I confess one baptism. I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen

Coming to Holy Baptism and his recipients.

Baptism. Among the sacraments of the Holy Church, the sacrament of Baptism comes first. “No one enters the Kingdom of Heaven except through the sacrament of baptism,” writes St. Ambrose of Milan. The establishment of this sacrament occurred after the Resurrection of Christ. Having appeared to His disciples, the Lord told them that He had received from the Father all authority in heaven and on earth, and continued: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you(Matt. 28:19-20). On the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, when, after the speech of the Apostle Peter, the listeners asked what they should do, the Apostle Peter said to them: repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit(Acts 2:37-38)

“The effects of baptism are briefly as follows: firstly, through it, remission of ancestral sin and all other sins committed by the baptized is granted. Secondly, the baptized person is freed from eternal punishment, to which everyone is subject both for innate sin and for their own mortal sins. Thirdly, baptism bestows blessed immortality, for, freeing people from former sins, it makes them temples of God,” from the “Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs.” Through baptism one joins the Church. The tenth article of the Creed reads: I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. This means that baptism, as a spiritual birth, if done correctly, through threefold immersion in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, cannot be repeated; therefore, the Church also accepts heretics who enter its fold, without repeating baptism, only through confirmation, if they are baptized, as commanded by the Gospel and the ancient Church.

As can be seen from the entire teaching of the Church, baptism is not only a symbol of cleansing and washing from the defilement of the soul, but is in itself the beginning and source divine gifts, cleansing and destroying all sinful filth and communicating new life. All sins, original and personal, are forgiven; the way is open for a new life; the possibility of receiving the gifts of God is open. Further spiritual growth is based on the will of man. But since the tempting principle is capable of finding sympathy for itself in human nature, which has had a tendency toward sin since the day of the first fall, then moral improvement does not come without struggle; help in this fight inner man receives in all the grace-filled life of the Church.

Confirmation . This sacrament is usually performed immediately after the sacrament of baptism, forming one liturgical rite with it. “Through the anointing with the Holy Myrrh, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are sealed and confirmed on the baptized person, which he will receive to strengthen his Christian faith... The Holy Spirit sanctifies our entire being: through the anointing of the forehead, it sanctifies our mind and thoughts, through the anointing of the chest, it sanctifies our feelings and desires, so that we love not the world and what is in the world, but God and God. Through the anointing of the senses, it sanctifies all our feelings, words and tongue, so that we perceive and feel only good. Through the anointing of hands and feet, it sanctifies all deeds, all human behavior - in a word, through anointing all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are poured out on a person: The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety(Isa. 11:2)

10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

The tenth article of the Creed speaks of the sacrament of baptism and other sacraments.

Sacrament This is the name given to such a sacred action through which the grace of the Holy Spirit, or the saving power of God, is secretly, invisibly given to a person.

The Holy Orthodox Church contains seven sacraments; baptism, confirmation, repentance, communion, marriage, priesthood and consecration of oil.

The Creed only mentions baptism, because it is, as it were, the door to the Church of Christ. Only those who have been baptized can use other sacraments.

In addition, at the time of drawing up the Creed, there were disputes and doubts: whether some people, such as heretics, should not be baptized a second time when they return to the Church. The Ecumenical Council indicated that baptism can be performed on a person only once. That is why it is said, “I confess united baptism".

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

The sacrament of baptism is such a sacred act in which the believer in Christ, through immersing the body in water three times, with invocation of the name of the Holy Trinity - Father and Son And Holy Spirit, washed from original sin, as well as from all the sins committed by himself before baptism, he is reborn by the grace of the Holy Spirit into a new spiritual life (spiritually born) and becomes a member of the Church, that is, the grace-filled Kingdom of Christ.

The sacrament of baptism was established by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He sanctified baptism by His own example, being baptized by John. Then, after His resurrection, He gave the apostles the command: “ Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28 , 19).

