Baptism stands as a pivotal sacrament within the Christian tradition, a rite of passage that has sparked theological discourse since the earliest days of the Church.
In my previous article on baptism, I demonstrated how saving faith apart from water baptism was somewhat foreign to the New Testament church. While baptism was not a hard condition for salvation (as seen in Cornelius’s household), it was depicted as an occasion tightly associated with salvation; where faith was catalyzed through both the written Word (the Gospel) and the illustrated Word (the water).
In this follow-up article, I turn to the early church fathers, particularly those in the Pre-Nicene and early Post-Nicene era, to delve into their understanding of this sacrament. These fathers stood closer to the apostolic era than any other. Their writings, steeped in the apostolic tradition, carry a weight of authority that shaped the hermeneutics and practice of the Church for centuries. Their teachings on the two primary sacraments broadly represent the consensus of the early church; the same church that ecumenically declared the canon of scripture that we hold in our hands. Therefore, we can’t just ignore them. In fact, we should be cautious embracing Biblical interpretations about the sacraments that are novel and foreign to them.
In studying these fathers, we find that they held a very high view of baptism, typically linking it directly to the grace of God. To them, baptism was a normative means of saving grace. Yet, many of them also acknowledged exceptions to this rule, or means of saving grace that were conveyed without the watery plunge.
For the remainder of this article, we will consider selected texts from these fathers that support baptism as the normative means of converting grace, as well as those that suggest exceptions to this rule. This will paint a comprehensive picture of early Christian thought on this sacramental cornerstone.
Hermas ( 80 A.D.)
The Shepherd of Hermas, written around 80 AD, is an early Christian literary work. It consists of visions, commandments, and parables granted to Hermas, a former slave, emphasizing repentance and correction of sins.
In this quote, the protagonist converses with a heavenly lady. She states that effectual repentance occurs during baptism, resulting in the remission of former sins.
- “’I have heard, sir,’ said I, ‘from some teacher, that there is no other repentance except that which took place when we went down into the water and obtained the remission of our former sins.‘ He said to me, ‘You have heard rightly, for so it is’”(The Shepherd 4:3:1)
Justin Martyr (c. 110 – 165)
Justin Martyr (c. 100 – 165) was a significant early Christian apologist and philosopher. Born in Palestine, he engaged with Greek philosophy and defended Christianity against charges of atheism and hostility to the Roman state.
Justin teaches that water baptism is where the remission of sins and regeneration occur for those who are persuaded and believe:
- “As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven … And for this we have learned from the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our own knowledge or choice, by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits and wicked training; in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and of ignorance, but may become the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed, there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe.” (Justin Martyr, “First Apology,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, pg. 183)
To him, refusing baptism meant refusing the kingdom and remaining in condemnation:
- The “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles” also refer to John 3:5. There, the one who refuses to be baptized is to be condemned as an unbeliever, partially on the basis of what Jesus told Nicodemus…. “He that, out of contempt, will not be baptized, shall be condemned as an unbeliever, and shall be reproached as ungrateful and foolish. For the Lord says: ‘Except a man be baptized of water and of the Spirit, he shall by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ And again: ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned.'” (Justin Martyr “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7, pg. 456-457.)
Irenaeus (c. 120 – 205)
Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor and became the bishop of Lyon. His work “Against Heresies” refuted gnosticism and contributed to the development of an authoritative canon of Scriptures and the authority of the episcopal office.
Irenaeus uses the imagery of a leper being purified to depict the spiritual purification and renewal that happens in baptism:
- “As we are lepers in sin, we are made clean from our old transgressions by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord. We are thus spiritually regenerated as newborn infants, even as the Lord has declared: ‘Except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.'” Irenaeus, “Fragments From Lost Writings”, no. 34, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, pg. 574)
To him, a rejection of baptism meant a renunciation of the faith:
- “This class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God, and thus to a renunciation of the whole faith.” (Against Heresies, bk. 1, chap. 21, sec. 1, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, pg. 345.)
Clement (c. 150 – 200)
Clement of Alexandria was a Christian theologian and missionary to the Hellenistic world. He used Greek philosophy, especially Plato, to elucidate Christian doctrine.
