Baptismal Grace

Chapter Five

BAPTISMAL GRACE

What is the merit of baptism?

Evidently baptism is an act in the material world. Has it got any spiritual significance? Does it do any spiritual regeneration? This is what is commonly termed as baptismal grace. Does the act of baptism confer any spiritual merit or grace beyond the symbolic declaration of faith and consequential strengthening of faith? Evidently any open declaration and confession of faith produces strengthening of faith. This is why we have witnessing sessions as part of fellowship. Has baptism any magic power? Yes, says both the Roman Catholics and Cults including legalistic Pentecostals.

Roman Catholic Church teaches that baptism is a work of merit, i.e., the act itself merits salvation whether any faith exists behind the act or not. The official Catholic approach is that baptism need not be an act of faith at all and an unbeliever who so desires may be validly baptized even though he have no faith provided the proper formula and mode are employed and the recipient need not even be conscious when he is baptized. Baptize any person unconscious and dying it will lead to salvation. A miscarried fetus or embryo, no matter how small, must always be baptized - absolutely if certainly alive, conditionally if doubtfully alive. The general rule is, of course, that a child should not be baptized until fully born. But if there is a danger that the child will die of suffocation, or from some other cause before complete delivery, it should be baptized on the first available members. All these legalism arise from the concept of the miraculous power of the baptismal ceremony for salvation. Original Sin that every man inherits from Adam is washed away by Baptism. The people who stand behind the regenerative power of baptism demands baptism as a prelude to entry into the Kingdom.

But there are several Pentecostal churches that teach the same thing. They also argue that baptism is necessary for salvation though unlike the Catholics they will agree that it not sufficient. What we are concerned here is whether it is necessary or not. It is necessary if it has some merit by which it washes away the sins. The usual approach is "Jesus said so, therefore it is necessary" is again being as legalistic as the Catholic Church. We have actually seen that Jesus did not say that. We cannot accept this unless we attribute some magic powers for the ritual. Clearly a ritual act of baptism on a non-believer does nothing to him. (The same group will disregard the sacramental grace and the Trans-substantiation of the Bread and Wine even though Jesus said "This is my body" an "This is my blood" when it was instituted.) . We take bath almost everyday. Those who live near a river or having a swimming pool in their backyard take bath by immersion. All Namboothirees have this bath ritual as part of their everyday life. They do not save them. What makes baptism different? Is it the magical words "In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit"? That is the declaration of the Roman Catholic Church. Is there magic spiritual power in those chants? The Hindus believe that chants properly administered will force God to comply. (There are many adepts who considers God as a person and therefore will certainly object to this hard and fast statement) This is because the Hindu god is really a force and not a person. God then is under a law and is forced to act in a given way. Are we moving towards that?

Yet every ritual and sacrament has a grace - not because of any magical relation between the rite and the benefits but because every symbol produce a change; every physical act has its effect in the spiritual realm - a mental and spiritual personal effect and a social effect. We are coming to realize how important the spoken words are, and the atmosphere and aroma and music etc are. What makes the difference? Thus given the right communication channels from the flesh to the spirit; through these varying dimensions it can lead to grace and to greater faith and even salvation. In the believer’s baptism, the faith of the person is confirmed and enhanced to produce a change. It is equivalent to a confession and prayer by the one being baptized. In the case of the infants the prayers of the parents are answered. If prayers of the believer have any effect, the infant baptism will result in a grace and materialization of the requested regeneration. This is what happens in the child baptism especially. It can also lead to spiritual rebellion, condemnation and damnation in both cases. In the liturgy of St.James in the Holy Communion it says, The Holy body and the Holy Blood of which we now partake, may it not be for our condemnation, but for our everlasting life."The same is true for Baptism. It can also lead to condemnation if the salvation offered is rejected or to everlasting life if it is accepted.