In the third chapter of St. John's Gospel, our Lord speaks about the baptism with water when He tells Nicodemus: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." (St. John 3:5) Whenever one speaks of baptism, one usually thinks of this type of baptism. There are two other baptisms in addition to this one: the baptism with blood and the baptism with tears.
The baptism with blood is a far nobler form of baptism than the baptism with water. It is the baptism that martyrs receive from their persecutors. Tertullian spoke of this type of baptism in his work, On Baptism.
We have indeed, likewise, a second font, (itself withal one with the former,) of blood, to wit; concerning which the Lord said, “I have to be baptized with a baptism” (St. Luke 12:50), when He had been baptized already. For He had come “by means of water and blood” (I John 5:6), just as John has written; that He might be baptized by the water, glorified by the blood; to make us, in like manner, called by water, chosen by blood. (St. Matt. 20:16; Rev. 17:14) (On Baptism, chapter 16, by Tertullian, 145-220 A.D., vol. 3, p. 677, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
Tertullian was talking about martyrdom. Martyrs are baptized in their own blood. Tertullian wrote about some catechumens who had never finished their catechetical instruction, but were martyred before they could be baptized. These catechumens were from Carthage in North Africa. They were Saturus, Revocatus, Saturninus, Secundulus, and Felicitas. St. Perpetua was also martyred along with them. Felicitas was pregnant when she was martyred. So, her unborn child received the baptism with blood along with her. Tertullian tells about their martyrdoms in The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas.
The second type of baptism is one that is experienced after one has received water baptism. It is called the baptism with tears. We all sin even after we have been baptized. We need to continue to experience God's forgiveness and His mercy. The way we do this is by repentance. True repentance brings not only pardon from the guilt of our sins, but also a change of heart and a change of life. When we repent we stop committing the sins we have repented of or at the very least, we start making a determined effort using various ascetical disciplines to stop committing those sins. St. John of Damascus defined repentance in these terms.
Repentance is the returning from the unnatural into the natural state, from the devil to God, through discipline and effort. (An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II, chapter 30, by St. John of Damascus, 645-750 A.D., vol. 9, part 2, p. 43, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series)
The one who says to God, "Forgive me," but has no desire to change really has not repented. The one who says to God, "Forgive me," makes an effort to change, but then returns to his old sins is not much better. He is like the one who receives the Word of God on the rocky soil.
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (St. Luke 8:13)
He believes he needs to change the way he lives and asks God to forgive him, but he stops believing the Word and falls back into his old sins. His faith in God or rather his faithfulness to God is shallow and has no root.
The Greek word translated "faith" in the New Testament is pistis. Pistis also means "faithfulness." To believe in Jesus Christ means not to merely believe certain things about Him to be true, but also to trust Him and be faithful to Him. We exhibit our faith in Him and our faithfulness to Him by how we live our lives.
The goal in repentance is to be healed of sin, not to merely obtain pardon from God. Getting God to pardon us of our sins is the easy part of salvation. God loves us and wants to forgive us. Becoming healed of our sins is usually the more difficult part of salvation. It often requires discipline and effort.
St. Paul told the Philippian Christians: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12) Repentance is just one of the many things we must do to work out our salvation. When we repent we are baptized with our tears.
So, there are these two other baptisms in addition to water baptism: one received by martyrs and one received by baptized Christians when they repent.
Steve
Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D., volumes 1-10, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
The baptism with blood is a far nobler form of baptism than the baptism with water. It is the baptism that martyrs receive from their persecutors. Tertullian spoke of this type of baptism in his work, On Baptism.
We have indeed, likewise, a second font, (itself withal one with the former,) of blood, to wit; concerning which the Lord said, “I have to be baptized with a baptism” (St. Luke 12:50), when He had been baptized already. For He had come “by means of water and blood” (I John 5:6), just as John has written; that He might be baptized by the water, glorified by the blood; to make us, in like manner, called by water, chosen by blood. (St. Matt. 20:16; Rev. 17:14) (On Baptism, chapter 16, by Tertullian, 145-220 A.D., vol. 3, p. 677, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
Tertullian was talking about martyrdom. Martyrs are baptized in their own blood. Tertullian wrote about some catechumens who had never finished their catechetical instruction, but were martyred before they could be baptized. These catechumens were from Carthage in North Africa. They were Saturus, Revocatus, Saturninus, Secundulus, and Felicitas. St. Perpetua was also martyred along with them. Felicitas was pregnant when she was martyred. So, her unborn child received the baptism with blood along with her. Tertullian tells about their martyrdoms in The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas.
The second type of baptism is one that is experienced after one has received water baptism. It is called the baptism with tears. We all sin even after we have been baptized. We need to continue to experience God's forgiveness and His mercy. The way we do this is by repentance. True repentance brings not only pardon from the guilt of our sins, but also a change of heart and a change of life. When we repent we stop committing the sins we have repented of or at the very least, we start making a determined effort using various ascetical disciplines to stop committing those sins. St. John of Damascus defined repentance in these terms.
Repentance is the returning from the unnatural into the natural state, from the devil to God, through discipline and effort. (An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II, chapter 30, by St. John of Damascus, 645-750 A.D., vol. 9, part 2, p. 43, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series)
The one who says to God, "Forgive me," but has no desire to change really has not repented. The one who says to God, "Forgive me," makes an effort to change, but then returns to his old sins is not much better. He is like the one who receives the Word of God on the rocky soil.
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (St. Luke 8:13)
He believes he needs to change the way he lives and asks God to forgive him, but he stops believing the Word and falls back into his old sins. His faith in God or rather his faithfulness to God is shallow and has no root.
The Greek word translated "faith" in the New Testament is pistis. Pistis also means "faithfulness." To believe in Jesus Christ means not to merely believe certain things about Him to be true, but also to trust Him and be faithful to Him. We exhibit our faith in Him and our faithfulness to Him by how we live our lives.
The goal in repentance is to be healed of sin, not to merely obtain pardon from God. Getting God to pardon us of our sins is the easy part of salvation. God loves us and wants to forgive us. Becoming healed of our sins is usually the more difficult part of salvation. It often requires discipline and effort.
St. Paul told the Philippian Christians: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12) Repentance is just one of the many things we must do to work out our salvation. When we repent we are baptized with our tears.
So, there are these two other baptisms in addition to water baptism: one received by martyrs and one received by baptized Christians when they repent.
Steve
Bibliography
Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D., volumes 1-10, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
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