{"id":7614,"date":"2026-06-01T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=7614"},"modified":"2026-05-27T07:19:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:19:44","slug":"349-why-must-paul-be-batptised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=7614","title":{"rendered":"360. Why Must Paul Be Batptised?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong><sup>15\u00a0<\/sup>But the Lord said to him, \u201cGo, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;\u00a0<sup>16\u00a0<\/sup>I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.\u201d\u00a0<sup>17\u00a0<\/sup>So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, \u201cBrother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0<sup>18\u00a0<\/sup>And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,\u00a0<sup>19\u00a0<\/sup>and after taking some food, he regained his strength.<\/strong><\/span> [<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Acts 9:15-19<\/span><\/strong>, <em>NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ananias-Restoring-the-Sight-of-St.-Paul-c.\u20091631-by-Pietro-da-Cortona.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7615\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ananias-Restoring-the-Sight-of-St.-Paul-c.\u20091631-by-Pietro-da-Cortona.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1000\" \/><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em>Ananias Restoring the Sight of St. Paul<\/em>\u00a0(c.\u20091631) by\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pietro_da_Cortona\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">Pietro da Corton<\/span>a<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In Catholic theology, we receive the Holy Spirit at baptism and are thereby made sons and daughters of God (CCC, 1265). In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were in the Upper Room. But Paul did not seem to need either of those, for he was already filled with the Spirit the moment Ananias laid hands on him and scales fell down from his blinded eyes (Acts 9:17). So why then did they go on to baptize him (Acts 9:18)?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pope Benedict gives the answer: Paul was <strong><em>truly able to see <\/em><\/strong>only after being illuminated by baptism. Why is that so?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As churchman, Pope Benedict thinks in terms of the Church. We may see his reasoning in two interconnected points.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>[1] <em>Christ is identified with believers<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Just as the Risen Christ told Saul at the Damascus-Road encounter, in persecuting Christ\u2019s followers, Paul was persecuting Christ (Acts 9:4-5). In thus saying, Christ himself <em>identifies with believers<\/em> of all ages wherever they may be. The Lord identifies with the Church as the community or body of disciples.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So Paul has to be baptized, to <em>adhere to and to be part of the Church, to enter into communion with the Church, and in order to live in harmony with the other apostles.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A true apostle is always in <em>communion<\/em> with everyone, to<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>listen<\/em><\/strong> to the Church,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>learn<\/em><\/strong> from and with the Church,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>feel<\/em><\/strong> with the Church,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>think<\/em><\/strong> with the Church,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>see<\/em><\/strong> with the Church,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">and so be in unity with the Church &#8211; <strong><em>in faith, sacraments and love<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So understood, Paul has got to be <em>to be baptized<\/em>, to \u201c<em>belong<\/em>\u201d, <em>to be in and with the community<\/em> &#8211; the Body of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>[2] The Link between Church and Baptism Is Inseparable <\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No wonder Paul\u2019s teaching lays emphasis on <em>Church<\/em> and <em>Baptism.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">First, concerning <em>Church<\/em>, Paul would go on to develop his theological understanding that offers an original definition of the Church as the \u201c<strong><em>Body of Christ<\/em><\/strong>\u201d. See, especially I Cor 12:27. This is a metaphor not found in any other Christian authors of the first century.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Important implications that flow from this Pauline image of Church include, among others:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We <strong><em>belong among those <\/em><\/strong>who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:2).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>Nobility<\/em><\/strong> comes with baptism, so that we become Christ\u2019s personal presence in the world.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Particularly for Paul, the idea of \u201cnobility obliges\u201d relative to baptism takes on an accentuated significance, so much so that we bear a duty to truly live in conformity with Christ where <strong><em>the<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>Cross<\/em><\/strong> is at the core of authentic discipleship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Second, concerning <em>Baptism<\/em>, Paul\u2019s theology carries a striking <em>cross<\/em>-related doctrine: <strong><em>dying<\/em><\/strong> with Christ and <strong><em>rising<\/em><\/strong> with him to new life (Rom 6:3-5).