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Baptism is the most eternally significant event in our whole life. Earthly birth is a necessary preparation for our life in God. Without baptism Jesus says we can not inherit eternal life. John 3:5-6
Our life in God is not just when we decided to come closer to God. Our Baptism day, is when we started our journey with God, knowingly or not. God is dwelling in us from that time forward.
1 We are not saying that a person is baptised into the Anglican Church. A person is baptised into the whole body, of Christ not just an institutional denomination but the whole body, of heaven and earth; we are united by the Holy, Spirit.
2 Baptism is not something that is earned, achieved or acquired by our merit. Baptism is a gift of God. God knew us and loved us before we even had an existence. God's love comes first, baptism then is a free gift of God's love, a sign of the reality of this.
So what does happen in baptism? Baptism bestows the fruit of Jesus' life, death, resurrection as an active fruit in the candidates' life. This rich reality includes forgiveness of original sin, the forgiveness of all personal sins, birth into the new life by which people become adoptive children of the Father, a member of house of God, a brother/sister of Jesus, and a temple of the Holy, Spirit. By this means the person who is baptised is incorporated into the Church, the Body, of Christ, and made a sharer in the common priesthood of all believers in Jesus.
So what are the Biblical texts for baptism? Jesus' comnand in Mark 16.16 and Mat 28. 19 "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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." John 4.5-42. John 3.1-2 1; Acts 10.47; 1 Peter 1.23; Acts 2.3 8, 4 1.. 1 Cor 1. 13 and Rom 6.3 -4 As well as many other texts that one should use.
Baptism can only happen once. One of the questions that arises, in this day of sectarian divisions in the church, is the question of re-baptism. THIS CAN NOT HAPPEN! You can be baptised only once.
Is child or infant haptism Biblical? YES!!! This is shown in Acts 16. 14-16 Lydia believes and then her whole household are baptised; in Acts 16: 24-34 the gaoler believes but again the whole household is baptised. This includes adults as well as children, based on the faith of only, one believer in the house!
Christening? With this terms' general application to boats, and initiating other things shows it is not really, wise. Especially when civil celebrants, have services which people call Christenings, when being a Christian is the precise thing people are avoiding!
