The Sacrament of Confirmation is referred to by many names, such as the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit, the Sacrament of Completion, the Sacrament of Maturity, and the Sacrament of Christian Witness.

Confirmation is the sealing of the baptismal commitment (or covenant). Because of this close link, the Confirmation sponsor ideally should be the same people who stood with the candidate at Baptism.  It is helpful to explain this rite of Confirmation as the most significant personal affirmation of Baptism. We view this sacrament as the action of the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus as our Advocate/Counselor in bestowing  on the candidate the fullness of the Holy Spirit [Luke 11:13; Acts 1:4-8; 8:12-17; 2 Corinthians  1:21-22; Galatians 4:6].

As a successor of the apostles, the Bishop administers Confirmation to emphasize the relationship of the first Pentecost in the early Church to our own personal Pentecost experienced through this sacrament [Acts 2]. The Bishop's presence also illustrates that the faith we profess goes back to the teachings of the apostles and their practice of the impartation of the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands, [Acts 8:14-20; 19:4-7]. Confirmation stresses the unity and diversity of the Church members today and enhances our unity with all believers through the ages, and as the Holy Spirit continues to administer His gifts as He so determines for the edification of the church, [1 Corinthians 12:4-11].

Through Confirmation we are to understand that the Holy Spirit is released to do His work of sanctification.  Confirmation releases the grace and gifts of the Spirit so that the person may be open to the cleansing work of the Spirit. This openness is like that of Christ and the apostles who obeyed the promptings of the Spirit and died to selfishness, [Galatians 5:19-21]. They lived the fruits of the Spirit [Galatians 5:22-25], and performed the works of the Spirit.

Confirmation is to set us apart, we are to be counter-cultural agents of the kingdom of God, living in the world but not being a part of it.