PAINTING BY JACK GARNIER

Confirmation: Baptism of the Spirit

By Peter Judd, chair
Theological Task Force

Confirmation is associated in a very direct way with the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Beginning with the account of Jesus’ own baptism, the Holy Spirit is inseparably connected with baptism: “When Jesus…had been baptized… the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:21–22 NRSV). In fact, John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner, spoke of this important connection: “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming;… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). This is the precedent for baptism (by water) and confirmation (by the Spirit) being the dual requirements of entry into Christian discipleship and the church.

While the emphasis of believer’s baptism is on the decision of the individual to follow Christ, the emphasis in confirmation is on God’s gift of the Spirit. In this sense, confirmation authenticates the commitment made in water baptism by providing the assurance that the Divine Presence will always be with the one baptized. The Holy Spirit is the strength and enabling power that makes following Jesus possible.

The laying on of hands and offering of prayer by the elders in confirmation symbolize this gift of the Holy Spirit. Hands gently laid express God’s love and care for the individual. Through confirmation, the church affirms the worth and dignity of each life and the belief that God never leaves a person without comfort, guidance, and strength.

In the broadest sense, the Holy Spirit is God present within each element of creation as evidence of their being made by God. In this way, every human being has the Spirit within them from birth. And surely the very decision to be baptized is prompted by the Spirit of God, which dwells within the candidate. It is not for the church or individuals to say when the Holy Spirit is first present in an individual or even when a person has their first experience of sensing that Spirit working in their lives.

Confirmation then is appropriately seen as the ritual act of intentionally celebrating, within the body of believers, the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the newly baptized person. It is verification, authentication, and affirmation. Some members of the church testify that their first experience of knowing the Holy Spirit came before they were baptized, others on the occasion of their baptism or confirmation, and still others some time afterward. One thing we can be sure of is that the Spirit makes itself known in its own way and in its own time—not to be controlled or even anticipated in any specific way.

The presence and work of the Holy Spirit in an individual’s life is a personal thing. Each one experiences the Spirit in ways that are unique to their own life journey, specific needs, and ways of being open to the presence of the Holy. The work of the Spirit is to so impact the believer that fruits of the Christian life are born. And these fruits will vary, just as the experience of each one with the Spirit differs. So we can affirm with the apostle Paul: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:4).

While the gift of the Holy Spirit is manifested differently from person to person, the primary work of the Spirit is expressed in community. This brings us to the second and equally important purpose of confirmation: to place the baptized individual solidly and inseparably within the body of Christ. In baptism by water, the individual claims Jesus Christ as Lord of their life. Now, in baptism by the Spirit, the person is claimed by God through the community of the church.

This has to do with belonging—being born anew and marked with a new identity. Confirmation completes the two-part ritual of a person becoming joined with all those past and present, near and far away, whose center is in Christ. Being a member of the body of Christ—the church—is about being a disciple, but not so much in an individual sense. It is primarily about being connected with others in common commitment.

Reception into the community of the church—made complete in the sacrament of confirmation—carries with it accountability. Both baptisms are public acts in which the candidate is charged to fulfill the calling and demands of radical discipleship. This action is covenantal: the candidate agrees to offer self, giftedness, and sacrifice to the church and the world, and therefore to God. And the church agrees to accept the new member, to nurture and support them, and to free them to bring their unique giftedness to the community.

Welcoming another into the community at the time of confirmation is risky. For another does not join in order to be conformed to the existing patterns and priorities of the church, which too often has become tainted by the world. Rather the new member, through their passion and energy, is an agent of transformation. Every new member adds to the rich and wonderful diversity that enables the church to be a creative and unified force for preparing for the reign of God on earth.

The transformation of the individual in confirmation is attested to in this passage from the Book of Mormon: “After they had been received in  baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ” (Moroni 6:4). The expression “wrought upon and cleansed” speaks of the power with which the Holy Spirit works. It implies conversion and change. After being graced by the Spirit as symbolized in confirmation, the individual is not the same as they were before. They become “in Christ . . . a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (II Corinthians 5:17).

The images spoken of in Moroni make evident another element of confirmation and the work of the Spirit: humility. In order to be cleansed—by fire or by water—one has to submit oneself, laying aside all pretense to self-sufficiency. Ultimately we are all dependent on God, who has created us and is constantly with us through the Spirit. Yet entering the community of the church reminds us that we are also dependent on our sisters and brothers in the faith. It is never to be “about us,” our individual preferences and wants. Rather our focus and commitment is, as Jesus directed, to love God and to love neighbor as self (see Matthew 22:37–39).

There is no more eloquent statement of the Spirit’s work than that found in Doctrine and Covenants 10:6: “Put thy trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good.” Doing good ranges from a simple act of kindness for a loved one to working against systemic injustice that oppresses the poor. This scripture reminds us that the Spirit lures, nudges, encourages, calls, and leads—sometimes gently but other times firmly and directly.

The next verse contains a promise that is at the center of confirmation: “I will impart unto you of my Spirit” (verse 7). In this sacrament the Spirit is promised not for the moment only, or just for the times when we think we need it. Rather God promises that the Spirit will be our constant companion as we seek to serve both church and world.

We thank God for the sacrament of confirmation, by which new members are assured of the Spirit’s presence and received into the church. Here they become part of diverse communities working to make the peace of Jesus Christ—even Zion—a reality in a troubled and violent world.