What is Baptism?
Through Baptism, original sins, personal sins, and all punishment due for sins are forgiven. We are made into "new creatures" as adopted children of God, part of the Body of Christ, coheirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, and Temple of the Holy Spirit. We're given Sanctifying Grace and Justified by Christ. Baptism also leaves an indelible mark on our souls. Once you are Baptized once, you are Baptized for all of eternity. (CCC 1262-1274)
Where is Baptism in Scripture?
Old Testament:
Genesis 1: Water brings life. The Holy Spirit is working and "stirring" the waters- sanctifying them.
Genesis 6-9: The Flood represents the union of “death” in Baptism, regeneration, and Ressurection when cleansed with water.
Zechariah 13:1 and Psalm 51: Water is used as a symbol of repentance and cleansing
Leviticus: Water brings purity and cleansing of Body and Soul in Jewish Law
Gospels:
Matthew 3:13-17: Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved,[a] with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 28:18-20: "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
Mark 16:16: "The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned."
John 3:5: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”
Acts of the Apostles:
Acts 2:38-39: “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him'”
Acts 19:1-3: “Paul . . . came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said, ‘No . . . ‘ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?'”
Acts 22:16: “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name”
New Testament Letters:
Rom. 6:3-4, 6: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin”
1 Peter 3:21: “Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Colossians 2:11-13:“In him [Christ] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses”
1 Corinthians 12:13: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit”
Titus 3:5-7: “[H]e [God] saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life”
SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE FOR INFANT BAPTISM
Many non-Catholic Christians argue that infants ought not be Baptized, as they cannot consciously make the choice to follow Christ. However, if we look to Scripture, we'll see that infant baptism was practiced in the Church's earliest days.
Luke 18:15-17 reads: "People were bringing even infants to Jesus so that he might touch them. When the disciples observed this, they rebuked them. However, Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. For it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Some Protestant versions of the Bible translate "infants" as "children," providing a basis for their belief that infants ought not be Baptized. However, the original Greek word for this is "Brepha," which literally means "Infants."
Saint Paul also refers to Baptism as the "Circumcision in Christ" in Colossians 2:11–12, and circumcision was performed on infants.
If we look further in Church history, we see that before the Protestant Reformation, no one in any Christian Community had any issues with Infant Baptism. The only question on the matter before the 1500s was in the third century when it was questioned whether to wait until the eighth day after birth, as had been done with circumcision.
Many of the Early Church Fathers, including Irenaeus, Cyprian, John Chrysostom, and Augustine, all wrote in favor of Infant Baptism. One of the most notable and widely recognized quotes of this type is from Hippolytus, who, in the year 215, wrote, "Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them” (The Apostolic Tradition 21:4) This quotation in particular gives us both evidence for Infant Baptism, and the practice of having God Parents present at Baptism.
Stay tuned for more in our series on the Sacraments in Scripture!
Comentários