To Baptize or not to Baptize...that is the (very important) question...

Yes, we should Baptize infants.

What is Baptism? Does it do anything?

Baptism frees an individual from Original sin, making them sons and daughters of God and members of His Church. The Baptized individual is given sanctifying grace. Baptism cannot be un-done, nor can it be re-done. The Holy Spirit does not fail to accomplish His task.

As parents, we are called to take care of our children body AND soul. According to the Bible, Baptism is necessary for salvation*, and Jesus asks us to bring the little children to him. Our age doesn't change the power of Baptism, or affect the grace received. In the third century, St. Cyprian, along with 66 others, were writing to a fellow Bishop about Baptism. The specific detail being discussed was when an infant could be Baptized: did the child need to be at least eight days old, which would have been when circumcision took place in the Old Covenant, or could a child be Baptized immediately? St. Cyprian and his colleagues wrote that it is not necessary to wait. He writes, “…it is not right to deny the mercy and grace of God to any man that is born.” Further along, he writes that “…there is no difference between us so far as God is concerned. Unless you are prepared to claim that even that very grace which is given to the Baptized is distributed in greater or lesser degree according to the ages of the recipients!”

From the above quote, it is clear that St. Cyprian—and many others—were in approval of infant Baptism in the third century, which, by the way, is before the Bible was compiled into what we have today.

A Protestant objection to Baptism is that it should be the child's choice. As parents, we take choices away from our children every single day: what they can eat, what they can wear, what they can do. We must make sure they are safe, healthy, and creating solid foundations for a bright future. Why do we treat Baptism differently? If we, as parents, believe Baptism has the power to help our children spiritually, shouldn't we Baptize them ASAP?

Now, some Protestants may then object and say that Baptism is a public declaration of their promise to live for Christ, rather than themselves.....but this isn't what Baptism was intended to be. As a Catholic, it seems as if there is a desire for and recognition of the need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is a place to confess our sins and promise to do better. It is an act of converting our lives to be accordance with God’s will. We should be asking ourselves what Baptism was in the very beginning, getting back to what Jesus intended for His Church. We will look at what some of the early Christians said** later.

Baptism provides our children with grace, and they have the freedom to reject that grace. As parents, we must guide them to recognize virtue and live as God intends us to live. We can hope that they will accept all the grace God gives them, but God does not force himself upon anyone. Baptism isn't forcing them to live in a certain way, but does help them to start out on the right path. 

In The Dialogue, St. Catherine of Siena writes that someone who is not Baptized "...would be like a candle with no wick inside it, which cannot burn or receive light...." We must receive the light of Christ so we can share that light with others.

What is original sin?

Death through Adam (Romans 5:12), life through Christ (Romans 5:17). When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, death came into the world. We are all born with the stain of original sin, but Baptism wipes us clean. 

Because of original sin, we are all born with a tendency towards sin. This tendency is not removed at Baptism, but we are given sanctifying grace to help us overcome this tendency. 

Baptism is often called a "rebirth" or being "born again." We are initially born of the flesh, but we must be reborn of the spirit (John 3:5). 

"...the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state. It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. And that is why original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 404)

Is infant Baptism Biblical?

If by "Biblical", we mean "stated in the Bible", then no. If we mean "forbidden in the Bible", then, also, no. However, there are multiple Bible verses that support Infant Baptism:

Multiple quotes mention whole households being Baptized, without specifying the ages of the individuals who are Baptized; the individuals could have been infants!

• “She was baptized, with her household” (Acts 16:15)

• “He was baptized at once, with all his family” (Acts 16:33)

• “I did baptize also the household of Stephanas.” (1 Corinthians 1:16)

Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to even children! They should be included in the Body of Christ and accepted into Church with open arms.

• "Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" (Matthew 19:13-14)

And what is one thing necessary for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven? Baptism!

