CATHOLIC BAPTISM
Per the Catechism of the Catholic Church
THE GRACE OF BAPTISM?
1262 The different effects of Baptism are signified by the perceptible elements of the sacramental rite. Immersion in water (1) symbolizes not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal. Thus the two principal effects are (2) purification from sins and (3) new birth in the Holy Spirit.
(1): Christian baptism symbolizes the death of Jesus Christ for our sins.
Romans 6:5-6 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
(2): The death of Jesus Christ purifies us from our sins if you believe.
Matthew 26:27-28 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
(3): Christians received the new birth in the Holy Spirit before baptism.
Acts 10:44-48 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 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. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
1263 By Baptism (1) all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been born remains that would impede their entry into the (2) Kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is (3) separation from God.
(1): Confession leads to salvation.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(2): Confession leads to your entry into the Kingdom of God.
Luke 23:39-43 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
(3): Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your Savior for eternal life?
Romans 10:8-9 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
1264 Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, "the tinder for sin" (fomes peccate); since (1) concupiscence "is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ." Indeed, (2) "an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules."
(1): Are you focused on Jesus Christ or your manly efforts?
John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
(2): Are you competing by the rule Jesus Christ taught?
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
1265 Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte (1) "a new creature," an adopted (2) son of God, who has become a (3) "partaker of the divine nature," member of Christ and (4) co-heir with him, and a (5) temple of the Holy Spirit.
(1): Are you competing by the rule Jesus Christ taught?
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(2): Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ or your baptism?
Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
(3): Have you grown in your knowledge of the Father and the Son?
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(4): Have you confessed God the Father as your eternal Father?
Romans 8:15-17 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
(5): Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ or your baptism?
1 Corinthians 3:11-17 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1266 The Most Holy Trinity gives the baptized (1) sanctifying grace, the grace of (2) justification: enabling them to (3) believe in God, to (4) hope in him, and to (5) love him through the theological virtures; giving them the (6) power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the (7) gifts of the Holy Spirit; allowing them to grow (8) in goodness through the moral virtures. Thus the whole organism of the Christian's supernatural life has its roots (9) in Baptism.
(1): Do you have a testimony of Jesus Christ or of baptism?
1 Corinthians 1:4-8 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2): Christians are justified before the Father in the Son by the Spirit not baptism.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
(3): Belief in God comes before baptism.
Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized
(4) Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ or your baptism?
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, £we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
(5) Do you believe the Word of God or church doctrines from the dark ages?
Galatians 5:6-7 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
(6) Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ or your baptism?
Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel £of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
(7) Will you use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be Christ focused?
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
(8) Christians will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:17-18 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
(9) Christians will be rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ not baptism.
1 Corinthians 1:17-24 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. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Colossians 2:6-7 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.