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added Section Faith and Works: subheading Romans 1:17; Romans 3:28 and John 3:5; 20:21-23 - abundant ref note "proof texts" used by both sides of the issue - also Council of Trent anathema against denial of ex opere operato re the sacraments of salvation
:[http://www.reformedreader.org/history/howell/evilsofinfantbaptismchapter19.htm CHAPTER 19<br>Infant baptism is an evil because it retards the designs of Christ in the conversion of the world]
:[http://www.reformedreader.org/history/howell/evilsofinfantbaptismchapter19.htm CHAPTER 19<br>Infant baptism is an evil because it retards the designs of Christ in the conversion of the world]
==Faith and works==
===Romans 1:17; Romans 3:28 and John 3:5; John 20:21-23===
"Regenerative baptism" has been condemned as a "work" that is done to merit salvation in contradiction of the doctrine of salvation ''[[sola fide]]''. Apologists for regenerative baptism respond that God, "not willing that any should perish", ordained baptism as a gift which bestows grace ''ex opera operato'' "from the work performed", not by man but by Christ working in the sacrament, for "''even'' baptism doth also now save us".<ref>1 Peter 3:21; John 3:5.</ref> Nowhere in the New Testament is anyone seen baptizing himself in the name of the Lord. Always it is others who baptize those who are baptized. All Christian churches that practice any form of baptism accept by a universal consensus ''[[sensus fidelium]], [[sensus plenior]], [[sensus Christianorum]]'' that no one can be self-baptized but each one must be baptized by another. It is not a work performed by the baptized person in order to merit salvation. Human beings cannot save themselves.<ref>Psalm 49:7-9</ref> According to Catholic doctrine Baptism is a sacramental gift of unmerited mercy bestowed by the Lord, and performed on behalf of the Lord,<ref>Compare 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.</ref> in which his blood alone works unmerited salvation in the soul of the one he himself baptizes through the faith ministry of his Church which is his body.<ref>1 Corinthians 12:4-28.</ref> This is '''ontological salvation'''. According to apologists for ontological "regenerative baptism", faith in the promise of God, that man is truly born again by water and the Spirit, is exercised by the whole Church on behalf of the one baptized, through faith in the operation of the saving power of God by the washing of water with the word, that the one being baptized might be saved, cleansed of all unrighteousness, by "baptism which saves you now".<ref>1 Peter 3:21; Ephesians 5:25-27.</ref> The baptized person does not perform the baptism, and does not do the work of salvation in being born of water and the Spirit. It is Christ alone in his Church which saves. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of ''his'' good pleasure."<ref>Philippians 2:13.</ref> And God is "not willing that any should perish."<ref>2 Peter 3:9.</ref> Outside of Christ there is no salvation. Those he saves are his workmanship,<ref>Ephesians 2:10</ref> they are not their own work.<ref>Compare 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.</ref> The faith bestowed by him in baptism is a gift which must be exercised to bear fruit in good works which God ordained to be done by those who are his workmanship.<ref>Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14-26.</ref>{{cquote|And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:<br>In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:<br>Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with ''him'' through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.<br>And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;<br>—Colossians 2:10-13 (KJV)}}
"Believers' baptism" is set forth by Anabaptists and Baptist groups such as the Mennonites, as a testimony to an already existing saving faith in the atoning sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ offered once for all time for sins on the cross,<ref>Romans 1:17; 3:22-26; 5:8-11; Colossians 1:20; 2:18-23; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12.</ref> in accordance with the doctrine that man is justified by faith apart from works of the law, the law being the ritual ceremonial law of Moses. They utterly reject as [[superstition]] the doctrine that the ritual of water baptism saves by regeneration, that "baptism doth also now save us".<ref>1 Peter 3:21; Ephesians 2:8-9</ref> According to the doctrine of credobaptism, without faith there is no salvation, for "without faith no one can please him",<ref>Hebrews 11:6; see Hebrews 6:11-12; </ref> and it is evident that the unborn, newborn, infant, baby, child in arms who cannot walk, cannot exercise faith in the Lord and believe in him for salvation before they have the capacity of intelligent choice to be able to recognize Jesus as Lord and choose by the unmerited power of the gift of God to have faith in him alone. Thus, according to the credobaptist doctrine, baptism does not save us, but a confession of faith working through love,<ref>Galatians 5:6; James 2:17, 22, 24 and 26.</ref> and infants too young to understand are not capable of performing charitable works of love, "before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good".<ref>Compare Isaiah 7:16 and 2 Peter 3:9. This passage in Isaiah seems to be the closest reference to what some believe to be a biblical teaching on "the age of innocence", of children "below the age of innocence" who will not be condemned to hell if they die before being baptized, being already saved by the blood of Christ because they are innocent of any sin, and do not have understanding to know how to choose the good and refuse evil.