Baptism
Baptism refers to the sacrament of initiation in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church traditions, considered to be necessary for salvation in accordance with Jesus' teaching in John 3:5 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.. Because of this, infants are baptized a few weeks after being born. In the Catholic ritual, water is poured over the head of the child while the priest repeats the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19, "I baptize you (name) in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Adult converts to Catholicism are immersed in water for baptism during Easter vigil.
In some Protestant churches, the water in John 3:5 is assumed to be the waters of birth and being born again refers to spiritual renewal. Thus baptism becomes an ordinance performed after conversion. Significance and mode of baptism remain controversial subjects among evangelical Protestant Christians.
In the Reformed tradition, Presbyterian and others that hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith, baptism is rightly administered to believing adults and the children of a believer, for a public confession and as a sign and seal of God's Covenant of Grace. [1] It is properly administered by dipping, sprinkling or pouring, but is not essential for salvation. [1] Prominent past theologians have taught this doctrine such as John Calvin [2], as well as contemporary teachers such as R.C.Sproul [3]