A- Birth from above

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven” (John 3:3). Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was saying, so he asked Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, unless one is born, being born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. For that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born again…’” (John 3:4-7; see John 1:12-13).

The heavenly birth that Christ speaks of is “the washing of regeneration and renewal that comes from the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), that is, receiving the Holy Spirit through baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity.

The assembled crowd asked Peter and the apostles, “What must we do, brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, and your sins may be forgiven, and the Holy Spirit may be given to you” (Acts 2:38).

The presence of the Holy Spirit is what renews the birth of man. This presence takes place within the Church through the sacrament of baptism and other sacraments.

Baptism was not an arbitrary act imposed by the apostles, but rather a commandment they received directly from Christ (Matthew 28:19) when he assured them that “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

By baptism, man takes on the body of Christ and attains the body of the risen Lord. When he is immersed three times in the baptismal font, he participates in Christ’s three-day stay in hell. When he emerges from the water, Adam’s old nature has died in him, and he has put on the new nature, the risen nature of Christ (Rom. 6:93). He no longer remains a citizen of the earth who is destined for death, but is registered as a citizen in heaven and his name is written among the living (Heb. 12:23).

If we were able to see the person coming out of the baptismal font with a clear spiritual eye, we would realize the transformation and change that occurred through this sacrament, and we would be certain that through baptism he put off the old man and put on the risen and changed body of Christ, that is, he was born again in a spiritual way (John 3:4-7, 1:12-13). The Apostle Paul describes this event in his words: “Or do you not know that when we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death? We were buried with him by baptism, that we might die and live in newness of life, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father? For if we have been united to him in a death like his, so also will we be in his resurrection. For we know that our old man was crucified with him, that this sinful body might be done away with, so that we should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who died was set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (Rom. 6-8).

B - Conditions of baptism

Christ said that salvation is the portion of the person who believes and is baptized (Mark 16:16), meaning that the condition for baptism is faith in the person of Christ. When we say that a person must believe, we do not mean an abstract or gratuitous faith, as happens when some people say: I believe that there is a higher power! We mean a faith for which a person is ready to give everything, even his own life, if it is asked of him.

This is what the martyrs of our Church did, and this is what we are called to do as well: to view our faith as the most precious thing we possess, and not to exchange it for money, nor for the friendship of people, nor for our lives themselves (see Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, John 12:25).

This faith must consist of three main elements:

• Satan's rejection: By distancing oneself from every belief, thought, or devilish act (James 4:7). This is something that man is unable to do on his own, because he is subject to the authority of Satan (1 John 5:19, John 12:31, 14:30). For this reason, before our Church begins the sacrament of baptism, it commands the evil spirit, in the name of Christ, to leave “the soldier of Christ our new God” who is sealed with the sign of the Holy Cross, and to stay away from him and never return to him. And with the seal of the Holy Cross, Satan is commanded to stay away from the water of holy baptism as well, so that it may be “the water of redemption, the water of sanctification, a purification of body and soul, a bath for rebirth, a renewal of the spirit, a grace for adoption, a garment of incorruption and a fountain of life” and so that the one who is baptized in it may be renewed after having put off the old man, the man of corruption, and put on the “renewed” man in the image of his Creator in order to become a “participant” in the death of Christ and in His resurrection as well.
• Belonging to Christ: That is, turning thoughts, deeds, love, and the whole life to Christ and submitting completely to Him (James 4:7).
• Prostration and worship of Christ.

C - Infant baptism

In the ancient Church, people converted to Christianity individually, accepting baptism at a later age, after having received guidance and preaching that would strengthen their faith in Christ. Thus, a special category existed in the Church, namely the catechumens, and traces of their presence remain to this day in the Divine Liturgy, specifically in its first section, which consists of the salutations, antiphons, and readings and ends with prayers for the catechumens, and is called by their name: the Liturgy of the Catechumens.

But this does not mean that the Holy Church forbade the baptism of children, or even children themselves, because this prohibition means depriving them of salvation (John 3:5), and because Christ himself called the little children to him, and laid his hand on them, and blessed them and conveyed to them the grace of the Holy Spirit, saying that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as they do (Matthew 19:14-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17).

