Professional paper

Actuality of the sacrament of baptism

Ante Mateljan orcid.org/0000-0001-6481-364X ; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Split, Split, Croatia

Abstract

The paper is seeking answers to the questions: Which is the reason for baptism? What does baptism mean? Why this symbolism of baptism? The importance of baptism in Christian life is explained through an insight into its Christological and anthropological meaning and salvific necessity, based on the New Testament, especially Rm. 6, 1-11, where Paul explains the correlation between baptism and sin, law and grace through the idea of the participation of all people in the same nature (Adam) and through joining with Christ’s death and resurrection. The sequence of catechumenate helps to understand the relation between the process of personal conversion and baptism of adults; communion in faith and responsibility of Christian parents help to understand the justification of infant baptism as joining with Christ and Church in Christian family, which introduces the child into the dynamics of God’s love. Finally, the answer to the question: What is baptism for me? It urges us to re-examine our Christian life in relation to the sacramental joining with Christ and Church.

Keywords

sacrament of baptism; baptism of children

Hrčak ID:

180204

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/180204

Publication date:

6.4.2017.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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