in there?) It also fits the baptism of believers on the day of Pentecost and beyond. On the Day of Pentecost, at the first preaching of the Gospel by Peter, we read," Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added …" (Acts 2:41). To be in line with the Scriptures, baptism should follow personal belief.
The key is to be sure you first know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The submission baptism portrays is a symbol of your allowing Jesus to overwhelm your life with His forgiveness, teachings and authority. It pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and of the believer.
Naturally, the proper mode of baptism is immersion. Sprinkling misses the point of the person being dominated by the Lord and His salvation. At our church we often baptize people who had a previous baptismal experience.
The new baptism does not mean the first one was not meaningful to them or their family. It does mean that they desire to be obedient to the Scriptures and be baptized by immersion as a believer in Christ. Ask the Clergy is a biweekly feature of the Religion Section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. If you have a question of a spiritual nature that you would like answered, e-mail it to njeffery@arkansasonline.com
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