What it is:
In Roman Catholicism, baptism is first among the seven sacraments. The effect of the sacrament is as follows: 1- the remission of all sin, original (inherited from Adam and Eve) and actual; 2- the removal of the punishment which is due for sin; 3- the infusion of sanctifying grace and supernatural gifts and virtues; 4- the right to special graces is conferred; and, 5- the impression of a spiritual and indelible mark upon the baptized. A brief discussion of each of these effects follows:
1- In baptism, the Catholic is deemed to be born anew, or regenerated, and is free from all sin or stain. 2- According to the Council of Florence, if a baptised person dies before they sin, they will immediately attain to the kingdom of heaven. There will be no temporal punishment for sin, nor the necessity of enduring the cleansing of PURGATORY. 3- In order for this to be so, the baptised person is INFUSED with sanctifying grace (the grace of justification), which causes the person to be an adopted child of God, and enables him to believe in God, hope in Him, and express his love toward God. 4- Practically, however, it is necessary that special graces also be obtained, in order that the baptised might, in his lifetime, fulfill the baptismal promises. The person, though cleansed at baptism, still retains the temporal consequences of sin, such as weakness of character, as well as an inclination to sin, known as concupiscence. Thus, special graces are necessary. These graces are made available and dispensed by the Church. Therefore, baptism is called the "door" to the Church, through which the baptised has the right to receive the special graces. According to the COUNCIL OF TRENT, a validly baptised person receives these special graces according to his disposition and co-operation. It is possible that the baptised person can place an obstacle in the way of sacramental grace. For example, receiving the sacrament with improper motives or without real detestation for sin. Such a person is validly baptised, but would not participate in the sacramental grace. For such a person, making amends at a later date would remove this obstacle, and he would obtain the sacramental grace at the later time. The sacrament's effectiveness is deemed to "revive." 5- Finally, the baptised receives a special mark or sealing, which designates him as belonging to Christ.
In order for baptism to be effective, faith is necessary. The faith required for baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. The gift of faith given in baptism is the faith of the Church as a whole. An infant is baptized based upon the faith of the Church. The person to be baptized, or the godparent of the infant is asked "What do you ask of God's Church?" The response is "Faith!" Thus begins the process of conversion. The sacrament of baptism is the first, and most fundamental, of many conversions. It is like a door of access to the other sacraments. According to Vatican II, the second conversion is an uninterupted task for the whole Church who, "clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal." This endeavor of conversion is a co-operative effort, requiring the grace of God, the work of the baptized, and the help of the ecclesial community.
Recently, the Vatican noted that in order for Baptism to be effective, the correct words must be used. In particular, a baptism administered "in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier" is not a valid baptism. As a result, the person baptized is not yet a Christian and any subsequent sacraments that the person receives are invalid. Thus, if the person were to become married in the Catholic Church, the marriage would not be valid.
How it came about:
The Catholic Church teaches that various rites described in the OT are forerunners or "types" pointing toward the final Christian sacrament of baptism. Circumcision is seen as a precursor of baptism, incorporating the recipient into the people of Israel, God's chosen people. Also, numerous washings and purifications are described in the Mosaic law. The exterior washing or cleansing is symbolic of interior cleansing. In the NT, John the Baptist performs baptisms of PENANCE (repentance?) for the remission of sins.
All these types point to the sacrament of baptism, which goes beyond these forerunners in that sacramental grace is actually conferred by the Holy Spirit to the recipient. The Church teaches that Jesus instituted the sacrament as necessary for salvation in 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." Also, in Acts 2:38, Peter tells the multitude at Pentecost: "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The apostle Paul describing his conversion in Acts 22, tells of Ananias declaring to him: "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." And in Peter's first epistle, he states: "And corresponding to that [Noah's family being saved in the ark], baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection from the dead."
In Catholic teaching, therefore, baptism is seen as the instrumental cause of justification (resulting in the process of the soul being made righteous). This is in opposition to the Protestant belief that faith is the instrumental cause of justification (resulting in the soul being declared righteous based on the righteousness of Christ).
Why it is wrong:
1) ...because the doctrine denies that the Holy Spirit is free to fall upon whomever He wills. The Church insists that He is "called down" by the intercession of a priest through water baptism;
2) ...because the effectiveness of baptism in regeneration is subject to the life-long cooperation of the person, turning the grace of God into a human achievement (albeit one that is supposedly made possible by the intercession of the Catholic Church);
3) ...because the effectiveness of baptism is subject to the continuing participation in the "special graces" distributed only in the Roman church. The Catholic Church usurps the role of the Holy Spirit in "distributing faith";
4) ...because of the possibility that the newly baptized "child of God" somehow could become "disowned" by God, thus effectively nullifying the Sacrament. The born child becomes "unborn," and must again and again be reborn through the sacramental system of the Church.
5) ...because the doctrine gives primacy to a sign (water baptism) rather than the substance (repentance and believing).
Warnings from Scripture:
"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from or where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8
"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you...? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Gal. 3:1-3
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" Eph. 2:8
"and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; an no one will snatch them out of my hand." "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable"
Eph. 1:13 and Jn. 10:28
"In Him [Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." Eph. 1:13
? Point to Ponder:
Many wicked people, such as Hitler, have received the Catholic rite of baptism. Apparently, baptism was not effective in Hitler's case. Why not? Because it was not preceded by repentance and belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Robert Zins notes that the Bible always mentions baptism in conjunction with a change in attitude by the recipient, such as repent (6 times), turn (11 times) and believe (39 times).
