Baptism of an adult: 7 stages of the preparatory period + 7 components of the ceremony itself + 5 rules that must be followed + 5 attributes that you will need.
It's never too late to find God.
If for some reason you were not baptized in infancy, you can even find out in adulthood how the baptism of an adult takes place and agree on a ceremony in the church you like.
In principle, adults and children are baptized using a similar ritual, but there are still a number of fundamental differences that you need to be aware of.
What is baptism
The Holy Scriptures mention baptism several times. The Gospel describes the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, and the Acts of the Apostles describes how the apostles baptized various people.
Before the coming of Christ there was the baptism of John. What it is? Saint John the Baptist , also called the "Forerunner", was the predecessor of Christ and the apostles. He was the first to introduce river baptism. People came to him in droves to the Jordan. It was preceded by the saint's sermon on repentance.
This baptism looked like this. People came to the Jordan River wanting to be baptized. They named their sins out loud in front of everyone and repented. Then only Saint John dipped them into the river, which symbolized the cleansing of the soul from sins. People came out of the water already clean in body and soul.
This was not Christian baptism, but it was necessary in order for Christ to appear to the world. Saint John the Baptist said several times that he baptizes with water, and after him someone will come whose shoe strap he will not even untie, i.e. even perform servile work. And He will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire,” i.e. By the grace of the Holy Spirit . This is where the name of the saint came from - Forerunner, which means previous.
The Gospel tells how Christ came to John on the river, demanding that he be baptized. He didn’t need this, because he had no sins. Saint John told Him about this, but received the answer that in this way “all righteousness must be fulfilled,” i.e. accomplish what needed to happen.
When Christ entered the water, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred: a white dove descended on Jesus’ head. It was the Holy Spirit in bodily form. And from heaven the voice of the Heavenly Father sounded that before them was the Son of God. Thus, the Holy Trinity was revealed - God the Father (voice), God the Son (Christ) and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.
With this, Christ showed us an example of obedience and gave us a new Sacrament - baptism for the remission of sins and the beginning of a new life.
The essence of the Sacrament of Baptism
You must undergo the sacrament of baptism in order to become Orthodox. An unbaptized person cannot begin other Sacraments of the Church, which means it is almost impossible to receive Divine Grace.
During the Sacrament of Baptism, a person is given Grace to turn away from a previous sinful life and turn to God. A person is, as it were, reborn in the font (John 3:5).
During the Sacrament of Baptism, a person is given Grace to turn away from a previous sinful life and turn to God. A person is, as it were, reborn in the font (John 3:5).
At the same time, a person pronounces words of renunciation of the devil and his works, and then expresses his religion and desire to serve God. The rite is designed for an adult who came to be baptized consciously. But in Rus' (and in other Orthodox countries) it is customary to baptize a person in infancy. This is usually done out of fear that a person may not live to a conscious age, and therefore die unenlightened by Grace.
Since the child cannot speak and understand himself, adults pronounce words of renunciation of the devil and union with Christ for him. They are called " godparents ". They enter into a spiritual relationship with their godson and his parents. The duty of the godparents is not only to pronounce the words at the Sacrament, but also to subsequently take care of the spiritual education of the godson and lifelong prayer for him. And in the event of the death of earthly parents, godparents sometimes adopt a godson.
If an adult undergoes the Sacrament , then he does not need godparents. He himself pronounces the words of renunciation and reads the Creed.
The essence of the Sacrament of baptism is to break the bonds of a person’s soul with the devil and introduce him into the rank of Orthodox people who have the task of pleasing God. A person’s body is washed in the font, which symbolizes the cleansing of his soul from previous sins.
Rules for adult baptism
Despite the fact that baptism is a holiday, there is no need to turn it into public festivities or gather a crowd of people who will make noise during the ceremony.
Yes, you can invite those closest to you to share the joy with you, you can even celebrate this event afterward, but do not turn it into an obscene drinking session, indulging in gluttony and debauchery.
There are several rules that an adult should follow when baptized:
- True faith. If you do not take the ritual of the cross seriously, if you do not believe in God, if baptism is a fashion statement for you, then do not expect grace to descend on you. On the contrary, it will only get worse, because to the already existing sins you will add one more - lies and hypocrisy in the face of the Lord.
