Holy Baptism: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Holy Baptism is one of the two sacraments recognized by all Anglicans, alongside Holy Communion. In the words of both the ACNA’s catechism, To Be a Christian, and the classic 1662 Catechism, a sacrament is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” These two practices, instituted by Jesus himself, confer on us the special graces they represent.
However, among all the doctrines of our Anglican faith, none may be more troublesome for newcomers than our theology concerning Holy Baptism. Many who consider joining our church, especially across North America, find themselves dissuaded from membership by our convictions, either about infant baptism (see here for why we baptize babies) or about our language about regeneration (or both!). Anglican theology can appear all the more confusing due to the extensive internal debate surrounding these topics.
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We often fail to serve those who bring questions well, as we use hackneyed phrases such as “sign and seal” without explaining their meaning. Therefore, if you would, set aside any phrases or confusing explanations you have encountered about baptism as we briefly explore the rich, historic Anglican theology behind it and then walk through its rite as presented in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.
How Does Baptism Work?
Here is how Article 27 of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the historic Anglican Formulary summarizing Anglican theology, sets out our doctrine of baptism:
Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New-Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed, Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.
Article 27, The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
What Is Regeneration?
Anglicans believe that through the sacrament of baptism, God effects (causes) a certain grace within us: regeneration. What do we mean by the word regeneration? Typically, any notion of baptismal regeneration is uncomfortable for newcomers. Reactions of confusion, or even alarm, on the faces of visitors ensue during baptismal services when the priest says to a newly baptized infant,
N., you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.
Does this mean that a child who is baptized is a mature follower of Christ? Does this mean that, because of this baptism, the child has now matured in faith in God? Rest assured, the priest is not saying either of these things. When the liturgy uses the word “regenerate,” we must remember that regeneration has different uses. The Prayer Book utilizes an earlier meaning of the term, closer to sanctification than to full-fledged faith. The 19th-century bishop E. Harold Browne, in his Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles, explains this well, stating,
We may therefore define the internal grace of baptism to consist rather in the assured presence of the Renovator, than in the actual renovation of the heart.
E. Harold Browne, An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles
The Start of a Renovation
We should consider the word “renovation” here not as a replacement for regeneration, but as a means of clarifying its meaning. When a child is baptized, and the priest pronounces that they have now been sealed in the Holy Spirit, he is pronouncing that the Holy Spirit (the “Renovator”) is beginning the work of regeneration (Acts 2:38-39). We do not claim that this child now has a full, mature understanding of the Gospel at the moment of their baptism. Rather, we recognize that their walk is now just beginning: the Holy Spirit is beginning to renovate the recipient’s soul (1 Peter 3:21).
The outward physical signs (the water and the words of administration) communicate to physical beings an inward spiritual reality that God imparts. It is a sign to us that God has done this,
The point to be remembered is this, that to the baptized the aid of the Spirit is promised by covenant; and therefore to them it is assured.
E. Harold Browne, An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles
Baptism Not Resulting in Faith?
Before we proceed to the baptism liturgy, let us conclude by addressing two remaining questions.
First, you may be asking, “What about those baptized children who seem to have no true faith?” We must keep in mind that it is those infants whom God has ultimately elected who will yield to the guiding grace of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1, Romans 9); those who are not will reject this grace, as with all other graces God offers to them. This does not mean that God has failed (our Heavenly Father is perfectly just and merciful in all he does). As Browne says,
Though God never failed of His promise, and though the aid and presence of His Spirit were ever vouchsafed to the recipients of baptism, yet their wills had never yielded to be renewed by it; and therefore, though subjects of the grace of God, they had never brought forth the fruits of holiness.
E. Harold Browne, An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles
What About Adult Converts?
Finally, you may also ask, “What about adult converts who have come to faith without being baptized as an infant? Do they lack the Holy Spirit until they are baptized?”
No. We find throughout the Holy Scriptures many adult converts to the faith clearly filled with the Holy Spirit before their baptism; Cornelius is one such example (Acts 10). As in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), our Father rushes out to embrace us even before he adorns us with a royal robe and a signet ring of his household. This provides additional assurance for those who believe but are unable to receive baptism before their deaths, such as the repentant thief on the cross beside Christ, whom our Lord promises will be with him in paradise (Luke 23:43).
