Questions tagged [baptism]
A ritual or symbol of admission to the body of Christians, generally performed by immersion or sprinkling with water.
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Was baptism practiced before Christ?
A simple word search for "baptism" in the Old Testament turns up no matches. However by the time John the Baptist shows up on the scene and starts dunking people and calling it "for forgiveness of ...
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Biblical basis for baptism as a prerequisite for salvation
Some people believe that if you have not been baptized, you cannot be saved.
Others (including myself) believe that it is merely the outward declaration of what has already happened in the heart.
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Interpretation of the scripture "One Lord, one faith, one baptism?" [closed]
Ephesians 4:5 states there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Some Christians interpret this to mean that a single denomination (with its beliefs, doctrines, and practices) constitutes the "one ...
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What is the basis that some Protestants teach the non-necessity of baptism for salvation?
I have heard many Protestants say that "baptism is not necessary for salvation". They follow Paul I guess, who says all works including Baptism or circumcision are optional. But having read the ...
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What is Baptism of the Holy Spirit? [closed]
What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and how does it differ from water baptism? Do all Christians experience Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
EDIT
A few references to Baptisim of the Holy Spirit, or ...
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What happens to unborn, unbaptized babies who die? [closed]
If we accept that unborn babies are human beings and not merely a non-human organism, and further we require baptism as a prerequisite for salvation (using it as justification for infant baptism)...
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Early church writers opposed to the baptism of infants?
In his book On Baptism, Chapter 18, "Of the Persons to Whom, and the Time When, Baptism is to Be Administered," Tertullian says
According to the circumstances and disposition, and even age, of each ...
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Do any major denominations refuse to recognize Holy Baptism in other denominations
Most denominations recognize baptisms in other denominations. (See, for example Eph 4:4-6), "one Lord, one faith, one baptism".)
The World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission published ...
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Is there any sense in being baptized as an adult after being baptized as an infant?
Around the time I was born, my parents were going to a Lutheran church. As such, I was baptized as an infant. In most cases in the Bible, baptism is connected with receiving the Holy Spirit. If so, ...
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Why does the Salvation Army not administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper?
While reading a book on Reformed theology (The Shorter Westminster Catechism, by G. I. Williamson), I came across a brief criticism of the Salvation Army's views on the sacraments:
A very different ...
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Is it true that early Christians were baptised naked?
I was told that people were baptised naked in the early Christian church. Is this true? If so, could you provide references please?
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What is the Biblical basis for withholding communion from believers who are unbaptized?
My home church has a policy of asking non-believers not to participate in communion, but never asks if a believer has yet been baptized.
I have visited or attended several other churches where ...
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How do Protestants interpret "baptized for the dead" in 1 Corinthians 15:29?
1 Corinthians 15:29 (KJV)
Else what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized
for the dead?
I know that the LDS Church interprets ...
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What is the Biblical basis for infant baptism?
I've studied the Bible and am a fundamental independent Bible believing Baptist who believes what the scripture says about Baptism is clear.
It is an ordinance after salvation, i.e. believers baptism....
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If we are saved by grace, then why does Jesus say we must be baptized in both spirit and water?
Ephesians 2:4-9 says:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He
loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace ...
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What traditions espouse infant baptism and why? [closed]
What traditions espouse infant baptism and why?
In those traditions, why do parents often baptize their children at very young age, and why is this better than giving their children the opportunity ...
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According to the Roman Catholic church, who can baptize a new believer?
As far as I remember, there is no rule in the Bible as to who can baptize a new believer. However, I'm almost certain that sometime in the early history of the Roman Catholic church, someone or some ...
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What is the biblical basis for baptism by sprinkling?
As noted in the other question, there are two modes of water baptism of which I am familiar--immersion and sprinkling. As far as I know Catholics practice sprinkling along with many Protestant ...
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In Catholicism, does the efficacy of the sacrament depend on the intention of the priest?
In an essay by Gordon Clark, no friend of Roman Catholicism, I was surprised to read his contention that in Catholicism, the efficacy of the sacrament depends on the intention of the priest. As part ...
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If baptism cleanses original sin then why do the children of baptised parents still need to be baptised?
Why do the children of the parents who were baptized need to be baptized? The parent's original sin was removed by their baptism so they shouldn't be passing it down anymore. Or how does it work? Is ...
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Why do Mormons use Trinitarian language in baptism when they explicitly reject Trinitarianism?
In conferring the rite of Baptist, Joseph Smith writes in the Doctrines and Covenants as follows:
73 The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down ...
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How much water is necessary for baptism (Catholic perspective)?
In Catholicism, how much water is necessary for someone to be baptized?
For example, if the only water present is a single droplet on a leaf, is that sufficient to baptize or is more needed? How ...
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Into whose name should Christians be baptised? [closed]
Jesus said, "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
However, the early church apparently baptised in the name of ...
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What is God's good news before Jesus's death and resurrection?
In Mark 1, we learn about both John's baptism of repentance and Jesus's proclamation that "the time has come. Repent and believe in the good news!"
John's baptism
And so John the Baptist appeared ...
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What is the significance of Jesus' baptism for a theology of baptism? [closed]
It seems that any robust theology of Christian baptism must incorporate and draw from the fact that Jesus himself was baptized, but I rarely hear it mentioned in discussions about baptism. What place ...
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Why would cold running water be preferred for baptism?
The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (an early Christian text not part of the New Testament) says of baptism (chapter 7):
On the subject of baptism, baptise thus: after having taught all ...
