Posted on 06/29/2012 4:31:04 PM PDT by NYer
It is a simple historical fact that the Church has always baptized infants. Even our earliest documents speak of the practice. For example the Apostolic Tradition written about 215 A.D. has this to say:
The children shall be baptized first. All of the children who can answer for themselves, let them answer. If there are any children who cannot answer for themselves, let their parents answer for them, or someone else from their family. (Apostolic Tradition # 21)
Scripture too confirms that infants should be baptized if you do the math. For example
People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:15-17 NIV)
So the Kingdom of God belongs to the little Children (in Greek brephe indicating little Children still held in the arms, babes). And yet elsewhere Jesus also reminds that it is necessary to be baptized in order to enter the Kingdom of God:
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5 NIV)
If the Kingdom of God belongs to little children and we are taught that we cannot inherit it without baptism then it follows that Baptizing infants is necessary and that to fail to do so is a hindering of the little children which Jesus forbade his apostles to do.
So both Tradition and Scripture affirm the practice of baptizing infants. Strange then that some among the Protestants (not all) should criticize us for this practice. Even stranger that the Baptists are usually be the ones to do so. You’d think with a name like “Baptist” they’d be more into baptism. (Truth be told, most of the other Protestant denominations do baptize infants). It is primarily Baptists and some Evangelicals who refuse the practice.
Part of the reason for this is that they seem to water down (pardon the pun) the fuller meaning of baptism, no longer seeing it as washing away sins and conferring righteousness per se. Rather they seem to see it more as a symbol of faith already received when they said the sinners prayer and accepted Christ as their savior. No time here to argue the full logic of their position and why it falls short of a biblical and Traditional understanding of Baptism.
But, for those of us who do continue the ancient and biblical practice of baptizing infants, the practice says some very wonderful things about the gratuity of salvation and the goodness of God. Consider these points:
1. The baptism of infants is a powerful testimony to the absolute gratuity (gift) of salvation. Infants have achieved nothing, have not worked, have not done anything to “merit” salvation. The Catechism puts it this way: The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant baptism. (CCC # 1250) The Church is clear, salvation cannot be earned or merited, and infant baptism teaches that most clearly. Salvation is pure gift.
How strange and ironic that some of the very denominations which claim that Catholics teach salvation by works (we do not) also refuse to baptize infants. They claim that a certain age of maturity is required so that the person understands what they are doing. But this sounds like achievement. That the child must meet some requirement seems like a work, or the attainment of some meritorious status wherein one is now old enough to “qualify” for baptism and salvation. “Qualifications….Achievement (of age)….Requirements….it all sounds like what they accuse us of: namely works and merit.
To be clear then, the Catholic understanding of the gratuity of salvation is far more radical than many non-Catholics understand. We baptize infants who are not capable of meriting, attaining or earning.
2. The Baptism of infants also powerfully attests to the fact that the beauty of holiness and righteousness is available to everyone regardless of age. To be baptized means to be washed. Washed of what? Original Sin. At first this seems like a downer, “Are you saying my baby has sin?” Yep. All of us inherit Original Sin from Adam and Eve. We are born into a state of alienation from God that is caused by sin. The Scriptures are clear: [S]in entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Rom 5:12). So even infants are in need of the saving touch of God.
Now why would we wish to delay this salvation and resulting holiness for 7 to 12 years? The Catechism says this, Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by Original Sin, children also have need of new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and be brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God….The Church and parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer baptism shortly after birth. (CCC # 1250).
St. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage in the 3rd Century was asked if it was OK to wait to the 8th day to baptize since baptism had replaced circumcision. He responded with a strong no: But in respect of the case of the infants, which you say ought not to be baptized within the second or third day after their birth, and that the law of ancient circumcision should be regarded, so that you think that one who is just born should not be baptized and sanctified within the eighth day We [the bishops] all thought very differently in our council. For in this course which you thought was to be taken, no one agreed; but we all rather judge that the mercy and grace of God is not to be refused to any one born of man. (Epist# 58).
