Are infant baptism and Catholic indulgences biblical—or are they later traditions invented by the Catholic Church? In this detailed conversation, Sam Shamoun responds to a Protestant raised in the Baptist Church who is studying church history, the Eucharist, Catholicism, baptismal regeneration, and the teachings of the early church.
Sam Shamoun explains that infant baptism was already practiced among the earliest Christians. Tertullian discussed the baptism of children in the second century, while some Christians delayed baptism because they believed water baptism washed away sins and wanted to receive it later in life. Emperor Constantine similarly delayed his baptism until shortly before death. Sam Shamoun also notes that Martin Luther and John Calvin accepted infant baptism, while the Anabaptists’ rejection of the practice emerged during the Protestant Reformation. The New Testament may not explicitly describe an infant baptism, but it never prohibits baptizing infants—and the historic church consistently taught that baptism regenerates, forgives sins, and unites the believer to Christ.
The discussion then turns to one of Catholicism’s most misunderstood teachings: indulgences. Sam Shamoun defines an indulgence as the remission of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt has already been forgiven—not payment for salvation or forgiveness from eternal damnation. Using Proverbs 3, Revelation 3, Hebrews 12, and the analogy of a father disciplining his children, Sam Shamoun explains the difference between eternal punishment and God’s temporal chastening of Christians. God disciplines those He loves in order to produce repentance, holiness, purification, righteousness, and eventual glorification through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Sam Shamoun then examines Christ’s warning to the church in Thyatira concerning Jezebel, sexual immorality, false teaching, spiritual adultery, repentance, suffering, and temporal judgment. He also appeals to James 5, where Christians confess their sins, receive prayer and anointing from the elders, and may be healed and forgiven. John 5 provides another example when Jesus warns the healed man to stop sinning or something worse may happen to him.
Finally, Sam Shamoun turns to Polycarp, the ancient Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John. Polycarp cites the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit concerning almsgiving, charity, forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from death. Sam Shamoun argues that this provides early apostolic and historical support for the biblical principles behind indulgences—and challenges Protestant ideas such as sola fide and “once saved, always saved.”
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 A Baptist studies Catholicism and church history
1:06 Is infant baptism an early Christian practice?
2:02 Constantine, Tertullian, and delayed baptism
4:18 Does the Bible prohibit baptizing infants?
5:14 Why did the Reformation oppose indulgences?
6:03 What is an indulgence and temporal punishment?
9:21 God disciplines the children He loves
15:02 Jezebel, false teaching, repentance, and judgment
19:40 Confession, healing, and forgiveness in James 5
23:20 Polycarp, Tobit, almsgiving, and apostolic tradition
⚠️ Important Disclaimer
I am not Sam Shamoun. This channel edits and shares clips from his teachings with permission in order to make his content more accessible and help spread the Word of God. All credit for the teaching belongs to Sam Shamoun.