Baptism is necessary for everyone who wishes to be a member of the Church of Christ. "If anyone is not born from water and Spirit, cannot enter the Kingdom of God,” said the Lord Himself (John. 3 , 5).

Receiving baptism requires faith and repentance.

The Orthodox Church baptizes infants according to the faith of their parents and adopters. This is why there are recipients at baptism, in order to vouch before the Church for the faith of the person being baptized. When he grows up, they are obliged to teach him faith and ensure that their godson becomes true Christian. This is the sacred duty of the recipients and they sin gravely if they neglect this duty. And the fact that gifts of grace are given through the faith of others is given to us in the Gospel, during the healing of the paralytic: " Jesus seeing their faith(who brought the patient), says to the paralytic: child, your sins are forgiven"(Mark. 2 , 5).

Sectarians believe that infants cannot be baptized and condemn Orthodox Christians for performing the sacrament on infants. But the basis for infant baptism is that baptism replaced the Old Testament circumcision, which was performed on eight-day-old infants (Christian baptism is called “circumcision made without hands” - (Col. 2 , 11-12); and the apostles baptized entire families, which undoubtedly included children. Infants, just like adults, are involved in original sin and need to be cleansed from it.

The Lord Himself said: " let the children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of God" (Onion. 18 , 16).

Since baptism is a spiritual birth, and a person will be born one day, then the sacrament of baptism over a person is performed once. " One Lord, one faith, one baptism"(Eph. 4 , 4).

THE SACREMENT OF CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is a sacrament in which the believer is given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthen him spiritually. Christian life.

Jesus Christ Himself said about the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, from his belly (that is, from the inner center, heart) rivers of living water will flow. This He said about the Spirit, which those who believed in Him had to receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet on them, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John. 7 , 38-39).

The Apostle Paul says: “He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who captured us and gave a deposit of the Spirit into our hearts" (2 Cor. 1 , 21-22).

Graceful ones, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary to each believer in Christ. (Is there some more emergency gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are communicated only to certain people, such as prophets, apostles, kings).

Originally St. The apostles performed the sacrament of confirmation through the laying on of hands (Acts. 8 , 14-17; 19 , 2-6). And then, at the end of the first century, the sacrament of confirmation began to be performed through anointing with holy chrism, following the example of the Old Testament church, since the apostles did not have time to perform this sacrament themselves through the laying on of hands.

Holy world A specially prepared and consecrated composition of fragrant substances and oil is called.

The myrrh was certainly consecrated by the apostles themselves and their successors - bishops (bishops). And now to consecrate St. Only bishops can give peace. Through the anointing of the consecrated bishops of St. with the world, on behalf of the bishops, presbyters (priests) can also perform the sacrament of confirmation.

When performing the sacrament, the following parts of the body of the believer are anointed with the holy world in a cross shape: forehead, eyes, ears, mouth, chest, arms and legs - with the pronunciation of the words: “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, amen.”

Some call the sacrament of confirmation “Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit) of every Christian.”

SACRAMENT OF REPENTANCE

Repentance is a sacrament in which the believer confesses (orally reveals) his sins to God in the presence of a priest and through the priest receives forgiveness of sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus Christ gave to the saints to the apostles, and through them to everyone priests the power to permit (forgive) sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, their sins will be forgiven; those whose sins you retain, will be retained.”"(John. 20 , 22-23).

Even John the Baptist, preparing people to accept the Savior, preached “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” And everyone was baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing your sins"(Mark. 1 , 4-5).

The Holy Apostles, having received authority to do this from the Lord, performed the sacrament of repentance: “Many of those who believed came, confessing And opening their works" (Acts. 19 , 18).

To receive forgiveness (resolution) of sins from the confessor (repentant) the following is required: reconciliation with all neighbors, sincere contrition for sins and verbal confession of them, a firm intention to correct one’s life, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy.

In special cases, a “penance” (Greek word for prohibition) is imposed on the penitent, consisting of pious deeds and some deprivations aimed at overcoming sinful habits.