The apostles baptized all members of families who converted to the faith without distinction (Acts 16:15-33, 1 Corinthians 1:15). We see that the Bible shows circumcision as a picture of baptism (Col. 2:11-12), which was performed on the eighth day after the child’s birth (Gen. 17:12, Lev. 12:3).

Thus it appears that infant baptism was a custom in the ancient Church. The postponement of baptism to a later age is a later custom. St. Irenaeus (150 AD) mentioned this ecclesiastical custom, while St. Cyprian (250 AD) observed that “if the elderly who have fallen into great sins deserve the grace of holy baptism, how much more do infants deserve it, who have not sinned by nature, but are only participants in original sin, which is foreign to their will.” St. Gregory the Theologian said that children should be baptized in infancy, “so that they may be sanctified and consecrated from their earliest years.”

D - The importance of personal contribution to holy baptism

Some may ask: Can a child comprehend this holy mystery? In fact, comprehending the mystery does not depend on a person’s mental capacity, but on the love of God. Therefore, Nicolas Cabasilas says: “We did not seek Him (God), but He sought us. The sheep does not seek the shepherd, but the shepherd seeks the sheep; the coin does not seek the master of the house, but the master of the house seeks the coin. Everything comes from God. Man has only to accept the effects of divine grace, and not to put obstacles in its way. This is what a little child does much better, because he cannot put obstacles in the way of God’s grace or resist it psychologically.

There is no doubt that the child's contribution to baptism is small, but this is not of great importance, because the cognitive capacity of the adult may also not be in harmony with the results of this sacred, incomprehensible and indescribable sacrament.

For these reasons, the Orthodox Church baptizes children and believes that this act is correct and in accordance with the will of Christ (Matthew 19:14–15).

E - Responsibility of parents and godparents

When children are baptized, it becomes clear that the responsibility for teaching and developing the faith of the new church member falls on his parents and godparents.

What is the essence of this responsibility? What does the godparent undertake, or the catechumen himself if he is baptized and is an adult, as is the case in missionary countries? In fact, we find the answer in the sacred service that is performed for the catechumen before the sacrament of baptism begins: the priest turns the catechumen to the west and asks him if he rejects Satan and renounces everything related to him, his works and his worship. The catechumen declares his rejection of Satan three times. He thus makes a sacred covenant with God and the Church, that he has cut off all ties with Satan and his works: “Yes, I have rejected Satan!” He repeats it three times, declaring his final renunciation of him.

Here the priest calls the catechumen - or his godfather - to do a symbolic act, saying: “Spit on the devil!” He spits three times towards the west, declaring that he has not only severed his relationship with the devil, but that he also feels hatred and disgust towards everything related to him, and therefore he spits in his face. Then the priest turns the catechumen towards the east and asks him: “Have you rejected the devil?” That is, are you with Christ? The catechumen declares his desire to become a member of Christ and to enter His Church, saying: “I have rejected the devil.” The priest asks him three times: “Have you agreed with Christ?” The catechumen confirms the same desire, saying: “I have agreed with Christ!” This moving dialogue between the priest and the catechumen - or his godfather - continues until the priest is certain that the catechumen has become firmly established in the Orthodox faith, so he asks him: “And do you believe in Him?” The catechumen exclaims: “I believe that he is God and King” (see John 20:28). But the priest does not stop there. He asks the catechumen to confirm his faith in all the Orthodox dogmas formulated by the Ecumenical Councils. He asks him to recite the Creed aloud, so that all the members of the Church with whom he enters into a sacred covenant can hear it. Thus the catechumen declares before the people of God that his faith is the faith of the Orthodox Church, that is, faith in one God, triune in His Persons, and in the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, which confesses “one baptism for the forgiveness of sins” and hopes for “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”

The devil’s rejection is then followed by “the consent of Christ” and the confession of the Orthodox faith. After that, it is necessary to prostrate before the Triune God and submit completely to His will and trust in His great mercy. Therefore, the priest says: “I prostrate before Him.” The catechumen says: “I prostrate before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a Trinity equal in essence and inseparable!” (see James 4:7).

