What the Early Church Believed: Baptismal Grace

The New Testament

Again and again the sacred writers say that in baptism we are saved, buried with Christ, incorporated into his body, washed of sins, regenerated and cleansed (see Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 12:13; Galatians 3:26-27; Ephesians 5:25-27; Colossians 2:11-12; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:18-22). Protestants generally treat baptism as an ordinance that only represents an effect, required for obedience but not for salvation, and so must read all these passages figuratively, without any proof-texts of their own.

The one text sometimes cited is Paul's remark that he baptized few Corinthians and that Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach (1 Corinthians 1:14-17). It says nothing about baptism merely representing grace. Paul would hardly contradict the command to baptize all nations (Matthew 28:19); preaching was simply the focus of his ministry. As in the ark eight were saved through water, so baptism now saves us (1 Peter 3:20-21).

J. N. D. Kelly, a Protestant historian, writes that baptism was from the beginning the rite of admission to the Church and was always held to convey the remission of sins, a re-creation in which the Spirit dwells in the believer.

The witness of the early Church

• The Letter of Barnabas (74), on Psalm 1:3-6: we go down into the water burdened with sin and come up bearing fruit.
• Hermas (80): there is no repentance other than that when we went down into the water and received remission of sins.
• Ignatius of Antioch (110): let your baptism be your armor.
• Justin Martyr (151): converts are reborn in water in the name of the Trinity.
• Theophilus of Antioch (181): men receive remission of sins through water and the bath of regeneration.
• Clement of Alexandria (191): baptized, we are enlightened, adopted, perfected and made immortal; it is a washing cleansing sins and remitting their punishment.
• Tertullian (203): our sacrament of water washes away sins and admits us to eternal life; we little fishes are born in water like our Fish, Jesus Christ.
• Hippolytus (215): the bishop prays for those made worthy of forgiveness by the laver of regeneration.
• Cyprian (246): when the stain of his past life was washed away by the water of rebirth, a second birth made him a new man.
• Aphraahat (340): in baptism we receive the Spirit of Christ.
• Cyril of Jerusalem (350): without baptism no salvation, except for martyrs (Mark 10:38); we go down dead in sin and come up alive in righteousness.
• Basil the Great (379): baptism is ransom, forgiveness, regeneration and adoption.
• The Council of Constantinople I (381): "one baptism for the remission of sins."
• Ambrose (389): Christ was baptized to cleanse the waters; whoever comes to his washing lays aside his sins.
• Augustine (412–421): North African Christians call baptism "salvation," from apostolic tradition; it is the sacrament of regeneration, washing away all sins, original and personal.