91. John the Baptist's Baptism: Divine Institution and Preparatory Grace

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

• Divine Institution of John’s Baptism: Whether John’s baptism came from God despite lacking explicit scriptural precept
• Rite vs. Effect: The distinction between the external rite of baptism (from God) and its spiritual effect (from man)
• Preparation for Grace: How John’s baptism prepared for grace without conferring it
• Recipients and Exclusions: Why only adults with faith received it, not infants or Gentiles
• Sacrament vs. Sacramental: The distinction between a true sacrament and a preparatory rite

Key Arguments #

On Divine Institution (Article 2) #

Objections:

• Sacramental rites pertain to law, but John introduced no precept in Scripture
• Nothing sacramental is denominated from a mere man (yet John’s baptism is called “the baptism of John”)
• John performed no miracles to confirm his teaching (unlike other divine messengers)

Thomas’s Response:

• The rite came from God through familiar revelation of the Holy Spirit (private revelation), not through public law
• John’s baptism did nothing that man was not able to accomplish—it cleansed the body only, not the soul
• John’s authority was confirmed by Scripture (“I am the voice of one crying in the desert”) and by the austerity of his life
• John performed no miracles precisely to avoid distracting from Christ’s unique mission; otherwise men would have paid equal attention to both
• The whole teaching and operation of John was ordered to Christ

On Conferral of Grace (Article 3) #

Objections:

• John preached “baptism of penance for remission of sins” (Mark 1:4)
• Those baptized confessed their sins, seeking remission
• Circumcision remitted original sin; John’s baptism should do at least as much

Thomas’s Response:

• John’s baptism was preparatory, not perfective of grace
• Grace comes through Christ alone: “Grace and truth through Jesus Christ was made” (John 1:17)
• John’s baptism prepared for grace in three ways:
  1. Through his teaching, inducing men to faith in Christ
  2. By accustoming men to the rite of baptism
  3. Through penance, preparing men to receive the effect of Christ’s baptism
• The baptism of penance induced men toward penance but did not confer grace
• Circumcision was instituted as a remedy for original sin; John’s baptism was instituted solely as preparatory for Christ’s baptism
• The strength of sacramental effect derives from the institution itself

On Recipients (Article 4) #

Objections:

• If John baptized only to prepare for Christ’s baptism, why baptize others at all?
• Others could gain nothing from John’s baptism since it conferred no grace
• If Christ alone needed baptism, then only Christ ought to have been baptized

Thomas’s Response:

• If Christ alone had been baptized by John, people would have concluded that John’s baptism was more worthy than Christ’s
• Others needed baptism to be prepared for Christ’s baptism
• John’s baptism was fitting only for adults capable of penance—not for infants
• The way of salvation for the Gentiles was reserved to Christ alone; therefore, Gentiles should not have been admitted to John’s baptism
• The Gospel records that all the people from Jerusalem were baptized by John, confirming that suitable candidates were baptized

Important Definitions #

• Sacrament (proper sense): A rite that confers grace and impresses a character
• Sacramental (or preparatory rite): A rite instituted by God that disposes for grace without conferring it
• Rite (ritus): The external form or manner of administering baptism
• Effect (effectus): The spiritual result or consequence—in John’s case, bodily cleansing only
• Familiar Revelation (revelatio familiaris): Private divine revelation, as opposed to public precept or law
• Character (character): An indelible spiritual mark impressed by certain sacraments; John’s baptism impressed none
• Penance (poenitentia): Both the virtue of repentance and (sacramentally) the remission of sins through grace
• Baptism of Penance: A baptism that induces men toward penance rather than conferring grace directly

Examples & Illustrations #

• The Master Craftsman Analogy: John is like a lower artisan preparing matter for the chief artist (Christ) to induce the form. Just as a carpenter prepares wood for the chief sculptor to carve, John prepared souls for Christ to sanctify through grace.

• The Old Law and New Law: Just as the old law continued for a time after the new law began (like manna persisting after entering the Promised Land), John’s baptism could continue preparatory to Christ’s full manifestation.

• Distinction in the Two Baptisms: John himself makes the distinction: “I baptize you in water unto penance; but he that shall come after me… will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 3:11). John cleanses the body; Christ cleanses the soul.

• Adult Baptism Today: Modern adult baptisms mirror John’s approach—candidates are instructed, prepared through examination of conscience, and moved to recall and repent of their sins before receiving the sacrament.

• Ash Wednesday Sign: The imposition of ashes (a sacramental) is merely a sign of penance, like John’s baptism—it is not itself the remission of sins but induces the penitent toward genuine repentance.

Notable Quotes #

“The rite of baptizing was not from men, but from God. Who, by a familiar revelation of the Holy Spirit, sent John to baptizing.”

“The baptism of John did not confer grace, because grace came through Jesus Christ, huh? But only did it prepare for grace.”

“Grace and truth through Jesus Christ was made.” (John 1:17, cited by Thomas)

“If Christ alone was baptized by the baptism of John, there would not be lacking those who would say that the baptism of John by which Christ was baptized was more worthy than the baptism of Christ, which others were baptized.” (Augustine, cited by Thomas)

“I baptize you in water unto penance; but he that shall come after me will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 3:11—John’s own distinction)

Questions Addressed #

1. Was John’s baptism from God? Yes—the rite was divinely instituted through private revelation of the Holy Spirit, though the effect was not from God alone but from man (bodily cleansing only).

2. Did John’s baptism confer grace? No. It prepared for grace through teaching (inducing faith), habituation to the rite, and inducement to penance, but conferred no sacramental grace itself.

3. Who received John’s baptism? Adults capable of and disposed to penance who went forth from Jerusalem. Not infants (for whom penance is unfitting) nor Gentiles (whose salvation was reserved to Christ).

4. Why were others baptized if John’s baptism conferred no grace? To avoid the false inference that John’s baptism was superior to Christ’s, and to prepare others for Christ’s baptism.

5. How did John’s lack of miracles affect its credibility? John’s authority was confirmed instead by Scripture and the austerity of his life. Miracles would have distracted attention from Christ’s unique mission and created the false impression of two equal wonder-workers.