+ The Holy Sacraments + Prepare to Serve Class of 2015 “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars” Proverbs 9:1

Seven Sacraments All Apostolic churches including Orthodox & Catholic churches agree that Sacraments are 7 in number. 4 Must-Have for all (Salvation Dependant): 1.Baptism* 2.Myron(Confirmation)* 3.Confession 4.Holy Communion 3 Optional for some!: 5.Unction of the sick 6.Matrimony 7.Holy Orders (Priesthood)* * 3 of 7 never repeated: One Baptism, Myron & Priesthood

What is a Sacrament? First instituted by Christ (Wisdom) as a gift/grace to the Church (house). Christ gave the disciples (subsequently the clergy) the authority to administer the sacraments The Holy Spirit –consecrates the sacrament through a visible ritual: prayer and sometimes a suitable substance (oil, bread, wine) –Through Sacrament we receive invisible but powerful grace from Above All Sacraments have biblical basis supported by the church Tradition Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars” Proverbs 9:1

Administration of Sacraments How is a Sacrament is then administered? Clergy + Visible ritual Grace CLERGY A Bishop may perform all 7 sacraments including ordination of priests and deacons A Priest may perform 6 sacraments except Holy orders (cannot ordinate) A Deacon cannot perform any of the sacraments.. only help the bishop or the priest. Sacraments are the work of the Holy Spirit through clergy. Since Clergy are only stewards, the sacraments do not depend on the spiritual life of the Bishop or Priest.

Sacraments- Quiz (True/False) Unction of the sick is one of the necessary sacraments for every believer False A Priest can perform all 7 sacraments False

Baptism

Baptism Baptism “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 is the spiritual rebirth from WATER and the SPIRIT FIRST of all sacraments and considered to be the door to kingdom –Only baptized person could receive the other 6 sacraments.

First Institution of Baptism Christ said to the Disciples "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat. 28: 18, 19). As with every sacrament, Baptism was First Instituted By our Lord Jesus Christ who gave the administering authority to the Disciples (Clergy) Has a Biblical Basis Unseen grace from Heavens through the work of the Holy spirit on the water (visible substance)

Baptism – Grace We receive the salvation “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16: 16). when we die and be buried with Christ (immersed under water in Babtism) then rise with Him “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” ROM 6:4

Baptism – Grace We are born once physically from our parents, but flesh and blood cannot inherit heavens (read 1CO 15:50) In Baptism we’re born spiritually from God, becoming His children with all the related privileges including inheriting heavens “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 – Grace In Baptism a person receives remission of the inherited Original sin of Adam/Eve & all sins up to the time of Baptism “Repent and be baptized everyone in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." (Acts 2: 38). “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” (Eph. 5: 25, 26).

Baptism Ritual (Visible Signs) Person must declare* i. Repentance: “Repent and be baptized.” (Acts 2: 38). ii. Faith in Christ. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:6). *(for Children, their parents, godfathers or godmothers should give that declaration) Immersion in water 3X Priest Prayer

Baptism – Why Water? Christ was baptized with water Christ said: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.”(John 3: 5). The Apostles baptized with water (See Book of Acts)

Why Baptism by Immersion? From the name Baptizeim (Greek) = “to dye” or to immerse. From the symbol: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death”– Rom 6:3,4 From how it was performed then “..Jesus, when He was baptized went up straightway out of the water.” -Mat. 3: 16 Also: “And they went down both into water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.”- Acts 8: 38.

Obligations of God’s Children “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Rom 8:5 Examine own priorities and conduct oneself as God’s child living according to the Spirit “ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” 1PE 2:11 Heavens is home not earth- we use the world’s ‘things’ but shouldn’t allow them to tie us to the world.

were saved through water. a. “in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. (1 Pet. 3: 20, 21). b. “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, … buried with Him in baptism”(Col. 2: 11, 12). [flesh dies in order to join the household of God] c. “all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (1 Cor. 10: 1, 2) [saved from the enemy through water.] Symbols of Baptism in O/T

One Baptism – can’t be repeated! No more than once! “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph. 4: 5). Since as man is born bodily only once, so we cannot be spiritually born more than once. Baptism is the partaking of Christ's death and resurrection (Rom. 6: 4, Col. 2: 12). And Christ died and arose only once. What if a Christian rejected the Faith and afterwards came back again to the Church? He would not be baptized again. Instead this repentant person confesses his sin and then gets accepted back.

Other ‘Types’ of Baptism! Before Christ (e.g. John the Baptist’s) kind of preparation or act or repentance – not a sacrament and had no power to change the person Blood (Martyrs) Those who believed and were martyred for the sake of Christ (before they could be baptized), their blood counts as kind of baptism and are accepted into heavens. “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 10: 32)

They need it - Babies are inheritors of Adam's sin Old Testament - babies had to be circumcised (symbol of baptism) Many examples of babies accepting graces even in their mother’s womb, Jeremiah and John the Baptist. Apostolic age - whole families were baptized Cornelius (Acts 10: 48), Lydia (Acts 16: 14), the keeper of the prison (Acts 16: 33) Tradition (writings of the fathers)- Origen said: "The Apostles handed over to the church the tradition of baptizing babies”.

Baptism – Quiz! Baptism is burial with Christ and resurrection True Church repeats Baptism only for those who denied the faith then returned to Christ False – Can’t repeat