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The cleansing of the soul from sin and the supernatural faith implanted in the soul by baptism is, in the case of baptized infants, a "seed"remaining in the soul,<ref>[http://biblehub.com/1_john/3-9.htm 1 John 3:9 (KJV)</ref> to be nurtured and encouraged by the upbringing and teaching of the parents and the Christian doctrine of the church they belong to. Devout Christian parents who have their infants baptized, take upon themselves the duty to raise their children to understand that because of their baptism into Christ they are [[Duty|obligated]] to dedicate their whole lives to living the Christian life in obedience to Christ, and that to refuse to do so after they are old enough to understand is a very serious sin of rebellion against God himself, punishable by condemnation to [[hell]] for all eternity if, having known the truth, they do not repent of their conscious refusal to live a Christian life of holiness in obedience to Christ Jesus the Lord before they die.

The cleansing of the soul from sin and the supernatural faith implanted in the soul by baptism is, in the case of baptized infants, a "seed"remaining in the soul,<ref>[http://biblehub.com/1_john/3-9.htm 1 John 3:9 (KJV)</ref> to be nurtured and encouraged by the upbringing and teaching of the parents and the Christian doctrine of the church they belong to. Devout Christian parents who have their infants baptized, take upon themselves the duty to raise their children to understand that because of their baptism into Christ they are [[Duty|obligated]] to dedicate their whole lives to living the Christian life in obedience to Christ, and that to refuse to do so after they are old enough to understand is a very serious sin of rebellion against God himself, punishable by condemnation to [[hell]] for all eternity if, having known the truth, they do not repent of their conscious refusal to live a Christian life of holiness in obedience to Christ Jesus the Lord before they die.

[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A21&version=KJV 1 Peter 3:21] in the King James Version states that baptism is "the answer of a good conscience toward God". The Greek word here translated as "answer" is  '''έπερώτημα''' ''eperotema'' <ref>[http://biblehub.com/greek/1906.htm Strong's number 1906 '''έπερώτημα''' ''eperotema'']</ref>, which means much more than a mere answer to a question. It means primarily [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/enquire-or-inquire “question,” “enquiry,” “inquiry”] as in a probing investigation or hearing and a trial by law before the examiners, the judge and the court. A true understanding according to ''[[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)#The literal sense of scripture|the literal sense of scripture]]'' is found partly in the [[Forensics|forensic]] use of the Greek word for '''question''', '''έπερώτημα''' ''eperotema'', as including, like our word “examination,” both question and answer. Substantive evidence as an "exhibit" brought before the court is presented to the judge as an answer to the charge of the guilt or innocence of the accused. In a medical examination of the patient who has been healed the doctor can see for himself that the disease is cured, as in the case of an infant cured of a deadly communicable disease, and the evidence is presented to the chief medical examiner at the head of a medical panel of judges to answer the question of the possibility of any remaining [[pathology]] which could pose a risk to the health of the patient and to the community as a whole.<ref>See for example, [https://answersafrica.com/diseases-in-africa.html Top 10 Diseases in Africa - Most Deadly (answersafrica.com)]</ref> The "answer of a good conscience" by baptism in 1 Peter 3:21 is the New Testament [[Typology|antitype]] to the Old Testament type in the book of [[Leviticus]], the examination by the Levitical priests of an Israelite healed of [[leprosy]] to establish proof of having been cleansed by God, after which the ritual of cleansing was performed.<ref>See [https://biblehub.com/leviticus/14-34.htm Leviticus 14:34 "''I put a leprous disease on...''"] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/leviticus/14-34.htm multiple commentaries on Leviticus 14:34]. <br>See also [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+24%3A8&version=NRSVCE Deuteronomy 24:8] as a parallel to [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A15&version=NRSVCE Hebrews 12:15], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A17&version=NRSVCE 13:17] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A23&version=NRSVCE John 20:23], <br>also the whole context of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+13-14&version=NRSVCE Leviticus 13–14.]</ref>

 

 

