Catholic Position

¶1316 Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which
gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine
filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond
with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help
us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds.

¶1317 Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or
indelible character on the Christian’s soul; for this reason one can
receive this sacrament only once in one’s life.

¶1288 “From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ’s will,
imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of
the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. For this reason in the
Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on
of hands is listed among the first elements of Christian instruction.
The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition
as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way
perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church.”

¶1314 If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest should give him
Confirmation. Indeed the Church desires that none of her children, even
the youngest, should depart this world without having been perfected by
the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ’s fullness.

¶1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation
together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose
unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that
the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the
completion of baptismal grace. For “by the sacrament of Confirmation,
[the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched
with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true
witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the
faith by word and deed.”

Scripture Says

2 Corinthians 5:17
17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Romans 8:38-39
38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:1
1 ¶  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.


Ephesians 2:13
13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

John 8:36
36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Galatians 5:1
1 ¶  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Commentary

• Will you be bound by church laws if Jesus has set you free?
• An unsaved child is not saved because he endures religious studies.