Sacraments and Baptism

Baptism is a Christian ceremony using water which marks entry into the Church and expresses cleansing from sin and the beginning of a new life in Christ. Here, the Church means the community of Christians, not just a building. Baptism welcomes someone into that community and the family of God.

Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. After his resurrection, he instructed his disciples to make disciples of all nations, “baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Christians therefore practise baptism both in response to Jesus’ command and in following his example. These words name the three persons of the Trinity and are used during baptism.

Water connects the ceremony to cleansing. Just as water washes the body, baptism expresses cleansing from sin. Some Christians, particularly Catholics, believe baptism removes original sin: the sinful condition inherited from humanity’s disobedience to God, associated with Adam and Eve. This does not mean that a baby has personally committed wrongdoing.

Baptism also connects to salvation. Jesus’ teaching that no one can enter God’s kingdom unless they are “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) helps explain why some Christians consider baptism necessary for salvation. Others place greater emphasis on personal faith and living according to Jesus’ teaching rather than treating the ceremony alone as sufficient.

Infant baptism: receiving grace before making a personal choice

Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists are examples of Christians who practise infant baptism. They can also baptise adults who have not previously been baptised.

Because an infant cannot declare their own faith, parents and godparents make promises on their behalf. They undertake to bring the child up as a Christian. The ceremony therefore joins the child to a community that will support their growth in faith.

The service includes Bible readings and prayers, and the minister baptises the child with water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Other signs can help express its meaning: a cross marked on the forehead represents belonging to Christ, a candle represents the light of Christ, and white clothing represents a new life. Details vary between churches.

Supporters believe God’s grace does not depend on a person being old enough to understand it. Baptism can therefore be a gift to a child rather than a reward for making an informed decision. Those who believe it removes original sin see early baptism as especially important. In many churches, confirmation later provides an opportunity for the young person to affirm the faith in which they have been brought up.

Believers’ baptism: expressing a personal commitment

Baptists and many Pentecostal Christians practise believers’ baptism. The central requirement is that the candidate can understand the commitment and personally profess faith; it is not simply a ceremony for anyone who has reached adulthood.

The candidate may give a testimony explaining how they came to believe in Jesus and why they want baptism. They declare repentance for sin, faith in Christ and a commitment to serving him. They are usually fully immersed in water while the minister baptises them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Going beneath the water and rising again expresses leaving behind an old life of sin and beginning a new life with Christ. Immersion also symbolises the washing away of sins. The public declaration makes the candidate’s own commitment central to the ceremony.

Why Christians disagree about baptising infants

The disagreement concerns how baptism relates to God’s gift of grace and the individual’s response of faith.

A supporter of believers’ baptism can argue that an important commitment should be freely chosen and understood. An infant cannot repent or give a testimony, so waiting allows baptism to express sincere personal faith. Jesus’ own baptism as an adult provides an example supporting this position.

A supporter of infant baptism can respond that Jesus’ adult baptism does not establish a rule that everyone must wait until adulthood. They believe God can give grace at any age, and parents can reasonably seek that gift and the Church’s support for their child. Acts 2:38–39 links baptism with forgiveness and speaks of God’s promise extending to believers and their children; some Christians interpret this as support for including children, although it does not explicitly describe an infant baptism.

A reasoned judgement therefore needs to address the purpose of baptism. If its main purpose is to express an informed personal commitment, believers’ baptism fits that understanding. If it is understood primarily as receiving God’s grace and entering the Church, infant baptism can be meaningful even before the child understands it. Christians who do not practise baptism offer a further view: neither age is decisive because an outward ceremony is not required to receive God’s grace.

• Sacrament: an outward sign of inward grace.
• Baptism: entry into the Church; cleansing from sin; new life in Christ; obedience to Jesus.
• Some Christians believe it removes original sin and is necessary for salvation.
• Catholic and Orthodox churches recognise seven sacraments; many Protestants recognise two. Quakers and the Salvation Army do not practise sacramental ceremonies.

Infant or believers’ baptism?

Teaching to recall

• Matthew 28:19: Jesus commands baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• John 3:5: being born of water and the Spirit is linked to entering God’s kingdom.
• Jesus’ adult baptism: supports believers’ baptism, but does not itself prohibit infant baptism.
• Acts 2:38–39: some interpret the promise to believers and their children as supporting infant baptism.

Central distinction: baptism as a freely chosen expression of faith, or baptism as God’s gift of grace before personal understanding.