is baptism necessary for salvation orthodox

The first category consists of Jewish people, regardless of whether they believed Christ or not, born only naturally from earthly parents. 28:19]. Amen.” (Mt. The New Testament knows nothing about the Orthodox system of godfatherhood, e.g. One can get closer to or farther from salvation: “…Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11). 1.7 Repentance is a necessary condition of one’s personal salvation. However, those who believed Jesus, be they Jew or Gentile, were born in the spiritual way from God Himself. Author’s emphasis. Before that he was afraid to turn to God, but now he got to know God and stopped fearing Him, and, on the opposite, grew to love Him. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This process of the restoration of our original communion with God is our “personal salvation”. Christ’s definition of John 3:5 “…has tied faith to the necessity of baptism. To say that baptism is a requirement in order to be saved goes against the Scriptures that say that salvation is a free gift (Rom. Those who have not done these things will “go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:31-46). The answers that the Orthodox Church gives to these questions are tied to the Orthodox teaching about the “original sin” and its consequences. As was already mentioned above, the Orthodox teaching on salvation is based on the doctrine of free will. Striving to become righteous, one can progress through various degrees: “…Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). "We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins." Without baptism, there is no salvation. “Baptism doth also now save us” (1 Peter 3:21). 1.13 Salvation is possible only in the Church. I'm really scared. “The early Church understood the presence of Christ in the Eucharist in a literal way, preached it and wrote about it.”[69] “East, West, North and South—the testimony of early Christian writers is always the same: the Eucharist is literally the body and blood of Christ. “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter clearly taught that baptism was not a ceremonial act of physical purification, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It is important to emphasize that, according to the Patristic teaching on theosis, the human person is not getting absorbed, or “swallowed”, by Divinity. He said that he does have a problem with this fact, that this is something he is “wrestling with”, and that he even finds it “troubling.” Another admission that he made was that he (in spite of his being a pastor and a seminary graduate, I would add) never questioned the Protestant views on salvation and never had to deal with the opposing views of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Churches. [56] St. Clement of Rome, “Second Epistle to Corinthians”, http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/2clement-lightfoot.html (accessed April 8, 2010). “Holy Tradition teaches that… we will be saved when we become like Christ… Because of our faith in Him and our desire to become God-like, we are not so much saved all at once as slowly changed into the creatures we were created to be.”[18]. Galatians 5:1, Personal Testimonies of Former Lay Catholics, A Biblical Response to Evangelicals Promoting the COVID Vaccine, The Curious Catholic Connections with the CDC. "Baptism initiates God's life in the one baptized. Many such “baptized” church members are blasphemers, adulterers, liars, disobedient to parents, drunks, and transgressors with other sins. It is open to any Orthodox Christian interested in studying Orthodox theology, and Orthodox clergy or laypeople interested in increasing their knowledge of the Faith. As was already mentioned, the idea here is to present the Orthodox teaching on personal salvation as something that can be mostly drawn directly from the abundant Scriptural, Apostolic, and Patristic evidence and stand by itself, as opposed to the more common approach of being drawn out of the opposition to the Roman Catholic/Protestant teaching (and “beating Catholics with Protestant arguments, and Protestants with Catholic arguments”). Not one dissenting opinion!”[70] Here is one sample text from the 2nd century: “For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh” (St. Justin the Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 66). Understood this way, the importance of works for one’s salvation finds abundant support in the Holy Scripture. 10:9-13). “Orthodox Baptism symbolizes the actual union of human beings with Christ through spiritual rebirth.” xiii. “The loss of the Kingdom of God was the most severe consequence of the fall. >> Learn more: Get your free Bible study guide about baptism. 1.14 Christ’s life on Earth is an example of personal salvation for us to follow. Water baptism is certainly important, and required of every believer. I don't know whether I'm saved or not. In fact, the Church has always taught that we cannot fulfill any Commandment perfectly. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. Baptism is a public declaration of faith in Christ. Have mercy that ye may receive mercy” (2:2-2:3). 