The Necessity of Baptism
The Necessity of Baptism
Christ established this sacrament and declared it to be necessary.
From the time of Christ, the unequivocal teaching of the Church has been that Baptism is necessary for the salvation of men. Christ commanded Baptism as a condition of salvation, and no man-made argument can avail against the authority of Christ. Christ came to save men, and He alone has the right to dictate the conditions of salvation.
The reason Christ instituted Baptism was chiefly for the destruction of original sin and to restore the grace that was forfeited by our first parents. This destruction of original sin is necessary for us to attain our eternal salvation.
What is meant by original sin?
Original sin is the sin that all men inherit from Adam. This is distinct from actual sin, which is our own personal, deliberate transgressions against God. Original sin, however, is the state of sin in which we are born as a result of the transgression of our first parents. When Adam failed, he and his children were deprived of their supernatural destiny: he lost the gift of sanctifying grace and the right to heaven. This deprivation of grace is what we call original sin. We see this dogma taught by Paul in his Epistle to the Romans: “Wherefore,” says Paul, “as by one man entered into this world, and by sin death, and so death passed unto all men, in whom all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
On account of the sin of Adam, we, his children, come into the world deprived of sanctifying grace and we inherit his punishment. It is because of this original sin that heaven was closed to all men. Jesus Christ died on the cross to make heaven possible for us, and He instituted the Sacrament of Baptism as the means to restore to us the right to heaven that Adam lost.
In the psalms, we read David’s testimony: “In sin did my mother conceive me.” He is speaking not of his own personal sin, nor of any actual sin of his parents, but of the original sin derived from Adam and the fall, a sin handed on with human nature. Why does all mankind suffer for the sin of Adam? Because Adam was the head and representative of the whole human family. If Adam had not sinned, we would have shared in Adam’s blessings. In the same way, we all share in his guilt. The Church has always taught that Adam’s sin with all its effects was transmitted to all of mankind. This was taught explicitly by the Council of Carthage in 418, the Council of Orange in 529, and the Council of Trent in 1546.
Why Baptism?
Every new life must have a beginning, and the beginning of life we call birth. The supernatural life of grace also has a beginning, and we call that beginning baptism. Through baptism, a man is born spiritually of water and the Holy Spirit. The effect of Baptism is a “new birth” into supernatural life of grace. Baptism elevates our soul to a supernatural level, a level beyond our natural powers.
The Council of Trent describes Baptism as the instrumental cause of our justification, that is, the means used by Christ to cleanse us of guilt, fill us with the grace of divine life, and adopt us as the children of God (Sess. 6, chap. 7)
Baptism is a Sacrament.
In defining a Sacrament, there are three essential points which must be clearly understood: (1) a sacrament is a visible sign, (2) instituted by Christ, and (3) confers grace in the soul.
(1) The visible rite of Baptism is seen in the pouring of the water on the forehead, which signifies the cleansing of the soul. (2) Baptism was instituted by Christ (more on that later). (3) And Baptism confers sanctifying grace on our souls, as already discussed above.
What is “Sanctifying Grace?”
Sanctifying grace is the grace which confers on our souls a new life, that is, a sharing in the life of God Himself. Sanctifying grace is not merely a gift from God, but God Himself. St. Paul refers to this acquisition of sanctifying grace as “the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new.” Christ’s death is applied to us through our baptism: it is as though we died with Him on the cross and rose to a new life of resurrection.
When a soul receives sanctifying grace, it receives a new life, a new nature. It is this presence of God that gives the soul its new life. Without sanctifying grace the soul is without God, but when a soul is in possession of sanctifying grace – that is, in possession of God – we say that the soul is in “a state of grace.” St. Thomas, in his Summa, says that God alone can institute a Sacrament because “none but God can cause grace, since grace is nothing else than a participated likeness of the Divine Nature.” (Summa Theol., III, Q. 62, Art. 1)
Sanctifying grace is necessary for salvation because it is the supernatural life which alone enables us to attain the supernatural happiness of heaven. A soul cannot gain heaven if he is not in a state of sanctifying grace, that is, participating in the likeness of the Divine Nature.
