Page 63 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

B A P T I S M A N D R E P E N TA N C E
identity through communion.
Yet this new life presupposes a turning.
The tradition of the Church speaks of two baptisms: the
baptism of repentance and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The
first, associated with John the Forerunner, is the necessary
beginning—the reversal of the fall. In the apostolic account
(Acts 19:1–8), the Apostle Paul asks those in Ephesus: “Did you
receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No,
we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” “Into what
then were you baptized?” he asked. “Into John’s baptism,” they
answered (cf. Acts 19:2–4).
Repentance is the renunciation of a self-centered mode of
existence—the refusal to remain one’s own “god”—and the
submission of one’s will to the will of God. It is the opening of
the “narrow gate” through which all must pass.
Without repentance, there is no entrance into life. And yet,
repentance is not the Kingdom. Repentance prepares the way,
but it does not fulfill it. It is the gate, not the dwelling. If one
remains at the level of repentance alone, one has not yet en-
tered into the fullness of life. For the goal is not simply the
negation of the old, but the reception of the new.
For this reason, repentance must not be absolutized. There
is always a temptation to dwell in it as if it were the final goal.
It is essential, but it is not sufficient. One must pass through it,
not remain within it.
One may recall, for example, the life of Mary of Egypt. Her
long and severe repentance was indispensable—but it was not
the whole. Before her repose, she partook of the Holy Myster-
ies. This raises an important question: can repentance alone,
without communion, bring a person into the fullness of life?
The answer, implicit in the life of the Church, is clear. Re-
pentance opens the way—but life is given in communion.
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