Baptism is something I have always known Christians are supposed to do. What I have not really settled is what happens in it.
Some Christians describe baptism as an outward sign of a salvation that has already happened. Others say God actually regenerates, forgives, or joins a person to Christ through baptism. Then there is the question of infants, which makes the disagreement even larger.
WHAT I AM STUDYING
I am reading the baptism passages in Acts, Romans 6, 1 Peter 3, and the commands of Jesus. I am also beginning to notice how naturally early Christian writers connect baptism with forgiveness, new birth, and entrance into the Church.
A FEW THINGS I AM LEARNING
The symbolic-only answer is not the only straightforward reading of Scripture. Several passages speak about baptism in a stronger way than I am used to.
The early Christian view also appears more sacramental than I expected.
WHAT I AM STILL UNSURE ABOUT
I am not yet convinced that every strong baptism passage proves the entire Catholic doctrine. I also need to understand how faith, grace, and the physical act fit together without making baptism into something mechanical.
WHAT I WANT TO LOOK AT NEXT
If the earliest Christians understand baptism sacramentally, I need to ask what else their Church looks like.