THE SACRAMENT OF COMMUNION

Communion is a sacrament in which a believer (Orthodox Christian), under the guise of bread and wine, receives (tastes) the very Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and through this is mysteriously united with Christ and becomes a partaker of eternal life.

The sacrament of holy communion was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself during the last Last Supper, on the eve of His suffering and death. He Himself performed this sacrament: “Taking bread and thanking (God the Father for all His mercies to the human race), he broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying: Take and eat: this is My Body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. He also took the cup and, giving thanks, gave it to them, saying: drink everything from it; for this is My Blood of the new testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this in remembrance of Me" (Matt. 26 , 26-28; Mark. 14 , 22-24; Onion. 22 , 19-24; 1 Cor. 11 , 23-25).

So Jesus Christ, having established the sacrament of communion, commanded students always do it: “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In a conversation with the people, Jesus Christ said: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John. 6 , 53-56).

According to the commandment of Christ, the sacrament of communion is constantly performed in the Church of Christ and will be performed until the end of the century during the divine service called Liturgy, during which bread and wine, by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, are offered, or are transubstantiated, into the true body and true blood of Christ.

Bread for communion is used alone, since all believers in Christ constitute one His body, the head of which is Christ Himself. " There is one bread, and we, many, are one body; for we all partake of one bread"says the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 10 , 17).

The first Christians took communion every Sunday, but now not everyone has such purity of life to take communion so often. However, St. The Church commands us to take communion every Lent and no less than once a year.

To the sacrament of St. Christians must prepare themselves for communion fasting which consists of fasting, prayer, reconciliation with everyone, and then - confession, i.e. by cleansing your conscience in the sacrament of repentance.

Sacrament of St. communion in Greek is called Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving".

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is a sacrament in which, with the free (before the priest and the Church) promise by the bride and groom of mutual fidelity to each other, their marital union is blessed, in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church, and the grace of God is asked and given for mutual help and unanimity, and for blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children.

Marriage was established by God Himself in heaven. After the creation of Adam and Eve, " God blessed them and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it"(Gen. 1 , 28).

Jesus Christ sanctified marriage by His presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee and confirmed its divine institution, saying: “He who created (God) in the beginning created man and woman (Gen. 1 , 27). And he said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Gen. 2 , 24), so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. And what God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (Matt. 19 , 4-6)

The Holy Apostle Paul says: “This mystery is great; I speak in relation to Christ and to the Church” (Eph. 5 , 31-32).

The union of Jesus Christ with the Church is based on the love of Christ for the Church, and on the complete devotion of the Church to the will of Christ. Hence, the husband is obliged to selflessly love his wife, and the wife is obliged to voluntarily, that is, with love, obey her husband.

“Husbands,” says the Apostle Paul, “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her...he who loves his wife loves himself (Eph. 5 , 25, 28). Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body" (Eph. 5 , 22-23).

Therefore, spouses (husband and wife) are obliged to keep mutual love and respect, mutual devotion and fidelity.

Good Christian family life is a source of personal and public good.

The family is the foundation of the Church of Christ.

The sacrament of marriage is not obligatory for everyone, but persons who voluntarily remain celibate are obliged to lead a pure, immaculate and virgin life, which, according to the teaching of the Word of God, is higher than married life, and is one of greatest feats(Matt. 19 , 11-12; 1 Cor. 7 , 8, 9, 26, 32, 34, 37, 40, etc.).

THE SACRAMENT OF THE PRIESTHOOD

The priesthood is a sacrament in which a properly elected person (to become a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon), through episcopal ordination, receives the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sacred service of the Church of Christ.

This sacrament is performed only on persons elected and ordained clergy. There are three degrees of priesthood: deacon, presbyter (priest) and bishop (bishop).

Dedicated to deacon receives the grace to serve in the celebration of the sacraments.

Dedicated to priest(presbyter) receives the grace to perform the sacraments.

Dedicated to bishop(the bishop) receives the grace not only to perform the sacraments, but also to consecrate others to perform the sacraments.