Clement taught the urgency of the sacrament of baptism, claiming that it was unto regeneration, salvation, remission, absolution, and washing. In his estimation, all who willingly delay remain in unbelief.
- “Now God has ordered every one who worships Him to be sealed by baptism; but if you refuse, and obey your own will rather than God’s, you are doubtless contrary and hostile to His will. But you will perhaps say, ‘What does the baptism of water contribute towards the worship of God?’ In the first place, because that which hath pleased God is fulfilled. In the second place, because, when you are regenerated and born again of water and of God, the frailty of your former birth, which you have through men, is cut off, and so at length you shall be able to attain salvation; but otherwise it is impossible. For thus hath the true prophet testified to us with an oath: ‘Verily I say to you, That unless a man is born again of water, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ Therefore make haste; for there is in these waters a certain power of mercy which was borne upon them at the beginning, and acknowledges those who are baptized under the name of the threefold sacrament, and rescues them from future punishments, presenting as a gift to God the souls that are consecrated by baptism. Betake yourselves therefore to these waters, for they alone can quench the violence of the future fire; and he who delays to approach to them, it is evident that the idol of unbelief remains in him, and by it he is prevented from hastening to the waters which confer salvation.” (Clement, “Recognitions of Clement,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8, pg. 155)
Clement mentions how, during baptism, illumination precedes any of its saving benefits. This suggests that, in baptism, God grants the gifts of repentance and faith, which then produce saving benefits. The water does nothing alone!
- “Being baptized, we are illuminated; illuminated, we become sons; being made sons, we are made perfect; being made perfect, we are made immortal… This work is variously called grace, and illumination, and perfection, and washing. Washing, by which we cleanse away our sins; grace, by which the penalties accruing to transgressions are remitted; and illumination, by which that holy light of salvation is beheld, that is, by which we see God clearly.” (Clement of Alexandria, “The Instructor,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2, pg. 215)
- “But when the time began to draw near that what was wanting in the Mosaic institutions should be supplied, as we have said, and that the Prophet should appear, of whom he had foretold that He should warn them by the mercy of God to cease from sacrificing; lest haply they might suppose that on the cessation of sacrifice there was no remission of sins for them He instituted baptism by water amongst them, in which they might be absolved from all their sins on the invocation of His name.” (Clement, “Recognitions of Clement,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8, pg. 88)
Origen (c. 182 – 254)
Origen, born in Alexandria, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian. His greatest work, the “Hexapla,” synthesized six versions of the Old Testament. He significantly shaped early Christian thought and biblical scholarship.
Origen tied the washing of our innate sinful nature to the waters of baptism:
- “For the apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of divine mysteries, knew that there is in everyone the innate stains of sin, which are washed away through water and the Spirit” (Commentaries on Romans 5:9).
Origen believed that, while water baptism is essential, those who die during the period of baptismal instruction are saved via a “baptism of blood”:
- “[Catechumens who suffer martyrdom] are not deprived of the sacrament of baptism. Rather, they are baptized with the most glorious and greatest baptism of blood, concerning which the Lord said that he had another baptism with which he himself was to be baptized [Luke 12:50]” (ibid., 72[73]:22).
Tertullian (c. 160 – 220)
Tertullian, an important theologian and moralist, initiated ecclesiastical Latin and influenced Western Christianity. His works include writings on Montanism and moral theology. He is one of the Latin Apologists of the 2nd century.
Tertullian taught that water baptism washes our sins away and brings us to eternal life. In his mind, no one was saved apart from it:
- “Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life. . . . [But] a viper of the [Gnostic] Cainite heresy, lately conversant in this quarter, has carried away a great number with her most venomous doctrine, making it her first aim to destroy baptism–which is quite in accordance with nature, for vipers and asps . . . themselves generally do live in arid and waterless places. But we, little fishes after the example of our [Great] Fish, Jesus Christ, are born in water, nor have we safety in any other way than by permanently abiding in water. So that most monstrous creature, who had no right to teach even sound doctrine, knew full well how to kill the little fishes–by taking them away from the water!” (Baptism 1).
