Baptism
Baptism brings about the birth of new life in Christ. The Orthodox Church practices infant baptism because historically it never required “understanding” as a pre-condition. To know God is the fruit of baptism. Baptism makes a person a participant in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and a member of His body the Church. This is the first step in becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. The Church does have a responsibility to administer the sacrament only to those who have shown that this is the primary purpose for the baptism. From the day of their baptism, children are expected to mature in the life of the Spirit, with the guidance and support of their family and the Church. “Or are you ignorant that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by the baptism into the death, that even as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, thus also we should walk in newness of life. [Rom. 6].”