4A: Baptism Flashcards
What did Augustine say baptism is?
a tradition received from the apostles to remove the original sin
Quote from the Council of Catharge (418CE) about baptism
“even babies […] are truly baptised for the forgiveness of sins for the purpose of cleansing by rebirth what they have received by birth”
What is the purpose of baptism?
to remove original sin
New Testament support for baptism
- Matthew 28:19: “make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”
- Acts 2:38-39: “repent and be baptised […] so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit”
- 1 Corinthians 7:14: one believing parent in a household makes the children holy
- Luke 18:15-16: “let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of god brings”
- John 3:15: “no one can enter the kingdom of god without being born of water and spirit”
- Acts 16:33: the apostles baptised ‘households’. indicates family unit, so infants are included
What Jewish rite is baptism the Christian equivalent of?
circumcision
When is circumcision performed?
8 days after birth
What happens to Christians when baptised?
they are “buried” with Jesus and “raised with him through faith in the power of god”
What is the difference between baptism and circumcision?
baptism saves, circumcision does not
What were the opinions on infant baptism in the early church?
it was uniformly practiced and was supported by all church fathers
What did Augustine believe about infant baptism?
it was something the universal church ‘always held’ and was believed to have been handed down by apostolic authority
Augustine believes that baptised infants are __________ into Christ’s body
ingrafted
What does Christ give his believers?
the grace of his spirit. he ‘secretly infuses’ it, even into infants
Who is responsible for infant baptism?
the individuals holding the child and the entire Christian community
- infants who are baptised believe not on their own account, but through the churches faith
Baptism is a sacrament. what is a sacrament?
a religious rite that imparts spiritual grace
What do North African Christians call baptism and eucharist?
baptism = salvation
eucharist = life
Apostolic tradition of baptism
“without baptism and participation at the table of our lord, it is impossible for anyone to attain either to the kingdom of god or to salvation and life eternal”
What did Augustine conclude baptism was the sacrament of?
regeneration
What did the Council of Mileum declare the reason was for infant baptism?
in order to cleanse the sins they have “contracted” from generations by regeneration
When was the Council of Mileum most reaffirmed?
the middle ages (no controversy at all, even amongst early reformers)
Who was Zwingli?
leader of the Protestant reformation in Switzerland
What did Zwingli regard baptism as?
the signs and seal of regeneration, not the means
“Baptism cannot contribute in any way to …..
the washing away of sins”
What did Zwingli believe baptism did?
seals the remission of sin by the blood of Christ, and our incorporation in Christ by faith which is produced by the holy spirit
What must parents pledge in order to guarantee divine promise for their children?
to bring them up in the christian faith
What is baptism a sign of?
belonging to the new covenant, like how circumcision is a sign of belonging to the old covenant
What are the benefits of baptism for Christians?
it is divinely instituted, effacious to aid, strengthens faith, and confers spiritual blessing
How is infant baptism usually done?
aspersion: sprinkling the water over the infants head
When were christian objections to infant baptism first voiced?
when a diverse group of radical reformers began baptising adults who had made a profession of their faith
What were the radical reformers named by their prosecutors?
Anabaptists
How did early members of the ‘anabaptists’ argue that their baptism wasn’t a ‘second baptism’?
because infant baptism was unscriptural and void. there is no NT record of infants being baptised
New Testament support for believer’s baptism
- Acts 8:35-36: Ethiopian eunich is baptised after he believes
- Acts 9:18: apostle Paul is baptised after encountering Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus
- Acts 10:44-48: peter baptises cornelius and his household after showing evidence of their faith
- Acts 16:14-15: Lydia and household are baptised after she believes
- Acts 19:5-6: disciples of John the Baptist are baptised after accepting Paul’s teaching about Jesus
- Acts 8:12: Samaritans are baptised after they believe the good news preached by Phillip
What did Catholic and Protestants interpret believers baptism as?
‘rebaptising’
What is believers baptism?
the first act of discipleship made by people of a responsible age who have turned to Jesus from their sinful way of life
When was believers baptism denounced and by who?
1547 by the Council of Trent
What did Barth think about believers baptism?
he endorsed it
What is the name of Barth’s book?
The Teaching of the Church Regarding Baptism (1948)
What does Barth state in his book?
baptism does not bring about human salvation, but bears testimony to salvation by its symbolic representation of renewal in Christ
What does Barth say baptism with water marks?
the first step of a life lived in Christ
Barth says baptism is not a sacrament, but a….
human action which acknowledges the the one true sacrament: the history of Jesus Christ
Why must baptism be a ‘free act’?
because it is a human response to gods grace. it cannot be the suggest of coercion since it makes the beginning of a life of obedience to god. coercion undermines obedience
Why did Barth believe that infant baptism is misguided?
because it is coercive. the individual being baptised is not necessarily ready/willing to take the first step that it marks
Quote from Barth about infant baptism being misguided
“it is not done in obedience […] so therefore it is necessarily clouded baptism”
Quote about Barth being aware of causing controversy
“theological and ecclesiastical isolation”
What was Moltmann’s belief about baptism?
supported Barth
What was Forsyth’s belief about baptism?
infants and believers baptism should be equally recognised
What was Cullman’s belief about baptism?