- “[N]o one can attain salvation without baptism, especially in view of the declaration of the Lord, who says, `Unless a man shall be born of water, he shall not have life'” (Baptism 12:1).
- “Baptism itself is a corporal act by which we are plunged into the water, while its effect is spiritual, in that we are freed from our sins” (Baptism 7:2).
- “How mighty is the grace of water, in the sight of God and His Christ, for the confirmation of baptism! Never is Christ without water: if, that is, He is Himself baptized in water; inaugurates in water the first rudimentary displays of his power, when invited to the wedding; invites the thirsty, when He makes a discourse, to Himself being living water; approves, when teaching concerning love, among works of charity, the cup of water offered to a poor child; recruits His strength at a well; walks over the water; willingly crosses the sea; ministers water to his disciples. Onward even to the passion does the witness of baptism last: while He is being surrendered to the cross, water intervenes; witness Pilate’s hands: when He is wounded, forth from His side bursts water; witness the soldier’s lance!… True and stable faith is baptized with water, unto salvation; pretended and weak faith is baptized with fire, unto judgment.” (Tertullian, “On Baptism,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3, pg. 673, 674)
Cyprian (c. 200 – 258)
Cyprian, as bishop of Carthage, led North African Christians during Rome’s persecution. He became the first bishop-martyr of Africa. His principles of church discipline emphasized the authority of the church, bishops, and acceptance of unworthy members.
Cyprian describes his own baptism as the circumstance in which he was quickened to new life, to a second birth:
- “While I was lying in darkness . . . I thought it indeed difficult and hard to believe . . . that divine mercy was promised for my salvation, so that anyone might be born again and quickened unto a new life by the laver of the saving water, he might put off what he had been before, and, although the structure of the body remained, he might change himself in soul and mind. . . . But afterwards, when the stain of my past life had been washed away by means of the water of rebirth, a light from above poured itself upon my chastened and now pure heart; afterwards, through the Spirit which is breathed from heaven, a second birth made of me a new man” (To Donatus 3)
Cyprian claims that Isaiah’s “rivers in the dry place” point to the baptismal waters, wherein the Holy Spirit is received; the “saving” waters that forever quench our spiritual thirst:
- “But as often as water is named alone in the Holy Scriptures, baptism is referred to, as we see intimated in Isaiah: ‘Remember not,’ says he, ‘the former things, and consider not the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, which shall now spring forth; and ye shall know it. I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the dry place, to give drink to my elected people, my people whom I have purchased, that they might show forth my praise.’ There God foretold by the prophet, that among the nations, in places which previously had been dry, rivers should afterwards flow plenteously, and should provide water for the elected people of God, that is, for those who were made sons of God by the generation of baptism…. Christ… cries and says, ‘If any man thirst, let him come and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’ And that it might be more evident that the Lord is speaking there, not of the cup, but of baptism, the Scripture adds, saying, ‘But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.’ For by baptism the Holy Spirit is received… As also, in another place, the Lord speaks to the Samaritan woman, saying, ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst for ever.’ By which is also signified the very baptism of saving water, which indeed is once received, and is not again repeated..” (Cyprian, “The Epistles of Cyprian,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5, pg. 360)
He extends the typology to Noah’s flood, claiming that the physical salvation of eight souls in the flood was analogous to the spiritual salvation offered in baptism:
- “Peter… said, ‘In the ark of Noah, few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water; the like figure whereunto even baptism shall save you;’ proving and attesting that the one ark of Noah was a type of the one Church. If, then, in that baptism of the world thus expiated and purified, he who was not in the ark of Noah could be saved by water, he who is not in the Church to which alone baptism is granted, can also now be quickened [made alive] by baptism. Moreover, too, the Apostle Paul, more openly and clearly still manifesting this same thing, writes to the Ephesians, and says, ‘Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water.'” (Cyprian, “The Epistles of Cyprian,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5, pg. 398)
Cyprian insisted that water baptism was the mark of church membership, and that church membership meant adoption as sons of God:
- “But what a thing it is, to assert and contend that they who are not born in the Church can be the sons of God! For the blessed apostle sets forth and proves that baptism is that wherein the old man dies and the new man is born, saying, ‘He saved us by the washing of regeneration.’ But if regeneration is in the washing, that is, in baptism, how can heresy, which is not the spouse of Christ, generate sons to God by Christ?” (Epistle 73)
While Cyprian had a very high view of baptism, he did not believe that Christians were necessarily condemned without it. He argues that catechumens who hold the sound faith and truth of the Church, even if they die before being baptized in water, are not deprived of salvation. Baptism of blood—suffering and martyrdom—also confers grace, as exemplified by the thief on the cross in the Gospel.