\u00a0Paul had understood well that to be baptized into Christ Jesus is to be baptized into his death. What is demanded is death to an old way of life, death to sin, and now being clothed in Christ Jesus.\u00a0And of course, baptism joins us to the Body of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On that score, challenging questions posed by Cardinal Cupich of Chicago demand serious attention: Has an over-emphasis on baptism as \u201c<em>washing away of original sin<\/em>\u201d limited or eclipsed our understanding of two very profound and original Pauline meaning of this initiation sacrament?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">First, what have we done to the Pauline emphasis on the <strong><em>cross<\/em><em>&#8211;<\/em>element<\/strong> of dying and rising in baptism? It is when we take a moment to reflect on the fact that in some fanatical non-Christian religious settings (most acute where Christians are a marginalized minority group), to choose to be baptized as a Christian is potentially to court death, that we are jolted into realization as to what it really means to be baptized. In his own historical setting, St Paul met with the same fate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Second, where does the imparting of new life of Christ\u2019s <em>grace<\/em> fit in, and the attendant demand to turn back to God?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>[3] Baptism is not <\/strong><strong>just being freed from sin and a visa to heaven<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Baptism, then, is not just being freed from sin but, arguably even more importantly, it is about being given a new life with a new destiny and direction, as we are joined to Christ\u2019s work of bringing about the salvation of the world. Yes, \u201call is grace\u201d as the saying goes, but grace is not \u201ccheap\u201d (<em>per<\/em> Bonhoeffer), but is the powerful love of God which enables us to turn over a new page and to embark on a better way to live than before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Through baptism, we have been made children of God. Yet baptism is not just a ritual; it is an act of dying to our old self and living a new life in Christ. The more we die to ourselves, the more our life hidden in Christ will shine through us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Paul would later articulate his theological understanding. Writing to the Colossians, he announces his Christian mission as proclaiming Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so as to present everyone <em>mature in Christ.<\/em> And for this he would \u201ctoil and struggle\u201d with all the energy that Christ powerfully inspires within him [Col 1:28-29].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Paul goes on to explain to them about this new life in Christ. They are to seek the things that are above, not on things that are on earth.\u00a0<strong><sup>\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>For they have died, and their life is hid with Christ in God.\u00a0So they must put to death what is earthly in them, put away all negative and violent thoughts, put off their old nature and put on the new, and know that Christ is all and in all, neither Greek nor Jew, neither free man nor slave. [Col 3:5-11].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So, yes, baptism bestows nobility of membership in the Body of Christ. But more than that, because nobility obliges, we cannot remain mere recipients of grace; we are called to become active agents in the kingdom of God. Operating within individual stations in life, our <strong><em>human<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>agency<\/em><\/strong> will steadfastly attempt to advance the kingdom of God helping, as St Paul says, to complete whatever remains lacking in Christ\u2019s affliction in the here and now of concrete human conditions in which we find ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The idea that something remains lacking in Christ&#8217;s afflictions might seem shocking, but it refers to the ongoing suffering of believers in spreading the gospel and building up the Church. Through their faithfulness and sacrifice, believers participate in the ongoing work of redemption. For \u201c<strong>completing Christ&#8217;s afflictions<\/strong>\u201d, see Colossians 1:24-28. Paul\u2019s passion for proclaiming Jesus Christ drove him to fulfill his calling to sacrificially minister to the Gentiles.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As Pope Benedict XVI said, <em>the laity are <strong>co-responsible<\/strong> (equal partners) with the priests (<u>not<\/u> assistants to) for the mission of the Church <\/em>and, as Pope Francis urges in this Jubilee Year, as fellow <strong><em>pilgrims of hope<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Copyright \u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, April 2026. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To comment, email\u00a0<u><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:jeffangiegoh@gmail.com\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>15\u00a0But the Lord said to him, \u201cGo, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;\u00a016\u00a0I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.\u201d\u00a017\u00a0So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=7614\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"15\u00a0But the Lord said to him, \u201cGo, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;\u00a016\u00a0I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.\u201d\u00a017\u00a0So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7614"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7762,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7614\/revisions\/7762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}