The Sacrament of Confirmation

"Is Confirmation in the Bible?"

3 Scripture passages2 objections answered2 Church Father quotes

The Short Answer

Confirmation completes baptismal grace and strengthens the recipient with the gifts of the Holy Spirit for witness and service. It is the sacrament of Christian maturity and mission.

Quick Overview

Think of Confirmation like a soldier's commissioning. Baptism makes you a child of God; Confirmation equips you for mission. You receive power from the Holy Spirit to be a witness for Christ in the world.

Biblical Evidence

What the Scriptures say

Acts 8:14-17

"Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."

Why This Matters

The apostles Peter and John laid hands on baptized Samaritans to impart the Holy Spirit—a distinct act from their water baptism.

Acts 19:5-6

"They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them."

Why This Matters

After baptism, Paul laid hands on them for the Holy Spirit—a two-step process of initiation.

Hebrews 6:2

"The doctrine of baptisms, and of imposition of hands."

Why This Matters

The laying on of hands is listed as a foundational Christian practice alongside baptism.

What the Church Teaches

Official Catholic doctrine

Confirmation imprints an indelible spiritual mark and completes the grace of Baptism. The confirmed receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1302-1303) and are more perfectly bound to the Church.

Common Objections

Questions answered

Early Church Fathers

What the first Christians believed

Tertullian

c. 200 AD

"After coming out of the bath, we are anointed with a blessed unction... Then the hand is laid on us, invoking and inviting the Holy Spirit."

— On Baptism, 7-8

St. Cyprian of Carthage

c. 250 AD

"It is necessary for him who has been baptized also to be anointed, so that by receiving chrism, he may be anointed of God."

— Letters, 70:2

Mass as Sacrifice

Matrimony

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