What Did the Early Church Believe About Baptism?

One of my students was recently asked about the Catholic (and Orthodox and Lutheran) practice of baptizing infants.  She did a fine job answering the fella, but she missed one important step.  Before one begins talking about baptizing infants, you first have to be on the same page about the nature of baptism itself.

There are some Christians who practice what is called "believer's baptism".  This view proposes baptism as merely a public sign of one's conversion to Christ.  But of itself, baptism affects no change in the person, confers no graces, and does not change one's status before God.  It is just a sign.  And if one approaches baptism with that framework, it is impossible to understand why one would ever think to baptize an infant.  

So today I wanted to look at the data from Scripture regarding baptism, and then see how that was reflected in the writings of the early Church.

How is Baptism to be Performed?

Yesterday at the park I met a youth pastor for a local Christian Church.  I asked what their distinctive beliefs were, and he said they hold strongly to "baptism by full immersion."

Today I wanted to look at the practice of only baptizing by "full immersion."  The folks in his community (and other ones too) believe the only valid or proper baptisms are those which fully immerse the person in water. 

Are they correct?

A Hidden Reference to the Trinitarian Formula

I recently met a nice fella at the park who was from a Oneness Pentacostal congregation.  After some smalltalk he began telling me I had been baptized improperly.

I had been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - also known as the Trinitarian formula.  He insisted I needed to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ only.

Today I want to explore why he was saying this.  Then we will look at the witness of the Early Church on the matter, and finally look at a little-known piece of Scriptural evidence for the Trinitarian words of baptism.

How Does a Catholic Read: 1Peter 3:20

Recently I had the idea to canvas some of my non-Catholic Christian friends and ask, "What verses of the New Testament do you think Catholics simply don't get?  You look at it and think, 'Are Catholics unaware of this verse?  What do they do with this?'"

One passage suggested to me was 1Peter 3:18-21 – a passage which concerns the role of Baptism in one’s salvation.  So today we're going to examine the passage, apply it to the controversy... and answer the question:

"What the heck does a Catholic do with 1 Peter 3:18-21?"

How Does a Catholic Read: Romans 10:9

Recently I had the idea to canvas some of my non-Catholic Christian friends and ask, "What verses of the New Testament do you think Catholics simply don't get?  You look at it and think, 'Are Catholics unaware of this verse?  What do they do with this?'"

One passage suggested to me was Romans 10:9 – a text which is often used to support a certain version of the doctrine of justification.  So today we're going to examine the passage, apply it to the controversy... and answer the question:

"What the heck does a Catholic do with Romans 10:9?"

Short Answer: Infant Baptism in the Bible?

Dear Apologist, How do I defend our practice of Baptizing infants from Scripture?