Search the encyclopedia
177 articles found for “Baptism of Jesus; Lent”
Great Disappointment
[History]The Great Disappointment was the collective disappointment experienced by members of the Millerite movement in the United States, who believed that Jesus Christ would return on October 22, 1844, when that day passed without the Second Coming.
Jordan River
[Bible]The Jordan River flows through the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea. In the Bible it is the boundary Israel crossed to enter Canaan and the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
Rabbi
[Bible]Rabbi is a Hebrew and Aramaic title of respect meaning "my teacher." In the New Testament Gospels, disciples and others use it to address Jesus and John the Baptist.
Lawyer (New Testament)
[Bible]In the New Testament, especially the Gospel of Luke, a lawyer was an expert who studied and interpreted the Law of Moses. The best-known example is the lawyer who asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, which prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan.
John 2
[Bible]John 2 records Jesus' "first sign," in which he turned water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, and his driving out of those who were selling in the temple in Jerusalem at Passover.
John 3:36
[Bible Verses]John 3:36 states that whoever believes in the Son (Jesus) has eternal life now, while the wrath of God remains on whoever does not obey the Son. It is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between faith and obedience and of eternal life as a present reality.
Luke 1:26-35
[Bible Verses]In this passage the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, a virgin of Nazareth, and announces that she will conceive a son by the Holy Spirit and is to name him Jesus. It is a principal text for the confession of the virgin birth and the Incarnation and is frequently read during Advent and Christmas.
Infant Baptism
[Worship & Rites]Infant baptism is baptism administered to young children who cannot yet profess faith for themselves, on the basis of their parents' profession of faith. Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, among others, practice it. Denominations such as the Baptists, which regard a believer's own profession of faith as a condition of baptism, do not.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
[Doctrine & Theology]Baptism in the Holy Spirit refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon a believer. Denominations differ in their understanding: some hold that every believer receives it at conversion, while others regard it as a distinct experience received after conversion.
History of the Russian Orthodox Church
[History]The history of the Russian Orthodox Church is the history of a branch of Eastern Orthodoxy that began around 988, when Vladimir I of Kievan Rus' accepted the Orthodox faith of Byzantium, and that has continued to the present day centered on the Patriarchate of Moscow.
Acts 16:14-15
[Bible Verses]In this passage, set in Philippi, the Lord opens the heart of Lydia as she listens to Paul, and she and her whole household are baptized. It is frequently cited in discussions of divine initiative in conversion, household baptism, and hospitality.
Ephesus
[Bible]Ephesus was a Roman-era port city on the western coast of Asia Minor. Paul stayed there for about three years preaching the gospel, and the city was the destination of the Epistle to the Ephesians and the home of the first of the seven churches of Revelation.
Mode of Baptism
[Christian Life]The mode of baptism is the manner in which water is used when baptism is administered. The principal modes are immersion, in which the body is submerged in water; affusion, in which water is poured on the head; and aspersion, in which water is sprinkled or applied to moisten the head. Denominations differ on which mode they regard as proper.
Baptism by Sprinkling and by Immersion
[Controversies]A debate over whether the biblical mode of baptism is sprinkling or pouring water on the head or submerging the whole body in water. In Korean Protestant usage, the same Greek word is rendered by two different terms: Presbyterians, Methodists, and others use a term meaning a rite of washing, while Baptists and others use a term meaning a rite of immersion.
Baptism by Immersion
[Worship & Rites]Baptism by immersion is a mode of baptism in which the person's whole body is submerged in water and then raised up again. In Korea, certain denominations, including Baptist churches and churches of the Full Gospel (Pentecostal) tradition, follow this practice.
Baptismal Instruction
[Christian Life]Baptismal instruction is a church's program for teaching those seeking baptism the basic content of the faith and the meaning of baptism. The procedure that follows instruction, in which candidates are questioned and their faith is confirmed, is commonly called the "baptismal examination."
Easter Vigil
[Worship & Rites]The Easter Vigil is a service held on the night of Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, in anticipation of the resurrection of Christ. It proceeds through the Service of Light, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of Baptism, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and it is especially valued in liturgical traditions such as the Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches.
1 Peter 3:21
[Bible Verses]A verse that compares the waters of Noah's flood to baptism, calling baptism "the like figure" that "doth also now save us." Because denominations understand the role of baptism in salvation differently, the verse is frequently cited in discussions of the doctrine of baptism.
Galatians 3:26–29
[Bible Verses]A passage in Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia declaring that those who belong to Christ through faith and baptism are sons of God and heirs of Abraham, without distinction of ethnicity, social status, or sex. It is frequently cited in discussions of baptism, the ordination of women, and the relationship between the church and Israel.
Romans 6:3–6
[Bible Verses]Romans 6:3–6 is Paul's teaching that Christians, having been united through baptism with Christ's death and resurrection, no longer live as servants of sin. It is a principal text on union with Christ and is frequently cited in discussions of the meaning and mode of baptism and of sanctification.