Illumination Through Holy Baptism and Chrismation

By Jason Caros

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” - John 3:3-5

Baptism: An 8th century church father named John of Damascus once taught that we honor matter because the Creator of matter became material, and through matter He effected our salvation.[1] In this phrase, St. John expressed a teaching known as the sacramentality of matter. He was speaking specifically about the Incarnation of the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who took on flesh and used matter to save us—flesh, water, bread, wine, wood, etc. The material goods and other means that God uses to heal us and to bring us into communion with Him are often called sacraments. Sacrament derives from a Latin word meaning to consecrate or to make holy. In some churches such as Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran confessions, these graces are called sacraments, but the Orthodox Church has historically referred to them as “Mysteries” (ta mysteria are hidden things) because for as much as we know through observation and experience there are some things that are truly, and will always be, hidden or not fully comprehensible. For instance, we believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist[2] but just how does bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ?[3] God is above and beyond our comprehension and the manner in which a material thing becomes a sacrament is also beyond human understanding and description.

The first of the three mysteries, or sacraments, associated with the Christian life is Baptism. The word baptism comes from a Greek word which means to immerse, and during this sacrament we are immersed in water three times following the commission of Christ: “…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).[4] 

What does Baptism mean for us?

Our Lord Jesus Christ set the example for us during one of His theophanies when He was baptized in the Jordan River; [5] however, Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist was not the same as our baptism but was rather a Jewish rite of repentance.[6] Our Lord had nothing of which to repent. His act was a truly humble one that was a revelation of His divinity. It was a theophany that marked the beginning of his public ministry (Matthew 3:13-17). Our Christian baptism, on the other hand, is our death, burial and resurrection in union with Jesus Christ; it is our personal Pascha[7] (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12-14). The Lord Jesus Christ, through His life, death and resurrection, corrected the error and consequences of Adam’s sin and therefore our fallen human nature was put on the path of restoration, a path of healing. God gave us the sacrament of baptism for the remission[8] of our sins and for the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Death, a consequence of Adam’s sin, no longer holds us captive and as believers we can place our hope in Christ’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-28 & 54-57). Through baptism we can become “…partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and experience the newness of life. Baptism is, consequently, our inheritance as children of God (Ephesians 1:11; Titus 3:4-7), and it is our initiation into the faith. When we are baptized, we become official members of the Body of Christ, the Church (Acts 2:41-47). 

Why do we baptize infants? Shouldn’t one be of an age of consent and understanding when he or she is baptized? This is a question that some people ask today. It wasn’t questioned in the ancient church, nor has it ever been in question in Orthodoxy as this practice has been handed down to us from the Apostles. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read the famous line of Christ, “…suffer the little children to come to me, and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven” (19:14). Again, we read in Acts the words of Saint Peter, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children” (2:38-39). Children have been baptized since the early days of the church.[9] Our baptism at a young age is an expression of God’s love for us. It is the fulfillment of our inheritance; therefore, infants are baptized not because they believe, but so that they may believe. This act can be likened to the planting of a seed in the soul. Like a seed, the soul must be nourished from the beginning to grow. We may also think about infant baptism as we think of raising children. When parents teach children right from wrong, develop good habits in them, and show them the correct way to do things, the little ones do not initially understand why their parents have them live according to certain rules and standards. But as they grow older and enter into an age of reason, they can place meaning to the actions they have been taught. Likewise, a child who is baptized and raised in a Christian home should grow in faith and understanding (i.e. faith seeking understanding[10]). Even more, “Everyone baptized in the Orthodox manner has received, mystically, the fullness of Grace; but he becomes conscious of this Grace only to the extent that he actively observes the commandments” (Venerable Mark the Ascetic, 5th century). In other words, this Christian life must be lived. One final note, the practice of infant baptism has a parallel in the Old Testament. Male babies were circumcised as part of God's covenant with the Hebrew people. At the time of the ritual the babies certainly did not understand what was happening but as they grew older, they could understand and cherish the meaning of the sacred act.