The sacrament of the priesthood is a divine institution. The Holy Apostle Paul testifies that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself “ordained some apostles, others prophets, others evangelists, others shepherds And teachers"for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4 , 11-12).

The apostles, according to the instructions of the Holy Spirit, performing this sacrament, through the laying on of hands, elevated them to deacons, presbyters and bishops.

On the election and ordination of St. the apostles of the first deacons it is said in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “they were set before the apostles, and these (the apostles) prayed and laid their hands on them” (Acts. 6 , 6).

Regarding the ordination of elders, it is said: “And having ordained elders for each church, they (the apostles Paul and Barnabas) prayed with fasting and commended them to the Lord in whom they believed” (Acts. 14 , 23).

In the letters to Timothy and Titus, whom the Apostle Paul appointed as bishops, it is said: “I remind you (Bishop Timothy) to warm up the Gift of God, which is in you through my ordination” (2 Tim. 1 , 6). “For this reason I left you (Bishop Titus) in Crete, so that you would complete what was unfinished and install presbyters in all the cities, as I ordered you” (Titus. 1 , 5). Addressing Timothy, the Apostle Paul says: “Lay hands hastily on no one, and do not become a participant in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure (1 Tim. 5 , 22). “Do not accept any accusation against an elder except in the presence of two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. 5 , 19).

From these letters we see that the apostles gave bishops the power to consecrate elders through the laying on of hands and to judge elders, deacons and clergy.

About the clergy, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to Bishop Timothy, writes: “but the bishop must be blameless... Deacons must also be honest... (1 Tim. 3 , 2, 8).

THE SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING

Blessing of oil is a sacrament in which, when anointing a sick person with consecrated oil (oil), the grace of God is invoked on the sick person to heal him from physical and mental illnesses.

The sacrament of anointing is also called unction, because several priests gather to perform it, although one priest can perform it if necessary.

This sacrament originates from the apostles. Having received from the Lord Jesus Christ the power to heal all kinds of sickness and disease during preaching, they “anointed many who were sick with oil and healed them” (Mark. 6 , 13).

The Apostle James speaks in particular detail about this sacrament: “Is any of you sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins , they will forgive him" (Jas. 5 , 14-15).

The saints and apostles did not preach anything on their own, but taught only what the Lord commanded them and inspired them with the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says, “I declare to you, brethren, that the gospel which I preached is not that of men, for I also received it and learned it, not from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1 , 11-12).

The Blessing of Unction is not performed on infants, because an infant cannot consciously commit sins.

This part of the Creed reminds us that the profession of faith begins with Baptism. To proclaim that remission of sins is possible only in Baptism means to recognize that union with Christ in the Church is the only true path of salvation. In ancient times, the Sacrament of Baptism was usually performed on adults who had previously been initiated into Christian teaching. When asking for Baptism, the neophytes realized that this meant a break with their previous life. Now, excluding those countries where the Church is in a missionary position, Baptism is performed differently: children of infancy are admitted to the Sacrament so that they can participate in Christian life, according to the Savior: Let the children come to Me(Luke 18:16). In both cases, the recitation of this member of the Creed is a renewal of the vows made at Baptism, either directly or through godfather or godmother. During the liturgy, the Creed is sung or read before the beginning of the anaphora; It is at this moment that he promptly reminds the assembly of believers about the vows of Baptism and sounds like an echo of the warning words of the Apostle Paul: Let a man test himself, and in this way let him eat of this bread and drink from this cup(1 Cor. 11:28).

The part of the Creed relating to Baptism immediately follows the part dealing with the Church, and this order is logical, for there is no other way to enter into the ecclesiastical community founded by Christ than through the reception of Baptism. So, this Sacrament is the beginning of all Christian life, in it a person is born spiritually and, as we have already mentioned, from the very beginning it presupposes a break with everything that does not belong to the Kingdom of God. There can be no compromise here: No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other - or he will be zealous for one and not care about the other.(Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13). The Apostle Paul writes to the Romans: Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life... If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having risen from dead, no longer dies; death no longer has power over Him. For what He died, He died once to sin, but what He lives, He lives to God. So consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord(Rom. 6:3-4; 8-11).