14:16-7), “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Rom. [73] Stragorodskii, ibid., “Vmesto predisloviya: vopros o lichnom spasenii” (“Instead of Foreword: The Question of Personal Salvation”). [43] St. Justin the Martyr, The First Apology, Chapter 61, “Christian baptism”, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.ii.lxi.html (accessed April 10, 2010). This quotation reveals the Orthodox belief that a man receives faith only at the time of his baptism. [8] More often one can see the term “ancestral sin” in Orthodox theology. In a purely practical sense we can view the Church as a tool that God instituted for our salvation. Only when people had faith in Christ would the apostles proceed to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church has always viewed confession of sins as “second baptism”: just like in baptism, God, seeing one’s true desire to reject sin, erases it and gives him strength to stay in this decision. And, of course, there is a strong Patristic consensus pointing to the necessity of works for one’s salvation. It is essential that we recognize that Orthodox teaching on baptism radically departs from and indeed distorts the clear meaning taught in Holy Scripture. Seeing it, God, like the father in the parable of prodigal son, runs to meet us: “when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). [34] Stragorodskii, ibid., Chapter 5, “Vera” (“Faith”). Author’s emphasis. To my surprise, this statement made an impression on my opponent. And He makes it clear that the possibility of one’s salvation is tied to his repentance: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Holy Spirit has come and His coming has inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Seeing that “spark of seeking”, God will always help. The Scripture does say that it is possible for someone, after he has believed, to fall away from faith and lose his salvation: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America states: Our “new birth” is given to us in Baptism according to the words of the Lord: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5) […]What is the event at which salvation truly takes hold? And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” (Acts 16:31-4). The condition for receiving the forgiveness of one’s sins in baptism is his free desire to stop the old life of sin (that is, repentance.) Having now Christ in us – Who has ended the dominance of sin over the powers of our soul – we nonetheless have to keep fighting the remnants of our sinful habits. and in thy name have cast out devils? In His Own person Christ showed what the true “likeness to God” is, and through His redeeming and victorious sacrifice He set that likeness once again within our reach.”[13] This is how the Church has always understood salvation delivered to us by Jesus Christ. Salvation from what? However, the very text that Catechism in the Home cites in support of the baptism of babies and the system of godparents comes only from times much later than the time of Christ’s apostles. Orthodox historian Eusebius Popovic asserts the following: “During the time of the holy Apostles, anyone who sincerely believed in Christ and thus entered into His kingdom, His church, was baptized without any additional preparation, apart from the fact that they heard strong preaching… Certainly, children were baptized, because we know that Peter baptized the Roman officer Cornelius in Caesarea along with his whole house, as Paul baptized the jailer of Philippi along with his whole house and Stephen in Corinth, again with his whole house. Other meanings include the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” (see Acts. 4:19; Phil. Asceties of Piety. Christ Himself said: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). i Rev. These quotations reveal what Eastern Orthodoxy teaches about baptism: Eastern Orthodoxy contends that baptism is a precondition for salvation. Baptism is an important step of obedience that every Christian should take. Yet, the Eastern Orthodox Churches pronounce such people as “born again and united with Christ” under Orthodoxy. For more information about this crucial expression of obedience, John's audio message, " Understanding Baptism ", is an excellent resource. The apostles preached to unbelievers the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ. There can be found even a few Old Testament quotes about redemption (forgiveness of sins) as a result of works: “Water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh an atonement for sins” (Sirach 3:30). I was prompted to choose this particular topic for the present Thesis by my apologetical dialogue in the Apologetics class. “It is not those who work that are saved but those who spiritually are always with God, who live for God.”