Invalid Catholic Baptisms

The Roman Catholic Church made highlines this week as one of their Priests, Father Andres Arango, resigned after giving invalid baptism to members of the Catholic Church for years. How did he perform these baptisms? He simply said one word that was different than what Priests are suppose to say. 

As a Priest sprinkles a baby, they are suppose to say, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Father Arango said, "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." One word changed everything and has cause many Catholics to fear their damnation. This is sad.

As Josh Buice points out, the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church regarding baptism are nothing short but a gospel plus works salvation:

The great controversy of the sixteenth century was centered on the doctrine of justification. How is a person justified in the sight of a holy and sovereign God? Is it based on faith alone in Christ’s finished work alone, or is there something that the fallen sinner must do in order to complete the work of Christ? The Roman Catholic Church continues to this very day proclaiming a works based system of religion whereby man must cooperate with God for the salvation of his soul.

Paul is explicitly clear in his letter to the church at Ephesus. He writes the following:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

However, the Roman Catholic Church contradicts the clear teachings of Scripture by adding to Jesus’ sufficient work on the cross and his perfect sinless life their false teaching regarding baptism.

“Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted us through Baptism. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most excellent work of God’s mercy” (CCC 2020).

“Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude…” (CCC 1257).

According to the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, baptism is a necessary work for salvation.  In a blasphemous way, they claim, “The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude.”  Their reference to “The Church” is a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.  They don’t recognize any other church as legitimate.  The basis of their claim is centered on their belief that “baptism, by imparting the life of Christ’s grace, erases original sin” (CCC  405).

Therefore, if Father Arango performed the sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church improperly, such a thought would rightly trouble the souls of the people who were baptized in an unauthorized manner since they believe their salvation is hinged upon their baptism.

The sad reality is while all these Catholics fear their damnation because their invalid baptism, all Roman Catholics have an invalid baptism. Buice explains:

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, baptism is the sacramental impartation of grace whereby the stain of original sin is removed (CCC 405). This is a blasphemous contradiction of Scripture.  In Scripture, we are clearly taught the doctrine of atonement and propitiation whereby the emphasis is placed on Jesus as the One who works on behalf of his people to fully satisfy God.

If you review the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation, it literally teaches that God is merely partially satisfied by Jesus’ work thereby necessitating additional work by the minister and the candidate who is baptized. The minister must get the baptismal formula correct and the baptismal candidate must exercise his willful choice to be baptized in cooperation with God.

In 1 John 2:1-2, we see that Jesus is the propitiatory offering that satisfies the wrath of God. In Hebrews, we see the clear imagery of Jesus as both the offering and the Great High Priest who performs the work on behalf of his people. Jesus is the once for all satisfactory offering according to Hebrews 9:22-26. It’s through Jesus’ work that we are reconciled to God (Rom. 5:11).

Therefore, baptism is a symbolic work of obedience whereby followers of Christ make a public testimony of their faith in Christ which symbolizes the real and sufficient work of Jesus on their behalf. The ordinance of baptism (or sacrament, to use the term with a non-salvific meaning) has no salvific qualities. The water itself does not wash away the sin, even accompanied by a blessing from the minister...According to the 1689 London Baptist Confession, in Chapter 29, Of Baptism we find the following statement in the first paragraph: 

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. ( Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2;12; Galatians 3:27; Mark 1:4; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:4 ).

While baptism is a sign of the reality of God’s saving grace, the act of baptism itself is not salvific. Any teaching that adds to Jesus’ sufficient sacrifice or mandates something other than faith in Christ alone is blasphemous and serves as the very definition of legalism. Roman Catholics operate in many ways like the ancient Judaizers did in Galatia. The Judaizers added circumcision as a necessary requirement for salvation and Paul condemned their false teaching in the opening words to the church at Galatia (Gal. 1:6-9). Anything that’s added to the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus for salvation must be condemned.

Not only should those who were baptized by Father Arango in Phoenix be concerned, all Roman Catholics should be concerned. According to Scripture, every single baptism of the Roman Catholic Church is invalid because it’s viewed as a necessary work that cooperates with God for saving grace. Anyone who believes this to be true is condemned by Scripture and should immediately repent and cast themselves upon the mercy of God in Christ. One should not fear a faulty Roman Catholic baptism, instead, the entire Roman Catholic Church should fear a faulty faith built upon the sinking sand of a works-based system.

If thousands of Roman Catholics who were baptized by Father Arango are concerned about their salvation based on the incorrect pronoun used when being baptized, what must they think about the criminal who died on the cross next to Jesus? If baptism saves, did Jesus provide him with false assurance when he promised, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)?

The baptism given by the Roman Catholic Church is a works based merit of salvation. It is another gospel. Being baptized as a baby does not save you. Taken the "sacraments" does not save you. Only Christ does. 

Let us pray for our friends and family member who are in the Catholic Church that their hearts will be awaken to the true gospel of grace and come to faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin.