THE MYSTERION (SACRAMENT) OF BAPTISM – THE SANCTIFICATION OF MAN

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE

The Mysterion (Sacrament) of Baptism – The Sanctification
of man.

"As many of you have been baptized
into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia.

(Epistle Lesson)

"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, knowing this, that our old
man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might
be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves
of sin.
For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we
died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the
dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over
Him. for the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed
to sin, btu alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord"
[Romans 6:3-11].

[Gospel]

"Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the
mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they
saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. And
Jesu came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.’ Amen." [Matthew 28:16-20).

The Holy Orthodox Church invokes God’s Grace for the sanctification of its members. For this reason, the Holy Church uses Mysteria or Mysteries (Sacraments) instituted by Christ and His Apostles. The Mysterion or Mystery (Sacrament) of Baptism with that of Chrismation and of the Holy Eucharist with that of Confession are the Sacred Mysteria (Sacraments) which every Orthodox Christian should receive as an active communicant of Divine Grace. There are three other Mysteria (Sacraments): ORDINATION, MARRIAGE AND UNCTION. These are granted to the believer, but are not obligatory, if not so desired.

Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ commissioned His Holy Apostles to "go therefore and teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Church of Christ from the beginning baptized its members by a priest IMMERSING THEM THRICE IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. IMMERSION BAPTISM WAS THE PRACTICE OF THE EARLY CHURCH. ONLY ONE BAPTISM IS ALLOWED.

The Mysterion or Mystery (Sacrament) of Baptism serves as THE DOOR LEADING INTO THE KINGDOM OF GRACE, OR THE CHURCH, and it grants access to participation in the other Mysteries (Sacraments). Even before the establishment of the Mystery of Baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ in His conversation with Nicodemus indicated THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF IT FOR SALVATION: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee except a man be born again, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD. When Nicodemus expressed his perplexity, "How can a man be born when he is old?" the Savior replied that the new birth would be accomplished by WATER and the SPIRIT: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:3-6).

The establishment of this Grace-giving Mystery occurred after the Resurrection of Christ. Having appeared to His Disciples, the Lord said to them that He has received from His Father all authority in heaven and on earth, and He continued: "Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…" (Matthew 28:19-20). And to this He added: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). On the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, when after the speech of the Apostle Peter his listeners asked what they should do, the Apostle Peter said to them: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:37-38). In the same Book of Acts are recorded several instances of Baptism performed by the Apostles. Thus, the Holy Apostle Peter baptized Cornelius (chap. 10), the Holy Apostle Paul baptized Lydia and those of her household (chap. 16), as well as the guard of the prison with his whole household (chap. 16).

The mystical, Grace-given aspect of Baptism is indicated in the above-cited passages of Holy Scripture; Baptism is a "NEW BIRTH," AND IT IS PERFORMED FOR THE SALVATION OF MEN (Mark 16:16). Moreover, setting forth the Grace-given significance of Baptism, the Holy Apostles in their Epistles (Letters) indicated that in it we are "SANCTIFIED," "CLEANSED," JUSTIFIED"; that in Baptism we "DIE TO SIN" so as to walk in renewed life; we are "BURIED WITH CHRIST,: AND WE RISE WITH HIM. "Christ loved the Church, and gve Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (that is, Baptism with the utterance of the words instituted to accompany it; Ephesians 5:25-26). "Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). "We are buried with Him by Baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Baptism is called "THE WASHING OF REGENERATION" (Titus 3:5). AS for the subjective side–the state of soul of the person being baptized–it is indicated by the Apostle Peter, who calls Baptism the promise of "A GOOD CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOD" (I Peter 3:21). THROUGH BAPTISM AT THE SAME TIME ONE IS JOINED TO THE CHURCH.

BAPTISM: THE DOOR TO THE RECEPTION OF OTHER GRACE-GIVING GIFTS

BAPTISM is not only a symbol of cleansing and washing away the defilement of the soul, but in itself IS THE BEGINNING AND SOURCE OF THE DIVINE GIFTS WHICH CLEANSE AND ANNIHILATE ALL THE SINFULDEFILEMENTS AND COMMUNICATE A NEW LIFE. ALL SINS ARE FORGEN, both ancestral ("original") sin and personal sins; the way is opened FOR A NEW LIFE; opened is the possibility to receive the gifts of God. Further spiritual growth depends UPON THE FREE WILL OF MAN. But since temptation is capable of finding sympathy the nature of man, who from the day of his first fall into sin has had an inclination to sin, therefore spiritual perfection CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT BATTLE. A man finds help for this inward battle in the whole Grace-given life of the Church. The Holy Church opens up further Grace-given help to the newly baptized in the Mystery (Sacrament) of CHRISMATION.

Final blessing from the priest after Baptism: "Thou hast been baptized, illuminated, anointed, and sanctified in the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Amen.

(To be continued)

____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George