By Rev. Zane Elliott, vicar of Holy Trinity, Richmond

Confirmation is a rite of the church which is a wonderful celebration of a Christian person making a declaration that they accept and own the promises made on their behalf at baptism. As Anglicans we baptise children into the household of God. In this sacrament, parents and godparents commit to working together to raise the child in the faith of Christ, nurtured by the body of Christ.

In Christian denominations we have different approaches to baptism, and the baptism of children is controversial. To understand confirmation, we have to first grasp infant baptism. We are a denomination whose ecclesiology is consistent with the Old Testament practice of welcoming children into the people of God. This is most plainly seen through the practice of circumcising boys on the eighth day. In the New Testament, we see whole households of believers baptised, and no specific prohibition of baptising infants. We know that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, and that some children are elect. Children can be repentant. They can have true faith in God. In the gospels, Jesus calls children to himself and gave them status and engagement which was unknown in the ancient world.

While we don’t see a specific instruction to baptise children, these snippets from the Bible help us to see how it is at the very least not an unbiblical practice (i.e. not forbidden by Scripture), and in a generous reading a wonderful means of grace to children being raised in godly homes, where there is a belief that they share in the covenant promises of God. And so we baptise and raise children as members of the body of Christ, making promises on their behalf, treating them as genuine Christians as we teach them the way they should go, confident that by pointing children to the Lord Jesus, as revealed perfectly in the Bible, they will remain in that faith all the days of their lives.

Anglicans value this practice so highly that under the 1604 Canons of the Church of England, during a time when baptising children was being railed against, any Anglican presbyter (minister) who refused to baptise infants must be excommunicated! Confirmation is an opportunity for a baptised Christian to take hold of those promises made on their behalf, and to say “this is what I believe!” We prepare for confirmation by revisiting the basics of the Christian faith, ensuring that they are understood and truly believed.

In confirmation, a bishop lays hands on the candidates as a physical representation that although we're a local church, we are part of one holy catholic and apostolic church. When he lays hands on those being confirmed, he's keeping with a tradition that goes back to the book of Acts when the apostles laid hands on individuals and prayed for them to be equipped for their mission, their work and witness in the world as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus. He’s not ‘topping them up’ with the Holy Spirit, but commissioning them and asking God to strengthen them so that they will represent Christ with courage and boldness, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As a family, we’ve been thrilled that our son William has made this decision – to continue to walk in the way. The core motivator for his decision came from a conversation one evening about changes coming as he started at college. In that moment, God was at work in him when he said, “Dad, I’d like to be confirmed. I know that at college there will be lots of people who don’t trust Jesus, and I want to make a decision now to live his way, not go away from him.” Isn’t God’s kindness to children in the sacrament of baptism, and the rite of confirmation, a wonderful gift and encouragement to the church?

Have you been confirmed? If not, talk to your senior minister to find out more.

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