According to Roman Catholic theology, sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification (Catechismus concil. Trident., II, n. 4, ex S. August “De catechizandis rudibus”).

According to the teaching of the Catholic Church,… the sacraments of the Christian dispensation are not mere signs; they do not merely signify Divine grace, but in virtue of their Divine institution, they cause that grace in the souls of men…The Council of Trent solemnly defined that there are seven sacraments of the New Law, truly and properly so called, viz., baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, orders, and matrimony. ¹

Most of the sacraments can only be administered by ordained Roman Catholic Church (RCC) priests or bishops. There is still controversy in the RCC about how sacraments confer grace, but it is accepted that they do. I will examine two of the sacraments, baptism and Holy Communion or the Eucharist. This article will focus on baptism. The next one will address the Eucharist.

Water baptism is the gateway into membership in the RCC. The church practices infant baptism to remove the stain of original sin. It was believed that infants who die without being water baptized could not go to heaven but went to a kind of halfway station called limbo, but that doctrine has been officially abandoned as of 1992, when the term was removed from the catechism. This instability regarding doctrine will always happen when the Bible is not our basis for truth.

According to RCC doctrine, water baptism accomplishes five things.

1. It forgives all sins that may have been committed prior to a person’s baptism including original sin, mortal sins, and venial sins, and it relieves the punishment for those sins.
2. It makes the newly baptized person “a new creature.”
3. It turns the person into a newly adopted son of God and a member of Christ. Baptism incorporates a person into the Church, which is the body of Christ.
4. It brings someone into the flock of the faithful and brings them to share in the royal priesthood of Christ (1 Pet. 2:9-10). Catholic baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers and it also brings about the sacramental bond of the unity of Christians. Paragraph 1271 of the Catechism says it best:
   Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church: “For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they, therefore, have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. Baptism, therefore, constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn.”
5. Last, but certainly not least, baptism leaves an indelible spiritual mark (character) of belonging to Christ on the soul. Nothing you can do will take away this mark even if you sin a million times. Those sins may prevent you from being open to the salvation God offers through baptism, but you will always carry the mark of a Christian on your soul, therefore making re-baptism impossible. ²

Let’s examine these points from a biblical perspective. I will show how Roman Catholic theology conflates the three baptisms found in the Bible into water baptism, which is largely what causes the confusion.

There is only one remedy for sin – the blood of our Lord Jesus.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7 (NASB95) —

His one sacrifice forgave all sins for all time for those who put their faith and allegiance in Christ.

With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Hebrews 9:12 (NLT) —

To say that water baptism removes sin gives water more power than Christ’s blood.

A way to clear up this confusion is to understand that the Bible teaches that there are three baptisms: into the body of Christ, into water, and into the Holy Spirit. I cover these in more detail in other articles. You can click on the previous links connected with each type above to read more. Here I will give a short summary.

Baptism into the Body of Christ

The baptism into the body of Christ takes place at the new birth.

The Holy Spirit performs this baptism and plunges us into Christ, whereby we become one with him and other believers in what is called the Body of Christ or the church.

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 (NASB95) —

This baptism is what saves us. Our sins are forgiven. We are made right with God and given eternal life via the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is an invisible baptism done by the Spirit. The medium is Christ, and the evidence is a changed life. This baptism makes us “new creatures” in Christ.

When a person becomes a Christian, or is born again and baptized into the Body of Christ, God seals us with his Holy Spirit.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13–14 (NASB95) —

This seal is a permanent mark identifying us as belonging to Christ. Water baptism does not do this, but the new birth does. We are sealed because Christ purchased us with his own blood.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts 20:28 (NASB95) —

For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NASB95) —

The idea that we are permanently marked by water baptism but do not permanently belong to God is a strange doctrine.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB95) —

In conclusion, the baptism into the body of Christ is a spiritual baptism performed by the Holy Spirit at the time of the new birth and is what makes us a child of God.

Baptism into Water

Baptism into water is our declaration of faith and allegiance in Christ before witnesses.

It is meant to take place after we confess Jesus as Lord, which is why it is called believer’s baptism. There is absolutely no evidence in the New Testament that supports infant baptism, which is a syncretistic rite extrapolated from Old Covenant circumcision. Water baptism is a public and formal confessing of Christ as Lord, much as public wedding vows consecrate a marriage. Couples may privately pledge mutual fidelity to each other, but public vows are much better because they are before witnesses who will hold us accountable.

Water baptism “saves” us in the sense that it is an act of obedience to our Lord whereby we confess him publicly before witnesses. This salvation is part of our sanctification, about which I have written elsewhere. The confession of Christ as Lord is what eternally saves us, not the water baptism that is meant to immediately follow. If water baptism actually saved us in the eternal sense, the apostle Paul would certainly have majored on it. However, Paul did not focus on water baptism, but on the preaching of the gospel message.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. 1 Corinthians 1:17 (NASB95) —

Water baptism is an important act of obedience, but not the source of forgiveness or eternal life.

It is performed by another believer in water. The evidence, quite naturally, is getting wet, since the meaning of the word from the Greek root word, bapto, is to be submerged. In biblical Christianity, water baptism is regarded as an ordinance, something Christ commanded, rather than a sacrament.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is performed by Christ himself upon any child of God into the Holy Spirit. Its purpose is to equip and empower us to be his witnesses. The evidence of receiving this baptism is speaking in tongues and prophecy.

John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:16 (NASB95) —

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4–5 (NASB95) —

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT) —

All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” Acts 10:45–47 (NASB95) —

When one comes to an understanding of the three baptisms, it clears up much of the confusion associated with trying to make water baptism actually save us in the eternal sense.

The RCC doctrine that water baptism clears away all sin led some to delay receiving it until just before death in order to enter heaven with a “clean slate.” This doctrine flies in the face of the Bible’s teaching that Christ’s one sacrifice provided forgiveness once and for all. Justification declares that we are not guilty before God, having received Christ’s very own righteousness as a free gift.

By attempting to make water baptism more than it really is, it shifts the focus from faith in Christ to the act of receiving the sacrament.

It also makes people dependent upon the church for salvation instead of upon our Lord directly. This is a recurrent problem with RCC theology, which tends to keep people permanently in bondage to extra- or non-biblical doctrines of men (or demons – 1 Timothy 4:1). The Lord came to set people free.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT) —

 

¹ https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/sacraments

² https://www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/a-guide-to-catholic-baptism/