One Baptism for the Remission of Sins/The Sacrament of Baptism {Ecumenical thread)

Vatican.va ^ | 33 AD | Holy Spirit

[Cronos]

977. Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved."
Mk 16:15-16

15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that "we too might walk in newness of life."
Rom 6:4

4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

; Rom 4:25

25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

1213 Holy Baptism 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 reborn 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."

1214 This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse"; the "plunge" into the water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as "a new creature."

1215 This sacrament is also called "the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit," for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one "can enter the kingdom of God."
Titus 3:5

5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

John 3:5

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

1216"This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding . . . ." Having received in Baptism the Word, "the true light that enlightens every man," the person baptized has been "enlightened," he becomes a "son of light," indeed, he becomes "light" himself:
Jn 1:9

9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

1 Thess 5:5

5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Heb 10:32

32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

Eph 5:8

8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship

-- St. Gregory Of Nazianzus, Oratio 40,3-4:PG 36,361C.

1219 The Church has seen in Noah's ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism, for by it "a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water":
1 Pet 3:20

20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

1220 If water springing up from the earth symbolizes life, the water of the sea is a symbol of death and so can represent the mystery of the cross. By this symbolism Baptism signifies communion with Christ's death.

1221 But above all, the crossing of the Red Sea, literally the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, announces the liberation wrought by Baptism:

1222 Finally, Baptism is prefigured in the crossing of the Jordan River by which the People of God received the gift of the land promised to Abraham's descendants, an image of eternal life. The promise of this blessed inheritance is fulfilled in the New Covenant.

1223 All the Old Covenant prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He begins his public life after having himself baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan.
Mt 3:13

13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
Mt 28:19-20

19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mk 16:15-16

15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

1224 Our Lord voluntarily submitted himself to the baptism of St. John, intended for sinners, in order to "fulfill all righteousness." Mt 3:15

15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Jesus' gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying. Phil 2:7

7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

The Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended then on the Christ as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as his "beloved Son."
Mt 3:16-17

16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

1225 In his Passover Christ opened to all men the fountain of Baptism. He had already spoken of his Passion, which he was about to suffer in Jerusalem, as a "Baptism" with which he had to be baptized
Mk 10:38

38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Lk 12:50

50But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

The blood and water that flowed from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus are types of Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacraments of new life.
Jn 19:34

34But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

1 Jn 5:6-8

6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

From then on, it is possible "to be born of water and the Spirit" Jn 3:5

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

1226 From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans.
Acts 2:41

41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 8:12-13

12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 10:48

48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Acts 16:15

15And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family." Acts 16:31-33

31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

1227 According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ's death, is buried with him, and rises with him:
Rom 6:3-4;

3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

cf. Col 2:12

12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

The baptized have "put on Christ."
Gal 3:27

27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies
1 Cor 6:11

11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Cor 12:13

13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1228 Hence Baptism is a bath of water in which the "imperishable seed" of the Word of God produces its life-giving effect.
1 Pet 1:23

23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Eph 5:26

26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

[Cronos]

Note -- I've taken the Biblical quotes from the KJV

NOTE: this is an ecumenical thread, the rules for which can be found Ecumenical thread rules

when in doubt, only post what you are “for” and not what you are “against.”... antagonism is not tolerable

I am aware that our brothers in Christ may not share the same beliefs and I respect your faith and this thread has no aim to attack what you believe in, rather to elucidate what we in The Church believe in.

The focus is on God's word in our beliefs and if you wish to share yours (whether you be Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant), that would be nice, though do remember the ecumenical thread rules ("when in doubt, only post what you are “for” and not what you are “against.”"). Hopefully we all learn more from each other and what each of us believes in (positive) rather than what we are against (negative)

[Cronos]

I’ve been surprised by the wealth of concentrated information in the Catechism, so I though I would share it with all. This is an ecumenical thread for us to learn more from each other minus the antagonism and non-Christian feelings aroused on open threads.

[Judith Anne]

I’ve just finished the rosary and nightly prayers, and then come to read this wonderful thread.

It occurred to me to think of Noah’s flood as the baptism of the earth...I’m sure that isn’t any part of the catechism, and I’ve never heard the idea from anyone before, but the idea of washing and regeneration...if this is inappropriate I’m happy to have it removed.

[Cronos]

Actually, it IS in the Catechism!

1219 The Church has seen in Noah's ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism, for by it "a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water":
1 Pet 3:20

20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

[Judith Anne]

Heh. I guess I missed that when I first read over it.

Who knew? ;-D

[LetMarch]

May we not forget that our God and Saviour, in His Soverignity, did not choose to put baptism in many verses for salvation.
Here are a few:

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.”

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16 -17)

“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)”He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon him.” (John 3:36)

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby ye must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:13)

“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life. These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:12-13)

[Cronos]

thank you.

And you have correctly said that John 1:12 says

12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

That is why the Catechism says (see above, highlighted in blue)Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family.

Baptism is for believers, those who, as you correctly point out, receive Him and believe in the Lord Jesus

Salvation is from the Lord alone -- Baptism is the sacrament of faith, done through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we read in John 3:5

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

[Alex Murphy]

Excerpt from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church's website, the article Directory for the Public Worship of God:

The minister shall then summarize before the congregation the teaching of the Word of God and the Confession and Catechisms of this church as to the meaning and nature of the sacrament of baptism. He may use these or like words:

The Lord Jesus Christ instituted baptism as a covenant sign and seal for his church. He uses it not only for the solemn admission of the person who is baptized into the visible church, but also to depict and to confirm his ingrafting of that person into himself and his including that person in the covenant of grace.

The Lord uses baptism to portray to us that we and our children are conceived and born in sin and need to be cleansed.

He uses it to witness and seal to us the remission of sins and the bestowal of all the gifts of salvation through union with Christ. Baptism with water signifies and seals cleansing from sin by the blood and the Spirit of Christ, together with our death unto sin and our resurrection unto newness of life by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ. Because these gifts of salvation are the gracious provision of the triune God, who is pleased to claim us as his very own, we are baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

In our baptism, the Lord puts his name on us, claims us as his own, and summons us to assume the obligations of the covenant. He calls us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, to renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and to walk humbly with our God in devotion to his commandments.

[johngrace]

I remember when the new modern Catechism came out my mother got it in the 1990’s. It brings back memories. We would talk about it. I got mine in paperback. She was a devout christian. She passed on in 1999. Whenever she prayed literally miracles occured for her family. She is my model for a christian witness. Thanks for posting.

[Salvation]

One Baptism for the Remission of Sins/The Sacrament of Baptism {Ecumenical thread)
Baptism and Infant Baptism

"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

[Cronos]

Thank you, Baptism is a seal for Christ’s Church

[Cronos]

you’re welcome. Your mother was a very devout and holy person

[LetMarch]

Amen ! I overlooked these two verses:

“It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

[Cronos]

Yes, as the catechism says 1228 Hence Baptism is a bath of water in which the "imperishable seed" of the Word of God produces its life-giving effect.
1 Pet 1:23

23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Also,

Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies
1 Cor 6:11

11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

[johngrace]

She was 9 o’clock mass every day. She drove others around to mass. Some of her friends were ex Ny city ers who never drove a car. She would teach catechism. She was a Francisan Third order, Blue army and Rosary society member. She had seven kids. My hero mentor.