This rite indicates the great responsibility that falls on parents and godparents when they bring their children to church and accept to be their godparents after they emerge from the holy baptismal font. They make a sacred covenant and promise that they will teach their children the Orthodox faith and gradually introduce them into the full life of the Church. What a great responsibility indeed!

After completing this covenant with the Church, the priest glorifies the name of God for this great event: “Blessed be God, who willed that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, now and at all times and to the ages of ages!” The prayer for the catechumen concludes with a beautiful invocation in which the priest implores God to call the catechumen “to the Holy Light” and to qualify him for the great gifts of the Holy Spirit: “Strip him of his old age and renew him for eternal life. Fill him with the power of your Holy Spirit, that he may unite with your Christ, and in them he may no longer be a son of the flesh but a son of your Kingdom.”

And - supporting the church

Parents and godparents do not perform this sacred duty alone, but the Orthodox parish to which they belong supports them in this, through its spiritual services, church life and religious education, which it provides on all occasions. The Orthodox school also plays its role in this area, by providing organized religious education, in addition to children’s books and Orthodox magazines that help in the process of religious education and in introducing children to church life.

These aids, especially the support of the Church, are not an interference in the duties of the parents, but on the contrary. Parents who bring their children to church to be baptized, by doing so, declare their desire to introduce their children into the life of the Church, which is a communion in the life of Christ and not a private piety of each one of them. For this reason, to exclude them from liturgical life and religious education would be to violate the sacred promise they made with God and the Church when they led their children to holy baptism.

Parents and godparents are the guarantors of the baptized child they have adopted in holy baptism, and they must take care to introduce the new member of the Church into the full life of the Church. If they do not encourage him to belong to the Christian education movement in the parish, and do not take him to church themselves, they betray their faith before God and the Church.

This is the conclusion that can be drawn from the beautiful and moving service of “Prayer for the Catechumen.”

Z - The weapon of the Holy Spirit

By holy baptism man belongs to the body of Christ, that is, to the Church, and becomes a sharer in the new creation. But Christ told Nicodemus that man must be born “of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5), and in another place: “Let him who thirsts come to me; let him who believes in me drink, for the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38). John the Evangelist affirmed that Jesus “speaking of this was the Spirit who would be received by those who believed in him, for the Spirit had not yet been given” (John 7:39; Isaiah 55:1).

We know that this was accomplished on the Pentecost day, when “all the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). But the Holy Spirit comes in the sacrament of anointing with chrism upon each person individually and gives him life. The Bible testifies that baptism is not sufficient to “fill” a person with the Holy Spirit. That is why we see the apostles Peter and John going to Samaria to lay their hands on the heads of Christians, conveying the Holy Spirit to them (Acts 8:15-17), and we see the apostle Paul doing the same for the Christians of Ephesus (Acts 19:5-7). Then he says to them: “In him (Christ) you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, and having believed, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, the pledge of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:13-14; cf. 1 John 2:20).

In baptism, man is united with Christ, and shares in His death and resurrection. But the holy anointing, that is, the seal of the Holy Spirit, is the “earnest” (Eph. 1:14, 2 Cor. 1:22) or the beginning of the Kingdom of God. Man’s participation in the divine life is accomplished through the mystery of thanksgiving. The Orthodox Church has established an internal unity between these holy mysteries and has not forbidden them even to children.

In the Holy Unction it is said: “You, who have now been pleased to renew the birth of your enlightened servant anew by water and the Spirit, to whom you have granted forgiveness of the sins he committed willingly or unwillingly, you, O merciful Master, King of all, give him also the seal of the gift of your all-powerful and worshipful Spirit and the communion of the holy Body and precious Blood of your Christ. Preserve him within your own holiness, and secure for him the right path of faith. Deliver him from the evil one and all his wiles. Preserve his soul with your saving fear within purity and justice, that he may please you in every word and deed, so that he may become a son and heir of your heavenly kingdom.”

