1Cor. 7:14

[jmc66]

1Cor 7:14- The Unbelieving husband is consencrated by his believing wife;the unbelieving wife is consencrated by her believing husband.If it were otherwise,your children should be unclean;but as it is,they are holy.

I am putting together my own little apologetics paper together to have a little dicussion with my Mother-in-law and her Mother who have a big problem with Catholic beliefs. I am working on Infant Baptism now and this verse was used for showing the role of anothers faith in that baptism. I know they are going to say that if you cant profess or know what you are doing than it means nothing.I know its probably really simple and right in front of me, but I dont see the connection with this verse. Please pray for me as I share our faith with the In-Laws and hopefully open my Wifes heart to the ONE TRUE CHURCH. By the way she is not Anti-Catholic in any way. And has no objections to having our 3 kids Baptized in the Faith. (Hopefully very soon)

 

[blackfish152]

I know they are going to say that if you cant profess or know what you are doing than it means nothing

Not quite so, I hope you will point out t them. Remember we are people of the New Covenant, the fuilfilment of the Old covenant. We are a spiritual family, in Christ, in His Church, His body.

In the old Cov, first born kids were saved from death, by the whole passover meal and application of the lambs blood to the door post. The little kids did nothing to save themselves, but one would be foolish to say that what happened for them meant nothing.

This single fact gave me a strong belief, that God can use others, parents/midwives/etc… to initiate us on the road to salvation-baptism.

Similarly the cicumcision means nothing to the kid (except a lot of pain I imagine) but in reality it meant the entry into the family, the covenant-and that means a lot. IT means salvation.

Baptism is simply the new covenant way of making a circumcision, opening the door for the Holy spirit, deliver us from original sin, just like jewish babies were delivered from the angel of death that night in egypt.

1Cor 7:14- The Unbelieving husband is consencrated by his believing wife;the unbelieving wife is consencrated by her believing husband.If it were otherwise,your children should be unclean;but as it is,they are holy.

The quotation you provide shows how a family members faith can lead to salvation for others. This may refer to baptism. or possibly it refers to showing an example, which will lead to conversion ??

It is a very interesting quotation and I cant wait to see what others have to say about it.

 

[blackfish152]

PS— I will also remember them in my prayers, and will I remember your efforts to explain the faith, and infant baptism, also.

God bless you.

 

[Todd_Easton]

You might also try mentioning the miracles of healing Jesus performed on children based on the faith of their parents, such as the story of the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel (Matt 15:21-28) or of servants based on the faith of their masters, such as the story of the centurion with the sick servant (Matt 8:5-13), and connect these with Baptism, the ultimate miracle of healing.

I don’t know if this will help since the Catholic Church does not recognize it as a vaild practice but in 1 Cor 15:29 Paul mentions baptism by proxi for the dead. In this case not only is baptism performed for one who cannot speak for himself (the dead) based on the faith of the proxi but performed on the proxi as well.

 

[blackfish152]

I don’t know if this will help since the Catholic Church does not recognize it as a vaild practice but in 1 Cor 15:29 Paul mentions baptism by proxi for the dead. In this case not only is baptism performed for one who cannot speak for himself (the dead) based on the faith of the proxi but performed on the proxi as well.

“Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?”

in this sense is baptism to be understood by a penance, being imposed on a person on behalf of the deceased? Thus kinda supporting a purgatory realm?