Baptism and 1 Corinthians 1:17

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I’m a Protestant investigating the Catholic faith, sincerely looking for the truth. In investigating, I’ve been looking at both Protestant and Catholic apologetics. While I’ve found that the Catholics usually “win” these interior debates of mine, I’m still bothered by a few nagging questions. This is one of them: In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul states, “for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” If baptism is the “sacrament of faith” whereby we receive forgiveness, why did Paul downplay it so much? Doesn’t this support the protestant view that baptism is not necessary for salvation? Am I misunderstanding something about the Catholic view here?
 
Sorry, but I’d really like an answer, so I’m bumping this up. Is that against the rules?
 
Hi!!
No, it’s not against the rules…It’s just very late, & a lot of regulars aren’t around.
Have you checked the Catholic Answers Library?? They have a whole section on the sacraments, including baptism. Once you have read them, you can try reposting when there are more people around to answer…
Or just give this another bump.
(This is not a question that I am qualified to speak to; I am just the “Methodist-in-residence”, who needs to go to bed, but prefers to stay up & play with the computer).
Good luck & God bless.
 
Yeah, I just looked at the clock. Didn’t realize how late it was. Seemed like these boards were on fire just a few moments ago, but I guess that was probably an hour or two ago.
 
There are a couple of thoughts on this. First,

Sent me not to baptize, but; that is, according to Semitic idiom, “not so much to baptize, as” (Matt. 28:19). The word “sent” (apesteilen) involves the meaning “made me an apostle” (apostolos). The primary function of the apostles was “to bear witness” (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8, etc.), not to baptize.

Paul is not minimizing baptism; rather, he is asserting that his God-given task was primarily to preach. Jesus (Jn 4:2) and Peter (Ac 10:48) also had others baptize for them.
 
In this setting Paul is addressing a problem in the church at Corinth. Some of those Christians were inordinately enamored with the person who had immersed them – even to the point of adopting the baptizer’s name as a religious appellation (vv. 12-13). In view of such a perversion, the apostle was thankful that he had personally immersed only a few of these people (vv. 14-16). It was within that context that Paul said: “For Christ sent me not to baptize.” The word “baptize” here denotes “to administer the rite” of baptism (J.H. Thayer, Greek Lexicon, p. 94). Paul was not sent to be an administrator of baptism; his primary mission was to proclaim the gospel. But the inspired apostle was not disassociating baptism from the gospel; rather, he was suggesting that no special adoration was to be attached to the one administering the rite.

by Wayne Jackson
 
I agree with awalt, I don’t think he is minimizing baptism, but explaining the gift of the holy spirit which is given to him. He personally is given the gift of ministering, and speaking the Words of the Gospel. Try Romans 12:
Epistle Of Saint Paul To The Romans Chapter 12:
Lessons of Christian virtues.
1 I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God. 3*** For I say, by the grace that is given me,*** to all that are among you, not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety, and according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith. 4 For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office: 5 So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 And having different gifts, according to the grace that is given us, either prophecy, to be used according to the rule of faith; 7 Or ministry, in ministering; or he that teacheth, in doctrine; 8 He that exhorteth, in exhorting; he that giveth, with simplicity; he that ruleth, with carefulness; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Hating that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good. 10 Loving one another with the charity of brotherhood, with honour preventing one another.
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Thanks. Your responses certainly helped.
I received some private messages in response to this thread from a non-Catholic member of this forum, offering several scriptures in support of a faith before baptism requirement in the New Testament. Does the Catholic Church teach that you can be baptized without professing faith (after the age of reason)? It’s not been my experience that this is the case. It would seem to me that both Catholics and Protestants view baptism as the sacrament of faith, but that Catholics place a more mystical than symbolic importance on it. By the “baptism of desire,” though, even Catholicism acknowledges that one can be saved without baptism. To deliberately not be baptized, though, would be disobedience to God. I don’t see how any “saved” person, regardless of the strength of their so-called faith would deliberately disobey God like that. I would also think that if baptism were only symbolic (and therefore, in many ways, culture-bound), why would such a big deal be made of it in the New Testament? I’m still working out my issues with infant baptism, but I’m unsatisfied by the “it’s not explicitly stated in the Bible” argument.
 
Does the Catholic Church teach that you can be baptized without professing faith (after the age of reason)?
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A habitual desire at least is required to receive baptism. the worthy reception of sacrament, requires an inner disposition, which must comprehend with at least faith(mk16,16) and sorrow for sins comitted(acts2,38, 3:19)

Fundamentals of Catholic dogma. Dr Ludwig Ott.
 
Hi Mickey,

This is the article that convinced me when I was still searching! However, when I clicked on your link, it took me to the Greek Orthodox site but with an error message.

In case anyone wants to find it, click on Our Faith, then Sacraments, then Infant Baptism.

Again, it’s a great article for anyone interested in the subject

Grace and peace,
Gene
 
Hi Kristina,

I thought you might want to put the Corinthians verse in the context of these verses:

Matthew 28: 18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16: 15-16
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Acts 2: 37-39
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

1 Peter 3: 18-22
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also–not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Romans 6: 1-4
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Colossians 2: 9-12
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Galatians 3: 26-29
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Grace and peace,
Gene
 
Kristina,

Also, here are some quotations from the Catechism regarding baptism:

Paragraph 14

Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men. First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One).

The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).

Paragraph 784

On entering the People of God through faith and Baptism, one receives a share in this people’s unique, priestly vocation:

“Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among men, has made this new people ‘a kingdom of priests to God, his Father.’ The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.”

Paragraph 804

One enters into the People of God by faith and Baptism. “All men are called to belong to the new People of God” (LG 13), so that, in Christ, “men may form one family and one People of God” (AG 1).

Paragraph – 977

Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.”

Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that “we too might walk in newness of life.”

Paragraph 2017

The grace of the Holy Spirit confers upon us the righteousness of God. Uniting us by faith and Baptism to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us sharers in his life.

Paragraph 846

How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

"Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church.

He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door.

Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it."

Grace and peace,
Gene
 
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blackfish152:
here is the above link that didnt seem to work when I tried it.
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Thank you for correcting the link. I don’t know what happened. :confused:

%between%
 
Gene C. has posted a beautifully complete answer.

In general, Catholics do not isolate individual bible verses. We interpret the bible in its entirety and we have found tremendous riches in the themes and types that run throughout.

Again, Gene C. has given you a clear, persuasive answer.

Maybe I’m generalizing here, and I probably am, but it seems to me that Catholics are more prone to include the words of Jesus himself in their biblical citations, while non-Catholics seem very focused on the Pauline letters.
 
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