Baptism is the only sacrament that can remit original sin. Through Baptism, we are cleansed of original sin and our souls are “born” into that new life of sanctifying grace. A soul cannot enter heaven tainted with original sin; and only baptism can remit original sin.
Baptism, then, is the remedy that God designed to destroy original sin and restore us to a life of grace, thus restoring us as heirs of heaven. It is through this new life of sanctifying grace that we become children of God, and as children of God we become heirs of heaven.
Baptism is the first sacrament that we receive; it makes us members of the Church, and makes us capable of receiving the other sacraments.
Through baptism, the soul is washed clean and becomes white as snow. All sins are remitted, including original and actual sins, and all temporal punishment due to them.
Baptism imprints an indelible sign on the soul. This character marks the soul as a Christian and cannot be removed; not even by mortal sin. This is why we can only be baptized once. The mark is on our souls permanently.. Thus, the sacrament is not repeated.
To summarize, the Catechism of Pius X beautifully defines Baptism in this clear and precise way:
“The Sacrament of Baptism confers first sanctifying grace, by which original sin is washed away, as well as all actual sin if any such exists; it remits all punishment due on account of any such sins; it imprints the character of a Christian; it makes us children of God, members of the Church, and heirs to Paradise, and enables us to receive the other sacraments.”
When did Christ institute Baptism?
The Sacrament of Baptism was instituted by Christ at the moment that He was baptized by John. The baptism of John did not give Christ the life of grace; He already possessed that in full by virtue of His nature as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus Christ was not baptized by John for His own sake, but for our sake. This is an important distinction to understand, for far too many modern theologians unfortunately twist this point. Nothing was revealed or manifested to Jesus at His baptism; the revelation was for us.
When the waters of John’s baptism touched Christ, at that moment the water was itself sanctified and received the power, through Christ, to sanctify souls. The power of water to give grace to men’s souls comes from Christ’s passion – that is, His death and Resurrection. Even though the sacrament of Baptism was instituted at the baptism of Christ by John, the sacrament was not to be administered to men until after Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ did not order His Apostles to baptize men until after He had risen. From that time on, baptism is a necessary means to salvation: “for unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” (John 3:5)
Where is Baptism in the Bible?
Christ Instructing Nicodemus
Matthew 3:13-17.
As we have already established, Jesus Christ received the baptism of John. First, it is important to understand that John’s baptism differed from the Sacrament of Baptism. Second, it is also important to understand that Jesus is sinless and has no need for John’s baptism, but He nevertheless submits Himself to the rite. Jesus performs Old Covenant regulations to fulfill and perfect them in the New. Jesus’ baptism prefigures the Sacrament of Baptism.
Jesus was baptized with water to signify the effects of Baptism whereby the soul is cleansed; the descent of the Spirit shows the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted; and the voice of the Father shows the recipient is adopted as a beloved child of God.
John 3:1-5
We have here a clear statement from Christ himself of the importance and necessity of baptism, in which he stresses to Nicodemus that Baptism is a “new birth” and this new birth is necessary to enter the Kingdom of God. The Greek word used here can mean either “again” or “from above.” Nicodemus thinks Jesus means “again,” as though Jesus is requiring that men physically be born again to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus is misunderstanding. What Jesus means is a spiritual rebirth “from above.” This Greek expression always means “from above” when it is used elsewhere in the book of John (3:31, 19:11, 23).
Matthew 28:19
After His resurrection, Jesus commanded His Apostles to go into the whole world and “baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” His commission to the Apostles included this explicit command to Baptize because the administration of the sacraments is essential to the Church’s mission.
