“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” — Ezekiel 36:25-26
John the Baptist promised those whom he baptised that the one who would come after him (Jesus) would baptise not with water, but with the Spirit. Just as when Christ Himself was baptised, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father witnessed to His sonship from heaven, so too do we perceive with faith that the same happens to those who are baptised. The Greek word “baptizo” means “to immerse,” though from the time of the Apostles, baptism has also been performed with the sprinkling of water. (Didache, ch.7) Although the water only washes the body, those who are baptised are also washed with the Holy Spirit, which cleanses us of sins and restores a right spirit within us. (John 3:5-6) We are baptised in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. When we are baptised, we take on a new name to symbolise our new life in Christ, and we are dressed in white clothes to symbolise our newfound purity. Whether adult or infant, those who are to be baptised must select a godfather, who is responsible for requesting baptism on behalf of the candidate during the ceremony and afterwards helps raise the newly-baptised in the Christian faith. Baptism is the entrance of all the Christian sacraments, after which one may be considered a member of the Christian Church, which is the Body of Christ.