- Free choice of location. You have the right to choose any Orthodox church for the ceremony - no one should put forward their conditions for you - to be baptized only here or nowhere. If you have your own spiritual mentor or have heard positive reviews about a priest, you can contact him directly to perform the baptism ceremony for an adult.
- Compliance with the rules. Despite the fact that all Orthodox churches adhere to the same procedure, it still has some nuances depending on the location. This is why you need to speak with a representative from your chosen temple in advance to ensure you are as prepared as possible for your baptism.
- Feeling good. You should not be baptized if you are sick. In this case, it makes sense to postpone the ceremony to another day. Women, when choosing a date, must take into account their monthly cycle - during the period of lunar bleeding you cannot even attend church.
- Concentration. During baptism, an adult should be as focused as possible on what is happening, throw all sinful thoughts out of his head, and ask God for guidance on the right path. You can’t think about something completely unrelated. If you can’t concentrate, read a prayer, it will help put your thoughts in order.
The baptism of an adult is quite an interesting rite, even witnessing it is fascinating. And to experience something like this in adulthood is an incomparable experience.
How does the Sacrament of Baptism occur?
At the very beginning, the catechumen or godparents (if a child will be baptized) stand next to the priest, who reads prayers for the enlightenment of the person about to be baptized and for his preservation from evil. Then he turns them to face the west and invites them to renounce the devil and all his evil deeds. After this, you need to blow and spit on the devil. This gesture symbolizes hatred of evil deeds and sins.
Then the man, together with the priest, turns to face the east and pronounces words of faith in Christ. The priest asks the catechumen three times whether he has renounced Satan and his evil deeds. This question must be answered positively three times. Then the priest asks whether the person believes in Christ and is united with Him. This must also be answered positively three times.
After this, the catechumen or godfather reads the Creed . Then the priest reads a prayer for the blessing of water. He blesses the water with his hand, singing “Hallelujah” three times, then drops the blessed oil into it. The priest will anoint the person being baptized with this oil.
Main part of the Sacrament
Then the main part begins - immersing a person three times in the font with the words: “The servant (servant) of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father. Amen. And the Son. Amen. And the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Having taken the child out of the font, the priest gives him to his godparents, who hold a towel at the ready. They dry him and put a baptismal robe on him. At this time, the priest reads a special prayer for the consecration of baptismal clothing.
a cross is placed around the person’s neck , which he must not remove until his death. Next comes the Sacrament of Confirmation. After this, the godfather with the godson in his arms (or the person being baptized himself) follows the priest around the font, singing, “Those who were baptized into Christ, put on Christ” (Gal. 3-27). This procession is repeated three times as a sign that a person is ready to follow Christ through life and imitate Him in earthly life.
Then an excerpt from the Apostle and the Gospel are read. Then litanies follow, and then the hair of the person being baptized is cut as a sign of the dedication of soul and body to God. The cut hair is wrapped around a candle by the priest and lowered into the font. (On this score, there are popular beliefs about how a candle will behave in a font, whether it will sink or not. This, of course, is a prejudice and has nothing to do with faith).
The rite of churching of the newly baptized
After this, the rite of churching the newly baptized begins. A special prayer is read, males are brought into the altar with bows, and women are brought to the pulpit. Then the priest usually reads a prayer to the mother of the baptized child for cleansing after childbirth.
In the near future after the Sacrament of baptism, the baby should be brought to the temple to receive the Holy Mysteries.
Why get baptized?
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The question “why be baptized” can be understood from two sides. On the one hand, why do you need to accept the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and on the other hand, why do you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross? In this article we will look at both of these issues.
The sacrament of Baptism is of decisive importance in the life of every person. Just as a person can appear into the world after his physical birth, so a person can enter the Church of Christ only after spiritual birth, that is, through participation in the Sacrament of Baptism. After Baptism, a person can participate in other Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, participate in divine services, and notes can be submitted in church for a baptized person. During the Sacrament of Baptism, all the sins of the person being baptized are washed away, and the robes of his soul become as snow-white as traditional baptismal robes. Now his task is to grow in spiritual grace with God's help and through participation in church life.
