"Catholic Priest Resigns: 20 Years of Invalid Baptisms"
Steven J. Wallace
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."
(Matt. 28:19, 20).
After learning that he had baptized thousands of babies incorrectly for two decades, a Catholic priest in Phoenix resigns. What did he learn and where did he learn that his baptism was invalid?
"As he administered the ritual, the Rev. Andres Arango would say, 'We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.' But the correct wording is 'I baptize,' according to the Vatican's instruction, Thomas J. Olmsted, bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, wrote in a January 14 message."1
What was the error? As stated above it was using "we" versus "I." The article shows that the Catholic position of baptism rests in an unchangeable formula that must be spoken and never broken. Unfortunately, Mr. Arango didn't learn that his practice was invalid from the Bible but from the Vatican.
What could Mr. Arango learn if he looked into God's book?
Jesus didn't personally baptize anyone.
While we read that Jesus remained in the land of Judea and baptized, we also read that Jesus did not personally baptize anyone, but His disciples did (see Jn. 3:22 - 4:2).
His disciples were charged to "go" and "make disciples" by "baptizing" people. The disciples were also charged to "teach" these converts all things Jesus commanded (Matt. 28:19, 20). Jesus makes disciples through the human agency of preaching. His disciples faithfully teach and baptize sinners. We could say that Jesus taught the Gentiles through the agency of the apostles (see Eph. 2:17).
Matthew 28:19 is not a formula to repeat, but a commandment to be obeyed.
Mr. Arango apologized,
"It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula."2
While I commend anyone's humility to admit wrongdoing; Jesus is not instructing the disciples what to "say" or what to"call" over a person. He is charging them with what to do: to make disciples by baptizing them. Doing something in the name of the Lord is doing something with the authority and approval of the Lord. It is doing what is endorsed by the Father and instructed by the Holy Spirit.
Similarly, Paul instructed, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:17). This wasn't obeyed by "calling" something over their deeds but rather doing those things which Jesus approves!
Calling out "the name of the Lord" doesn't make unauthorized practices or the participants approved by the Lord (Matt. 7:21-23). Some disobedient Jews mistakenly thought they could call out a formula over unclean spirits. Read what happened in Acts 19:11-17.
Babies are not lawful candidates to be baptized.
The Bible teaches that Babies and small children are safe with the Lord (Mk. 10:14-16). In Scripture we only find men and women being baptized, who upon being receptive to the teaching of the Lord are persuaded to believe, repent, and confess His name. Acts 8:12, "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized" (cf. Acts 5:14; emp. added, SJW).
Sprinkling is not an authorized mode of baptizing.
The verb "baptizing" in Matthew 28:19 and elsewhere in the New Testament means to dip, to immerse, to submerge, to overwhelm. "Baptize" is simply a transliteration of the Greek verb. If the translators would "translate" it, they would use "immerse," "immersing," "immersed" and "immersion." It never means to sprinkle and is associated with being buried (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12).
It is not only Mr. Arango who practiced an incorrect baptism, but the entire Catholic Church should plead guilty also. If their priests would break away from the doctrines of the Vatican and build their faith only on what God has spoken, they too could repent of their illegal practices and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins. Although not Catholic priests (as there were no Catholics in the first century), there were many priests who upon finding themselves in an illegal system of worship, obeyed the faith in Jerusalem (Acts 6:7).
We call upon all to give up creeds and obey the faith today!
1 Loh, Matthew. "A Catholic Priest in Arizona Resigned after Discovering He'd Incorrectly Performed Thousands of Baptisms for over 20 Years." Insider, Insider, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.insider.com/arizona-pastor-resigns-after-learning-he-baptized-thousands-people-incorrectly-2022-2.
2 Ibid.
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