Some churches celebrate Baptism of Jesus on the Sunday after January 6. But new generation churches seem not to be comfortable with the feast. INNOCENT ANORUO x-rays the authenticity of infant baptism.
The authenticity of infant baptism is always a topical issue between orthodox churches that administer the sacrament of baptism on infants and new generation churches, known as Pentecostals.
Some of the new churches go as far as taking a new convert to a flowing river or beach for immersion. Yes, Jesus was baptised by immersion in the River Jordan; but does that invalidate baptism done by sprinkling of water?
Come to think of it, what is the proper way to baptise a new Christian? Must one be immersed practically in a river before Jesus recognises them as his follower? Is the water from the river actually washing away sins?
To start with, Catholics believe that “sacraments are outward signs of inward grace…” And the Catholic Church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony.
Early Christians baptised by immersion – a dipping into water; that’s not in doubt. But remember, Jesus came, “not to abolish the (old) law…”
Baptism, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1213) “is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through baptism, we are freed from sin and re-born as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word’.”
The word ‘baptism’ is from the Greek word ’baptizein’ which means to ‘plunge’ or ‘immerse’. The plunge into water symbolises the catechumen’s burial into Christ’s death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as “new creature”.
Before we quarrel about the amount of water that should be used for baptism, let’s consider this: did Jesus baptise with water? Rev. Fr. Jude Mbukanma (OP), in his book, Is it in the Bible?, noted that Jesus did not baptise anybody with water.
“So he did not give us an example. Jesus did point out two important things for baptism: a person ought to be baptised ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matt. 28:19) and with water (John 3:5). Should such a person be dipped into water, washed with water or sprinkled with water? Jesus did not give us an example,” wrote Mbukanma who taught Logic, Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophy of God in the Missionary Institute, London between 1990 and 1992.
According to him, “the early Christians might have taken over the Jewish form of baptism by immersion, but from the account of the crowds of persons and individuals baptised (Acts 2:41; 16:27-33; 10:44-47; 18:8; 16:14-15), we are not told that these baptisms were done in rivers in the way John the Baptist baptised people.”
On infant baptism, the cleric wrote: “The Bible does not condemn infant baptism. The Bible does not even talk about the age at which a person should be baptised. We read in the Bible of certain households entering the faith, and this must have meant children as well as adults (Acts 16:15, 35; 18:8).”
The following are helpful statements by reputable theologians on the issue.
St. John Chrysostom says: This is why we baptised infants, though they have not sinned; that there may be added to them justice, filiation (sonship), inheritance, grace to be brothers and members of Christ, and to become dwelling places of the Holy Spirit.
The Council of Trent says: If anyone that says no one is baptised except at the age which Christ was baptised, or at the hour of death, let him be anathema.
The CCC adds: “Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by Original Sin (of Adam and Eve), children also have need of a new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth (1250).
“The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole ‘households’ received baptism, infants may also have been baptised (1253).”
If you decide to deny a child baptism – waiting till when he/she matures, what happens if he/she dies before the baptism? Remember: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that of which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6). Have you not denied him the kingdom?
Even if one decides to ignore those who should know, let’s consider this: Christ was baptised by John at the River Jordan. If we must replicate what Christ did, we should all look for a John the Baptist and a River Jordan before we are baptised. We should also know that Jesus’ baptism was mere formality. “It is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness” (ref. John the Baptist’s dialogue with Jesus before the latter’s baptism in Matt. 3:15).
For those who feel strongly about Catholic Church’s belief that sacraments (which include baptism) are outward signs of inward grace, do they think that the water in which some are immersed washes away sins? If so, it then means that if the sprinkling on one’s forehead washed only the sin on one’s face, the person can as well go to a nearby stream, beach or pool for a thorough swim, to get his sins thoroughly ‘washed off’.
How about those who live in the desert regions? Should they travel to River Jordan before getting baptised?
However, many who are opposed to the practice of taking one to a river for baptism argue that it’s the shortest way of occult initiation.
We should not allow sentiments to becloud our sense of reasoning.
One believes that those who take on the old churches on the issue of baptism are doing it out of prejudice. After all, for Catholics, after baptism comes confirmation – reception of the Holy Spirit – which is not administered until the recipient reaches the age of reason, and takes the vows himself.
Also, every Easter, members of some orthodox churches renew their baptismal vows; so the question of not knowing what was agreed on one’s behalf during (infant) baptism should not arise.