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What did "one baptism" in the Nicene Creed mean back then?
In the following statement in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381), what exactly does "one" mean for the framers (i.e., not to subsequent interpretation)?
English: We [or I] ...
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Which non LDS Christian denominations believe in baptism after death?
The LDS Church believes that it is possible for individuals to be baptized after death (in particular, their descendants can be baptized on their behalf, and if they accept the covenant of baptism ...
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What name was used by Peter for Baptism?
We know that Jesus gave this command.
Matthew 28:19 (NIV)
Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
...
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Which Bible verses support adult-only baptism?
I am a Reformed Presbyterian and it seems that for most people I run into, baptism for 'adults' after confession of faith only is the default position. I always find myself fighting an uphill battle ...
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On what do Mormons base their practice of proxy-baptisms on behalf of the dead?
How does the LDS Church define their practice of performing baptisms on behalf of people who have died? I realize there is the following verse, but there seems to be few other Biblical references to ...
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What is the biblical basis against baptismal regeneration?
Several different denominations teach that water baptism is a prerequisite for (or is essential for) salvation. What is the biblical basis against this teaching?
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What is the Biblical basis for baby dedications?
Many churches do not practice infant baptisms, because they believe that in the Bible baptism is taught to be something done after a person chooses to follow Christ.
As an alternative, many of those ...
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Can a child presented by a same sex couple be validly baptized in the Catholic Church?
In Instrumentum Laboris 2014, the working document for the October 2014 Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, #120 The Transmission of the Faith to Children in Same Sex ...
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What is the earliest explicit mention of infant baptism?
The Bible describes several adults being baptized (notably Jesus and the Ethiopian eunuch that Phillip baptized). And while it mentions many others being baptized, it doesn't explicitly mention ...
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When did Christians switch from an ‘immediate baptism’ to ‘after years of instruction and scrutiny’ baptism, such as in the Apostolic Tradition?
According to this article ‘Catechumen’ means one receives instruction from “a catechist in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism”. I understand that some churches have this ...
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Can Catholics choose to be baptized by immersion?
I understand that the most prominent manner in which Catholics are baptized is by pouring. However, I saw somewhere that baptism by immersion is not considered wrong by the Catholic Church. (If this ...
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Can a non-Catholic receive Baptism (to formally marry a Catholic), without converting to the Catholic faith?
I am a practicing Catholic who wishes to marry my Buddhist girlfriend. For the marriage to be a valid sacrament in the eyes of the Church, she must be baptized as a Catholic - something she would be ...
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Does any church follow the Apostolic Tradition of Baptism ‘in the nude’, or was that never the tradition?
The Apostolic Tradition was the work of Hippolytus, written somewhere between 215 and 400 AD. Recent scholars seem to take the later date (source). The whole writing can be found here: Apostolic ...
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Since when did the Catholic church accept Protestant baptism, and what was the original rationale for accepting?
This is a historical question. I'm interested in the earliest instance that the Catholic Church (whether by the Vatican or by a bishop) accepted a Protestant baptism for a catechumen (a convert), ...
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What is the Catholic Church's stance on baptism after death?
This came up in a discussion. What is Rome's opinion on baptism after death, or more generally, baptism when a body is not available?
We were both pretty sure that the Catholic Church would say such ...
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What is the consequence of being baptized twice, according to the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church teaches that once a person is baptized, they cannot (or must not) be baptized again. I'm asking this question in that context, looking for a Catholic answer.
What is the ...
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Can one be baptized and become a Catholic if they don't believe in every particular Catholic dogma?
Can one be baptized and become a Catholic if they don't believe in every particular Catholic dogma?
I personally am interested in being a Catholic, i.e., being baptized by a Catholic priest, being ...
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What is the purpose of baptism for sola fide adherents?
Sola fide says that works play no part in our salvation. For sola fide adherents, what is the purpose of baptism? Is baptism necessary?
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Are Anabaptists' re-baptisms really conditional baptisms?
Are Anabaptists' re-baptisms really conditional baptisms? By "conditional baptism" I mean one whose formula is something like: "If you are not baptized, I baptize thee… etc."
In other words: Do ...
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What is the difference between baptism of the Holy Spirit and receiving the Holy Spirit? [closed]
What is the difference between baptism of the Holy Spirit and receiving the Holy Spirit (or being filled with the Holy Spirit)? Do these two mean the same? I am open to the different views given by ...
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What did the early church fathers (pre-5th c.) teach with regards to the doctrine of baptism as a necessity for salvation?
The title says it all, really.
What did the ECF believe and teach with regards to baptism being or not being necessary for salvation?
Related: What did the early church fathers (pre-5th c.) teach ...
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Does infant baptism determine the child's afterlife, according to practitioners?
Among those denominations who practice infant baptism, does baptizing the baby have anything to do with the destination of the infant's soul?
Which denominations, if any, believe that Infant Baptism ...
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What is the earliest extrabiblical teaching of baptism using a trinitarian formula?
Oneness Pentecostals and others who hold to "Jesus-name" (or "Jesus-only") baptism maintain that the trinitarian formula used by Nicene Christians and others is based on a misunderstanding of Matthew ...
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Did the authors of the Westminster Standards accept Roman Catholic baptisms as valid?
In the original version of the Westminster Standards, a highly regarded Protestant doctrinal statement, there's a line that is particularly famous:
There is no other head of the Church but the Lord ...