So then, here is the beauty, that infants are summoned to receive the precious gift of holiness and righteousness and that they are summoned to a right relationship with God by having their sin purged and holiness infused. Infants are called to this dignity and should not be denied it. With this done, some of the holiest and most innocent days of our lives may well be our first years. Then as the will begins to manifest and reason begins to dawn the grace of holiness gives us extra strength to fight against the sinful world that looms.
3. The Baptism of Infants also attests to the fact that faith is gift for every stage of development- To be baptized is to receive the gift of faith. It is baptism that gives the true faith. Even with adults, true faith does not come until baptism. Prior to that there is a kind of prevenient faith, but it is not the Theological Virtue of Faith.
Now faith is not only an intellectual assent to revealed doctrine. It is that but it is more. To have faith is also be be in a righteous and trusting relationship with God. An infant relates to his parents long before he speaks or his rational mind is fully formed. He trusts his parents and depends on them. It is the same with God. The infant trusts and depends of God and is in a right relationship with God. With his parents, this relationship of trust leads the infant to begin to speak and understand as he grows. Here too it is the same with God. As his mind awakens the infant’s faith grows. It will continue to grow until the day he dies (hopefully) as an old man.
That faith accompanies us through every stage of our life and develops as we do is essential to its nature. An infant needs faith no less than an old man. An infant benefits from faith no less than a teenager or an adult.
To argue as some Protestants do that you have to be a certain age before faith can exist, hardly seems to respect the progressive nature of faith which is able to bless EVERY stage of our human journey.
I have some very vivid memories of my experience of God prior to seven years of age and I will say that God was very powerfully present to me in my early years, in many ways even more so than now, when my mind sometimes “gets in the way.”
Another post too long. Forgive me dear reader. But please spread the word. Too many Catholics are waiting months, even years to have their children baptized. Precious time is lost by this laxity.
Infant Baptism speaks powerfully of the love that God has for everyone he has created and of his desire to have everyone in a right and saving relationship with Him. Surely baptism alone isn’t enough. The child must be raised in the faith. It is the nature of faith that it grows by hearing and seeing. Children must have faith given at baptism but that faith must be explained and unwrapped like a precious gift for them. Don’t delay. Get started early and teach your child the faith they have received every day.
Following the ancient tradition of the first christians, the priest greets the parents and child at the door of the church (the unbaptized were not allowed into the main body of the church), and began with a Prayer Over The Mother, acknowledging the presentation of her son and asking the Holy Spirit to descend upon her. He then prays over the candidate. He lays his right hand on his head, saying:
O Lord and mighty God, Lord of lords and God of gods, I beseech You on behalf of Your creature, the work of Your hands, this little child who comes to Your holy temple, in order to show forth the mystery You have revealed to us, through the human body You took from our nature as old Semeon held You in his arms;] O Jesus Christ, our Lord, now extend Your divine right hand along with my own hand as Your humble servant and priest, and bless this child. By Your invisible power, sign him with the glorious mark of Your holy cross. Accompany him with Your grace all the days of his life. Enable him to enter Your holy temple and to receive the glorious seal of the holy myron, the pleasant aroma, through which, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and according to Your true promises to us, we become children of God and heirs of His kingdom. For You are our God, to whom we offer glory, now and forever.
The priest then invites the mother to enter the church; he takes the child from her and carrying the child in his arms, enters the church. At this point, Father, with child in arms, knelt before the altar. He then stood up and placed the child on the altar.
The service continues with prayers, hymns, the Trisagion, and readings. Following the reading of the Gospel, the priest seals the candidate with the hand cross, as the Godfather carries him and faces the East.
+ In the great fearsome name of God "I am who I am" who creates and provides for all, + in the wonderful, ever-reigning name of God Almighty, who became man and vanquished the dominion of Satan, who humbled Himself by His own will, embraced death on the wooden cross and redeemed Adam and his children from the slavery of sin, I sign and seal this lamb, who came to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Then, the celebrant asks the candidate and sponsors to face West and to renounce Satan. After this, the congregation is then asked to face East, as the profess their faith. Following this ceremony, the child is then anointed with the Oil of Catechumens. After this. the child is then baptized "a lamb in the flock of Christ."
