Why is baptisem so importent?

[whatisthetruth1]

Hello I hope you are all doing well, I’m new and had a question. I was wondering why baptism is so important in the Catholic Church. You say it cleans you from original sin and provides grace. But yet 1 Cor 1:17-18 says

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul actually makes a distinction between the gospel and baptism, and says he was not sent to baptize. And in 1 Chor 15-14 he explains what his gospel is

“ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”

So if that is the gospel why does the Catholic Church say you must do all these other things? Also, in order to be baptized, you have to go through all these steps in the catholic church. But in acts Philip was led by the Lord to meet a man traveling on the road, he gave him the gospel, and in verses 36-38 it says

Acts 8:36-38
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

The only requirement was to just believe then he could be baptized. Why has the catholic church tacked on all these other things? I don’t understand.

 

[puzzleannie]

in both cases, Paul in his method of carrying out his ministry in general, and the deacon Phillip with the Ethiopian, they followed Christ’s injunction just before his Ascension, Go therefore and teach all nations, then baptizing them . . .
evangelization first, baptism after.
Paul is saying his specific mission is the evangelization stage, presumably leaving others, namely the presbyters of the local churches, those he ordains or those sent to the areas where his is teaching, to baptize and pastor the local churches. Phillip firsts explains the scriptures, which the subject already knows due to extensive reading, but does not understand, and only then does he baptize. The length of time required for the evangelization, the preaching and teaching stage may vary with the group or individual, but the order does not change, and remains the same today in RCIA–evangelization first, then baptism only when the candidate is ready, followed immediately by anointing with the Holy Spirit–which is always done in the NT when only baptism has been performed–and admission to the mysteries, the Eucharist.

Paul never says baptism is not necessary, merely that his specific mission upon which Christ has sent him, is to evangelize.

 

[Loml]

Jesus said ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,’. Baptism is important because Jesus told us to do it.

 

[whatisthetruth1]

The length of time required for the evangelization, the preaching and teaching stage may vary with the group or individual, but the order does not change, and remains the same today in RCIA–evangelization first, then baptism only when the candidate is ready, followed immediately by anointing with the Holy Spirit–which is always done in the NT when only baptism has been performed–and admission to the mysteries, the Eucharist

If you only receive the holy spirit after baptism then how do you explain this?

Acts 10:44-48
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
(NKJ)

verse 47 says “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

He’s asking for them to be baptized after they have already received the holy spirit. you just said this has never happened in the NT, so how is that possible? It then goes on to say

Acts 11:17
17 “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
(NKJ)

So again he affirms that you receive the **same **gift just by believing. So then why does the catholic church teach otherwise?

 

[po18guy]

First, let us look to the words of our Lord: “He who believes, and is baptized, will be saved” Mark 16:16.

If you are not baptized, you are not in the Body of Christ, but remain only an admirer.

Don’t trust your eternal salvation only to one tiny bit of the bible! Read the entire book - the Acts of the Apostles for a starter. Look at the importance of baptism throughout that book.

What did Philip teach the Ethiopian eunuch? Baptism. And that is exactly what the eunuch asked for and received (Acts 8:35-39).

Peter teaches that baptism “now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21)

Paul baptized as well, but was not one of the Twelve, and did not consider himself to be one of them, but rather a preacher.

For some reason, Baptism has been downplayed recently in some areas of Christianity.

 

[SMHW]

If you only receive the holy spirit after baptism then how do you explain this?

I think you misunderstood what Puzzleannie said…

She said that the laying on of hands (what Catholics and Orthodox refer to as Confirmation or Chrismation) in order that the candidate might receive the Holy Spirit, is administered AFTER baptism is administered. She did not not say that it is the only way a candidate might be touched by the Holy Spirit. In fact, it is only by the Spirit that one can come to Faith in the first place.

Also, the Church would say that the events recorded in Acts 10:44-48 are outside the norm. It is not usual for the full gift of the Holy Spirit to come upon those who are not yet baptized. Most likely these Gentiles received the Holy Spirit *before *baptism for the benefit of Peter and his Jewish Christian companions (so that they would welcome the Gentiles to baptism.)

 

[Carlan]

If you only receive the holy spirit after baptism then how do you explain this?

Whatisthetruth,go to Act2:33 Jesus rec’d the Holy Spirit from God’s right hand after Ascension , He then poured it out upon the crowd…Act2:38, Then Peter said, "you must reform and be Baptised.