• “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

• “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:5)

• “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:38-41)

• “This prefigured Baptism, which saves you now.” (1 Peter 3:21)

What did Jesus intend Baptism to be?

This is an important question, and it gets into the topic of Biblical interpretation. What is the correct interpretation of the Bible verses listed above? Let's turn to the early Christians to see what the belief was shortly after Jesus' Ascension. Since Jesus promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against his church***, we can, at the very least, hope that this practice was being done how Jesus intended in those first handful of centuries (and, I'd argue, until today). 

St. Justin Martyr in A.D. 151: “Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same way that we were regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Unless you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’” (First Apology 61)

Quick note: “Regeneration (being ‘born again’) is the transformation from death to life that occurs in our souls when we first come to God and are justified.”¹

St. Hippolytus of Rome in A.D. 215: “The children shall be baptized first. All the children who can answer for themselves, let them answer. If there are any children who cannot answer for themselves, let their parents answer for them, or someone else from their family.” (Apostolic Tradition 21)

St. Gregory of Nazianz in A.D. 381: "Such is the grace and power of Baptism; not an overwhelming of the world as of old, but a purification of the sins of each individual, and a complete cleansing of all the bruises and stains of sin. And since we are made of body and soul, and the one part is visible, the other invisible, so the cleansing is twofold, by water and the spirit; the one received visibly in the body, the other invisibly and apart from the body; the one typical, the other real and cleansing the depths." (Orations 40:7-8)

“Have you an infant child? Do not let sin get any opportunity, but let him be sanctified from his childhood; from his very tenderest age let him be consecrated by the Spirit. Fearest thou the seal on account of the weakness of nature? O what a small-souled mother, and of how little faith!” (Orations 40:17)

St. Ambrose of Milan in A.D. 381: “There are, however, many who think that because we are baptized with water and the Spirit, there is no difference in the offices of water and the Spirit, and that they do not differ in nature. They do not observe that we are buried in the element of water that we may rise again renewed by the Spirit. For in the water is the representation of death, in the Spirit is the pledge of life, that the body of sin may die through the water, which encloses the body as it were in a tomb, that by the power of the Spirit we may be renewed from the death of sin, being born again in God.” (The Holy Spirit 1:6:75-76)

There are countless other quotes that I could have included as evidence to the Catholic belief regarding Baptism. I’ve listed a few that seemed convicting, and hope they inspire you to have a deeper appreciation for Baptism.

Martin Luther said, "Baptism is no human plaything, but is instituted by God himself. Moreover, it is solemnly and strictly commanded that we must be Baptized or we shall not be saved. We are not to regard it as an indifferent matter, then, like putting on a new red coat. It is of the greatest importance that we regard Baptism as excellent, glorious, and exalted." (Large Catechism 4:6) Yes, Baptism is not a "human plaything". It isn't ours to manipulate into what we think it should be. 

Concluding Thoughts:

“Just as our natural living cannot proceed without a birth, so our supernatural life cannot proceed without our baptism.” -Scott Hahn, Signs of Life

If Baptism does nothing, a baby would be unaffected by it. If Baptism removes Original Sin, making the child a son/daughter of God, and gives Sanctifying Grace, a baby is given new life.

*The Catholic Church teaches that there are three types of Baptism: Baptism of water, Baptism of desire, and Baptism of blood. Baptism of water is what I’m talking about in this essay. Baptism of desire would be if someone dies before receiving Baptism of water, but has the desire to be Baptized (God knows the state of someone’s heart at the time of death). Baptism of blood is martyrdom.

**The writings of the earliest Christians are not infallible. They can be powerful evidence of what the early Church was like, but shouldn’t be treated the same as the books in the Bible. However, we can treat them as evidence for what the early Church believed when there is a dispute about Biblical interpretation.

***Matthew 16:18

Resources you can check out:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church

• Catholic Answers

• The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin

"Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14

1. Are Catholics Born Again? | Catholic Answers Tract