وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Another Result of baptism is newness of life
The Apostle says: "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). The new life is the life we receive through baptism. Therefore our old nature is renewed in baptism. How?

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


In baptism we put on Christ
The Apostle says: "For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal.3: 27). Is there a more powerful phrase than this to signify the great efficacy of baptism?
We put on Christ... We put on His righteousness which He bestows upon us in baptism, we put on salvation which He bestows upon us in baptism by His blood, we put on God's image (Gen.1: 26) which we lost through the original sin.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


In baptism we become members of the Church
There is no doubt that baptism was symbolised by circumcision in the Old Testament. The Apostle St. Paul says about the Lord Jesus: "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Col.2: 11,12).
It is known that in circumcision a part of the body is cut off and it dies. This refers to the complete death in baptism.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Circumcision is a mark that can not be effected
Likewise, baptism can not be erased
As blood is shed in circumcision
likewise, The merit of the Blood shed on our behalf is received in the new life in baptism
As the circumcised was considered a member of God's people(Gen.17: 7)
likewise, The baptised becomes a member of the Church; of God's Body
As the uncircumcised was cut off from the community (Gen.17:14)
likewise, he who is not born of water and the Spirit (John.3:3,5) will not enter the kingdom of God because he was not baptised, he was not buried with Christ and did not rise with Him
As circumcision was a must and a necessity by God's command
likewise, baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of sins and for the membership in Christ's Body

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


As man dies only once and then rises, and is circumcised only once, therefore baptism is performed only once: it is not to be repeated because the baptised does not die with Christ more than once.
As for the relation between circumcision and baptism and the forgiveness of sins, the Apostle expresses it in his discourse about the spiritual circumcision; circumcision made by Christ and not by the hands of men; circumcision in which the old sinful body is taken off. He refers to baptism when he says: "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Col.2: 11,13).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


The symbols of baptism in the Old Testament give the same meaning
Noah's Ark was a symbol of baptism
St. Peter the Apostle says: "...while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism" (1Pet.3:20,21). We explain that there is salvation in baptism with water. Similarly, in Noah's ark which is a symbol of baptism, all those who were in the ark were saved from the death of the Flood. This confirms what we have previously said about salvation through baptism according to the Lord's words in (M k.16:16).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Another symbol of baptism in the Old



Testament is the crossing of the Red Sea

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

Circumcision is another symbol of baptism
and we have already explained this point

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

St. Paul the Apostle says: "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1Cor.10: 1,2). It is known that the crossing of the Red Sea was salvation to the people from the slavery of Pharaoh. Here St. Paul refers to the salvation we receive in baptism from the slavery of sin and death. The element of water is clear in both examples. Here Moses resembles priesthood in the same way that Noah resembles priesthood in the symbol of the Ark in the Era of the Patriarch Fathers.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Another symbol of baptism in the Old Testament is found in (Ezek.16: 8,9) where the Lord says to the sinful Jerusalem which here resembles the human soul in its fall: "'When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love. I entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,' says the Lord God. 'Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.' "
This water and this washing are symbols of baptism and the ointment is a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The phrase "you became Mine" means that Jerusalem (the human soul) became a member of Christ's Body (the Church).