In the rite of Baptism, two moments are clearly distinguished: the moment of rupture - “Do you deny Satan and all his works, and all his ministry, and all his pride?” and the moment of connection - “Are you compatible with Christ?” In Christian antiquity, every part of the rite of Baptism was replete with symbols. But some aspects of this symbolism go far beyond simple allegory. The Church carefully preserves them, although now they are not completely understandable to everyone. The fathers, in their baptismal teachings, insisted on putting off the old man, as well as on putting on a white robe, which speaks of purity acquired through the reception of the Sacrament.

It is known that in Orthodox Church With some exceptions, Baptism is always performed by immersion. This reveals the full meaning of this Sacrament. We read in the “Apostolic Constitutions” the following prayer for the sanctification of the water in the font: “Consecrate this water, so that those who are baptized may be crucified with Christ, die with Him, be buried with Him, and rise with Him as sons.”

Revealing the meaning of the threefold immersion - “the image of the Easter triday” - St. Cyril of Jerusalem (4th century) writes the following wonderful lines: “How amazing and strange! We really didn’t die, and we really weren’t buried, and we really weren’t resurrected after we were crucified. But imitation takes place in the image, but salvation is real. Christ was really crucified, and really laid in the tomb, and really resurrected, and all this was done out of love for us, so that by imitating participation in His sufferings, we would gain real salvation.” Now it is clear that the Orthodox Church remains faithful not only by attachment to the past the ancient way teach the Sacrament of Baptism. She does this because of the sacred significance of the ritual. Undoubtedly, the rejection of Baptism through immersion entails the disappearance of the symbolism inherent in this Sacrament. In the Orthodox Church, the Sacrament of Baptism is always followed by the Sacrament of Confirmation - what in the West is called confirmation. Indeed, if Baptism marks the birth to spiritual life, then Confirmation confirms the charismatic inclusion in the Christian congregation by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Typically, Christian initiation ends with participation in the Sacrament of Communion. For a neophyte (convert) this is full connection with the Lord and a promise to the new Christian that he will become a participant in the coming feast of the Kingdom. Then the process of transformation “grafted” by Baptism and Confirmation is completed. Thus, Christian initiation connects three Sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, and as we have already seen, this connection is by no means accidental. This is not a practical connection of three services, but a process full of deep mystical meaning.

In the Creed we confess “one baptism” (Unum baptisma). This is a solemn affirmation of the one-time nature of Baptism. The Apostle Paul speaks clearly about this to the Ephesians: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all(Eph. 4:5-6). Just as we confess that our Lord founded only one Church, we also confess that there is only one Baptism, for the Holy Trinity is one and indivisible, in whose name we are baptized, as the Savior commanded (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, the Church does not renew Baptism and accepts into its fold, without rebaptizing, heretics who were baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the 7th canon of the Second Ecumenical Council(381 years old). The “Reality” of Baptism in in this case is determined by the correct performance of the Sacrament in terms of content and form, on the one hand, and the belonging of the one who performed the rite of Baptism to any Christian community professing the primary dogma of the Holy Trinity, on the other hand. Baptism is not repeated if another Christian renounces the faith and subsequently asks the Church to accept him again into its fold. For the seal of God on every baptized person is indelible: the sin of a son does not break his connection with his father, just as a great multitude of sins and all their severity does not abolish the opportunities granted by Baptism. The path of repentance is always open, as the Lord reminds us of in the parable of the prodigal son.