Mark 16:16
This is Mark’s version of the Great Commission. In his account, Mark stresses that the apostles must spread the faith by evangelizing and administering the sacraments:
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Acts 2:38
Peter concluded his sermon on Pentecost with this admonition to hearers: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Here, and elsewhere, Peter insists that Baptism is the sacrament that brings us salvation.
Acts 22:16
“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” Baptism signifies on the body what it accomplishes in the soul – the washing away of human sin.
1 Peter 3:20-21
“...in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, 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,”
This is an incredibly clear statement that Baptism brings us salvation, not only as a sign of forgiveness and renewal, but an instrument of grace that actually regenerates. The Greek word translated as “corresponds” means “the fulfillment of a type.” The flood is a type of Baptism: the raging waters that cleansed the earth of wickedness prefigure the sacramental waters that cleanse the believer of sin. Peter also makes it clear by saying “not as removal of dirt” that he is not talking about the actual washing of the body that could be misunderstood, but the Sacrament of Baptism because its effects are on the soul.
Gal 3:26-27
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” The gift of sonship once possessed in part by Israel is now granted in full to all nations united with Christ through faith and Baptism.
Titus 3:5-7
“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, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.”
Paul links the idea of regeneration with a baptismal washing that cleanses us of sin and gives us a new birth into the family of God. He is saying that the washing of the body as an efficacious sign of the invisible work of the Spirit, whose action in the sacrament renews and renovates our souls with divine grace.
What did the Early Church say about Baptism?
The Catholic faith has been handed on from generation to generation. Jesus taught the Apostles directly, and then the apostles taught their own disciples. Those disciples went on to teach the next generation. This is what we call tradition. The Latin root word of tradition is tradere, it means “to hand over,” or “to pass along.” St. Paul uses this term in one of his epistles: “Tradidi enim vobis in primis quod et accepi...” — I delivered to you that which I also received.
That is why we use this adjective, traditional, to define our faith. It reminds us that we stand with the faith that was given to us by Jesus Christ and passed down to us by the Apostles, popes, and bishops.
By reading the writings of those in the early Church, we can know what they believed and taught. It is what was passed on to them from the previous generation, and what was passed on by them to the next generation. For this reason, it benefits us to examine what the early Church had to say about baptism.
Justin Martyr
First Apology, A.D. 148-151
Whoever is convinced and believes that what they are taught and told by us is the truth, and professes to be able to live accordingly, is instructed to pray and to beseech God in fasting for the remission of their former sins, while we pray and fast with them. Then they are led by us to a place where there is water; and there they are reborn in the same kind of rebirth in which we ourselves were reborn: in the name of God, the Lord and Father of all, and of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they receive the washing with water. For Christ said, “Unless you be reborn, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” …. The reason for doing this, we learned from the Apostles.”
Tertullian
A.D. 203
“Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life...”
“Without baptism, salvation is attainable by none”
Hippolytus
A.D. 217
“Perhaps someone will ask, ‘What does it conduce unto piety to be baptized?’ In the first place, that you may do what has seemed good to God; in the next place, being born again by water unto God so that you change your first birth, which was from concupiscence, and are able to attain salvation, which would otherwise be impossible. For thus the [prophet] has sworn to us: ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you are born again with living water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ Therefore, fly to the water, for this alone can extinguish the fire. He who will not come to the water still carries around with him the spirit of insanity for the sake of which he will not come to the living water for his own salvation”
Cyril of Jerusalem
Catechetical Lectures, A.D. 350
“If any man does not receive baptism, he does not have salvation. The only exception is the martyrs, who even without water will receive the kingdom.”
Pope Siricius
Letter to Himerius 3, A.D. 385
“It would tend to the ruin of our souls if, from our refusal of the saving font of baptism to those who seek it, any of them should depart this life and lose the kingdom and eternal life.”
