Which ordinance is a public declaration of faith and obedience to Christ?

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Baptism expresses a public declaration of faith and commitment to live under Christ’s lordship. It visibly identifies a believer with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection—signifying dying to sin and being raised to new life. This act marks a personal decision to follow Jesus and to live in obedience to Him, and it is often seen as the first public step of discipleship, witnessed by the church and community.

Holy Communion, by contrast, is a memorial ordinance that remembers Jesus’ sacrifice and nurtures fellowship among believers; it centers on remembrance and spiritual nourishment rather than a public profession of faith. Feet washing emphasizes humility, servanthood, and love within the church, not primarily a declaration of faith and obedience to Christ. Confirmation is a affirming rite in many traditions that recognizes faith or grants church membership, but it is not the initial public declaration of faith and obedience that baptism represents.