Why sign yourself with the sign of the cross?
Why sign yourself with the sign of the cross can be answered by remembering the life-giving and great power of the Cross of the Lord. The Savior accepted his suffering for the sake of saving the human race from sins by crucifixion on the cross. From this moment on, the sign of the cross is a weapon of victory over evil, death and everything negative. When a person makes the sign of the cross, he remembers the sacrifice that the Savior made in the name of love for people. It is important to know how to be baptized correctly.
Why was Jesus baptized?
Why was Jesus baptized if He was absolutely sinless? Every person accepts the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for the remission of sins. Even small newborn children are defiled by original sin, which is passed on to people from their parents from generation to generation. Our Lord Jesus Christ, during His immersion in the waters of the Jordan, took upon Himself the sins of all mankind. Then, during his suffering on the cross, the Lord himself sacrificed himself for these sins of people. Also, the meaning of why the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized is an example for other people to follow. The Lord showed us an example; if our Savior was baptized, then all the more should His followers - Christians - be baptized. Therefore, one of the reasons why people are baptized should be the desire to imitate their Lord.
Why should a person be baptized if he does not go to church?
Unfortunately, there are now cases where some people want to be baptized just because everyone else is doing it. They want to imitate the majority, without thinking about the deep meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism. Every Christian of conscious age should understand why one needs to be baptized. In the ancient Church, when a person was about to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, he studied the fundamentals of the Christian faith for a long time. He participated in some part of the service, the so-called “liturgy of the catechumens,” and left the church at the moment when the clergyman uttered the exclamation “catechumens, come out.” The catechumens were those people who were preparing to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Currently, in most churches there is a special interview before Baptism. If a child is baptized, then his parents and godparents must be present at the interview, since on behalf of the child they take responsibility for his Christian upbringing. If an adult receives Baptism, then he himself must be present at such an interview. Before accepting Baptism, you must understand why you need to be baptized and have a sincere desire and need for spiritual life.
Why be baptized at the entrance to the temple?
Why be baptized at the entrance to the temple, it means making the sign of the cross. The temple is a shrine, so you need to enter it with special reverence and prayer. When making the sign of the cross at the entrance to the temple, you need to pray and ask the Lord for a blessing so that in the temple we will receive benefits for the salvation of our souls.
Why be baptized in church
Why be baptized in church, that is, sign yourself with the sign of the cross, as all believers do, in order to inflame your heart with prayer to the Lord. An Orthodox temple or church is a place of special grace of God. The Holy Gifts are kept in the temple, with which the priest administers communion to the faithful during the Divine Liturgy. In every church in the altar there is an antimension into which a particle of the relics of the holy saints of God is sewn. Therefore, in church you need to behave with special respect for the shrine, with prayer and with frequent making the sign of the cross. During the service, you should try to be baptized at the same time as other people so that everything goes off with order and reverence. If a large number of people are present at a service, as often happens during major holidays, and it is difficult for you to move, then you need to stand quietly and pray mentally. If, when trying to make the sign of the cross, you may cause inconvenience to other people, then in such situations it is better to refrain.
Why do you need to be baptized? In what cases should you make the sign of the cross?
A person accepts the Sacrament of Baptism in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that is, in the name of our one Lord in three Persons. While making the sign of the cross, a person also says out loud or mentally the words “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen". In this way, we invoke the grace of the Lord and His blessing on our lives, thoughts, actions and intentions. An Orthodox person must understand why he needs to be baptized and in what cases he needs to make the sign of the cross. This should be a natural need of his soul and a pious habit. You need to make the sign of the cross slowly. You can pray and call on God’s help while making the sign of the cross after waking up in the morning, before going to bed, before and after eating food, before starting any good deed and after completing it. Also, pious parents sign their children with the sign of the cross and constantly pray to the Lord for their spiritual and physical well-being. We can be baptized during danger, and when it has passed, when an illness or some kind of misfortune occurs, during a special joy and desire to thank God, while saying various prayers, before entering a church or after leaving a temple, during a divine service or during your home prayer. The more often we are baptized and turn to the Lord in prayer, the better it will be for our soul and our loved ones.
Author of the article: Ksenia Orabey, theologian and religious scholar
