Baptism 101

Baptism is one of the two sacraments recognized by The United Methodist Church (the other being Communion).  It is a symbol of rebirth and repentance by one who has accepted Christ and has repented of their sins.        The practice has been the subject of numerous debates over the years, and discussions are still ongoing.  The United Methodist Church addressed the situation at the end of the 20th century and came up with an official statement at the 1996 General Conference.  The paper, titled By Water & the Spirit, explains the current thought in the Church.  A PDF document explaining the statement can be found HERE.

Origin of Baptism     The most famous occurrance of baptism in the Bible is no doubt the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.  John baptized people to allow them to show that they had repented.  So if Jesus was perfect, why did he need to be baptized?  One theory (by Thomas Aquinas) is that he needed to sanctify baptism.  The epistles of the New Testament contain numerous examples of individuals and even entire families (Cornelius, Crispus, Lydia, the Philippian jailer,  Stephanas ) being baptized.       The practice of washing away evil/sins has existed in other cultures.  Similar to the way circumcision had marked the Jews as God's Chosen people, baptism might have served as a rite of passage to mark those who had converted from sin.

Baptism Through the Centuries      We don't have detailed records of baptism in those first few centures, but we do know that it was being practiced.  In His Great Commission, Christ says to go and baptize (Matt. 28:18-20).       As the church became organized (and the Roman Catholic Church developed), Christians made a practice of baptizing their infants.  The Council of Carthage (254 AD) stated that "We ought not hinder any person from Baptism and the grace of God..... especially infants. . . those newly born."  Origen wrote "Infants are to be baptized for the remission of sins.  And Cyprien wrote that baptism should be performed as soon as a child is born.  The first opposition to infant baptism came in the 1500s by the Anabaptists.       When the Anglican Church was born out of Catholicism, it continued the practice of infant baptism. John Wesley continued baptism infants (and adults) and this practice was established in various branches of United Methodism.

Baptism Today      In The United Methodist Church, you can be baptized either by sprinkling (most common), pouring, or immersion (least common).  It also accepts baptisms of other Christian denominations; so if you join from another church you are not baptized again.     By Water and the Spirit is an official statement on baptism that was adopted by the 1996 General Conference. A study guide for the paper, titled By Water and the Spirit: Making the Connections for Identity and Ministry by Gayle C. Felton, is available from Discipleship Resources.

LINKS: Relevant Books for Further Study:  • New Testament Baptism  • This Gift of Water • Baptism • The Biblical Doctrine of Infant Baptism • Understanding Baptism & the Lord's Supper

Links to Explore:  • By Water & the Spirit - This is the "official" United Methodist explanation.  The following links are by different individuals/organizations. • A Brief History of Christian Baptism • Infant Baptism in Early Church History • Cyril of Jerusalem: 387 A.D. Baptism • Baptism: United Methodist Beliefs • Why are children baptized as infants? • What is the pre-Christian history of              the baptismal ceremony?

The 101 series pages are the opinions of the webservant and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Louisiana Conference.