introduction to baptism Flashcards
catholic with small c
all embracing/universal/whole body of Christians world-wide
sacrament
a ceremony seen as imparting spiritual grace, in the Roman Catholic Church there are seven
-in protestant churches mean sacraments are eucharist and baptism
how do religious people express their religious identity
-all religions have their own specific practices- some are related to rites of passed (birth, attaining religious adulthood, death)
-baptism is rite of passage related to birth and religious adulthood
greek work
-baptizo
-which is to dip or dunk
-rituals using water as a symbol of cleansing membership are used by other religions
St Peters first letter
“saved through water and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also”
Jesus and Baptism
-roots of baptism in christianity go back to Jesus’ lifetime
-after growing up Jesus left his home and went into desert to see his cousin, John
-John was a wandering holy man who taught people that they needed to be cleansed from their sins by baptism to prepare for the coming of the messiah - the christ/anointed one
-although gospel accounts of event differ slightly, they all agree and Jesus was baptised by John, that this event exposed Jesus’ special relationship with god, and that this marked start of his public ministry
Jesus the baptiser
-not clear from the NT whether or no Jesus himself baptised people - johns gospel suggests he did, other gospels dont
-Jesus’ disciples did baptise people when they became followers of Jesus, so far them it had become not only ritual of cleansing, but also a way bringing someone into membership of the group. in johns gospel Jesus says… quote
what does Jesus say in johns gospel
“unless one born of water and spirit, he cant enter kingdom of God”
-Jesus saw baptism as both physical and spiritual
baptism after death of Jesus
-two of gospels describe how jesus gave instructions to his disciples to continue to bring people into religious movement he had started through baptism
