Original Sin and Infant Baptism

[Wondering26]

I could use some help. I’ll admit right off that I’m a “Protestant,” but I’m always searching for the truth, and if I find it in the Catholic Church, then that is where I need to be.

Anyhow, I’ve been studying the Catholic Church’s doctrine on Infant Baptism and why it’s necessary in light of Original Sin. As I understand it, without Infant Baptism, no baby can see heaven because of the stain passed down to him/her from Adam. Having read Romans 5:12-21, I was just about ready to say, “Hey, I understand now why we need Infant Baptism.”

But then I stumbled across Romans 7:9, in which Paul writes, “Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.” It seems to me that Paul is saying that before he came to know the law, he was spiritually alive and that it wasn’t until after he learned the law and willfully broke the commandments that he died spiritually.

So my question is…am I understanding this right? If I am…then why would infants need to be baptized? Wouldn’t they be spiritually alive, just as Paul was before he fully understood the law?

Thanks

 

[thistle]

I could use some help. I’ll admit right off that I’m a “Protestant,” but I’m always searching for the truth, and if I find it in the Catholic Church, then that is where I need to be.

Anyhow, I’ve been studying the Catholic Church’s doctrine on Infant Baptism and why it’s necessary in light of Original Sin. As I understand it, without Infant Baptism, no baby can see heaven because of the stain passed down to him/her from Adam. Having read Romans 5:12-21, I was just about ready to say, “Hey, I understand now why we need Infant Baptism.”

But then I stumbled across Romans 7:9, in which Paul writes, “Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.” It seems to me that Paul is saying that before he came to know the law, he was spiritually alive and that it wasn’t until after he learned the law and willfully broke the commandments that he died spiritually.

So my question is…am I understanding this right? If I am…then why would infants need to be baptized? Wouldn’t they be spiritually alive, just as Paul was before he fully understood the law?

Thanks

catholic.com/library/Infant_Baptism.asp
catholic.com/library/Early_Teachings_of_Infant_Baptism.asp
scripturecatholic.com/baptism.html#tradition-II

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I could use some help. I’ll admit right off that I’m a “Protestant,” but I’m always searching for the truth, and if I find it in the Catholic Church, then that is where I need to be.

Anyhow, I’ve been studying the Catholic Church’s doctrine on Infant Baptism and why it’s necessary in light of Original Sin. As I understand it, without Infant Baptism, no baby can see heaven because of the stain passed down to him/her from Adam. Having read Romans 5:12-21, I was just about ready to say, “Hey, I understand now why we need Infant Baptism.”

But then I stumbled across Romans 7:9, in which Paul writes, “Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.” It seems to me that Paul is saying that before he came to know the law, he was spiritually alive and that it wasn’t until after he learned the law and willfully broke the commandments that he died spiritually.

So my question is…am I understanding this right? If I am…then why would infants need to be baptized? Wouldn’t they be spiritually alive, just as Paul was before he fully understood the law?

Thanks

Paul is speaking of the ability for someone to commit personal sin. You are correct in thinking that an infant has no personal sin to be forgiven. An infant only has inherited Original sin from Adam’s human nature, no personal sins. It is only after the age of reason where the child has the ability to choose between right and wrong that they can personally sin. Because of Original sin infants belong only to the natural world, the world that satan roams seeking souls. They are separated from God by the Original sin of Adam. satan has full influence over that child until Grace is restored by Baptism. Anyone ever wonder why we have so many young people doing so many horrendous crimes today?

 

[mardukm]

Dear Wondering,

Welcome! Romans 7:9 is simply a statement of the Catholic Church’s teaching on invincible ignorance.

I believe that St. Paul here is speaking analogically, “I” referring to the human race before the Law came, not as if he was personally alive spiritually before the Law came, because we know that the Law came even before St. Paul was even born. Notice also that he says that “once the law CAME.” So he must certainly be referring to when the Law was first established in history - which, again, happened looooong before St. Paul was even a twinkling in the eye of his parents.

BTW, I also want to comment on your phrase “because of the stain passed down to him/her from Adam.” You must understand that the “stain” of original sin is nothing more than original sin itself, which is an inherited lack of holiness or original divine justice in our human nature. I just want to make you aware of this dogmatic definition of the Church right now because there are polemicists who might attempt to lead you away from the Church by giving you a false definition of the “stain of original sin.” They might say that this phrase means we are inheriting Adam’s sin, or his personal guilt, or that we are guilty of Adam’s personal sin. This is not what the Catholic Church teaches, so do not be deceived.

Blessings,
Marduk