What is Confirmation? What is it for? What does it do? Ludwig Ott, in his book, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, defines the concept of Confirmation in this way: "Confirmation is that Sacrament which, by the imposition of hands, unction, and prayer, a baptized person is filled with the Holy Ghost for the inner strengthening of the supernatural life and for the courageous outward confession of the Faith: St. Thomas defines is as a Sacrament of fullness and grace and as ‘that Sacrament in which strength is conferred on the regenerate’…" (p. 361)

The Catholic Catechism speaks of the Sacrament: "Baptism, the Eucharist, and 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 in 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." (CCC 1285)

The Sacrament of Confirmation is an infallible teaching of the Church. Therefore, to deny the validity of the Sacrament of Confirmation is to deny the authority of the Church and its infallibility, in which case one cannot be Catholic. Hence, no Catholics are under the circumstances to reject this teaching of the Church—that of Confirmation—without rejecting the Church itself.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is indeed supported heavily by the Bible. Not vaguely, but clearly is the Sacrament of Confirmation established. The Holy Spirit came upon the primitive Christian Church, as both the Old Testament (Joel 2:28 et seq, Is 44:4-5, Ezek. 39:29) and Christ (Luke 24:49), had prophesied. "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they begin to speak with diverse tongues according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak." (Acts 2:4) After the Holy Spirit had descended upon the Church, the apostles and other Church leaders began baptizing people frequently and consistently. The apostles Peter and Paul were perhaps leaders of the baptizing spree, baptizing Jews and Gentiles alike from all around the known world.

Baptism, having been proclaimed necessary for salvation (cf. John 3:3, 1 Pet 3:21) was a Sacrament administered to new members of the Church as a means of both mediated grace and Christian initiation. It was listed second among the fundamental Christian doctrines: "…of the doctrine of Baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead…" (Heb 6:2). This list was meant to inform Christians of what the essential events of a Christian’s Spiritual life were to be. Not surprisingly, Baptism is included. But what is this third, "laying on of hands" that comes after Baptism? How is it administered? What are its affects?

Key to this discussion is Acts 8:14-19, which is cited below:

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of god, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’

Notice the explicit testimony of Luke: "through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given." Furthermore, recognize that this Sacrament of the laying on of hands is separate from, and a furthering of, the grace given at Baptism: "They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." Simon the sorcerer clearly realizes the fact that the apostles had the power of administering the Sacrament of the lying of hands (however, he misunderstood the entire concept of the Sacrament, mistaking the God given gift of the Sacrament as something given and created by man; as some sort of magical ability—cf. 8:19-23). Indeed, the passage refers explicitly to that fundamental Christian practice listed in Hebrews 6:2.

Later, we find a similar occurrence in the early Church. Again, Luke writes of the laying on of hands as something separate and fulfilling of Baptism:

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all. (Acts 19:5-7)

These twelve men, like the others, had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. But it was during the laying of hands, the same as referred to in Hebrews 6:2, that the men received the Holy Spirit. Indeed, once more, testimony of the validity of the Sacrament of Confirmation (the lying of hands) as being part of Christianity, is present in Scripture.

The early Church and its theologians and leaders offered an abundance of proof concerning the validity of the lying of hands. The Sacrament of Confirmation, hence, is well attested to by Tradition.

Clement of Alexandria, in approximately 195 AD, writes, "For on whom does the presbyter lay his hand? Whom does he bless?" Tertullian continues the thought, affirming the second Sacrament of initiation: "After coming from the place of washing we are thoroughly anointed with a blessed unction, from the ancient discipline by which [those] in the priesthood . . . were accustomed to be anointed with a horn of oil, ever since Aaron was anointed by Moses. . . . So also with us, the unction runs on the body and profits us spiritually, in the same way that baptism itself is a corporal act by which we are plunged in water, while its effect is spiritual, in that we are freed from sins. After this, the hand is imposed for a blessing, invoking and inviting the Holy Spirit" (Baptism 7:1)"

Cyprian, in about 250 AD, offers a very interesting interpretation of John 3:3: "It is of little consequence to ‘lay hands on them so they may receive the Holy Spirit,’ unless they have also received the baptism of the Church. For they can be fully sanctified and be of the sons of God only when they are born of each Sacrament. For it is written: ‘unless a man is born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ We find this also in the Acts of the Apostles."

The council of Carthage VII settled the issue decisively in the year 256 AD: "[I]n the Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ spoke with His divine voice, saying, 'Except a man be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God' [John 3:5]. This is the Spirit which from the beginning was borne over the waters; for neither can the Spirit operate without the water, nor the water without the Spirit. Certain people therefore interpret [this passage] for themselves wrongly, when they say that by imposition of the hand they receive the Holy Ghost, and are thus received, when it is manifest that they ought to be born again [initiated] in the Catholic Church by both sacraments" (VII Carthage [A.D. 256]).

In conclusion, it cannot be denied that the Fathers of the Church willingly agreed upon the validity and importance of the Sacrament of the lying on of hands—the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is not to be confused, although often is, with the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Both involve the lying on of hands, and so often the two cause quandary as to which is being referred to in the Scriptures. The Scriptures make a clear distinction between the two sacraments when it lists Confirmation as a Sacrament to be received by every practicing Christian. It reserves the lying on of hands in Holy Orders for the clergy.

The Bible refers to Holy Orders when it specifically refers to the initiation of an elder or a bishop. For instance, 1 Timothy 4:15 describes Holy Orders as "the laying on of hands of the eldership", and as a power given to Timothy. Paul initiated Timothy as a fellow bishop through the lying of hands: "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying of my hands" (2 Tim 1:6)—he did not simply administer Confirmation. Indeed, the entire purpose of Paul’s letters to Timothy was not to inform him of what to do as a newly initiated Christian (Confirmation), but what to do as a newly initiated bishop (Holy Orders). That’s why Paul gave Timothy so much information on how a church should behave and what it should practice (cf. 1 Tim 2:8-3:13)—so that Timothy would know how to run and oversee a church.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is accepted by very few Protestant denominations. Why? The reformers Martin Luther, John Calvin, and several others declared that Confirmation could not be found in the Bible (remember, of course, that these men rejected Tradition and the Church as authoritative.). Other than this, they had no apparent or declared reason for objecting the Sacrament of Confirmation. The innumerable denominations that arose from the beliefs of these men followed in their footsteps by rejecting Confirmation as unBiblical. Hopefully, you would have realized that, contrary to the Reformers’ views, Confirmation can indeed be found in Holy Writ (see the second section of this apology).

"Okay, that’s great. So maybe Confirmation is a valid Sacrament. But what does it do, anyway?" you may be asking. It is, of course, obvious from Scripture itself that part of Confirmation is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to strengthen new believers and to further their initiation into the Church. As far as specifics go, the Catechism, as usual, does an excellent job of explaining the effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation:

Indeed, it cannot be denied as an end result that the Sacrament of Confirmation is valid according to the Church’s infallible decrees, according to the wisdom of Tradition, and according to the testimony of Holy Writ, of the Sacred Scriptures themselves. I will echo the Church is declaring, therefore: "If anyone says that Confirmation of Baptised persons is an unnecessary ceremony and not a true and proper sacrament, let him be anathema." (A.S. D 871)