[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A21&version=KJV '''1 Peter 3:21'''] in the King James Version states that baptism is "the answer of a good conscience toward God". The Greek word here translated as "answer" is  '''έπερώτημα''' ''eperotema'' <ref>[http://biblehub.com/greek/1906.htm Strong's number 1906 '''έπερώτημα''' ''eperotema'']</ref>, which means much more than a mere answer to a question. It means primarily [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/enquire-or-inquire “question,” “enquiry,” “inquiry”] as in a probing investigation or hearing and a trial by law before the examiners, the judge and the court. A true understanding according to ''[[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)#The literal sense of scripture|the literal sense of scripture]]'' is found partly in the [[Forensics|forensic]] use of the Greek word for '''question''', '''έπερώτημα''' ''eperotema'', as including, like our word “examination,” both question and answer. Substantive evidence as an "exhibit" brought before the court is presented to the judge as an answer to the charge of the guilt or innocence of the accused. In a medical examination of the patient who has been healed the doctor can see for himself that the disease is cured, as in the case of an infant cured of a deadly communicable disease, and the evidence is presented to the chief medical examiner at the head of a medical panel of judges to answer the question of the possibility of any remaining [[pathology]] which could pose a risk to the health of the patient and to the community as a whole.<ref>See for example, [https://answersafrica.com/diseases-in-africa.html Top 10 Diseases in Africa - Most Deadly (answersafrica.com)]</ref> The "answer of a good conscience" by baptism in 1 Peter 3:21 is the New Testament [[Typology|antitype]] to the Old Testament type in the book of [[Leviticus]], the examination by the Levitical priests of an Israelite healed of [[leprosy]] to establish proof of having been cleansed by God, after which the ritual of cleansing was performed.<ref>See [https://biblehub.com/leviticus/14-34.htm Leviticus 14:34 "''I put a leprous disease on...''"] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/leviticus/14-34.htm multiple commentaries on Leviticus 14:34]. <br>See also [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+24%3A8&version=NRSVCE Deuteronomy 24:8] as a parallel to [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A15&version=NRSVCE Hebrews 12:15], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A17&version=NRSVCE 13:17] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A23&version=NRSVCE John 20:23], <br>also the whole context of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+13-14&version=NRSVCE Leviticus 13–14.]</ref>

The tragic case of "crack babies"<ref>[https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crackcocaine/children-the-most-innocent-victims-of-crack-cocaine.html Children: the most innocent victims of crack cocaine (drugfreeworld.org)]</ref> formed in the womb and born of mothers already [[Addiction|addicted]] to "crack [[cocaine]]" is a very strong [[analogy]] to the doctrine of inherited sin. Just as these innocently addicted babies need curative medical treatment for a defect not chosen by themselves as individuals, so every individual human soul at the moment of conception is afflicted with the deadly terminal defect of original sin for which they are not personally responsible, already in "lifelong bondage" to the [[devil]].<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A14-15&version=NRSVCE Hebrews 2:14-15]; see [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A5-6&version=NRSVCE Luke 4:5-6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A6-19&version=NRSVCE Romans 5:6-19].</ref> They are innocent, but they need salvation from the collective death of sin inherited from their parents descended in the direct lineage of Adam and Eve.<ref>See Luke 1:46-47 "''God my Savior''", and the articles [[Immaculate Conception]] and [[Theotokos]]. <br>According to Catholic doctrine''':''' from all eternity the merit of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ alone was applied solely for his sake alone to the soul of her whom he had destined to be his mother, that the incarnation of the Word made flesh in her womb might not be taken from flesh defiled by sin but be taken from the sinless flesh of the body of his mother Mary whom God had prepared for the sake of Christ himself alone, in accordance with what is said in [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/hebrews/10-5.htm Hebrews 10:5 "a body hast thou prepared for me"] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+8%3A19-20&version=NRSVCE Wisdom 8:19-20 "being good, I entered an undefiled body."]</ref>

The tragic case of "crack babies"<ref>[https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crackcocaine/children-the-most-innocent-victims-of-crack-cocaine.html Children: the most innocent victims of crack cocaine (drugfreeworld.org)]</ref> formed in the womb and born of mothers already [[Addiction|addicted]] to "crack [[cocaine]]" is a very strong [[analogy]] to the doctrine of inherited sin. Just as these innocently addicted babies need curative medical treatment for a defect not chosen by themselves as individuals, so every individual human soul at the moment of conception is afflicted with the deadly terminal defect of original sin for which they are not personally responsible, already in "lifelong bondage" to the [[devil]].<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A14-15&version=NRSVCE Hebrews 2:14-15]; see [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A5-6&version=NRSVCE Luke 4:5-6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A6-19&version=NRSVCE Romans 5:6-19].</ref> They are innocent, but they need salvation from the collective death of sin inherited from their parents descended in the direct lineage of Adam and Eve.<ref>See Luke 1:46-47 "''God my Savior''", and the articles [[Immaculate Conception]] and [[Theotokos]]. <br>According to Catholic doctrine''':''' from all eternity the merit of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ alone was applied solely for his sake alone to the soul of her whom he had destined to be his mother, that the incarnation of the Word made flesh in her womb might not be taken from flesh defiled by sin but be taken from the sinless flesh of the body of his mother Mary whom God had prepared for the sake of Christ himself alone, in accordance with what is said in [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/hebrews/10-5.htm Hebrews 10:5 "a body hast thou prepared for me"] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Wisdom+8%3A19-20&version=NRSVCE Wisdom 8:19-20 "being good, I entered an undefiled body."]</ref>