Baptismal vows are the renunciations required of an adult candidate for

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

just before the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

is conferred. In the case of an

infant baptism Infant baptism, also known as christening or paedobaptism, is a Christian sacramental practice of Baptism, baptizing infants and young children. Such practice is done in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, va ...

they are given by the godparents (sponsors) or parents themselves. In many

Christian denominations A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

, the taking of baptismal vows incorporates a person into

church membership Church membership, in Christianity, is the state of belonging to a local church congregation, which in most cases, simultaneously makes one a member of a Christian denomination and the universal Christian Church. Christian theologians have taught ...

Questions for candidates

According to the Roman Ritual of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, three questions are addressed to the person to be baptized: "Dost thou renounce Satan? and all his works? and all his pomps?" To each of these interrogation the person, or the sponsor in his name, replies: "I do renounce". The Sunday Service of the Methodists, the first liturgical book of Methodism, contains the following baptismal vows:

Renewal of baptismal vows

In Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, the practice of renewing the baptismal promises is more or less widespread and often happens at one's First Holy Communion and

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

, as well as annually during the

Easter Vigil The Easter Vigil, also known as the Paschal Vigil, the Great Vigil of Easter, or Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil on the Holy Night of Easter, is a Christian liturgy, liturgy held in Christian worship#Sacramental tradition, traditional Christian ...

. Additionally,

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

, the father of the Lutheran Churches, taught that "we are to daily renew our baptism" and as such, when believers rise in the morning, they should proclaim “I am baptized into Christ.” On New Year's Eve, congregations belonging to various Methodist connexions, such as the United Methodist Church, Free Methodist Church and Pilgrim Holiness Church, conduct a watchnight service in the form of the Covenant Renewal Service, so that Methodist believers can personally renew their covenant with God every year; this liturgy is traditionally preceded by prayer and

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

References

External links

How can I join the church? - Church of England
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926225243/http://www.wentvalleyparishes.co.uk/page535.html , date=2021-09-26 Baptism Spiritual warfare Christian terminology