- baptism signifies both death to sin and resurrection to life of the spirit
- passive reception of gods work and does not depend upon the recipients fairh
What was Brunner’s belief about baptism?
Christ unites people in his body through baptism, regardless of age
How is believers baptism usually done?
immersion : the water covers the candidates entire body
Why is infant baptism necessary?
- salvation
- a sign of gods love
- frees the recipient from sin
Why is infant baptism problematic?
infants cannot accept the commitment of baptism
Why do the parents need to assure the Church that they will teach their baby about Christianity?
because if they don’t, the church will refuse to carry out the baptism
Why is the parents assurance to teach problematic?
infants cannot be educated, and once they’re old enough they may not accept it
Why is the role of the parents crucial in infant baptism?
because they must promise they will educate their children on Christianity. they receive instructions from the Priest to prepare for the baptism
What is believers baptism a sign of?
obedience to god.
baptism does not save you, it is a sign that you have been saved
What is the problem with the idea that baptism should be a personal choice, like how choosing to follow Jesus is a personal choice?
lays too much emphasis on personal choice and takes away the focus on gods act of salvation
Baptisms can only happen after what?
openly showing faith (sometimes have to attend classes for new Christians)
When does salvation begin?
openly showing faith (sometimes have to attend classes for new Christians)
Example to prove the baptism is not necessary for salvation
thief on the cross
What are the different symbols of baptism?
- forgiveness that is already received. the sign and seal of spiritual regeneration
- the recipient has been accepted into the church
- belonging to the new covenant
- waters of the flood: division of the lost and saved
- participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus: passing. through a ‘watery death’ to a ‘resurrected life’
Baptism is the first phase of ….
salvation
Baptism is followed by…
Eucharist
What does ‘ontological change’ mean?
a change in nature of someone’s existence. the recipients soul is changed in a way that cannot be explained through just symbolic interpretation
1 Corinthians 12:13 quote which suggests that baptism unites the recipient with Jesus
“in the one spirit we were all baptised into one body”
1 Corinthians 12:28 quote which suggests that baptism unites the recipient with the Church
“now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it”
(the Church is part of Christ’s body)
What is the role of the parents for infant baptism?
- no commitment for the infant is needed: a sacrament of gods grace to end disease of original sin
- parents must undergo instruction on meaning of baptism
- they make promises during the ceremony to raise their children in the Christian faith
- parents commitment is beside the point for the actual baptism as it is a wholly act of god effective through water
Why was infant/believers baptism important in the time Augustine was writing?
- writing towards end of classical period (354-430) but his writing informed people in the medieval times when people were being persecuted for being Christian so would denounce their faith in order to not be killed
- the presence of original sin needs to be cleansed, so infant baptism is essential
- Donatists would say those who renounced their faith would need to be baptised again to bring them back into Gods grace; Augustine would disagree because he believed once you were baptised, you have received God’s grace and it is with you forever. Gods grace will forgive you from giving up your faith
How have Roman Catholics interpreted Augustine’s writing?
- to show that the water in baptism has power (an outward sign of inward grace)
- when the water is blessed by the priest, it has the power to deliver gods grace
- grace is enacted in the water of the baptism
Quote from Augustine about baptism
“the gift of baptism, which was ordained against original sin, to remove through rebirth the taint that birth had inherited”
What time was Zwingli writing?
Protestant reformation in Switzerland
What did Zwingli believe about baptism?
- there was nothing included in the Bible about the water in Baptism being holy/effective in itself
- God’s grace is what’s important
- from the Bible it is clear that Jesus instructs us to be baptised
- Baptism cannot be in and of itself effective (as people still sin after being baptised), but God’s grace is as signified in the water
Does Zwingli believe you can be rebaptised?
No
- example: if someone were to convert from RC to Protestant, they would not need to be baptised again because Gods grace has been given already
- Zwingli also believes that infant baptism is effective because God’s grace is signified in ALL baptism
What time was Barth writing?
1948
What did Barth believe about baptism?
- followed Anabaptist teaching from the reformation
- union with Christ
- baptism mustn’t be coercive: infant baptism is coercive because they haven’t consented to it and don’t know what they are entering into
Does Barth believe in rebaptism?
Yes
- if someone has been baptised as an infant, they should be rebaptised as a consenting adult, now able to commit to a life with Christ
How is baptism important to Barth?
- the immersion is a clear sign of the union with Christ
- there is nothing effective about the act of baptism but it is the conscious understanding that is required for union with Christ
Which two traditions don’t celebrate baptism or eucharist?
Quakers and Salvation Army
