A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism

Baptism is the Door
From the beginning baptism has been the door through which one enters the church. It was inconceivable to many that one could respond to God’s grace by reciting the renunciations, affirming one’s faith in Christ, and loyalty to the Kingdom, without joining the fellowship of those who are committed to mature in that faith. As the “Body of Christ” in the worlds, baptism commissions us to use our gifts, to strengthen the Church and transform the world.

Why Baptize Babies?
From the earliest times children and infants were baptized and included in the Church. Some recite Jesus’ words, “Let the children come to me, for of such is the Kingdom of God.” As scriptural authority for this ancient tradition. However, a more consistent argument is that baptism, as a means of grace, signifies God’s initiative in the process of salvation. John Wesley preached “prevenient grace,” the grace that works in our lives before we are aware of it, bringing us to faith. The baptism of children, and their inclusion in the Church before they can respond with their own confirmation of faith, is a vivid and compelling witness to prevenient grace.

Baptism is Forever
Because baptism is a sacrament of God’s grace, and a covenant God has initiated, it should not be repeated. However, God’s continuing and patient forgiveness, God’s prevenient grace, will prompt us to renew the commitment first made at our baptism. At such a time, instead of rebaptism, the Church offers the ritual for the reaffirmation of baptismal vows, which implies that while God remains faithful to God’s half of the covenant, we are not always faithful to our promises. Our half of the covenant is to confess Christ as our Savior, trust in his grace, serve him as Lord in the Church, and carry out his mission against evil, injustice, and oppression.

Baptism is the Beginning, Not the End
You have heard people say, “I was baptized Methodist,” or “I was baptized Presbyterian,” which could mean that in baptism they got their identity papers and that was the end of it. But baptism is not the end. It is the beginning of a life-long journey of faith. It makes no difference whether you were baptized as an adult or a child, we all start on that journey at baptism.  For the child, the journey begins begins in the nurturing community of the Church, where he or she learns what it means that God loves you. At the appropriate time, the child will make his or her first confession of faith in the  ritual the church traditionally calls confirmation. Most often this is at adolescence, or the time when the person begins to take responsibility for his or her own decisions.

*The author is Mark C. Trotter, former pastor of First United Methodist Church in San Diego, California.