</ref> According to apologists for credobaptism, salvation is declarational, by a sincere profession of belief in Christ. By the prompting of the inward witness of the Holy Spirit convicting the sinner of sin which merits only the wrath of God and the just judgment of condemnation to hell, the need for salvation in Christ is acknowledged and confessed. This is '''declarational salvation'''. By repentance for sin and confessing faith in Christ as merciful Lord and Savior and receiving him into their heart, by which the grace of salvation is received ''ex opere operantis'' "by the act of the doer" in "opening the door of faith to the Lord that he might come in",<ref>Compare Revelation 3:20.</ref> the practice of declarational "believers' baptism" which follows upon a confession of faith in Christ is simply nothing more than a faithfully obedient symbolic act of witness to having already been saved by the received and exercised gift of repentance unto saving faith in the Lord, as a sign of being given to God, through professing faith in the single sacrifice of his Christ for sins which he offered once for all time,<ref>Hebrews 10:12; Jude 3.</ref> performed by the complete burial of full immersion in water in answer to Christ's command to be baptized, [http://biblehub.com/greek/907 '''βαπτίζω''' ''baptizo'' "immerse".] "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."<ref>John 3:16</ref> The emphasis is on believing, and babies are incapable of belief. Parents who believe in credobaptism alone raise their children in the Christian hope that one day they too, "knowing how to refuse the evil and choose the good",<ref>Compare Isaiah 7:15-16</ref> will repent of their sinful state in Adam,<ref>1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 5:12-19.</ref> and choose Christ as their own personal Savior and Lord of their lives by declarational salvation, and be baptized in fulfillment of his word to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins ''ex opere operantis'', on the assurance of a faith based on the fundamental doctrinal principle of ''[[sola scriptura]]''. Some urge use of the [[sinner's prayer]] as a guarantee of genuine repentance of sin unto complete salvation by a sincere reciting of a formula of profession of faith in Christ. Many of these also believe that once one has truly accepted Christ as Lord and Savior they are eternally assured of a personal salvation which can never be rescinded, revoked or forfeited, forever. This too has been condemned as a kind of legalistic requirement of a work performed by the person in order to merit salvation, and as a departure from a simple, trusting faith for redemption and salvation; moreover, it has also been condemned as promoting [[Antinomianism]] and [[Licentiousness]].<ref>Romans chapter 6; 2:6-10; 8:12-17; Galatians 5:13-26; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 9-22; Jude 4-19.</ref> Among those who profess credobaptism, the parents of children who have reached the age of understanding worry if their children have not yet decided to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior in some form of public profession of faith before others.<ref>See Luke 12:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:11-13.</ref>
The [[Council of Trent]] made clear the Catholic position on the sacraments including infant baptism by condemning with ''[[anathema]]'' the proposition that the sacraments have no power to bestow grace and that faith alone suffices.
If faith is act of righteousness <ref>1 John 3:7; James 2:20-26; Romans chapter 4.</ref> exercised by the believer in obedience to Christ's command "have faith in God",<ref>Mark 11:22.</ref> and obedience to his commandment "believe also in me",<ref>John 14:1</ref> and if the "gift of repentance"<ref>Acts 11:18</ref> is exercised according to Peter's command to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you",<ref>Acts 2:38</ref> and "with the mouth confession is made unto salvation",<ref>Romans 10:10b</ref> then faith and repentance are also works, something which men do, even if only in their hearts,<ref>Compare the [[good thief]] on the cross, who only had faith in Jesus, but acted by explicitly professing his faith, an act that was followed by the promise of Christ, "Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Jesus did not say this to him before he made his act of faith. Luke 23:39-43. Proponents of credobaptism emphasize that this man was not baptized but was saved, demonstrating that faith not baptism saves. Catholic theology sees in this an evidence for "baptism of desire" in which the souls of those who are deprived of all opportunity to avail themselves of the ordinary means of entering the kingdom of God through salvation by water baptism commanded by Christ Jesus in John 3:5 are not deprived of salvation by extraordinary means provided by the Father through Christ, whose Spirit knows the hearts of men. Romans 2:12-16; 1 John 3:23; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16; Hebrews 4:12-13.</ref> and man is saved by the work of faith and repentance unto salvation. But it is not a work of man, but the work of God.<ref>Philippians 2:13.</ref> On the basis of this concurrence of belief in the enabling work of God in the souls of mankind, those theologians engaged in interfaith dialogue seek common ground for unity among Christians by means of clarification of meanings and definitions of terms that may differ superficially in speech but not in the substance of their genuine [[semantics|semantical content]], in a spirit of honest ecumenism, even while many remain cautious and alert against the danger of [[syncretism]] by any suggestion of compromise with the purity of the Gospel and the context of the whole of the teaching of the Bible. Sincere Christian believers are very careful of [[specious reasoning]] which appeals to [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|proof texts]] to promote a doctrine which deviates from the whole context of the Bible. Like the Beroeans of Acts 17:10-12.
==Where do unbaptized departed infants go?==
==Where do unbaptized departed infants go?==
[[Salvation: declarational salvation and ontological salvation]]
[[Salvation: declarational salvation and ontological salvation]]
[[Eternal security (salvation)]]
[[Substitutionary atonement]]
[[Substitutionary atonement]]