3.03.2022

Invalidating Baptisms?

The Roman Catholic Church made news recently, when a bishop nullified thousands of baptisms done over 20 years by an Arizona priest, because he said "We baptize you," instead of "I baptize you..."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-priest-andres-arango-baptisms-invalid-phoenix-church/


It's technically correct that it should be I.  The pastor is a stand-in representative of Christ.  He does the baptism, not the church community.  Nor should the pastor use the "royal we" in a baptism.  It's like Communion, where the pastor stands behind the table, but it's the Lord's table - Jesus is feeding us, the pastor is the stand-in.


But no, the church shouldn't invalidate baptisms just because a pastor said "we" instead of I.  That's what happens when you over-do the importance of the visible church and tangible actions of the church.

It's easy to get thinking that the church is doing the baptizing and feeding - after all, we put the water in the bowl, the wine on the table, etc.  And it's easy for the pastor to get thinking that he's making it happen, too.  But I'm just saying words - the Spirit, Son, and Father is the real Doer of the sacraments.

It's kind of like a wedding in that.  The pastor doesn't actually marry people.  He officiates as they themselves marry.  

But it's NOT like a wedding since marriage is not a sacrament.  If it were, as Rome says, then you'd say God is doing the marrying.  But we say the couple themselves are taking vows and wedding.

Baptists tend to see sacraments as things God has given us to do, denying that He is acting in some special way in them.  But Reformed, Lutheran and Catholic all agree that God is acting in the sacraments, as we "do this in remembrance."

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