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C. THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISM IN HISTORY.
1. BEFORE THE REFORMATION.
The early Fathers regarded baptism as the rite of initiation into
the Church, and usually considered it as closely connected with the forgiveness of sins and the
communication of the new life. Some of their expressions would seem to indicate that they
believed in baptismal regeneration. At the same time it should be noted that in the case of
adults they did not regard baptism as efficacious apart from the right disposition of the soul,
and they did not consider baptism as absolutely essential to the initiation of the new life, but
rather looked upon it as the completing element in the process of renewal. Infant baptism was
already current in the days of Origen and Tertullian, though the latter discouraged it on the
grounds of expediency. The general opinion was that baptism should never be repeated, but
there was no unanimity as to the validity of baptism administered by heretics. In course of time,
however, it became a fixed principle not to re-baptize those who were baptized into the name
of the triune God. The mode of baptism was not in dispute. From the second century on the
idea gradually gained ground that baptism works more or less magically. Even Augustine seems
to have considered baptism as effective ex opere operato in the case of children. He regarded
baptism as absolutely necessary and held that unbaptized children are lost. According to him
baptism cancels original guilt, but does not wholly remove the corruption of nature. The
Scholastics at first shared Augustine’s view, that in the case of adults baptism presupposes
faith, but gradually another idea gained the upper hand, namely, that baptism is always
effective ex opere operato. The importance of subjective conditions was minimized. Thus the
characteristic Roman Catholic conception of the sacrament, according to which baptism is the
sacrament of regeneration and of initiation into the Church, gradually gained the upper hand. It
contains the grace which it signifies and confers this on all those who put no obstacle in the
way. This grace was regarded as very important, since (a) it sets an indelible mark on the
recipient as a member of the Church; (b) delivers from the guilt of original sin and of all actual
sins committed up to the time of baptism, removes the pollution of sin, though concupiscence
remains, and sets man free from eternal punishment and from all positive temporal
punishments; (c) works spiritual renewal by the infusion of sanctifying grace and of the
supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and love; and (d) incorporates the recipient into the
communion of the saints and into the visible Church.
2. SINCE THE REFORMATION.
The Lutheran Reformation did not entirely rid itself of the Roman
Catholic conception of the sacraments. Luther did not regard the water in baptism as common
water, but as a water which had become, through the Word with its inherent divine power, a
gracious water of life, a washing of regeneration. Through this divine efficacy of the Word the
sacrament effects regeneration. In the case of adults Luther made the effect of baptism
dependent on faith in the recipient. Realizing that he could not consider it so in the case of