Sacramental-involuntary and Functional-voluntary Models: A Proposal for Understanding Christian Baptism

Abstract

Throughout the centuries, scholars, theologians, and reformers have provided varied interpretations, contributing to the understanding of baptism and to the distinctions between infant baptism and the baptism of professed believers. This article aims to discuss the concept of baptism as well as the perspectives of Aquinas and Calvin regarding the practice of infant baptism, and the hermeneutics employed by the Anabaptists and Seventh-day Adventists. The methodology adopted is exploratory and bibliographic in nature, with a qualitative approach. The results highlight the convergences and divergences among the models analyzed, showing that the Catholic and Reformed traditions, in general terms, follow a sacramental model, while the Anabaptists and Seventh-day Adventists, by adopting a historical-cognitive hermeneutic, focus on the practical implications of individual faith.