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Baptism has been part of Christianity from the start, as shown by the many mentions in the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline epistles. Christians consider Jesus to have instituted the sacrament of baptism. How explicit Jesus' intentions were and whether he envisioned a continuing, organized Church is a matter of dispute among scholars. [27]
The baptism of Jesus is described in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John's gospel does not directly describe Jesus' baptism. [citation needed] John the Baptist was a 1st-century mission preacher on the banks of the River Jordan. [8] He baptized Jews for repentance in the River Jordan. [9]
Baptists practice believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper (communion) as the ordinances instituted in Scripture (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). [5] [additional citation(s) needed] Most Baptists call them "ordinances" (meaning "obedience to a command that Christ has given us") [6] [7] instead of "sacraments" (activities God uses to impart salvation or a means of grace to the participant).
Early Christian beliefs regarding baptism probably predate the New Testament writings. It seems certain that numerous Jewish sects and certainly Jesus's disciples practised baptism. John the Baptist had baptized many people, before baptisms took place in the name of Jesus Christ. Paul likened baptism to being buried with Christ in his death ...
Mark, Matthew, and Luke depict the baptism in parallel passages. In all three gospels, the Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit in Luke, "the Spirit" in Mark, and "the Spirit of God" in Matthew — is depicted as descending upon Jesus immediately after his baptism accompanied by a voice from Heaven, but the accounts of Luke and Mark record the voice as addressing Jesus by saying "You are my ...
Baptism is the sacrament of faith (cf. Mark 16:16). But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. [25]
[91] [92] [93] One author from the Churches of Christ describes the relationship between faith and baptism: "Faith is the reason why a person is a child of God; baptism is the time at which one is incorporated into Christ and so becomes a child of God" (italics in the source). [94]
Membership policies vary due to the autonomy of churches, but generally an individual becomes a member of a church through believer's baptism (which is a public profession of faith in Jesus, followed by immersion baptism). [61] Most Baptists do not believe that baptism is a requirement for salvation but rather a public expression of inner ...