Augustine of Hippo
Forgiveness and the Just Deserts of Sin, and the Baptism of Infants, A.D. 412
“[According to] apostolic tradition…. the churches of Christ hold inherently that without baptism and participation at the table of the Lord it is impossible for any man to attain either to the kingdom of God or to salvation and life eternal. This is the witness of Scripture too”
Pope Leo 1
Letters 15:10, A.D. 445
“And because of the transgression of the first man, the whole stock of the human race was tainted; no one can be set free from the state of the old Adam save through Christ’s sacrament of baptism.”
Does this mean that those who are unbaptized are damned to hell?
The Catholic Church does not condemn everyone to hell who has not been baptized with water. The ordinary means of salvation is by the Sacrament of Baptism, yet there are two cases in which God can supply the grace usually given by Baptism without the actual sacramental rite.
(1) Baptism by Blood: If an unbaptized person dies as a martyr for Christ, he is credited with Baptism of blood. The expression entered the Christian vocabulary during the first three centuries when many catechumens awaiting baptism, and pagans suddenly converted to the Christian faith, were martyred before they could receive formal baptism of water.
To quote John Chrysostom, A.D. 387:
“Do not be surprised that I call martyrdom a baptism, for here too the Spirit comes in great haste and there is the taking away of sins and a wonderful and marvelous cleansing of the soul, and just as those being baptized are washed in water, so too those being martyred are washed in their own blood.”
And Cyprian of Carthage in A.D. 253:
“Catechumens who suffer martyrdom are not deprived of the sacrament of baptism. Rather, they are baptized with the most glorious and greatest baptism of blood, concerning which the Lord said that he had another baptism with which he himself was to be baptized [Luke 12:50]”
And Cyril of Jerusalem in A.D. 350:
“If any man does not receive baptism, he does not have salvation. The only exception is the martyrs, who even without water will receive the kingdom.
. . . For the Savior calls martyrdom a baptism, saying, ‘Can you drink the cup which I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized [Mark 10:38]?
(2) Baptism of Desire: this counts for the man who repents of his sins and dies with the sincere will to do God’s will, yet who, through no fault of his own, does not realize the necessity of actual Baptism by water, or is unable to receive it. For example, if a man knows nothing of Christianity, and is ignorant of it through no fault of his own, he can at least repent of his personal sins against his conscience, and desire to do the right thing. God gives every man the actual graces needed to do this. If this man knew that he should receive Baptism, he would have. This sincere desire to do all that God requires implicitly includes the desire of Baptism, and God can grant sanctifying grace. Thus, such a man could be saved.
To illustrate this by use of a true story: On May 15, 392, the young Western Roman Emperor Valentinian II was found dead in the imperial residence at Vienne in southern Gaul. Although his death was made to look like a suicide, it was widely believed that he was murdered. A public hostility between Valentinian and a man named Arbogast was well known. It was St. Ambrose who gave the funeral oration. Valentinian had intended to receive baptism from St. Ambrose, but he had died without it. Did Ambrose despair at his salvation because he died without the sacrament? No – on the contrary, St. Ambrose said the desire for the sacrament supplied the required grace.
“But I hear that you grieve because he did not receive the sacrament of baptism. Tell me: What else is in your power other than the desire, the request? But he even had this desire for a long time, that, when he should come into Italy, he would be initiated, and recently he signified a desire to be baptized by me, and for this reason above all others he thought that I ought to be summoned. Has he not, then, the grace which he desired; has he not the grace which he requested? And because he asked, he received, and therefore is it said: 'By whatsover death the just man shall be overtaken, his soul shall be at rest.’ (Wisdom 4:7)”
St. Thomas Aquinas actually uses this quotation from St. Ambrose in his own defense of Baptism of Desire. He says:
“A man can obtain salvation without being actually baptized, on account of his desire for Baptism, which desire is the outcome of "faith that worketh by charity," whereby God, Whose power is not tied to visible sacraments, sanctifies man inwardly. Hence Ambrose says of Valentinian, who died while yet a catechumen: "I lost him whom I was to regenerate: but he did not lose the grace he prayed for" (STh III. Q. 68. Art. 2)
Both Baptism of Blood and Baptism of Desire are doctrines of the Fathers of the Church.
