Baptists do not practice confirmation because their understanding of baptism differs fundamentally from Christian denominations that do. For Baptists, baptism is a public declaration of a personal, conscious faith in Jesus Christ, performed only after an individual has made a voluntary decision to follow Him.
This core belief means there's no need for a separate confirmation rite, as the act of baptism itself serves as the individual's mature and informed profession of faith and commitment to the Christian life.
The Core Difference: Believer's Baptism
The central reason Baptists do not have confirmation stems from their adherence to believer's baptism (also known as credobaptism).
- Personal Decision: Baptists believe that baptism should only be administered to individuals who are old enough to understand the meaning of faith, repentance, and commitment to Christ. It is a conscious, voluntary act.
- Public Declaration: Baptism is seen as an outward symbol of an inward spiritual transformation. It signifies a person's death to sin, new life in Christ, and identification with His death, burial, and resurrection.
- No Infant Baptism: Because infants cannot make a conscious decision of faith, Baptists do not baptize them. This stands in contrast to many other Christian traditions (like Catholicism, Anglicanism, and some Lutheran and Presbyterian churches) that practice infant baptism (paedobaptism).
What Confirmation Signifies (and why Baptists don't need it)
In denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation typically serves as a rite of passage for individuals who were baptized as babies. At confirmation, often in their teenage years, these individuals publicly affirm the faith they were raised in and confirm the vows made on their behalf by parents or godparents during their infancy. It signifies their personal acceptance of Christian responsibility and their commitment to the church.
For Baptists, however, there is no initial act of baptism performed without the individual's understanding that needs to be "confirmed" later. Children are usually baptized when they are old enough to understand what they are doing. Therefore, the very act of believer's baptism fulfills the purpose that confirmation serves in other traditions—it is the individual's first public, conscious declaration of faith and commitment.
A Personal Choice and Public Declaration
Baptist churches emphasize the importance of a personal relationship with God and the voluntary nature of faith.
- Conversion First, Then Baptism: A person first experiences repentance and faith in Christ, then follows with baptism as an act of obedience and public testimony.
- No Subsequent Affirmation Needed: Since baptism itself is the conscious affirmation of faith, there is no subsequent rite required to confirm a decision already made and publicly declared by the individual.
In essence, while other denominations use confirmation to affirm an earlier infant baptism, Baptists perform baptism only when a person is mature enough to make a personal commitment, thus eliminating the need for a separate confirmatory rite.
For more information on Baptist beliefs, you can explore resources from major Baptist conventions, such as the Southern Baptist Convention's "Baptist Faith and Message".
