So Baptism expresses the washing away of an old way of life and the beginning of a new way of life that is committed to living with faith in Jesus. Living the Christian life well does not just happen, like many things in life, it takes effort and constant practice. This is characterised by prayer, reading and studying the Bible, along with active involvement in worship with a local faith community.
Children are Baptised on the basis of their parents faith as they clearly are not able to make their own response to God. Because of this parents are asked if they will undertake to ensure their child is brought up with the teachings of the Christian faith and involvement in the life of the Church till a time when they can make their own response to God. Confirmation is the name given to the ritual when those who were baptised as children make their own response to God.
