What about infant Baptism?

What about Infant Baptism?

Catechism Teaches (Catechism references appear in parenthesis)

• Infant baptism does away with original sin and infuses grace (1267-1272).
• Baptism confers the grace of purification from all sins (2520).
• Baptism (a work) is necessary for salvation (980, 1256, 1257, 1277).
• Baptism causes regeneration and places the baptized person into the body of Christ (1263).
• Baptism causes one to enter into the church (as through a door), and those outside are lost (846).
• Without baptism, children are denied the grace of being a child of God (1250).
• Council of Trent said, “Infants unless regenerated by baptism are born to eternal misery and perdition.”

The Bible Teaches:

• Believe and be baptized, which is an outward proclamation of one’s faith. Baptism is given only to those who have already trusted in Jesus.
• Those baptized in the Book of acts did so after hearing and professing faith in the gospel (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 8:36, 10:47, 18:8).
• Faith alone is necessary for salvation (Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Parents cannot determine their children’s faith. Salvation is an individual response to the gospel that cannot be made for another person (John 1:12-13).

Some of the most evil men in history have been baptized, men who certainly not Christians. While no one obtains salvation through baptism, it is symbolic of the individual being identified with Jesus in both His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4), and is best exemplified by full immersion.

When the Galatian church was told by false teachers that they needed to be circumcised, Paul warned that such doctrine is a different gospel (Galatians 3:10). Christ is no benefit to those who trust in works (Galatians 5:2-4).

Infant baptism, can give individuals a false sense of security, that they are already a Christian, causing them to reject the spiritual rebirth (John 3:3), that Jesus said one needs to enter Heaven. Infant baptism also downplays the need to go out and make disciple. By trusting in infant baptism, one embarks on a works-centered plan of salvation verses God’s plan of faith (John 3:16).

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Reprinted with permission from Bill Ciofani and Biblical Answers Ministries, Inc., from Biblical Answers to Catholic Questions, all rights reserved. Contact Biblical Answers Ministries to purchase a copy of Biblical Answers to Catholic Questions CD set at http://baministry.com/4.