It is interesting to note that the Roman Catholic Church, which is most probably the oldest Christian denomination in existence, has a practice that they call confirmation. The Catechism of confirmation in the Catholic Church states: “Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding and courage, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the Spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God our Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your heart.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church sees as a scriptural basis for Confirmation as a sacrament distinct from Baptism, the account in the book of Acts where Peter and John laid hands on the saints in Samaria to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). And so, clearly what started out in the Spirit in the early church, became a fleshly ordinance in the Roman Catholic Church. Nevertheless, their tradition handed down over the centuries confirms the truth to us that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is in fact the point at which the saint is sealed in the kingdom of God. And so, something else that we need to recognize from this point is that once we are sealed by God we cannot be sealed again, which also clearly indicates to us that there is only one baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Michael E.B. Maher
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