EPHRIAM777:
Eph replies…
Well in context from Acts we see that the ones that “heard” the word and had faith were Baptised…Since no one can really teach a 5 day old baby from God’s word…this can’t mean infant baptism…
Infants that young don’t understand words or any language yet…! Let alone the Gospel of Jesus Christ…So obviously this is speaking of “all” that heard the word and understood what was being said and taught to them…!
Thus we MUST conclude all that were old enough to understand the Gospel were Baptised…!
Baptism IS important but one thing we all must remember is…people don’t go to hell for not being Baptised…
People go to hell for NON Faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior…!
The ancient Catholic Church begs to differ with your understanding.
Jesus said to let the little children come to Him. It was the Apostles themselves that taught the church what Jesus had taught them by sending the Holy Spirit to help them remember all the He taught them so they could pass it on.
Our beloved St. Peter says (1Peter 3: 18-22) "For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who had gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers subject to him.
St. Irenaeus in his writing
Against Heresies (A.D. 180-199)
“He came to save all through Himself, - all, I say, who through Him are reborn in God, -
infants and children and youths and old men. Therefore He passed through every age,
becoming an infant for infants, sanctifying infants; a child for children, sanctifying those who are of that age and at the same time becoming for them an example of piety, of righteousness afnd of submission…”
St. Hippolytus of Rome (A.D 235) wrote a detailed explanation of the Rite of Baptism. Here is some of it.
"At dawn a prayer shall be offered over the water. Where there is no scarsity of water the stream shall flow through the baptismal font or pour into it from above; but if water is scarce, whether as a constant condition or on occasion, then use whatever water is available.
Let them remove their clothing.
Baptise first the children; and if they can speak for themselves, let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives (godparent) speak for them."
Origen(A.D. 185 - 253/254) “Every soul that is born into the flesh is soiled by the filth of wickedness and sin. … And if it should seem necessary to do so, there may be added to the aforementioned considerations the fact that in the Church, Baptism is given for the remission of sins; and according to the usage of the Church,
Baptism is given even to infants. And indeed if there were nothing in infants which required a remission of sins and nothing in them pertinent to forgiveness, the grace of Baptism would seem superfluous.”
St. Gregory of Nazianz A.D. 330-389) "Do you have an infant child? Allow no opportunity; rather,
let the infant be sanctified from childhood.
From this most tender age let him be consecrated by the Spirit. So you fear the seal because of the weakness of nature? O what a pusillanimous mother and of how little faith! …
Give your child the Trinity, the great and noble Protector."
Do I need to go on? Your interpretation is clearly defective as the Church that was taught by the great Aposltes clearly understood that infants were to receive Christ’s promise in Baptism.