Baptism is a unique moment in a person’s life, since through the Sacrament the person baptized is justified before God, and not according to his own merits, but thanks to the reconciliation and salvation brought by the Savior. The curse that weighed on humanity after original sin was removed by the sacrifice of the Incarnate Word. To be baptized means to become part of a renewed humanity, the Head of which is the New Adam - Christ. But what we find in Christ is freedom in the full sense of the word, that is, the ability to choose. At the moment of Christian initiation, Divine grace descends on us, but our job is to multiply the talents given to us. If we do not do this, then the wrath of God will fall upon us, as he teaches gospel parable. But the one who fulfills the Divine commandments is promised the ineffable mysteries of Divine communion (2 Pet. 1:4) - this final goal all those “baptized into Christ.”

From a series of spiritual conversations by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann

After confessing faith “in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church“The Creed further follows: “I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.” What do these words mean?
Let me first remind you that the Gospel of Matthew ends with Christ’s commandment to the disciples: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen (Matt. 28:18-20). It is in the light of these words, as well as in the light of the word “baptism” itself, that we must try to understand the baptismal confession of the Creed.
Let's start with the last one. If the Gospel ends with the commandment to baptize all nations, then it begins with the story of the baptism with which John the Baptist baptized and which Christ himself received from him in the Jordan River. For contemporaries of the Gospel, baptism - in Greek (βàπτισμα, i.e. symbolic immersion in water - was an understandable rite. It assumed that a person realized his contamination by sin, repented and thirsted for purification, forgiveness, rebirth. Water is the source of life , the source of purification, was the most suitable and, so to speak, self-evident symbol here, and immersion in water was the most common rite. And so, receiving baptism from John, Christ communicated this rite. new meaning. He connected it with Himself, made it a sign of His love and Himself as forgiveness and union with God. Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), says John the Baptist, seeing Jesus approaching him. And when the risen Christ, before His ascension into heaven, commanded the apostles to baptize all nations, this meant that He leaves them, but also their followers, the community of all who believe in Him, a sign, a gift, the power of forgiveness of sins and renewal of life - that , which He Himself brought to people as the Son of God and Savior.

Christ's teaching about love for God and neighbor, about righteousness and purity, can be perceived with the mind. Such perception is trust in Him, agreement with Him as a Teacher. But for anyone who has read the Gospel at least once in their life, it is impossible not to see that acceptance of the teachings of Christ is inseparable in Christianity, in the Gospel, from faith in Him. For His teaching is not philosophy, not morality, not abstract truth, the acceptance of which does not depend on our attitude towards the one who offers them to us. The teaching of Christ - and we have spoken about this more than once - is, first of all, the Good News, the announcement that God appeared in the world to save people from sin and death, to give them a new, holy life. Therefore, he who believes in Christ longs for union with Him, longs for the gift of this salvation, this new life. And baptism in Christianity from the very beginning is a sign of this gift, or, as the Church calls this sign, a sacrament. In the sacrament of baptism through the visible, i.e. through immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a person is invisibly united with Christ, and in Him with God the Father and the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of salvation, joy, purity, perfection.

The Apostle Paul says that in baptism we are united with Christ in the likeness of death and resurrection. In fact, immersion in water is a sign of death, the death of a person completely enslaved to matter, sin, passions. Resurrection from water is a sign of resurrection, the beginning of a new life in unity with Christ. Christ, according to the faith of the Church, rose from the dead, and death, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, “no longer possesses Him” (cf. Rom. 6:9). And so, He gives us His resurrected and immortal life, His love, the power of His victory in baptism. And hence the amazing joy that surrounds baptism in the early Church, hence this belief in it as a spiritual, but real union with Christ. We were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), writes the Apostle Paul.
For Christians, baptism from the very beginning is the basis of the Church, for the Church, i.e. a meeting of believers in Christ is not just an organization for the dissemination of the teachings of Christ or for mutual help and support. This is the unity in Christ of all those who have received from Christ the gift of new life and forgiveness of sins; this is the unity of faith, i.e. acceptance of Christ as God and Savior; this is the unity of love for Him, and in Him for each other. Scattered throughout the world, among all peoples, the Church constitutes the new people of God, united not by blood and flesh, not by earthly interests like a state or nation, not by language and not even by a common historical destiny, but by faith in Christ, love for Him and experience of Him presence.