Lastly, the child receives the Mystery of Anointing (Confirmation).
With the myron of Christ our God,
sweet fragrance of the true faith,
seal and fullness of the grace
of the heavenly Spirit.
N., the servant of God, is sealed
in the name of the + Father,
and of the + Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
AmenIn the Concluding Prayer, the priest asks God to enlighten the heart of His servant who has just been received in baptism. He also asks the Lord to "show compassion, to redeem and save all those who turn to You."In his homily, the priest admonished the parents and godparents, reminding them that on the day of Judgement, they will not be asked to which school they sent their child or what brand of car was gifted to him but rather, how they upheld and instructed the child in his faith.
Baptist(because we are mentioned) ping
As my 9 year old taught me, the thief on the cross was never baptized and yet He went to paradise that day with Jesus.
A PERFECT Act of Contrition. Or I have heard some call it a Baptism of Blood.
"Baptism Now Saves You" - Nuts & Bolts - Tim Staples
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Baptism: Initiation and Regeneration
Are Catholics “Born Again?”
Baptizing infants, Pope speaks of 'adventure of being disciples'
Celebrate Your Birthday in the Church
Infant Baptism
Once a Catholic . . . (and part 2) . . . The Chicken's Questions
How Soon Should a Baby be Baptized?
Baptismal Complexes- The Sacrament of Baptism, Part 2
The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas BAPTISM
Beginning Catholic: The Sacrament of Baptism: Gateway to New Life [Ecumenical]
Converted Muslim Tells Story Behind Papal Baptism
What You [Catholics] Need to Know: Baptism [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 20: The Sacrament of Baptism
Baptism and the Usus Antiquior (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Justified by Baptism (fallout from the Beckwith conversion grows)
The Million-Dollar Infant Baptism
Mystical Baptism and Limbo
The Early Church Fathers on Baptism - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
A Critique of a Critique (On Baptism by Immersion)
Catholics, Reformed Christian Churches sign document recognizing common baptism
The baby stays on the altar all that time? Doesn’t it cry or roll over or anything?
Kathleen was baptized at three weeks old, and there was another baby at the same Mass. It turned out the other couple had an older child baptized the same day as Frank, our previous one!
All my children have been baptised as infants, and my 2 oldest so far have chosen to be baptised again. This is their public display of faith and obedience to God thru Christ.
As for the rest of this article, it's the usual Catholic rubbish that I'm seen on this issue dozens of times before. Appealing to 3rd century authorities (which we don't even know were really majority viewpoints, anywise) as if they were apostolic, while taking verses of Scripture completely out of context while redacting later Catholic doctrine back into them.
Might convince those who are already Catholic, but not very persuasive to anyone who actually knows anything about the Scriptures.
There is no biblical instance of child baptism. All the baptisms that were done were done for willing believers. The author quotes Luke chapter 18 to claim that Jesus was baptizing babies, but let’s quote it and also passages from the other gospels regarding the same incident.
Luk 18:15-16 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. (16) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:13-14 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. (14) But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Luk 18:15-16 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. (16) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
It was a practice of the Jews to have their children touched and blessed by the Rabbi. Jesus was not baptizing babies like the Catholics do. He was touching and blessing them.
Now, as for the claim that baptism is required for salvation, the first thing that comes to mind is the Thief on the cross. The statement by Christ over and over again is that one must have faith in Him in order to be saved. This is a message reinforced constantly, from prayer to healings to even raising men from the dead. “Your faith has made thee whole.” Comparatively, there is no emphasis on Baptism as a means to salvation. One would think if it was absolutely necessary, it would be mentioned every time Christ brought the subject of salvation up. Instead, the emphasis is always on the inner man, the heart, and while baptism is a physical act and a sign, it does not spiritually cleanse you from sin. Salvation is an instantaneous act, and obedience a sign of that new born fruit within you.
John 11
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Rom. 3:22, “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.”