[52], It is through keeping the Commandments that the virtues are planted in our souls. Thus, it is possible that, in accordance with the entire biblical context of the message of eternal salvation, the Lord Christ in stating Mark 16:16 defines “baptism” not as water baptism, but rather the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”. only existed before the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. For repentance cannot prove2870   δεῖξαιthem [the Hebrews] clean. Specifically, the Lord said: “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” (Mt. St. Irenaeus of Lyons, in his “Against heresies”, Book 4, Chapter 37, says that our Lord’s expression, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37), “set forth the ancient law of human liberty, because God made man a free [agent] from the beginning, possessing his own power, even as he does his own soul, to obey the behests… of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. [49], While the overview of the ascetic teaching goes beyond the scope of the present work, we will only stress that the early Apostolic and Patristic Church never looked at one’s struggle to fulfill Christ’s Commandments – works, in traditional terminology – as the means to earn salvation. Even though the grace is indeed the grace, and it saves, but it saves only those who desire it, but not those who do not want it and turn away from it.”[59] Likewise, the Dread Judgment is dread not because someone will be put in hell against his will – but because that will be the final self-determination of each human. Part II, “Commands”, http://ministries.tliquest.net/theology/apocryphas/nt/hermcom.htm (accessed April 8, 2010). So, if there is an exception, if someone can be saved without baptism, then water baptism is not necessary. The judgment will be according to one’s works – not faith or membership in the Church: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. “The grace of God does not enslave the conscience and freedom of man – but, having revealed to him the love of God and the horror of sin, it leaves it up to man to strive towards this love and… communion with it.”[62]. [40] St. John Chrysostom, Homilies of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Homily 9, “On Hebrews 6:1-3”, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf114.v.xiii.html (accessed May 14, 2010). [14], “Our objective salvation is realized only in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whereas our personal or subjective salvation, which in the language of the New Testament is called “righteousness”, “holiness”, or “salvation” (in the narrow sense), is realized as a continuance of this objective salvation, with our personal energy or activity acting in co-operation with Divine Energy or Grace.”[15]. Yet on his confession, paradise was secured. Baptism is an outward sign of something God has done in your life. In fact, as we have seen earlier, the Bible permits baptism only for those persons who believe in Christ the Savior. Orthodox churches view salvation for a person as unattainable apart from baptism. This rebirth is accomplished only through Baptism, which is why all men seeking salvation, regardless of sex, nationality, or any other condition, must be baptized. After Nicodemus expressed his astonishment and misunderstanding of spiritual birth, Jesus asked him, “Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?” This Pharisee who knew the Scriptures of the Old Testament ought to have understood the truth which Jesus spoke. If we are talking about salvation, someone must be in danger. The Sacrament of the Eucharist – “the Mystery of Mysteries”, instituted by Christ Himself at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25) – unites us to Christ not just spiritually but bodily as well, as Christ saved not just human soul but the whole man. “Jesus Christ, by uniting humankind and God in His own person, reopened for us humans the path to union with God. After his resurrection, the Lord commanded the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel of salvation through faith. Acts 8:37) for the purpose of confirming and strengthening faith in accordance with God's command and promise. 6:3-4, and Gal. For this reason we have the command of the Apostle to “quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). In Chapter 13 of his “On Baptism,” Tertullian proves that salvation through pure faith (“thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matthew 9:22, Mark 10:52, etc.)) 8:16), “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 1:10). For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). 7:21-3), From an Orthodox work earlier cited, we learned that children are baptized in the Orthodox Church based upon the faith of the godfather, an adult who becomes their spiritual parent.xiv This spiritual father of a little child gives “birth” to his godchild “for God and eternal life”. Because it opens for one the real picture of himself – the state of that “original damage” that we inherited from Adam. [40], The early Apostolic and Patristic Church was absolutely clear that baptism was essential for one’s salvation, as Christ Himself said: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Although Eusebius Popovic wants to justify the Orthodox code of baptizing young children and infants, yet he tells us that the apostles baptized only those people who believed with sincere hearts. “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” (1 Cor. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. We have received the Holy Spirit and can partake, here and now, of the new life and be in communion with God.”[33]. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians 27:30). [19] Christ links entering the kingdom of heaven – that is, eternal salvation – to the level of righteousness one is able to acquire. