Among the ceremonies of baptism in the early Church, one of great importance was the profession of faith and vow of obedience. The catechumens first renounced the devil, and then professed to live in obedience to the laws of Christ. (See PACTUM).
Christians are required to make a profession of their faith —
1, boldly (Romans 1:16);
2, explicitly (Matthew 5:16);
3, constantly (Hebrews 10:23);
4, yet not ostentatiously, but with humility and meekness.
Among the Romanists, profession denotes the entering into a religious order, whereby a person offers himself to God by a vow of inviolably observing obedience, chastity, and poverty.