What we must ask ourselves is this: is the baptism infants receive somehow different than that which adult converts receive? Again, no. The baptized receive regeneration, the forgiveness of sins, and adoption as children of God and members of the covenant. Both infants and adults, upon being baptized, are made members of the Covenant of Grace.
The Rite of Holy Baptism
The Rite of Holy Baptism typically occurs during a service of Holy Communion. Baptism is never meant to be private, never merely personal. It occurs within the gathered assembly—most fittingly on a Sunday or feast day—because it is the Church that baptizes, even as Christ himself acts through water and word. We will refer to the celebrating minister as the priest here, as that is the norm. However, unlike Holy Communion, a deacon (such as Philip in Acts 8:26-40) or, in an emergency, a layperson may administer baptism, provided it is done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
From the outset, the liturgy reminds us that baptism is about belonging. God is grafting us into a people with a shared confession, a shared story, and a shared hope. The opening acclamation and the proclamation of “one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism” frame the service as an act of ecclesial memory: this is who we are; this is how God makes us his own.
The Presentation
The liturgy begins with the candidates being presented, adults and older children by sponsors, younger children by their parents and godparents. Adults and children old enough to make their own profession of faith do so, while the parents and godparents answer on behalf of the younger children.
Renunciation, Exorcism, and Profession
The priest first leads the candidates or sponsors through renunciations of the devil and forces of wickedness, the world and its deceits, and the sinful desires of the flesh. Once they have confirmed that renunciation, the priest says the Prayer of Exorcism over them, often anointing them with the Oil of Exorcism.
Wait a second. Exorcism?! Yes. The Church considers this prayer a minor rite of exorcism, intended to banish all darkness and evil from the candidate in preparation for their baptism:
Almighty God deliver you from the powers of darkness and evil, and lead you into the light and obedience of the kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Once the candidate has renounced evil, the priest calls them to affirm their faith in Christ as Lord, in the Christian faith as revealed in Scripture, and in God as Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Do you turn to Jesus Christ and confess him as your Lord and Savior? Finally, the congregation stands and affirms its commitment to support the candidate in their life of faith. Then, alongside the whole congregation, they recite The Apostles’ Creed.
Prayers for the Candidates
A deacon or appointed layperson then leads the assembly in prayer for the baptism candidates, invoking God’s deliverance and sanctification.
Thanksgiving Over the Water
The Celebrant thanks God for the gift of water, recalling its use in creation, the Exodus, Christ’s baptism, and our own. The Celebrant then prays for the Holy Spirit to bless the baptismal water that all who are baptized may be cleansed, born again, and remain faithful in the risen life of Jesus Christ.
The Baptism
After asking for the name of the candidate (or announcing it), the priest immerses the candidate in the water or pours water from the baptism font onto the candidate three times (traditionally using a seashell), saying:
N., I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The priest then makes the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of the newly baptized, usually with Oil of Chrism, saying one of the two blessings:
- “N., receive the sign of the Cross as a token of your new life in Christ, in which you shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, to fight bravely under his banner against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to continue as his faithful soldier and servant to the end of your days. Amen.”
- “N., you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever. Amen.”
Post-Baptism Thanksgiving & Welcome
The priest then prays that God has bestowed forgiveness of sins, adoption as children, membership in the Church, and new life by grace through the Holy Spirit. Finally, the assembly responds with a welcome into the fellowship of the Church, encouraging the baptized to confess Christ’s death and resurrection and share in the royal priesthood of all believers. The whole congregation shares the Peace following the welcome, and the liturgy continues with the Offertory and Holy Communion. The candidates often leave with a candle lit from the Paschal Candle, the shell used for their baptism, and the small baptismal towel used to dry them, as remembrances of their baptism.
Image: photo by Powerlightss from Powerlightss, courtesy of Canva. Digitally edited by Jacob Davis.
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