A Reformed Baptismal Liturgy

The following baptismal liturgy is an approved form for use in the Christian Reformed Church in North America, a denomination in the Reformed tradition with roots in the Dutch Reformed Church. This particular form is intended for the baptism of children. It was approved for use in 1976 and is printed in the 1987 Psalter Hymnal (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications). This liturgy maintains the basic structure and content of baptismal liturgies that were used in the Reformed churches of the Netherlands and the region of Germany near Heidelberg in the mid-sixteenth century. Text INTRODUCTION Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ: What the Lord has revealed to us in His Word about holy baptism can be summarized in this way: First, Scripture teaches that we and our children are sinners from birth, sinful from the time our mothers conceived us (Ps. 51:5). This means that we are all under the judgment of God and for that reason cannot be members of his kingdom unless we are born again. Baptis…