- §22. On which place some, as if by human reasoning they were able to make void the truth of the Gospel declaration, object to us the case of catechumens; asking if any one of these, before he is baptized in the Church, should be apprehended and slain on confession of the name [of Christ], whether he would lose the hope of salvation and the reward of confession, because he had not previously been born again of water? Let men of this kind, who are aiders and favorers of heretics, know therefore, first, that those catechumens hold the sound faith and truth of the Church, and advance from the divine camp to do battle with the devil, with a full and sincere acknowledgment of God the Father, and of Christ, and of the Holy Ghost; then, that they certainly are not deprived of the sacrament of baptism who are baptized with the most glorious and greatest baptism of blood, concerning which the Lord also said, that He had “another baptism to be baptized with” (Lk. 12:50). But the same Lord declares in the Gospel, that those who are baptized in their own blood, and sanctified by suffering, are perfected, and obtain the grace of the divine promise, when He speaks to the thief believing and confessing in His very passion, and promises that he should be with Himself in paradise. Wherefore we who are set over the faith and truth ought not to deceive and mislead those who come to the faith and truth, and repent, and beg that their sins should be remitted to them; but to instruct them when corrected by us, and reformed for the kingdom of heaven by celestial discipline.
- §23. But some one says, “What, then, shall become of those who in past times, coming from heresy to the Church, were received without baptism?” The Lord is able by His mercy to give indulgence, and not to separate from the gifts of His Church those who by simplicity were admitted into the Church, and in the Church have fallen asleep. (Letter 72.22-23)
Ambrose (c. 337 – 397)
Ambrose, bishop of Milan, played a crucial role in the conversion of Augustine. His theological writings and hymns greatly influenced Western Christianity.
Ambrose makes a distinction between the operation of the water and the Spirit, but seems to align the regenerative operation of the Spirit with the enclosing of the body in the watery tomb.
- “Although we are baptized with water and the Spirit, the latter is much superior to the former, and is not therefore to be separated from the Father and the Son. There are, however, many who, because we are baptized with water and the Spirit, think that there is no difference in the offices of water and the Spirit, and therefore think that they do not differ in nature. Nor do they observe that we are buried in the element of water that we may rise again renewed by the Spirit. For in the water is the representation of death, in the Spirit is the pledge of life, that the body of sin may die through the water, which encloses the body as it were in a kind of tomb, that we, by the power of the Spirit, may be renewed from the death of sin, being born again in God” (The Holy Spirit 1:6[75-76]).
Elsewhere, he explicitly states that entrance into the kingdom is via the sacrament of baptism.
- “The Church was redeemed at the price of Christ’s blood. Jew or Greek, it makes no difference; but if he has believed, he must circumcise himself from his sins [in baptism (Col. 2:11-12)] so that he can be saved . . . for no one ascends into the kingdom of heaven except through the sacrament of baptism. . . . `Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God'” (Abraham 2:11:79-84).
He insists that the application of water is normative for, not only the kingdom, but for regeneration.
- “You have read, therefore, that the three witnesses in baptism are one: water, blood, and the Spirit (1 John 5:8): And if you withdraw any one of these, the sacrament of baptism is not valid. For what is the water without the cross of Christ? A common element with no sacramental effect. Nor on the other hand is there any mystery of regeneration without water, for `unless a man be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God'” (The Mysteries 4:20).
