Baptism Comparison
The table below sets the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Council of Trent, and the Code of Canon Law on baptism beside the teaching of Scripture. For the history and doctrine behind it, including the origin of infant baptism and its bond with civil allegiance, see Baptism in Roman Catholic Teaching.
Table RCC7
| Roman Catholic Church | Scripture |
|---|---|
| Justification. Initial justification is by means of baptism [§1262, §1263, §1264, §1265, §1266, §1267, §1268, §1269, §1270, §1271, §1272, §1273, §1274]. | Justification is by faith alone (Romans 3:28). |
| Necessity. Baptism is necessary for salvation; the Church knows no other means that assures entry into eternal beatitude [§1257, §1277; Trent, sess. 7, Baptism can. 5]. | Salvation is promised to all who believe (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). The penitent thief entered paradise unbaptized (Luke 23:43), and Paul distinguished baptism from the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). |
| Efficacy. The sacrament works ex opere operato, by the very performance of the rite [§1128]. | The sign profits through faith; baptism saves “not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21; cf. Romans 4:11). |
| Water. The water is consecrated by a prayer calling down the Holy Spirit upon it [§1238]. | The apostles baptized in ordinary water wherever it was at hand (Acts 8:36; 10:47). |
| Forgiveness. Baptism forgives original sin, all personal sins, and all punishment for sin [§1263]. | The blood of Christ, received by faith, cleanses from all sin (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:7). |
| Regeneration. Baptism is “the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word” and makes the baptized a new creature [§1213, §1265]. | The new birth is the sovereign work of the Spirit through the Word of God (John 3:8; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23), not “of the will of man” (John 1:13). |
| Faith. Infants are baptized “in the faith of the Church”; parents and godparents believe for them [§1253, §1282]. | Each person must receive Christ and believe for himself (John 1:12; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12). |
| Infants. Infants, born with original sin, must be baptized within the first few weeks of life [§1250; CIC can. 867]. | In the New Testament baptism follows hearing and believing the gospel (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 18:8); no text grounds it in the washing away of original sin. |
| Antiquity. Infant baptism is “an immemorial tradition of the Church,” possibly practiced from the apostles [§1252]. | Scripture records no explicit case of infant baptism. The earliest surviving discussion, by Tertullian (c. 200), objects to it (see Origin). |
| Minister. In case of necessity anyone, even an unbaptized person, may baptize [§1256, §1284]. | Christ gave the command to baptize to those He sent to make disciples and teach (Matthew 28:19–20). |
| Indelible Mark. Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual character, so that it can never be repeated [§1272, §1280; Trent, sess. 7, Sacraments can. 9]. | Believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit, “the earnest of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13–14; 2 Corinthians 1:22). |
| Assurance. Baptismal grace may be lost through sin, which can prevent baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation [§1272; Trent, sess. 7, Baptism can. 6]. | Those whom God justifies He also glorifies, and no one can pluck Christ’s sheep from His hand (Romans 8:30; John 10:28). |
| Membership. Baptism incorporates a person into the Church, and the baptized must “obey and submit” to the Church’s leaders and are bound by her laws [§1267, §1269; CIC cann. 11, 96]. | The church is the fellowship of believers under one Head, Christ (Acts 2:41–42; Colossians 1:18), and its elders are not to be “lords over God’s heritage” (1 Peter 5:3). |
| Compulsion. Those baptized as infants may be compelled to a Christian life by penalty, and parents who hand over their children to be baptized or raised in a non-Catholic religion are to be punished [Trent, sess. 7, Baptism can. 14; CIC can. 1367]. | “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36); “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (2 Corinthians 10:4). |
| Unbaptized Infants. The Church “can only entrust them to the mercy of God,” hoping there is a way of salvation for them [§1261]. | David was confident he would go to his child who had died (2 Samuel 12:23), and the Lord received little children (Mark 10:14). |
