Baptism Question

[Dietrich Johnson]

Today I was reading in the Orthodox Study Bible lectionary, which had a reference to Hebrews 6:4. When I turned to Hebrews 6:4, I found a note which said "one is once enlightened in baptism which is unrepeatable". Can this enlightenment happen if one is baptized outside the Orthodox Church?

 

[ArmyMatt]

sort of. even when folks are received in other ways, it’s always with the notion that whatever was lacking in the heterodox baptism is being corrected.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I mean, if we truly and officially viewed certain heterodox baptisms as valid, no one could ever enter into Orthodoxy from those confessions by baptism ever.

and some of the more conservative receive everyone by baptism.

 

[Dietrich Johnson]

I mean, if we truly and officially viewed certain heterodox baptisms as valid, no one could ever enter into Orthodoxy from those confessions by baptism ever.

and some of the more conservative receive everyone by baptism.

At what point someone is enlightened seems to be an essential question. Do you mean to say that the perspective of the Church is that baptism outside the church is partially (but not fully) enlightening?

 

[ArmyMatt]

At what point someone is enlightened seems to be an essential question. Do you mean to say that the perspective of the Church is that baptism outside the church is partially (but not fully) enlightening?

it’s at least not fully enlightening. at most, it’s not enlightening at all. if it was fully enlightening, there wouldn’t be a need to receive folks sacramentally into the Church.