Holy Baptism
As taught in the Anglican / Episcopal tradition
The sacrament of initiation, rebirth by the Holy Spirit, and adoption into the family of God.
The question of Holy Baptism sits at the very heart of the Anglican identity, serving as the definitive "gate of our salvation." Within the Anglican tradition, the sacrament is not merely a ritual of initiation or a social custom, but a "means of grace" through which God acts decisively in the life of the believer and the community. The fundamental question this subtopic answers is: How does an individual participate in the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ, and what is the nature of the change wrought by God in that participation? To the Anglican mind, shaped by the via media (middle way), Baptism is the instrumental sign of regeneration—a point where the physical washing with water meets the spiritual operation of the Holy Ghost to graft the person into the mystical Body of Christ.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the primary biblical types and fulfillments of Baptism within the Old and New Testaments.
- **Distinguish** between the "sign" and the "instrument" of grace as defined in Article XXVII of the Thirty-Nine Articles.
- **Explain** the Anglican rationale for the "right receiving" of Baptism, including the role of faith and the status of infants.
- **Articulate** the relationship between Baptism and the "incorporation" into the Body of Christ, the Church.
- **Trace** the historical development of the Anglican baptismal liturgy from the 1552/1662 BCP to contemporary understandings.
- **Defend** the necessity of the Trinitarian formula (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in the administration of the sacrament.
- **Apply** the doctrine of Baptism to daily Christian ethics, particularly the concept of "dying to sin and rising to righteousness."
- **Compare** the Anglican view of "Baptismal Regeneration" with both the Roman Catholic and the Zwinglian/Memorialist positions.
Scripture
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