How is a person baptized? In order for children to be received into the church through baptism, parents must first make a commitment to raise their children in the faith. Adults seeking admission into the church become catechumens and enter into a period of preparation called the catechumenate, the period of instruction and preparation for the sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and the Holy Eucharist.[11] After an extended period of time attending worship services, without fully participating,[12] striving to live lives of Christian virtue, and attending classes that prepare them for their lives in the church, each catechumen who is qualified and given a blessing by a bishop or priest to be received into the church participates in the initiation or baptismal service. During the baptismal service several ceremonies occur that are rich in meaning:

●                   The Exorcism—The first part of the mystery takes place in the narthex of the Church with the baptismal candidate facing East, the direction of rising sun and the direction in which the Sun of Righteousness will one day return (Matthew 24:27, Rev.7:2). Historically, the narthex is the place in the church building where the catechumens would be found worshipping. So, it is a place of preparation. They remained there until they became members of the church and could join the faithful in worship in the nave. Additionally, the narthex symbolically represents the world. For this reason, the first part of the baptism service takes place there; the person being baptized is brought into the Church from the outside world, so to speak.

After the opening prayer, the priest breathes three times on the face of the baptismal candidate, in honor of The Holy Trinity, recalling that God made man out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into his nostrils, making him a living soul (Genesis 2:7); the priest makes a sign of the cross and lays his hand on person’s head. He does this to symbolize the taking of the candidate from the darkness by the Lord Who places him under His protection, as a deadly battle is approaching with the forces of darkness for the soul of that person. Although some people conjure up thoughts of a 1970s movie when they hear the word exorcism, this part of the service does not involve fright and Hollywood actors. During the prayers the person who is being baptized, or in the case of an infant, the godparent who speaks on behalf of the child, renounces Satan and his works, turns toward the West and spits to illustrate this renunciation.

●                   Affirmation of Faith—Following the renunciation of evil, the priest makes the sign of the cross[13] over the candidate for baptism and the catechumen, or the godparent in the case of small children, confesses the Nicene Creed, which contains the main articles of the Christian faith, affirms the church’s teachings and commits to living a life in harmony with the teachings and practices of the church. Following the faith affirmation, the service continues in the church nave, closer to the Holy Altar where a baptismal font is located.

●                   The baptismal name of the person is announced, the person’s clothing is removed (this act symbolizes the removal of our old sinful nature) and he or she is fully immersed three times in the consecrated water of the baptismal font. The immersion is done in the name of the Holy Trinity, reminiscent of the three days Jesus spent in the tomb—the font symbolizes both the tomb of Christ and the womb where we are reborn into Christ.

●                   The newly baptized is anointed with oil on the hands, feet, mouth, and ears—this oil is called “The Oil of Gladness.” It brings to mind the olive leaf brought back by the bird to Noah following the flood, symbolizing newness of life, peace and love. Saint John Chrysostom made an analogy about the oil, describing how ancient Greek wrestlers oiled themselves before their matches so their opponents could not get a good grip on them, and similarly, the oil in baptism helps the newly baptized to elude the grip of sin.[14] Ultimately, this oil, by the power, activity and descent of The Holy Spirit, confers healing and protection on the recipient.

●                   The baptized, or newly illumined, person is given new white clothes and a passage from Galatians is sung by the chanters: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ…” (3:27-28). This white garment symbolizes the new life with Christ, as white has historically been connected to purity and life and it also calls to mind the white garments depicted in the icon of Christ’s resurrection. In ancient Israel a bride bathed, dressed, and was then brought to the bridegroom (i.e. groom). In baptism each person is bathed, dressed in pure white garments, and “puts on Christ,” the groom Himself. As a husband and wife become one flesh in marriage, the newly illumined person and Christ become one through baptism.