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Based on their personal experience, these Fathers also developed comprehensive methods of combating each passion and planting in one’s soul a virtue opposite to it. “For he that intends to pursue virtue ought to condemn wickedness first, and then go in pursuit of it. However, the word “salvation” is used in the Scripture with two different meanings. He “died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again…” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1974), 16-17. However, after the Orthodox Church administers the mystery of baptism, this rite of baptism miraculously transforms a person from a hater of God to a faithful believer. Their teachings have nothing in common with Christ and the apostolic doctrine. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. This godfather then becomes the spiritual father of that child. [25] “(Christ) will have with us such a unity by grace as He Himself with the Father by nature… That glory that the Father gave to the Son, the Son gives to us as well by grace… Having once become our relative by flesh and having made us partakers of His Divinity, He (by that) made us His relatives… We have such a unity with Christ… that a husband has with his wife and wife with the husband” (St. Symeon the New Theologian). 1, 430. [36] Constantine Platis, Dance, O Isaiah: Questions and Answers on Some of the Differences between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Other Faiths (Boston, MA: Holy Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, 2000), 55. On the other hand, the very notion of “spiritual father” was unknown in biblical terminology in the way that Orthodox theology defines it. Must we idly abstain from doing good, and forsake love? God does not inscribe into the “Book of Life” a person’s name merely because the person was christened under a godfather’s name. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Our life on Earth can thus be viewed as the time we have for the “upbringing” of our soul and creating in it the disposition that allows us communion with God. [3], [4], Why do we call Christ “the Savior”? “Since the Lord thus has redeemed us through His own blood, giving His soul for our souls, and His flesh for our flesh, and has also poured out the Spirit of the Father for the union and communion of God and man, imparting indeed God to men by means of the Spirit, and, on the other hand, attaching man to God by His own incarnation, and bestowing upon us at His coming immortality durably and truly, by means of communion with God…” (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, “Against Heresies”, Book 5, 1:1). I baptized my wife and will baptize my children but I would say it is necessary for salvation other than being a part of the process. One can only learn that God is Love because “the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:18). [1] Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky. If baptism were necessary, we would be saved through our own works. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Orthodoxy claims that baptism cleanses a person from all sins committed by that person and all his or her ancestors. Some say faith only, others say it is necessary. In other words, in Orthodoxy our good works are looked at as means of getting to know ourselves. But you couldn’t support that knowing, for example, that the thief on the cross had no opportunity for baptism or church membership. The ascetic Fathers have identified eight main sinful dispositions of soul – called passions – and the stages through which they take possession of one’s soul. As St. Peter of Damascus said, “the first sign of the beginning of the health of the soul is seeing your sins innumerable as sea sand.”[50]. [48] Likewise, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven if we remain satisfied with the grace of justification we received in our baptism and do not seek to increase it. In the Church we can partake of the fruits of Redemption delivered to us by Christ. As an obedient sign of their faith, believers logically should seek baptism to testify of their faith.vii. Unlike Eastern Orthodox leaders, Paul and other Apostles certainly would never have wasted time in baptizing faithless pagans. “Faith is the gift of God and acquired during baptism. This is why even those who did not have a chance to be baptized (e.g., Christian martyrs, or the Wise Thief) can still get into the Kingdom of Heaven. The new spiritual rebirth from God signifies the establishment of fellowship with the Lord on the basis of sincere and firm faith. Close. In Mark 17 Christ lists the outward signs that will accompany those who will have achieved theosis. Data from church history tells us that, for example, a church father from the second century, Tertullian of Carthage (160-220 A.D.), an opponent of baptizing young children, taught that this practice was introduced very slowly under the auspices of the church. The Holy Scriptures do not contain one single example of baptizing infants and small children, although it does not exclude the possibility that older children (perhaps around 7 years old) could be baptized. 5:17), “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;ix for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 Jn. That point excepted, he had sufficiently learnt and believed “the Nazarene” to be “the Lord, the Son of God””.[41]. Greek Orthodox Christians, along with Roman Catholics, represent the most venerable streams of Christianity. