Who has the valid Sacraments?

[The Liturgist]

So when John the Baptizer was baptizing people in the Jordan River it wasn't valid?

If you recall from your New Testament, the Apostles rebaptized converts to Christianity who had only received the Baptism of John. St. John the Baptist himself predicted this, saying “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”

So, what does this mean in terms of sacramental validity? Simply that the Baptism of John was ordinarily not a valid Christian sacrament, but a Jewish act of metanoia, with one clear exception, that being the Baptism of our Lord. Indeed, the only Christian Baptism is through anamnesis or recapitulation of the Holy Theophany, just as there is really only one Eucharist.

Thus, in the same way that when we celebrate Holy Communion we are mystically present at the Last Supper, when we celebrate Baptism we are mystically present with Christ Jesus in the Jordan, with the Father and the Spirt and St. John and the other faithful.

I believe my view on Baptism is in alignment with Eastern and Oriental Orthodox sacramental theology, as far as the history, nature and administration of the sacrament itself is concerned, as expressed by St. John of Damascus, Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky, and others, and if @GreekOrthodox or @HTacianas or @dzheremi or @prodromos have any criticism of my explanation of it I want to hear from them. Of course, Orthodox sacramental theology also requires the sacrament to be administered by a validly ordained presbyter or bishop, except in emergencies, in which case I can’t recall if the procedure from the Euchologion or Trebnik is conditional rebaptism or chrismation or something else, so their assistance would be appreciated.

A friend of mine retired from the Episcopal Church had the same view as well concerning the nature of the sacrament, while obviously taking a broader view as to who is allowed to administer it.

Also, the Orthodox do insist on three full immersions, except, according to the information I have, the Church of Serbia, where affusion is or was practiced, but is or was highly controversial (perhaps this was something done by Serbian equivalents of the “Rennovationist” heterodox installed in Russian Orthodox churches in the early years of the Soviet Union, before Stalin permitted Metropolitan Sergius and the regular clergy to resume as before, albeit with severe restrictions on catechesis and constant interference from the NKVD).

 

[Root of Jesse]

Thinking about the OP some more... I find the wording offensive. The idea implies that there are supposed to be both valid and invalid sacraments. I believe that all sacraments done in faith are valid. All of them!

Which ones, do you judge, are done in faith?

 

[GreekOrthodox]

I believe my view on Baptism is in alignment with Eastern and Oriental Orthodox sacramental theology, as far as the history, nature and administration of the sacrament itself is concerned, as expressed by St. John of Damascus, Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky, and others, and if @GreekOrthodox or @HTacianas or @dzheremi or @prodromos have any criticism of my explanation of it I want to hear from them. Of course, Orthodox sacramental theology also requires the sacrament to be administered by a validly ordained presbyter or bishop, except in emergencies, in which case I can’t recall if the procedure from the Euchologion or Trebnik is conditional rebaptism or chrismation or something else, so their assistance would be appreciated.

According to the GOARCH website:
Children should be baptized after the 40th day. Should an emergency arise where the death of an unbaptized infant is imminent, the priest should be notified immediately. If no priest is available, a layman may administer emergency baptism by pouring or sprinkling water over the child's head three times saying, "The servant of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Thereafter, arrangements should be made with the Priest to complete the Baptism of the child.

As to what that completion means, I'm not sure. Probably the tonsure followed by chrismation.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

Yes, Jesus came and walked among His fellow Jews, confirming the promises God made to the fathers.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Read Colossians chapter 2.

Acts 11:25

Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

I'm not even sure what you are trying to say by quoting this passage.

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

And yet both Paul and Peter both preached to both Jews and Gentiles alike. That Paul's primary mission was to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles (especially the Greeks) and Peter's to among his fellow Jews doesn't change the fact that they preached the same Gospel, and preached to both Jew and Gentile, and the churches around the ancient world established by the Apostles had both Jews and Gentiles. These were mixed congregations. And both Paul and Peter wrote epistles to Christian churches that had Christians in them, both Jew and Gentile Christians; of which there is no distinction in the Body of Christ.

Acts 22:4

And I persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. Acts 26:10-11 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against [them]. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled [them] to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted [them] even unto strange cities.

Yep, Paul is pretty clear that before his conversion he was hostile to the early Christians. Not sure why you think this is relevant.

Matthew 23:34-35 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city:

And early Christians certainly did face such persecution at the hands of the Jewish authorities.

Matthew 24:14 And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

That same Holy Gospel that is still being preached to this very day, of the Christ who came, suffered, was crucified, buried, dead, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom is everlasting.

So, as I said, there is neither Jew nor Gentile in the Church of Jesus Christ, there are only Christains. Men and women from all backgrounds, walks of life, who come in every age, shape, size, color, and permutation of the human family. Because God is calling, in Christ, to the universal brotherhood of the human race united together in the New Humanity of Jesus Christ our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the hope of the resurrection and the renewal of all things in the Age to Come. This is our hope and our salvation, in which our sins are forgiven, we have been reconciled to God, Christ Himself having become our Peace, adopted as sons and daughters, sharing in the cross, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by the grace of God, justifying us, and sending us out to be Good News people in the midst of our neighbors. And so we proclaim what God has done, and what God will do, bearing witness to this hope through faith and love; exercising ourselves in the world as those who love our neighbor, and lay down our lives in imitation of He who laid down His life for us.

This is basic Christianity 101 stuff.

-CryptoLutheran