●                   In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (5:16). It is with this in mind that the candle lighting ceremony takes place; as with all times we light candles in worship, expressing our commission as Christians to bring light into the world.

Chrismation: Immediately following baptism, the newly illumined person is chrismated. In fact, the mysteries of baptism and chrismation go hand-in-hand. In the passage from the book of Acts noted earlier one can read, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the Holy Spirit.” This reception of the Holy Spirit is what takes place during chrismation whereby the newly baptized receives the gifts of the Spirit in order to grow in holiness and to enter fully into communion with God, or Theosis.[15]

Again, in the gospels we see a parallel event in the life of Jesus during the Theophany: "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him" (Matthew 3:16). Chrismation is the fulfillment of baptism and is part of our aforementioned inheritance. Jesus Christ promised the Apostles, “…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). This indeed happened on Pentecost, 50 days after Christ’s resurrection, as read in the second chapter of Acts. For us, baptism is our death and resurrection in Christ, and chrismation is our entrance into the life of the Holy Spirit, our personal Pentecost.

“Chrisma” is the Greek word for anointing, and in the early church, chrismation was done by the laying on of the hands and anointing with oil. Immediately after baptism, the following takes place during the Chrismation ceremony. First, the newly baptized person receives the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30) as he or she is anointed by the priest with consecrated oil on the brow, eyes, lips, ears, chest, hands, and feet saying these words at each anointing: “The seal of the gift of The Holy Spirit.” With the anointing, each of the person’s faculties receives the grace enabling him or her to turn towards God and to benefit from His life-giving, sanctifying, illumining, and deifying energy. Furthermore, the gift of The Holy Spirit is God's imprint on each person just as shepherds used to seal their flock to denote ownership. Second, three pieces of hair are cut as an offering to God and a sign that the person is submitting his or her strength to God (hair was an Old Testament symbol of strength, e.g. Sampson), and finally, the person receives a cross to be worn around the neck as a sign of faith and as a weapon against sin. Following Chrismation, Holy Communion (or Eucharist) is administered to the newly baptized and chrismated person, completing the Rite of Initiation.[16] 

Post-Baptism and Chrismation: In baptism, each believer dies to the old fallen self, who was corrupted and subject to death, and rises to new life in Christ, the New Adam.[17] New Christians become members of the Body of Christ and through adoption, sons or children of God. Through chrismation, the newly baptized receive the gift of The Holy Spirit and they are sealed in the life of the church, being infused with grace from above that enables them to resist sin, grow in holiness, and fully enter into communion with God.

It is important to note; however, that as Orthodox Christians we do not believe baptism and chrismation or any of the other sacraments are magical. As one person put it, there is a difference between magic and mystery. Magic refers to something you see that is not really there. A mystery, on the other hand, is something you do not see but it IS really there. Therefore, Orthodox Christians do not view the mysteries as magical. They are, instead, spiritual remedies. Humans have free will, and God does not zap us, so to speak, and turn us into something we do not wish to become. Just as people who receive medical treatment for physical ailments can accept and cooperate with their treatments or not, they can accept or reject the healing remedies God offers to them through His sanctifying energies or grace. Although the mysteries or sacraments are ontological realities, the Christian life requires synergy between God and the believer. That is, Christ saved us, He established the church for us, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in the church, and He provides us with the means in which to be restored to spiritual health and unite with Him in this life—through the sacramental and ascetic life.[18] 

In terms of the mystery of illumination, there is only one baptism[19] and this gift of grace, along with chrismation, is to be cherished and cultivated. Baptism and chrismation start us on our path as members of the Body of Christ. They are the keys that open the doors to the kingdom of God (John 3). Yet, as Sts. Gregory of Nyssa, John Climacus and other saints have taught, there is an experience that serves as a second baptism—our tears of repentance. Each believer must accept God’s gracious gifts and take the steps to travel on the Christian journey, with repentance directing every step along the way.