By God’s actual grace we accept redemption by faith and then we are Baptised in the name of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.We are cleansed of original sin,made clean of sin…Justified .
Peace, Carlan

 

[po18guy]

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit even from the womb (Luke 1:15).

The prophet Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit when he went to the Temple to bless the infant Jesus (Luke 2:25-27).

We are not disciples of John. We are not Simeonites.

We are Christians.

“If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21).
“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love” (John 15:10).

If we dare to claim the Name of Christ, then we had darned better keep his commands. Our Lord Jesus commanded baptism:

“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” (Matthew 28:19).

“He who believes, and is baptized, will be saved” (Mark 16:16).

Paul did not focus on baptizing, because he was a preacher. Others did the baptizing. “Bible” Christians are also focused on the preacher - sometimes more than on Who is being preached.

Look what Paul had to say about this “cult of personality”

"What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Let us thank God that Paul was sent to preach, but let us never forget Who Paul was preaching - and then Keep our Lord’s commands.

OP: You love Jesus Christ. Keep His commands and be baptized. If your church does not baptize, run for your life. Amen.

 

[Lapey]

Hello I hope you are all doing well, I’m new and had a question. I was wondering why baptism is so important in the Catholic Church. You say it cleans you from original sin and provides grace. But yet 1 Cor 1:17-18 says

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul actually makes a distinction between the gospel and baptism, and says he was not sent to baptize. And in 1 Chor 15-14 he explains what his gospel is

“ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”

So if that is the gospel why does the Catholic Church say you must do all these other things? Also, in order to be baptized, you have to go through all these steps in the catholic church. But in acts Philip was led by the Lord to meet a man traveling on the road, he gave him the gospel, and in verses 36-38 it says

Acts 8:36-38
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

The only requirement was to just believe then he could be baptized. Why has the catholic church tacked on all these other things? I don’t understand.

Answer is quite simple, if we believe the scripture is by divine revelation and truth, then if we believe what you imply then scripture is in contradiction. If that is the case and we believe the first statement I made, then God is wrong. I personally do not believe that God is wrong.

Look further into the context of what Paul is saying, who he is saying it to, when he is saying it, and why. You will find the truth there. There is no way that what Jesus taught in Matt 28 is in conflict with what Paul is saying, so do the work and find how it fits for yourself.

This is the problem with verse memorization. One verse is of no purpose without the other, but to lead astray.

Perfect example is the Last Supper discourse. It is of no benefit without the John 6 discourse. Without the “bread of life” discourse, the last supper is simply a memorial meal God gave us to think about Jesus. I assure you that the Eucharist is much much more; it is the source and summit of our faith.

As far as the “other things” that the Catholic Church has tacked on, the Traditions we follow are the Traditions passed on from Jesus to His Apostles so if you feel they are unnecessary then you say that Jesus made them up for no reason? Why do you ask these questions? Are you testing the waters here to try to cause us to question our faith? You are apparently non-Catholic, so what’s the point? If you want truth, then we can talk. If you come to convince us and cause disbelief, you’ve come to the wrong place. These posters in this forum are firm in their faith.

I hope you have come looking for solid truth, and I pray that the Lord helps open your mind and heart to His truth, the truth that His Church teaches.

 

[puzzleannie]

If you only receive the holy spirit after baptism then how do you explain this?

?

we ordinarily receive the initial gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism, and the faith is confirmed and the gifts released in confirmation, which is why the apostles always conferred baptism on those who had received the Holy Spirit by imposition of hands, and always conferred the Holy Spirit (the sacrament we now call confirmation) on those who had only received water baptism. They recognized, as we do, that both sacraments go together according to Christ’s command to baptize in water and the Holy Spirit. Yes through time the sacraments may have become separated in time, as they sometimes were in the early days of Acts, but they are so close as to be almost one sacrament.

the passage you cite affirms, not challenges, the practice of insisting both baptism and confirmation are initiation sacraments.

 

[Carlan]

Paul actually makes a distinction between the gospel and baptism, and says he was not sent to baptize. And in 1 Chor 15-14 he explains what his gospel is

“ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”

So if that is the gospel why does the Catholic Church say you must do all these other things? Also, in order to be baptized, you have to go through all these steps in the catholic church. But in acts Philip was led by the Lord to meet a man traveling on the road, he gave him the gospel, and in verses 36-38 it says

.

