Liturgy Of Baptism Essay

The need to lead a positive lifestyle with deep meaning can be met through the adoption of various religious methods. A highly prominent religion and lifestyle is that of the Christian faith. Living a Christian life is a highly rewarding process due to the meaning and understanding it provides. It is a life that requires dedication and devotion to theology, and subsequently, is not easy to live. Over time, many highly important rites and rituals have emerged, serving great meaning in the lives of Christian adherents. It is quite often that these rituals serve a deep symbolic purpose to guide followers’ lives in a particularly subtle way. One such rite is the Liturgy of Baptism. Baptism is usually the first of the sacraments that are completed.

The public affirmation of an ideology or a religion is often a key part of accepting the said lifestyle. Public affirmation allows the adherent to cement in their minds the doctrines and beliefs of that religion, and subsequently, proves to the community the legitimacy of the new adherent. Baptism is an excellent example of this concept. The nature of Baptism is usually quite public, which allows for a connection of similar faith between the candidate and the audience. The Sacrament of Baptism is one of confession, or admittance to the Christian faith. This idea is further explored in Matthew 10:32 where it states: "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.” This extract explains that those who publicly express their belief in Jesus Christ, will be granted before God. The key doctrines of Christianity have an abundance of teachings on the need to accept Jesus, endure hardship, and live in his image; such as in 2 Timothy 2:11-12 “If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.” It can be assumed from the previous quote that failure to publicly acknowledge Jesus, like in Matthew 10:32, will lead to the transcendental denial from God. Using this reasoning, Baptism provides candidates with an opportunity to publicly express their faith, affirming relationships with other adherents. This, therefore, leads to the previously mentioned cohesive community, but more importantly, a relationship where other adherents are certain of your faith, allowing them to openly discuss theological issues. This openness will allow the individual to continuously analyse their knowledge, ethics and behaviour with the conventional standards of the community in these areas. It is this dissection of faith that will allow each individual, and in