One of the biggest Protestant objections to Baptism is the example of The Good Thief.
Two men were crucified at the same time as Jesus, one on his right and one on his left.
The Gospel of Luke relates:
And one of those robbers who were hanged, blasphemed him, saying: If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art condemned under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.
Many know him as the good thief, but some call him the penitent thief, and I think this is a more fitting title.
Thomas Aquinas wrote:
“The words of The Lord (This day ... in paradise) must therefore be understood not of an earthly or corporeal paradise, but of that spiritual paradise in which all may be, said to be, who are in the enjoyment of the divine glory. Hence to place, the thief went up with Christ to heaven, that he might be with Christ, as it was said to him: "Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise"; but as to reward, he was in Paradise, for he there tasted and enjoyed the divinity of Christ, together with the other saints.”
Catholics and Protestants agree that the good thief went to heaven by a special privilege; that his faith and confession were rewarded with the forgiveness of his sins and entrance into heaven immediately after death. However, Protestants claim that this example in Scripture shows that salvation comes from faith alone – after all, the thief on the cross was never baptized and he didn’t do any “good works” to receive his reward of salvation, yet he was saved.
It is worth mentioning these points:
(1) This good thief seems to have been catechized on some level. Somehow, he knew that Jesus was innocent, he recognized that Jesus was Lord, and he knew that Jesus was going to His kingdom after he died, something Jesus made clear only to his disciples (Matthew 13:11, Jesus tells his disciples: “Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: but to them it is not given.”) Many theologians have wondered: was this good thief a fallen away disciple of Christ?
(2) The thief lived and died under the Old Covenant. The Sacrament of Baptism as we know it in the New Covenant was not fully in place until after Jesus died and rose from the dead.
(3) As pointed out above, there are cases in which individuals can be saved outside the baptism of water. These cases are not the ordinary means of salvation, they are unusual and extreme, and yet the Church does teach that men can be saved through baptism of blood and baptism of desire. Although we are bound to God’s sacraments, God is not. He can give the grace of salvation in extraordinary ways when circumstances preclude receiving that grace through the ordinary means..
In any case, the thief demonstrates beautiful acts of faith, hope, and love. The thief’s faith is evident when, although Christ was hanging on the Cross like a criminal, he believes Him to be the King of Kings. The thief demonstrates his hope by seeking to be admitted into Christ’s kingdom. And finally, the thief demonstrates his love by rebuking the blasphemy of his companion. The thief did not do nothing – rather, he heroically confessed and defended the innocence of Christ, something even the Apostles feared to do as they fled and deserted Christ. Both of these charitable actions -- his confession and his defense -- qualify as “good works.”
St. Ambrose beautifully points out that while the Cross was a great scandal to others, the thief believed in Christ while He was on the Cross, and this is a great grace. The thief saw Christ bleeding from his gaping wounds and was not scandalized; he recognized Christ’s innocence. Ambrose says, “[The thief] understood that for the sins of others Christ bore these wounds. He knew that those wounds on the body of Christ were not the wounds of Christ, but of the thief, and he therefore began to love Him more when, on the Body of Christ, he had recognized his own wounds.” Ambrose goes on to say, “Great and wonderful, indeed, is that faith which believed that Christ crucified was glorified rather than punished. For in this was the form of his whole salvation.”
The Penitent Thief recognized Christ as God. He was penitent, meaning he was sorry for his sins, and in an outpouring of love he came to Christ’s defense. He then cried out in hope that His Lord would bring him to His Kingdom. In this way, the thief fits the criteria for Baptism of Desire, and this story of the good thief, demonstrated in the Gospel, does not in any way conflict with Catholic teaching on the necessity of Baptism for salvation.