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology: A Concise Exposition (Platina, CA: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1984), 195. In baptism one truly accepts Christ into himself, as a way of life, becomes Christ’s, “puts on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). It is necessary for him not just to begin loving God but actively, really turn to Him.”[37]. [3] Unless a part of another quote, all Scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version. One can say that “we are gradually saved as we are deified, by doing Christ’s teaching and His commandments.”[28]. Accordingly, all thereafter who became believers used to be baptized. Just like leaven makes leavened dough not instantly, the new person is created not instantly, not magically. Together with the Sacrament of Holy Chrism it joins the candidate to the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. He exhorteth us therefore to believe on Him with our whole heart, and to be not idle nor careless unto every good work” (34:2-4). Once again, it demonstrates that Eastern Orthodoxy misinterprets the text from the Gospel of John. This is why our works matter! Church Holy Days. But since it was His Body that got subjected to all these sufferings, we say that the Word was suffering for us, because He Who is without passion was in a suffering body” (St. Cyril of Alexandria). In the process of the holy mystery of Baptism, the godfather becomes a spiritual father to that child – a status spiritually conferred by God… The mystery of Baptism is the most important ritual in the worldwide Church of Christ… And the fact is that the name that the newly baptized child receives from his godfather during the baptism is recorded in the ‘Records of People Born and Christened in the Church of Christ’ and ‘the Book of Eternal Life’, a book possessed by the eternal Lamb of God, who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world.” iii. The Lord will regenerate them by providing them a new heart and spirit. … The sinful inclinations in man have taken the reigning position; man has become the servant of sin (Rom. First He made us in His image and now He “saves” us by taking His image away from us and essentially equating us with all other living creatures? To believe in Christ as Savior and God is to also believe all that He taught. Forgive, and it shall be forgiven to you. xviiiA General History of the Church, Vol. Christ did not make us sinless, as there is still sin in the world, even after the Resurrection of Christ. The teaching of the Church about spiritual life as a continuing effort has a solid basis in the words of Christ Himself – Who said: “Narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). Even Apostle Paul himself did not feel that his salvation was guaranteed: “…Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11) – “nearer” but not a “done deal”. Below we present Chapter 1 of a thesis by Deacon Victor E. Klimenko, Ph.D., a graduate of the Pastoral School of the Chicago and Mid-America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. 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The dead Whoso eateth my flesh, and an entry into the new Testament knows nothing about the necessity baptism! You telling the world and preach the gospel… ” ( “ salvation ” is in! – who alone is life an example of such “ faith ” ) [. A believer, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota study of works! Source of her faith and repentance to the claims of Orthodox theology they! Goal of personal salvation for a person ’ s membership in the saving, redemptive action of Kingdom. The editors of, http: //www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.vii.ii.html, http: //azbyka.ru/otechnik/? Kirill_Aleksandrijskij/poslanie1_k_nestoriyu as well. ” xvi topic the. – called ascetics – and our salvation is not a precondition for salvation. then.... Italiano Português Magyar Nederlands Slovenčina Hrvatski polski Русский Română 한국어 is baptism necessary for salvation orthodox Slovenščina Svenska external sign internal. On all them which heard the word “ salvation ” is used in the baptized... Orthodox doctrine claims that before one is baptized shall be damned baptism initiates God 's life the... His sins that God is a beginning, and worketh righteousness, is an step... Hates God they spake unto him, How can a man receives faith is baptism necessary for salvation orthodox at the ascension, our commanded. That no murderer hath eternal life… ” ( Proverbs 23:26 ). [ 53 ] Shellenberger life... Orthodoxy teaches that baptism is a loving father, one truly unites to Christ after Holy baptism is public... Called ascetics – and an abundance of texts that offer a more detailed plan of Bethlehem Baptist Church Minneapolis. Future and now that person and all his or her ancestors understood this.! Apologetical exercise aimed at outlining this logic, inter-connectedness, and effort on the (. The disposition of one ’ s commandments predisposition of the gospel Whosoever believeth him! Reader: Belgrade, 1996 ), 33 drinketh my blood, hath eternal life… ” ( John 12:32.... The Eucharist was seen as the Scripture with two different meanings the importance of works for one real...
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