Parents: Don’t Delay Baptism for your Infants!

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | April 22, 2012 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Iscool]

One thing is common to all Protestants: letting their pastors interpret the Bible for them, and that was the subtext of my admittedly aggressive in tone post.

I don't think you can say all...There are some denominations that will instruct you to search the scriptures to find out if the pastors are telling you the truth...Mine included....

[annalex]

That does not excuse your pastor. It is like a car mechanic that swindles you and says: if you don’t believe me, here is the service manual, fix your car yourself.

The fact remains that he is the one who went to a seminary to learn how to lie about the Bible and you did not. You are at his mercy.

[lightman]

Our Lutheran brethern believe Christ’s words on baptism

Correct; as with any other issue, it is near impossible to generalize among all the Protestants

Which why the Bishop of Rome, now, and in his former life as Joseph Cardinal Ratizinger has been very careful and deliberate to speak and write of "Lutherans and Protestants"--recognizing that there are many significant distinctions.

For another: The Lutheran Confessions (Formula of Concord) explicitly name Mary as mother of God.

[SuziQ]

Longest we ever waited was for #2 son. He was born on 9/23 in NJ, and we waited til we went home to MS at Christmas so his Priest-Uncle could baptize him.

[verga]

1Pe 3:20 that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: 1Pe 3:21 which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;

Annalex is correct you all basically mind numbed robots. Sure yeah go ahead search the scriptures until you disagree with him. then you are disfellowshipped or shunned till you: 1) decide to follow his dictates.

2)Find another cult of the personality to follow. Or this is the most common

3)Break off taking about 1/3 of the followers with you.

[annalex]

You are correct; indeed continuing Lutherans are in the league of their own and should not be swept up with the rest of the Protestants, especially their more recent versions and after the Joint Declaration of Faith cleared some old misunderstandings up. I apologize for being too polemical and imprecise.

[annalex]

If the Protestant congregations really checked the Protestant foundational heresies against the Holy Scripture, no single Protestant would remain on this earth.

Baptism now saves thee.

This bread is my body.

Bishops rule the Church of God.

Forgive them their sins.

Open the scripture at random and find Catholic doctrine.

[Dallas59]

If that statement is true, then Jesus lied. Jesus was hung between two thieves, both of which were railing on Him. After observing Jesus for a while one of the thieves has a change of heart. With a repentant heart he calls upon Jesus for mercy. And Jesus answers him.
Luk 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
A few minutes before this the thief was hurling verbal abuse on the Lord. He has a repentant heart and calls out to Jesus. And Jesus promises that he will be with Him in paradise that very day. The thief got saved but he was never baptized. The thief was nailed to the cross. Jesus did not say sorry you have to be baptized for your sins to be taken care of. No! Instead Jesus immediately promised him paradise with Him. The thief got saved and received eternal life with Jesus without Baptism. The thief is not the only one that got saved in the Bible without getting baptized.
If baptism was required for salvation, then Jesus would have said so. But He did not. Never. Lets look at what Jesus taught on how to get saved.
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:36 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 on him.
Jesus clearly taught that salvation is by Grace thru faith.

[Salvation]

Col 2:11-12 - baptism has replaced circumcision

[Salvation]

Colossians 2

---

11	In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ;
12	and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

[Salvation]

Acts 16:15 - she was baptized,
with all her household
Acts 16:33 - he and all his family were baptized at once
1Cor 1:16 - I baptized the household of Stephanas

[AnalogReigns]

Here’s one Protestant who see’s nothing wrong with Msgr. Pope’s, reasoning.

[murron]

Do we know that the thief on the cross was not ever baptized?

[Craftmore]

I guess I never read the part where they climbed up and baptised him before they broke his legs.Or maybe the Mormons baptised him

[Iscool]

Acts 16:15 - she was baptized,
with all her household
Acts 16:33 - he and all his family were baptized at once
1Cor 1:16 - I baptized the household of Stephanas

Hey, you're not going to get away with pulling part of a sentence out of a verse or a context and get away with it...

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.
34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

So you found one verse in the entire Bible where it didn't mention tht the entire household believed in God...

Every other incident in the scriptures concerning baptism tells us one must first believe and repent...

You ought to just quit trying...You're not going to get where you want to be...

[murron]

Couldn’t he have been baptized before he got into the predicament he was in?

[AnalogReigns]

Roman Catholic and plain Christian doctrine makes a place for those who desire baptism, but due to special circumstances (like dying on a cross) don’t receive it before death. It is considered a baptism of blood.

Jesus Himself’s words to the dying thief were worth more than all the water in the world.