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Baptism at Orchard Hills
Baptism is the sacramental expression of the initiation of an individual into the body of Christ. The Book of Common Prayer requires that infant baptism be retained as an option, and the Anglican Church has always baptized both infants and adults. In its history, however, the Anglican Communion has interpreted infant baptism in different ways. Many Anglicans believe the waters of baptism impart saving grace to the infant while others see it from a more covenantal point of view. Those adhering to the covenantal point of view see baptism in the New Testament as a replacement of circumcision in the Old Testament; while the covenant remains the same, the sign has changed (Colossians 2:11-12). Those who believe God’s promise and trust in Christ alone for salvation are made the spiritual heirs of Abraham and the children of God.
A strong minority tradition, officially accepted by the Anglican Church in the 19th century as a valid option, teaches that baptism imparts grace, but does not save the child (Romans 6:3-4). The Church of the Holy Spirit-Orchard Hills belongs to this minority tradition. Most of our parents choose to have their infant dedicated, and baptized when they come to faith in Jesus Christ but because neither those who adhere to the belief of covenantal infant baptism or those who prefer to wait until a public profession of faith has been made believe that the waters of baptism save anyone (Eph. 2:8-9), we do not allow infant baptism to be a point of division.
Therefore, the practice of baptism is as follows:
Infant Baptism
The baptism of infants of parents who profess their faith in Jesus Christ serves three purposes:
1. It is a service of thanksgiving to God for the child. God is the one who has given us his children to nurture, instruct, and disciple. Thus, parents must be thankful to God and willing to express that publicly.
2. It is a service of claiming the promises of God in Acts 2:38-39 which is a biblical promise of salvation intended, “For you and your children…” thus, confidently, we come to God in prayer, asking that He open the spiritual eyes of these children at some point in their lives.
3. It is a service of pledging to God that the child will be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Just as a child will not have a choice in his name or the family to which he belongs, he will not have a choice about being brought up in a Christian home. In summary, the infant baptism service is a covenant-making service.
Baptism by Profession of Faith
Any believer who has not been baptized is strongly encouraged to do so as an act of covenant obedience as is commanded in Scripture, ‘repent and be baptized’ Acts 2:38. In baptism a person outwardly and symbolically identifies with Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is a manifest expression of the inward and spiritual reality of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the gift of Faith, which leads to the believer’s renunciation of his former life and the reception in faith of the gift of new life in Him.
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