What is the truth, Paul is simply saying he has come to preach not to Baptize.Preaching is his special calling. It is not that he cannot baptize or that Baptism is not necessary.
We must be baptized in Christ by the Trinity formula in order to die to sin so that we can begin to live life in Christ’s Spirit.
We become Holy as Christ is holy through the gift of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying grace. It is a life long process which leads to everlasting life.
What is Truth, I do hope you will stay with us a while,you will learn here much of what the Catholic Church really teaches.
Peace, Carlan

 

[Ignatius]

I was wondering why baptism is so important in the Catholic Church.

Because Jesus commanded it: “Go therefore, make desciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
We follow all that Christ taught and commanded.

 

[zz912]

Prior to converting and while I was still Baptist, I didn’t understand the fullness of God’s Truth. The key to your question is the understanding of what a covenant is, and then it will open up for you. It did for me when I began looking at the Church.

What is funny is you can be right next to something all you life, but never really SEE it until your see it through another’s eyes. My big awakening started when I learned that the word trstament means covenant. I always thought it meant testimony. It doesn’t, it means covenant. So Old Testament is Old Covenant, and New Testament is New Covenant. And Jesus Himself instituted this New Covenant.

So what is a covenant? A covenant is not a contract where you exchange goods and services. A covenant is where you exchange PERSONS. You become part of a family. The New Covenant is how you become part of the divine life, you become a son/daughter of God. Baptism is the way that a person is entered into this family. That is why it is so very important.

 

[Carlan]

Prior to converting and while I was still Baptist, I didn’t understand the fullness of God’s Truth. The key to your question is the understanding of what a covenant is, and then it will open up for you. It did for me when I began looking at the Church.

What is funny is you can be right next to something all you life, but never really SEE it until your see it through another’s eyes. My big awakening started when I learned that the word trstament means covenant. I always thought it meant testimony. It doesn’t, it means covenant. So Old Testament is Old Covenant, and New Testament is New Covenant. And Jesus Himself instituted this New Covenant.

So what is a covenant? A covenant is not a contract where you exchange goods and services. A covenant is where you exchange PERSONS. You become part of a family. The New Covenant is how you become part of the divine life, you become a son/daughter of God. Baptism is the way that a person is entered into this family. That is why it is so very important.

ZZ, you are another one of the Zillion reasons I love to read Catholic Answers posts.Peace, Carlan

 

[po18guy]

Prior to converting and while I was still Baptist, I didn’t understand the fullness of God’s Truth. The key to your question is the understanding of what a covenant is, and then it will open up for you. It did for me when I began looking at the Church.

What is funny is you can be right next to something all you life, but never really SEE it until your see it through another’s eyes. My big awakening started when I learned that the word trstament means covenant. I always thought it meant testimony. It doesn’t, it means covenant. So Old Testament is Old Covenant, and New Testament is New Covenant. And Jesus Himself instituted this New Covenant.

So what is a covenant? A covenant is not a contract where you exchange goods and services. A covenant is where you exchange PERSONS. You become part of a family. The New Covenant is how you become part of the divine life, you become a son/daughter of God. Baptism is the way that a person is entered into this family. That is why it is so very important.

Send this in a PM to the OP…

 

[david_friol_1]

** For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.**

I am not going to respond to every thing here but just to this quote. Just because Paul was not sent to baptize in this verse does say anything against the importance of baptism. It is just not something Paul was sent out to do here and that is it. Try not to read more into the verse than what is stated.

 

[po18guy]

Hello I hope you are all doing well, I’m new and had a question. I was wondering why baptism is so important in the Catholic Church. You say it cleans you from original sin and provides grace. But yet 1 Cor 1:17-18 says For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Do not pick and choose form what Paul said, while ignoring what Jesus Himself commanded us! Paul in no way says that baptism is not needed - only that he was sent to preach. Do you listen to Peter? What does he say? Acts 2:38 (New International Version, ©2010) 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.

Paul actually makes a distinction between the gospel and baptism, and says he was not sent to baptize. And in 1 Chor 15-14 he explains what his gospel is

CAREFUL! You are privately interpreting scripture here. Listen to Paul in Galatians 3:27 (New International Version, ©2010) “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

It is very dangerous to isolate verses of scripture and live by them. Just like Jesus’ cloak, scripture is a seamless garment. You accept all of it, or you accept none of it. When you tear a pice out, the entire fabric unravels until nothing is left.