“The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” is what enables the believer to struggle against the forces of Satan. Man must feel “saving fear” and be kept in “purity and righteousness” in order to please God “in every word and deed” and become “a son and heir of the kingdom of heaven.” This is what we mean when we say that the holy anointing is the “down payment” of this kingdom.

In his struggle against the devil who attacks him after baptism, man must put all his physical and spiritual capabilities into action, in order to defeat him. Therefore, he must be completely sanctified and sealed as a treasure of God and a dwelling place and temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19, Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Our Orthodox Church does this when it seals all the members of the body with the Holy Chrism, so that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are transferred to it and make it in its entirety a “gifted being” and ready for the new life “in Christ.” These are the holy weapons that the Church prepares for each new member of it.

H - Enemy attacks after baptism

Through baptism, man is renewed and born again, or as the Eucharist says: Christ is “formed” within him, “built up” and then “planted” in the Church, wearing the “garments of incorruption” and the luminous robe.”

Here a question arises: If the devil has left the heart of man, and will never return to him, after his spiritual birth, and if Christ himself has become alive within him, then how can this man sin after baptism?

The Church Fathers say that Satan leaves man through baptism, but he continues to tempt him from the outside through the senses that generate passions. Therefore, the Church calls in the holy sacrament of baptism for the Lord to confirm the newly enlightened one in the right faith, to protect him from the evil one and from all the snares of Satan, and to make him an “invincible fighter” in his war against the evil forces of the enemy.

T - The fighter for Christ

The attacks of Satan witness that after baptism one enters a spiritual arena, and is called upon to struggle throughout his deception against the forces of darkness that use his senses to generate various passions within him, transform his heart and kill him spiritually.

Therefore the Apostle says: “Be strong, brothers, in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist the wiles of the devil, for we are not fighting against enemies of flesh and blood… Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. When you have done all that you are required to do, you will stand firm” (Ephesians 6:10-13). As for Jesus the son of Sirach, he says: “My son, if you come to serve the Lord God, continue in righteousness and godliness, and prepare yourself for temptation” (2:1).

Salvation is undoubtedly a gift from God (Eph. 2:8; 1 Cor. 3:7) and depends on God’s will (Rom. 9:16), but man must “open the door” (Rev. 3:20). We must be God’s helpers (see 1 Cor. 3:8) and work for our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Man is therefore called to offer his will, his sweat, his toil, his fear and his trembling. Or as Saint Macarius the Egyptian says: “Do not delay your will and do not neglect what God also does.” Anba Isaiah adds that even if God is the one who bestows virtues, man is called to offer Him the sweat of every virtue. “Woe to the timid hearts and slack hands… Woe to you who have lost patience” (Sirach 2:12-14), or as one of the hymns of the Great Canon says: “For without hardship, the soul cannot achieve work or sight.”

The will of a person who longs for salvation drives him to spiritual struggle until he overcomes his own passions and desires, and submits to the will of God, thus opening the door of his soul wide open so that Christ the Savior may enter (Rev. 3:20). Therefore, the Orthodox Church emphasizes the importance of asceticism in the life of every believer. “Be ascetic and watchful. For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, prowls about seeking his prey. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9; cf. Ephesians 6:10-13). The danger therefore exists, even after holy baptism, and the Christian is called to be an “invincible” fighter against the attacks and tricks of the adversary, and to keep before his eyes the words of the Lord: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it wanders through deserts seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. “Then he goes and takes with him seven spirits more wicked than himself, and they come and stay in him, so that the man will be worse in his last state than in his first state” (Matthew 12:43-45).

We have to be very careful, because this could happen to any of us.

Footnote related to the chapter title “A Person Joins the Church”: See the chapter on baptism in “An Introduction to the Christian Faith” by Kosti Bendley and a group of authors, Al-Noor Publications, and “The Orthodox Church, Faith and Doctrine” by Timothy Ware, “Know Your Church” series, Al-Noor Publications (publisher).