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05/15/2017 On The Sacrament Of Baptism: Part Three

Henry Karlson
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2017/05/on-the-sacrament-of-baptism-part-three/

This is the third post from a series on the sacrament of baptism.

On The Sacrament of Baptism: Part One
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2017/05/on-the-sacrament-of-baptism-part-one/

On The Sacrament Of Baptism: Part Two
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2017/05/on-the-sacrament-of-baptism-part-two/

On The Sacrament Of Baptism: (Part Four, Conclusion)
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2017/05/sacrament-baptism-conclusion/?



There is, then, the baptism given in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which regenerates those not closed to its grace.

Its grace gives them a new life, they are born, and if they allow it to work in themselves, if they do not stifle it with sin, it will bring them into spiritual maturity as they enter into eternity.

Through it, they are united in the body of Christ;

They discover, in Christ, they have the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, working in them with its grace.

So that through their unity with Christ and the grace activated by the Spirit, they are turned toward the loving Father who welcomes them. 

The Father, in his love, sent the Son and the Spirit into the world so that we can become adopted children of the Father.


Once they realize their place in the divine life, they will be able to see the Father as all in all, and so the son will be said to render the whole creation to the Father.

It is with faith we open ourselves up to the path of love, the path established by Christ, unite ourselves to him.

And become partakers of the divinity, co-heirs of Christ.  

There is one faith, one hope, one love, and so one baptism which lead us to realize our proper relationship with the Father and the awareness that relationship gives us as being able to see the Father in all things.


As Paul declared:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6 RSV). [3]


We are free to receive the regenerative baptism once;

Once we have had it, we do not need it again, and indeed, we will not receive it again.

If we sin, if we turn away after its reception, God has other ways to work in and with us, to help restore us to our baptismal purity.

We are not expected to constantly go over to God in baptism, acting as if it did not take when we find ourselves weak and sinning again;

The grace has worked, the infusion of the new life is working in us, but the remnants of the past, of the sin and its contamination, is still with us in our concupiscence.

We will have temptations to sin, we will have habits in our body and spirit which will lead us to sin;

We will see within ourselves the fight between the old fallen self and its habits and the new person emerging which seeks to continue its unity with Christ.  

If we give up and let sin win, we turn once again unbelief and risk perdition, but if we fight on, however weak, then the love which is in us, the love given to us by the Spirit of Life.

Will be enough to work in and through is, to slowly shape and mold us so that we can become the person God intends us to be in our new creation. 

It is up to us to continue to follow in faith, hope and love to the very end of our temporal lives, so that we can detach ourselves from t***sitory being and truly be open to the way of eternity.


Through baptism we have been born from above.

The birth can lead to a stillbirth if we cling to sin while in this side of the womb to eternity.

Nonetheless, we have hope.

As long as we are on this side of the eschaton, the divine physician will offer wh**ever operation is necessary to restore us to health.

We must accept it and not fight against him as he seeks to heal us;

But if we do, then we can have hope that we shall truly grow into the person he intends us to be so that we become ready for eternal life.


On The Sacrament Of Baptism: (Part four, Conclusion)
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2017/05/sacrament-baptism-conclusion/?

[1] Note,

Jesus did not sane in the names of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

But, “In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” because the grace of baptism is given over by God, by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each working in their own way to render that grace to the one being baptized.

Here we should realize how the form of baptism tells us it is three persons, three relational entities, who are together one God, for the baptism refers to them as one by saying it is done in their name, not their names.

Yet, all three are important, because they work together in our creation in a way which parallels how they worked together in our creation.

Each has their unique role, their proper place in the act of creation and so in our recreation;

Without the recognize of the three together, it can be said that such baptism becomes invalid for it cuts off the full work of God in our soul.

[2] Note,

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 

He who believes and is baptized will be saved;

But he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk.16:15-16 RSV).
[3] Note,

That one baptism, as we will see, can be received in many ways, each nonetheless can be properly characterized by baptism because it offers the grace which is had in baptism.

Even when they are not all given out by the sacramental ritual itself.