Though he had a very high view of baptism, Ambrose insisted that someone who desired to be baptized, yet perished prematurely, received the grace of baptism in a “baptism of desire”.
- But I hear you lamenting because he had not received the sacraments of Baptism. Tell me, what else could we have, except the will to it, the asking for it? He too had just now this desire; and after he came into Italy it was begun, and a short time ago he signified that he wished to be baptized by me. Did he, then, not have the grace which he desired? Did he not have what he eagerly sought? Certainly, because he sought it, he received it (see Mt. 7:7). Otherwise, why would it be written: “But the just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest (Wis. 4:7)?” (Enchiridion Patristicum, No. 1328)
Gregory Nazianz (c. 329 – 390)
Gregory Nazianz, a theologian, bishop, and orator, was a key figure in the Nicene Creed formulation. His eloquence and defense of the Trinity left a lasting impact.
Like Ambrose, Gregory makes a distinction between the operation of the water (visible and typical) and the Spirit (invisible and spiritual). Yet, he described them as “concurring”, attributing a “grace and power” to baptism that purifies from sin.
- “Such is the grace and power of baptism; not an overwhelming of the world as of old, but a purification of the sins of each individual, and a complete cleansing from all the bruises and stains of sin. And since we are double-made, I mean of body and soul, and the one part is visible, the other invisible, so the cleansing also is twofold, by water and the spirit; the one received visibly in the body, the other concurring with it invisibly and apart from the body; the one typical, the other real and cleansing the depths” (Oration on Holy Baptism 7-8).
Like Origen, Gregory considered unbaptized martyrs baptized through the baptism of martyrdom and blood.
- “[Besides the baptisms associated with Moses, John, and Jesus] I know also a fourth baptism, that by martyrdom and blood, by which also Christ himself was baptized. This one is far more august than the others, since it cannot be defiled by later sins” (Oration on the Holy Lights 39:17 [A.D. 381]).
John Chrysostom (c. 349 – 407)
John Chrysostom, known as the “Golden Mouth,” was an influential preacher and bishop of Constantinople. His homilies emphasized moral living and social justice.
Chrysostom speaks of baptism as a means of grace, administered by ordained priests, wherein we vitally connect to Christ.
- “[N]o one can enter into the kingdom of Heaven except he be regenerate through water and the Spirit … These [priests] truly are they who are entrusted with the pangs of spiritual travail and the birth which comes through baptism: by their means we put on Christ, and are buried with the Son of God, and become members of that blessed Head” (The Priesthood 3:5-6).
For Chrysostom, baptism is when justification, remission, and regeneration normally occur.
- “In the Law, he that hath sin is punished; here, he that hath sins cometh and is baptized and is made righteous, and being made righteous, he liveth, being delivered from the death of sin… For in Baptism the sins are buried, the former things are blotted out, the man is made alive, the entire grace written upon his heart as it were a table.” (John Crysostom, “Homilies on Second Corinthians,” 390 AD, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 12, pg. 307)
Similar to Origen and Gregory, Chrysostom recognized an exceptional baptism, wherein a martyr (someone who dies without water baptism) is baptized in his own blood rather than in water.
- “Do not be surprised that I call martyrdom a baptism, for here too the Spirit comes in great haste and there is the taking away of sins and a wonderful and marvelous cleansing of the soul, and just as those being baptized are washed in water, so too those being martyred are washed in their own blood” (Panegyric on St. Lucian 2 [A.D. 387]).
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. A.D. 350)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, as bishop of Jerusalem, focused on catechesis and the Eucharist. His “Catechetical Lectures” provided instruction for new converts.
Cyril highlighted the “power of baptism” as he described the forgiveness and provision of the Spirit therein.
