Baptismal Commitments
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19)
This Sunday we get to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism!
A major element of baptism is that it acts as a public profession of faith. One way we want to highlight this element is by adopting an ancient practice of the universal church, Baptismal Commitments. These will be public commitments that are made just before the individuals receive the sacrament of baptism.
The baptized will make 3 commitments personally, and then they, along with the entire congregation, will make 3 commitments based off the Apostles Creed (which was originally used at baptisms). This will act as a warm welcome into the church, which is united by one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Baptismal Commitments
The first 3 questions are about the personal profession of faith of those receiving baptism:
Do you trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins and the fulfillment of all God's promises to you, even eternal life?
Do you forsake Satan and all his works and all his ways?
Do you intend with God’s help to obey Jesus’ teaching and follow him as your Lord?
The last 3 questions are an affirmation of the Trinity and the Gospel. Since we are baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this is a way of making that vividly clear. This is modeled after the early church’s use of the Apostles Creed during baptism (which was its originally function), but we’re using language from our Clover Hill Doctrinal Statement.
The entire church will be invited to respond with those being baptized, saying “I do”! In this way, they’re visibly joining the church of Jesus which unites around the good news of our Triune God:
Do you believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary? Do you believe that He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, that through His substitutionary death, He removed our guilt and reconciled us to God, and that on the third day, He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness? Do you believe this?
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life?
Church, let’s celebrate with those about to be baptized, as we remember our own!
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)