Baptism Matters: Part 2 (Forgiveness of sin)
Yesterday I began to look at the question of infant baptism. We saw how, although we don’t have explicit references to infant baptism in the New Testament, that there are passages which strongly suggest that infants and children were baptized. Today I would like to continue looking at this issue, but from a slightly different angle…
What does it all mean?
A question which is tied up with the issue of infant baptism is this: what does Baptism do? There are some Protestant denominations which say that it does absolutely nothing. They would say that baptism is simply a formal, public declaration of faith in Christ. They would assert that the person being baptized ultimately remains unchanged.
It’s clear to see that, if this is the all that Baptism means, then delaying baptism isn’t a big deal…
Washing of body or soul?
However, this understanding of Baptism is not the understanding of Christian antiquity. Throughout the early centuries of Christianity, Christians believed that baptism actually did something to the person being baptized.
Historically, when Christians spoke about being “born again…of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5), they were speaking about baptism. As well as joining that person to the Church (1 Corinthians 12:13), they believed that through Baptism sins were washed away, forgiven. In fact, such was their belief in the efficacy and power of the Sacrament, that some converts in the early centuries chose to delay baptism until their deathbed so as to meet God completely unsullied by sin!
Forgiveness of sins in Scripture
We find this belief in the power of baptism in the New Testament itself. When St. Paul preached in Jerusalem he recounted his conversion:
…Ananias…came to me, and…said to me, “Brother Saul, …you will be a witness for [God] to all men… And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on [the Lord’s] name.” – Acts 22:12-16
In his first epistle, St. Peter spoke of salvation in terms of baptism:
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 – 1 Peter 3:21
He also preached the same thing years earlier on the day of Pentecost:
And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you…for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…” – Acts 2:38
Forgiveness For All
At Pentecost, Peter not only testified to the power of baptism, he also appears to indicate that children are also eligible:
“…For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” – Acts 9:39
Peter said that this gift of God is for all! Children were not to be denied!
“Let the children [‘infants‘, in Greek, ‘brepha’] come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 19:14
The Gift of Grace
I hope I have therefore demonstrated that baptism actually achieves something in the soul of the one being baptized. If this is the case, then delaying baptism is to deny your child the greatest of gifts. And Baptism is, indeed, a gift. Infant baptism is the strongest, loudest, clearest testimony that we are saved by grace alone. What can a little baby possibly do for God? Absolutely nothing. It’s all God…it’s all grace.
…He 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…so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life – Titus 3:4-7
We’ll pick this up again on Thursday when we’ll examine the relationship between baptism and circumcision…
what you fail to understand is that in all these verses you gave me, the meaning of baptism was that your sins were being washed away through repentance. Baptism was a symbol of repentance. I am trying to answer your question but probably you are not understanding what I am telling you or I am not expressing myself well.
What is the meaning of getting baptized if you are not truly repenting? If you notice, all instances of baptisms in these verses you posted were on adult people and not children. How can a child repent when he has no conscience yet?
> what you fail to understand is that in all these verses you gave me, the meaning of baptism was that your sins were being washed away through repentance. Baptism was a symbol of repentance.
Why isn’t symbolic language used? The text says your sins will be washed away and that baptism saves you. Why not just take the text as it stands, particularly if 1,600 years of Christians understood it that way?
> What is the meaning of getting baptized if you are not truly repenting?
If you are unrepentant you’l be resisting the grace that you’ll be receiving, so not much.
> If you notice, all instances of baptisms in these verses you posted were on adult people and not children.
I answer that in the previous part
> How can a child repent when he has no conscience yet?
You repent of personal, but we are all born as children of Adam and thus inherit original sin.