Rom. 3:26, “for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Rom. 3:28, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
Rom. 4:5, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.”
Rom. 5:1, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Gal. 3:8, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham.”
Gal. 3:24 , “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith.”
Eph. 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
1Co 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Catholics make everything mechanical, as if by performing these rituals they are somehow making themselves holy. They ignore the core of the message and the real spirit of Christ which demands worshipers in spirit and in truth, not men who are obsessed with the outward appearance. “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel.”
As my 9 year old taught me, the thief on the cross was never baptized and yet He went to paradise that day with Jesus.
______________________________________________
Yes, the grace of our Lord is boundless, but did you explore with your daughter whether the thief may not have wound up on a cross if the Holy Spirit had been bestowed on him as a infant.
I can almost guarantee you that some Catholic will try to appeal to I Peter 3:21 to disprove you.
Which would only demonstrate how little they understand the verse, in context.
The verse makes it clear ("not the putting away of the filth of the flesh") that baptism doesn't "wash away sins" (flesh means more than just the body, but "fleshiness," contraposed to godliness or spirituality, as Paul often used it.)
Baptism is also referred to as a "figure" (the LIKE figure, indicating that both the example of Noah, as well as baptism, are types, or pictures, of the cleansing that comes through Christ) - it is a typology indicated to convey the efficacy of something else other than it, itself.
What baptism pictures is explicitly told to us - the resurrection of Christ, see also Romans 6:4, Col. 2:12. Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ being played out or identified with in the life of the believer who has put his or her trust in Christ (note: this picture also suggests that the Scriptural pattern for baptism is bodily immersion, not sprinkling, anointing, christening, etc.) A person is saved by trusting in the the saving work of Christ. Baptism is a picture of this, just as Noah in the ark was a typological picture of the external demonstration of his faith in God - i.e., all the world can see Noah had faith, because he was the one God used to build the ark, and which god used to rescue him and his family. Likewise, a believer who submits to believer's baptism is showing openly their faith in God.
No offence, but how many Mafioso, Mexican cartel members, and other vicious criminal types were "baptised" as babies? So much for this bestowal of the Holy Spirit.
“Unless you are baptized by the Holy Spirit, you shall not enter the Kingdom of God>”
Not just a water baptism, but a baptism of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit just as recorded in Matthew when Jesus gave instruction to the apostles and disciples gathered before his Ascension into heaven.
**There is no biblical instance of child baptism. **
Paul baptized several households, Lydias is one I remember, and the children were also baptized. I’m sure there were infants.
There are a couple of other households for an example here...and it IS in the Bible!
“whether the thief may not have wound up on a cross if the Holy Spirit had been bestowed on him as a infant.”
That’s pretty hypothetical, since he was born long before Pentecost, isn’t it? Pretending he wasn’t, though, what is the point?
Does baptism keep us from sinning, or committing crimes? Are there no baptized Catholics or other Christians who end up in jail?
I can say for myself, I was baptized as an infant, in the Catholic Church, and I committed quite a few acts that might have landed me in the pokey if I had been caught. Maybe it was the baptism that helped me get away with it?
Nowadays, I’m not much of a criminal, except perhaps in a few instances of civil disobedience. What changed my ways wasn’t baptism, but faith in Christ.
From “I’m sure there were infants” to a dogma of the Catholic Church which contradicts scripture. That’s a strong leap.
Your post talked about children. Are you saying that Lydia didn’t have children in her household?
“Your post talked about children. Are you saying that Lydia didn’t have children in her household?”
And what does this have to do with proving by scripture that babies are sprinkled by water to receive the Holy Spirit? If there was a baby in the household, there is no reason to think it was baptized, as baptism was something that only occurred after a confession of Christ as Lord and Savior. It was the first act of obedience, but a baby cannot even make the first step. There are no scriptures which justify the idea that we are cleansed of sin by being baptized or sprinkled with water.
You are asking me to comment on babies being baptized which was never recorded in the scripture. How about you address MY scriptures and make a biblical case for child baptism?
Repent and be baptized. Not the other way around.
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