February 21, 2010

  • Question 229 - Is Baptism Required to be Born Again?

    Dear Dr. Bob,

     

    I've read your commentary on the The First Epistle to the Corinthians. I greatly appreciate the work you have done and I really believe that the essays in the volume are excellent.

     

    I have a question regarding Paul's letter. In 1Co 1: 14-17 Paul clearly says he was not sent to baptize the Corinthians. His mission was rather to evangelize them. Then in 1Co 4:15 he admonishes the Corinthians defending his right to do so by declaring that he was their father in Christ, being he who gave them birth in Christ through the gospel.

     

    Isn't this a strong support for the Protestant position that claims that we are born again through faith in the gospel and not through Baptism as we Catholics believe?

     

    Thank you very much for all your help. Your ministry is always in my prayers.

     

    Daniel

     

    R. Sungenis: Daniel, the answer to your question is no. Unless Scripture said that baptism does not make us born again and that only a profession of faith does, then we certainly can't make the conclusion you are suggesting. The Bible is clear that Baptism does make us born again (John 3:5; Titus 3:5-7; 1Peter 3:21) and that faith is also needed (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-39). This requires us to understand Paul's words in 1 Cor 1:14-17 as referring to the fact that he himself would not baptize them but that someone else did or would do it, and that the time difference between their coming to faith in Christ and their baptism has nothing to do with deciding whether only faith is required to be born again and baptism is not, but everything to do with the fact that Paul left the actual baptism in the hands of others so that he could concentrate on evangelization. Baptism was a laborious process. Paul simply did not have the time to do it. He left that to the people he placed in charge at the churches he established.