XXXV.
The Sacrament of Baptism
This section defines the nature of baptism as a sign of adoption and cleansing, its lasting benefit for the believer, and the inclusion of the children of the faithful in the covenant.
XXXV. We acknowledge only two of them, common to the whole Church. The first, baptism, is given to us as a testimony of our adoption; through it, we are grafted into the body of Christ so that we may be washed and cleansed by his blood, and then renewed in holiness of life by his Holy Spirit. We also hold that, although we are baptized only once, the benefit signified there extends throughout our lives and into death, providing a lasting seal that Jesus Christ will always be our righteousness and sanctification.1 Now, although this is a sacrament of faith and repentance, nevertheless, because God receives little children into his Church along with their fathers, we say that by the authority of Jesus Christ the little children born of the faithful ought to be baptized.23
Read the original French
XXXV. Nous en confessons seulement deux, communs à toute l’Eglise, desquels le premier, qui est le baptême, nous est donné pour témoignage de notre adoption; parce que là nous sommes entés au corps de Christ, à fin d’être lavés et nettoyés par son sang, et puis renouvelés en sainteté de vie par son Saint-Esprit. Nous tenons aussi, bien que nous ne soyons baptisés qu’une fois, que le profit qui nous est là signifié s’étend à la vie et à la mort, à fin que nous ayons une signature permanente, que Jésus-Christ nous sera toujours justice et sanctification. Or, bien que ce soit un sacrement de foi et de pénitence, néanmoins parce que Dieu reçoit en son Eglise les petits enfants avec leurs pères, nous disons que par l’autorité de Jésus-Christ les petits enfante engendrés des fidèles doivent être baptisés.
Notes
- 1 ↩French signature means a confirming mark or seal, not a written autograph; rendered as “seal,” the ordinary Reformed term for baptism’s abiding confirmation of the promise.
- 2 ↩Normalized source has “les petits enfante engendrés”; read as “les petits enfants engendrés,” matching “les petits enfants” earlier in the same sentence.
- 3 ↩pénitence is rendered “repentance,” not the Roman sacrament of Penance: this confession admits only two sacraments, and baptism is here a sacrament of faith and repentance.
French Confession of Faith (Confession de La Rochelle / Gallican Confession) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit