What Happens in an Infant Baptism Ceremony?
Baptism is a ceremony practiced in the Christian church as demonstration of acceptance into the community of believers in Jesus Christ. Christians believe that baptism is a sign of God’s love and the baptism of an infant confirms that God’s grace exists in a life even before the child is aware of it intellectually. Although doctrine varies from church to church, all base the practice on the act of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist and Jesus’ directions (Matthew 28:19) to make disciples by baptizing people of all nations and (Matthew 19:14) to allow little children to follow him. Baptism is regarded as a “rebirth in Christ,” a cleansing and joining of the human spirit with that of Jesus Christ. Protestants tend to emphasize the concept of the covenant between God and humanity and Roman Catholics put great emphasis on the ritual itself. Both consider the sacrament of baptism to be an essential beginning to the Christian life. Baptism marks the acceptance of grace by
