DEADLY HERESIES: Baptism Saves?!?

During a recent online debate that I had with a Roman Catholic GP, the subject of infant baptism came up. This is an edited and revised copy of my e-mail to him, listing 14 errors with his churches doctrine:

1. Acts 2:38 does not apply to you or me or anybody else living today. a) It was a Jewish feast day for Jews, with no Gentiles present. That rules you and me out. b) How can an infant repent or do "penance" to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost? c) You were never baptised by any proper Church in the name of Jesus Christ. Even your Church correctly baptises converts, using Matt. 28:19: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore this verse is not relevant to you or me when dealing with infant baptism or any body else for that matter.

2. 1 Pet. 3:21 is often cited by those who hold to "baptismal regeneration" but look a little closer at the passage, for it says: "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (NOT THE PUTTING AWAY OF THE FILTH OF THE FLESH, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Therefore water baptism not only can't save you, but it is only ever and outward work signifying an inward act.

3. Abraham, according to the Apostle Paul, is a picture of how every believer is made righteous with God. The following three points explain how this works: a) He was called by God in Gen. 12 (New Testament equivalent, John 12:32.) b) He was justified for his faith, Gen. 15 (New Testament equivalent, John 1:12.) b) He was then circumcised, Gen. 17 (New Testament equivalent, "if" we accept baptism replaces circumcision, which I don't, Acts 8:36,38.)

i) So man is called.

ii) He is justified.

iii) Then he is baptised.

That is the correct order that God works in.

3. Irenaeus never stated that the Lord or Apostles baptised children or infants.

4. Tertullian states only adults are to be baptised ("De. Baptismo" - Baptist Magazine, Vol. V, pg. 210.)

5. Clement of Rome taught nobody should be baptised without instruction and examination ("Mornings," History of the Baptists, pg. 2.)

6. Even the spurious epistle of Barnabus taught one is to put their faith in the cross before baptism (Wake, "Catholic Epistles and Barnabus," No. 11, pg. 292.)

7. Justin Martyr never taught infants should be baptised in any of his writings.

8. Alexandra (254AD) did not baptise until a profession of faith was made (Danver, "History of the Baptists," pg. 63.)

9. Hilary of Poitiers (360), Anthanasius (360) Jerome of Dalmatia 378) and Basil of Caesarea (379) all taught only those one with a personal faith in Christ should be baptised. This was also affirmed by Chrysostom
(400), Gregory of Nazianzen (386) and Ambrose of Milan 390) (G. H Orchard, "Concise History of the Baptists," pgs. 38-44.)

10. Origen was the author of infant baptism, although he never practised this himself, (Philip Schaff, "History of the Christian Church.")

11. Augustine later taught this as Catholic doctrine, with threats of anathemas and death to those that refused to carry out this non-biblical practice (G.H. Orchard, pg. 94, 95.)

12. Baptisms of ten and eleven year old boys commenced at Alexandria, in around 220AD.

13. Water baptism was always by total immersion according to Church historians Schaff, Liddon, Dean Goulburn and the Greek Orthodox Church. Even Calvin admitted that baptism was by immersion ("Institutes," IV, Chap. 15, Sec. 19.)

14. Church Historians such as Mosheim, Robinson, Armitage, Vedder, Newman each state that the early Church, up till 200AD, only baptised adult believers (Johann Lorenz von Mosheim, "Institutes of Ecclesiastical History," 1854.)