On earth, a person is born as a representative of a certain people, nation. But a Christian is born and enters into the new people of God through baptism. “The water of baptism,” writes one Christian saint, “is for us a coffin and a mother” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem). The coffin - because in this water a person dies, limited by the earthly and material, “flesh and blood”; mother - because in this water she is born new person, forgiven, cleansed, reborn, already living here and now with a new, eternal life. And this baptismal death and this baptismal resurrection have been happening every day for two thousand years.

All the time people come to Christ, hear His voice, give Him their heart, their love, their life, and this self-giving to Christ is baptism. And having given themselves to Christ, they receive in return His life, His self-giving to us. And this self-giving of Christ to us is also baptism. This is the meaning of the words: “I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.”

Dear brothers and sisters, hello!
In the Creed, with the help of which we confess our faith every Sunday, we affirm: “I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins.” (...) This phrase can be divided into three parts: “I confess”; "single Baptism"; "for the remission of sins."
First element: “I confess.” What does it mean? This solemn word indicates the great importance of the object, that is, Baptism. Indeed, by uttering these words, we affirm our true identity as children of God. Baptism is, in a sense, a Christian’s identity document, his birth certificate. This is a birth certificate in the Church. You all know your birthday, right? You all celebrate your birthday, we all do. But I will ask a question that I have already asked and will continue to ask: how many of you remember the date of your Baptism? Raise a hand. Who of you? Few. There aren't many of you. And I don’t ask the bishops so that they don’t feel ashamed if they don’t remember this, right? Alas, there are few who remember. But let’s do this: today, when you return home, ask yourself: “On what day was I baptized?”, remember. This is your second birthday. The first birthday is the day of your actual birth, and the second is the day on which you were born into the Church. Will you do this? Consider this your homework: remember the day you were born and thank the Lord for opening the doors of His Church on the day you received Baptism. Let's do it today. At the same time, our faith in the remission of sins is connected with Baptism. The Sacrament of Repentance, or Confession, is, in essence, a “second baptism”, which always refers back to the first in order to strengthen and renew it. (...)
The second element: “single Baptism.” This expression is reminiscent of another expression - St. Paul: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph 4:5). The word “baptism” literally means “immersion,” and indeed this Sacrament represents true spiritual immersion – where? In the pool? No, in the death of Christ. Baptism is precisely the spiritual immersion into the death of Christ, from which one is reborn with Him as new creations (cf. Rom 6:4). It's about about the bath of rebirth and enlightenment. The washing of regeneration - because it brings about this birth from water and from the Spirit, without which no one can enter into Heavenly Kingdom(cf. John 3:5). Washing of enlightenment - because through Baptism a person is filled with Christ’s grace, “the true Light, which enlightens every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9) and drives out the darkness of sin. (...)
Finally, let us briefly consider the third element: “for the remission of sins.” Remember the Creed: one Baptism; I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins. In the Sacrament of Baptism all sins are forgiven - original sin and all personal sins, as well as punishments for sin. Baptism opens the door to the true newness of life, not burdened with the burden of a negative past, but already feeling the beauty and goodness of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is about the powerful intervention of God's grace in our lives to save us. This life-saving intervention does not deprive us human nature its weaknesses (we are all weak and we are all sinners, right?) and does not deprive us of the responsibility to ask for forgiveness every time we make a mistake! And that's great. You cannot be baptized two, three, four times, but you can go to Confession, and when we go to Confession, we renew this grace of Baptism. It's like being baptized a second time. The Lord Jesus is so kind that He never tires of forgiving us. Don't forget this. Baptism opens the doors to the Church for us. And when these doors are closed a little (due to our weaknesses and sins), Confession opens them again, because Confession is like a second Baptism, which forgives us everything and enlightens us so that we move forward with the light of the Lord, with His joy. (...)

(From the instructions of Pope Francis in
general audience time November 13, 2013).
Russian service of Vatican Radio.