- “For all things whatsoever thou hast done shall be forgiven thee, whether it be fornication, or adultery, or any other such form of licentiousness. What can be greater sin than to crucify Christ? Yet even of this Baptism can purify. For so spake Peter to the three thousand who came to him, to those who had crucified the Lord, when they asked him, saying, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ For the wound is great. Thou hast made us think of our fall, O Peter, by saying, ‘Ye killed the Prince of Life.’ What salve is there for so great a wound? What cleansing for such foulness? What is the salvation for such perdition? ‘Repent,’ saith he, ‘and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ O unspeakable lovingkindness of God! They have no hope of being saved, and yet they are thought worthy of the Holy Ghost. Thou seest the power of Baptism!” (Cyril of Jerusalem, 348AD, “On Baptism,” Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7, pg. 16)
Cyril states that the gift of repentance is granted during baptism, which then leads to the casting off of sin, the seal of the Spirit, and the inheritance of eternal life.
- “The Lord… has granted repentance at Baptism, in order that we may cast off the chief – nay rather the whole burden of our sins, and having received the seal by the Holy Ghost, may be made heirs of eternal life.” (Cyril of Jerusalem, “On Baptism,” Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7, pg. 16)
Cyril further intimates that repentance, or “looking for salvation”, must concur with the watery immersion.
- “When going down, therefore, into the water, think not of the bare element, but look for salvation by the power of the Holy Ghost: for without both thou canst not possibly be made perfect. It is not I that say this, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the power in this matter: for He saith, ‘Except a man be born anew’ (and he adds the words) ‘of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ Neither doth he that is baptized with water, but not found worthy of the Spirit, receive the grace in perfection. Nor if a man be virtuous in his deeds, but receive not the seal by water, shall he enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Cyril of Jerusalem, “Catechetical Lectures,” Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7, pg. 15.)
Cyril couldn’t be more direct when he states that you go down into the water dead in sin, and you come up “made alive”.
- Bearing your sins, you go down into the water; but the calling down of grace seals your soul and does not permit that you afterwards be swallowed up by the fearsome dragon. You go down dead in your sins, and come up made alive in righteousness. (Catechetical Lectures 3:10,12)
Like many before him, Cyril also embraces the idea of a baptism by blood, but he restricts it strictly to martyrs.
- If any man does not receive Baptism, he does not have salvation. The only exception is the martyrs, who, even without water, will receive the kingdom….for the Savior calls martyrdom a Baptism. (Catechetical Lectures 3:10,12)
Basil the Great (375 AD)
Basil the Great, a theologian, bishop, and monastic founder, emphasized communal living and asceticism. His works shaped Eastern Christian spirituality.
Basil distinguishes between the operation of the water and the Spirit, highlighting that the water has no power, but serves as a figurative means in which the Holy Spirit’s presence manifests and illuminates the person being baptized.
- “This then is what it means to be `born again of water and Spirit’: Just as our dying is effected in the water [Rom. 6:3, Col. 2:12-13], our living is wrought through the Spirit. In three immersions and an equal number of invocations the great mystery of baptism is completed in such a way that the type of death may be shown figuratively, and that by the handing on of divine knowledge the souls of the baptized may be illuminated. If, therefore, there is any grace in the water, it is not from the nature of water, but from the Spirit’s presence there” (The Holy Spirit, 15:35).
For Basil, faith and baptism were two sides of the same coin.
- “What makes us Christians?” Basil asks. “Our faith,” all would respond. “How are we saved? Obviously through the regenerating grace of baptism. How else could we be?” (Basil the Great On the Holy Spirit, p. 46)
Basil viewed faith and baptism as inseparable “means of salvation”; with a profession of faith first bringing salvation, and then, immediately after, baptism sealing it with the presence and power of the Spirit.
- “Faith is perfected through baptism; the foundation of baptism is faith…. The profession of faith leads us to salvation, and then baptism follows, sealing our salvation.” (Basil the Great On the Holy Spirit, p. 49-50)
Elsewhere, he lists many spiritual benefits that occur during baptism.
- “For prisoners, baptism is ransom, forgiveness of debts, the death of sin, regeneration of the soul, a resplendent garment, an unbreakable seal, a chariot to heaven, a royal protector, a gift of adoption” (Sermons on Moral and Practical Subjects 13:5).
St. Augustine (419 AD)
St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, wrote extensively on theology, grace, and original sin. His “Confessions” and “City of God” remain influential.
Augustine was not shy about claiming that baptism is the “sacrament of regeneration”, directly affecting the “remission of sins”.