Jason Caros is a husband, father and long-time educator who served as a classical school headmaster for twelve years. He is a cradle Orthodox Christian who has taught classes on Orthodox theology, worship and spirituality to high school students and adults in his churches in Florida and Texas.  

[1] This teaching is repeated multiple times in the Damascene’s treatises found in On Divine Images.

[2] Eucharist, commonly referred to as Holy Communion, comes from the Greek word "efharistia" (εὐχαριστία) which means "thanksgiving." It reflects the words of gratitude spoken by The Lord Jesus Christ at the Mystical Supper when He said: “Take, eat; this is my body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).

[3] Rooted in the Aristotelian concepts of substance and accidents, Transubstantiation is the theological term formally used in the Roman Catholic Church since the 13th century to describe how the elements of bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ. Orthodox Christians do not use Transubstantiation in this Aristotelian manner as defined by Roman Catholic Scholastic Era churchmen; however, the word is sometimes used in a more general way in English to describe the change. In Greek, the similar word is metousiosis (μετουσίωσις), but it must be underscored that in Eastern Orthodoxy there is no formal or scholastic way of describing the change, only that it is accomplished by the grace or energy of The Holy Spirit.

[4] Regarding the reference to baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the passage from Peter in Acts 2:38-39 about baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ is not a liturgical formula but was meant to distinguish Christian baptism from the earlier baptism of John the Baptist.

[5] The Greek word, theophaneia, refers to a visible manifestation of divinity. A similar word that is used to describe this type of appearance is epiphany (epiphaneia).

[6] The Jews participated in a ritual immersion called a tevilah, a full body immersion in water.

[7] Many English-speaking Christians refer to Pascha as Easter. Pascha is the Christian Passover.

[8] Remission is a synonym for forgiveness but has a stronger meaning. It refers to taking or wiping something away so that it is no longer there. This is what happens in baptism. 

[9] In the book of Acts there are a few examples of families being baptized (10:48; 16:14-15 & 31-34).

[10] Fides quaerens intellectum was spoken by Augustine of Hippo and others.

[11] Catechumen comes from an ancient Greek word, katēkhoumenos (Gk. κατηχούμενος) meaning “one being instructed.”

[12] For example, catechumens cannot receive Holy Communion, Holy Confession, or Holy Unction.

[13] Making the sign of the cross is a prayer and a blessing, an act that calls to mind Christ’s sacrifice, and an expression of faith in The Holy Trinity. 

[14]  While the anointing is a blessing for the recipient, it is not the same as the anointing that happens during the Chrismation portion of the service, which happens immediately following the baptism.

[15] Theosis refers to deification or union with God. Orthodox teaching about theosis, the third stage of the threefold salvific path that follows purification and illumination, is that for most people this occurs in the next life, but for some, the saints (in the Greek, ἅγιοv, meaning holy ones), it can be experienced in this life first. The levels of spiritual perfection, which result from the uncreated grace or energies of God, develop in those who cooperate and respond to divine grace.

[16] Note that in a Pascha weekend initiation ceremony, typically held on Holy Saturday morning when multiple catechumens are received into the church, it is common for them to receive Holy Communion in the liturgy that immediately follows the baptismal service. It is also important to note that the reception of the Eucharist is the third element of the of the rite of initiation into the church, the “Mystery that constitutes the fulfillment of all others: the Mystery to which all others lead” (St. Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ).

[17] Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49

[18] Notably, according to the saints, a direct experience of Christ grows in proportion to one’s purity of heart. Purity is experienced via ongoing asceticism and receiving the sacraments of the church, foremost, The Holy Eucharist. By communing with the body and blood of Christ, in Whom all the fulness of the divinity dwells bodily (Col. 2:9), man receives God in his own body and soul, making him, as St. Cyril of Alexandria said, Christóphoros or a Christ-bearer (Mystagogical Cathecheses).

[19] In Ephesians 4:5, Saint Paul expresses the Christian belief in “…one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.”