Baptism - Chrismation - the Eucharist The Gates of Entry into the Kingdom of God
Baptism. Symbolism (from St Cyril of Jerusalem)
When we enter the waters of Holy Baptism, we strip ourselves of our clothes and our former self (along with our former self’s deeds). This follows the example of Christ, who was crucified naked on the cross, laying aside His glory and dominion.
Through the olive oil that is blessed and used in the service, we become partakers of the good Olive Tree, Jesus Christ. The oil is a symbol of participation in the anointing of Christ, casting away all trace of the work of the enemy, burning the traces of sin and frightening away the unseen powers of the devil.
Baptism gives us the grace of adoption, not just the forgiveness of sins (as in St John’s baptism of repentance). The all-powerful God resurrects us from our past selves and gives us the strength to walk a new life.
The threefold immersion in and emergence out of the water symbolically represent Christ’s three-day burial. The first emergence from the water represents the first day of Christ in the ‘heart of the earth’, and the immersion back into the water represents the coming of night.
Death (of our old self, the abandonment of our passions) and birth (of our new self) take place simultaneously (accomplished by our emergence from the water). We do not truly die, nor are we buried, nor are we crucified. We imitate the image and likeness of death and passions, but our salvation is true and real. Here, we see God’s unfathomable love for us, making us partakers of salvation without suffering.