- “But the sacrament of baptism is undoubtedly the sacrament of regeneration: Wherefore, as the man who has never lived cannot die, and he who has never died cannot rise again, so he who has never been born cannot be born again. From which the conclusion arises, that no one who has not been born could possibly have been born again in his father. Born again, however, a man must be, after he has been born; because, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ Even an infant, therefore, must be imbued with the sacrament of regeneration, lest without it his would be an unhappy exit out of this life; and this baptism is not administered except for the remission of sins. And so much does Christ show us in this very passage; for when asked, How could such things be? He reminded His questioner of what Moses did when he lifted up the serpent … are also freed from the serpent’s poisonous bite, unless we willfully wander from the rule of the Christian faith.” (On Forgiveness of Sin, and Baptism, 43:27)
Augustine believed that “death for Christ” makes an unbaptized person a member of Christ.
- “Moreover, from the time when He said, ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven;’ and again, ‘He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it;‘ no one becomes a member of Christ except it be either by baptism in Christ, or death for Christ.” (On the Soul and its Origin, 1:10:9)
Elsewhere, Augustine clarified this more, stating that those who die “for Christ” are those who die “for the confession of Christ”.
- “Those who, though they have not received the washing of regeneration, die for the confession of Christ–it avails them just as much for the forgiveness of their sins as if they had been washed in the sacred font of baptism. For he that said, `If anyone is not reborn of water and the Spirit, he will not enter the kingdom of heaven,’ made an exception for them in that other statement in which he says no less generally, `Whoever confesses me before men, I too will confess him before my Father, who is in heaven’” [Matt. 10:32] (The City of God 13:7).
In the same writing, however, he agrees with Cyprian about the salvation of the unbaptized thief on the cross, who died not “for the confession of Christ” but with “faith and conversion of heart”, which serves as a “baptism of desire”.
- “That the place of baptism is sometimes supplied by suffering is supported by a substantial argument which the same blessed Cyprian draws from the circumstance of the thief, to whom, although not baptized, it was said, ‘Today you shall be with me in paradise’ [Luke 23:43]. Considering this over and over again, I find that not only suffering for the name of Christ can supply for that which is lacking by way of baptism, but even faith and conversion of heart [i.e. baptism of desire] if, perhaps, because of the circumstances of the time, recourse cannot be had to the celebration of the mystery of baptism” (ibid., 4:22:29).
St. Fulgence of Ruspe (c. A.D. 524)
St. Fulgence of Ruspe, a bishop and theologian, defended orthodox Christianity against Arianism and other heresies.
St. Fulgence seemed very strict on baptismal regeneration, to the point that he believed that unbaptized infants were damned.
- “Hold most firmly and never doubt in the least that not only men having the use of reason but even infants who… pass from this world without the Sacrament of holy Baptism… are to be punished in the everlasting torment of eternal fire.” (Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 3: 2271.)
St. Fulgence did, however, teach that those who poured out their blood for Christ received the “kingdom of heaven and eternal life”. He also accepted non-Catholic baptisms as legitimate.
- From that time at which our Savior said: “If anyone is not reborn of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” no one can say, without the sacrament of Baptism, except those who, in the Catholic Church, without Baptism pour out their blood for Christ, receive the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Anyone who receives the sacrament of Baptism, whether in the Catholic Church or in a heretical or schismatic one, receives the whole sacrament… (The Rule of Faith 43 [A.D. 524]).
In examining the views of the pre-Nicene and early post-Nicene Church Fathers, it becomes evident that they consistently held a high view of water baptism. They interpreted passages like 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, and John 3:5 quite literally, emphasizing that baptism is not merely a symbolic act but a powerful occasion (or means) through which God grants the gift of repentance, leading to forgiveness of sins and new life. However, they also recognized exceptions, including the “baptism of blood” (martyrdom for Christ) and the “baptism of desire” (explicit or implicit longing for baptism), which also lead to salvation even without the physical act of water baptism. This nuanced understanding aligns somewhat with the conclusions in my previous article.
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The Middle Ground 
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