BAPTISM & CHRISMATIONSERVANT’S PREPARATION COURSE

11.19.2013

What is baptism?

• Action of the Holy Spirit through the water and the oil so that we may be reborn from the Father in the likeness of Jesus Christ

• A Holy Sacrament by which we are born again by being immersed in water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

• Baptism is a redemptive Sacrament, necessary for redemption and entry to eternal life • John 3:5-6: Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you,

unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Why do we need it?

What does baptism do for us? • Through baptism, the believer is reborn (a spiritual birth)

from the Water and the Spirit

• The Lord Jesus was baptized in order to institute the sacrament of baptism

• Romans 6:4-5• “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized

into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection”

Why did Christ needed to be baptized and how are we baptized in Christ?

FATHER

SON HOLY SPIRIT

• Access to the Father can only occur through the Son

• Anyone who loves Christ and obeys Him, the Father will love him and dwell with him

• Son shared the glory with the Father before the world began

• Proceeds from the Father• Testifies of the Son• The Advocate who will

teach believers about the Trinity

• Christ is the way, the truth and the life

• Christ is the vine• Christ’s betrayal and suffering

You can’t understand baptism without understanding the Holy Trinity

• We believe in the Holy Trinity (Matt 28:18-19)

• Christ said, “Go and disciple all the nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit” • Shows one glory and one God

• Not in the “names” (i.e., not in the names of three separate gods) OR

• Not in the “name of” the Father, in the “name of” the Son and in the “name” of the Holy Spirit

• In the old tradition, the priest asked converts in the baptism, whether they believed in the Father, Son and the Spirit. They replied “yes” to the questions.

You can’t understand baptism without understanding the Holy Trinity

• God desired to have fellowship with us (Ephesians 3:14-21)

• Definition of fellowship and ultimate goal of creation• to have a special relationship• to be adopted to the Father like His Son and to be

the temple to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:28-30)

• Sin broke the relationship• Son took our nature to recreate and renew our nature again to be

worthy of our relationship with the Holy Trinity• We need someone to forgive our sins as we experienced death and

we need life again• We are called to be the brethren of Jesus and he called us to be our

Father

• Baptism is the gate to enter into this special relationship with the Holy Trinity

You can’t understand baptism without understanding the Holy Trinity

Baptism is foreshadowed in the Old Testament Genesis 1:2

• “darkness was upon the face of the deep” • Symbolizes our nature

• “the Spirit of God was hovering over the water” • Represents our baptism (baptism of the Spirit and baptism of

water)

• According to Genesis 1 – The earth was recreated and received light• Same action occurs during the baptism of Christ

• the Father receives the Son (the light of the world) by the action of the Holy Spirit who hovers over the water

Baptism of the Lord

• Jesus was baptized for us – to give us the typical example of how we can return to the Father (find the water and the Holy Spirit hovering over the water and Jesus is the light)

• One baptism for Spirit and the Father

• Father witnessed the baptism – so when I get baptized, the Father witnesses my baptism, I will be like the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit will come upon me

Baptism is foreshadowed in the Old Testament

Baptism is foreshadowed in the Old Testament Genesis 6:13 - the Flood

• Lord said to Noah to build an ark

• Ark represents the Lord Jesus Christ • Door of the ark represents the spear that pierced the side of Christ• Ark was painted in black - symbolizing the death of Christ

• ½ the ark was covered by water and ½ the ark covered by the rain• Symbolizes baptism • 1 Peter 3: 20-21 – “in the days of Noah, while the ark was being

prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism”

• Genesis 8: 7-11• The black bird (a raven) was released from the ark and it didn't return

• Represents exorcism• The dove with an olive branch returned to the ark

• The dove represents the Holy Spirit and the olive branch represents the Lord (He is both the ark and the olive branch)

Baptism is foreshadowed in the Old Testament Genesis 6:13 - the Flood

• 1 Cor. 10: The Hebrews were baptized through Moses in

the Red Sea

• The water stood like walls; the cloud overshadowed• Represents baptism through the immersion

• The Lord carrying the cross

• The Red Sea is the gate through which the people left Egypt to the land of Sinai – representing their transformation from slavery to freedom • Baptism transforms us from the bondage of Satan to

freedom

Chrismation 2 acts take place

• being united to the church

• the seal of the grace-given power of the Holy Spirit for strength and growth in spiritual life

• Why chrismation? Because Chrisma and Christos both mean anointing

• Chrism is myrrh used at the burial of Christ, transferred from batch to batch

• Made by the apostles and bishops through prayer and fasting

• Ex 28:41, 1 Sam 16:13, 1 Kings 1:39

Ritual

• Simple oil

• Exorcism

• Renunciation of Satan; accepting Christ

• Oil of marriage

• Immersion

• Chrismation

• Wearing of new white garment and red ribbon

QUESTIONS?