Baptism: Our Entrance into Christ

What is Baptism?

Baptism is the Mystery in which a person enters the life of Christ and becomes a member of His Church. Through triple immersion in blessed water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the candidate is buried with Christ and raised with Him into new life.

The Orthodox Church baptizes by full immersion whenever possible, following the practice of the early Church and the meaning of the Greek word baptizo, "to plunge." The candidate goes down into the water and comes up again, dying to their old life and rising into the life of Christ. The white garment which is put on after baptism is the visible sign of the new life that has begun.

Baptism is always followed immediately by Chrismation, the Mystery in which the newly-baptized is anointed with holy chrism and receives "the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit." In Orthodox practice these are not separate stages of initiation; they belong together as one entrance into the full life of the Church. The newly-baptized then receives Holy Communion for the first time, completing the threefold initiation that the early Church called illumination.

Why Do We Baptize?

Christ commanded His disciples, in His final words before the Ascension, to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). From the day of Pentecost forward, the Church has done so. Baptism is the door through which a person enters the Christian life.

Baptism is more than a symbol of belonging or a public declaration of faith. The Orthodox Church understands the Mystery as a real participation in Christ's death and resurrection. St. Paul puts it directly: "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). What happens in the font is not theater. Something is actually given, and that something is participation in Christ Himself.

This is also why the Orthodox Church baptizes infants, as it has from the earliest centuries. To Orthodox eyes, the question is not "can a child logically understand what is being done?" but "can a child receive the gift of God?" The Church has always answered yes. She would no more deny a child a place at Christ's table than a loving parent would deny their child a place at the household table. An infant cannot yet articulate faith in their own words, so godparents speaks for them, confessing the faith and renouncing evil on the child's behalf. The child grows up inside the faith rather than outside it. 

For adults who come to Christ later in life, the picture is different but the gift is the same. Catechumens, those actively preparing for entry into the Church, typically spend a period of months learning the faith, attending services, and being shaped by the life of the Church before they are baptised. They speak the renunciations and confessions for themselves, and they emerge from the font as full members of the Body of Christ.

How are we baptized at Holy Apostles?

The Baptismal service at Holy Apostles follows the ancient form preserved by the Greek Orthodox Church. It is celebrated in the church itself, usually with family, godparents, and parishioners gathered around the font.

The service begins with prayers of exorcism and renunciation. The candidate, or the godparents on the candidate's behalf, faces west to renounce Satan and all his works, then turns east to confess Christ. The water in the font is then blessed, and oil is poured into it. This is the oil of gladness that anoints the candidate before immersion.

The immersion itself is the heart of the service. The priest immerses the candidate three times, saying with each immersion: "The servant of God [name] is baptized in the name of the Father, Amen. And of the Son, Amen. And of the Holy Spirit, Amen." 

The candidate is then dressed in a white garment and the Mystery of Chrismation follows immediately, with anointing on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet—each anointing dedicating that part of the body to Christ.

Baptism at Holy Apostles is celebrated for both children and adults. For infants and young children, parents and godparents speak the renunciations and confessions of faith on the child's behalf. For adults, typically catechumens preparing to enter the Orthodox Church after a period of learning, the candidate speaks for themselves. Those already baptized in another Christian tradition that baptizes in the name of the Holy Trinity are usually received through Chrismation  alone rather than being baptized again. Fr. Tom can help you understand which path applies to your situation.

If you are preparing for baptism, or considering it for your child or yourself, see Preparing for Baptism for the practical steps.

Learn more

For a fuller exploration of Baptism and the journey of entering the Orthodox Church — including theology, history, and the role of godparents — see our packet Being Received into the Orthodox Church.

For further reading we recommend:

• Alexander Schmemann's Of Water and the Spirit

• Fr. Thomas Hopko's The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2: Worship

• Metropolitan Kallistos Ware's The Orthodox Church