Confirmation

[Ayodhya Nath Bhat]

Confirmation

Confirmation, besides being one of the sacraments necessary for salvation, also provides Catholics with other benefits, says the Catechism:

"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..." Pg. 333, #1316

Supposedly, Confirmation incorporates Catholics more firmly into Christ. But the Bible teaches no such doctrine. According to God's Word, you are either in Christ or you are not. Being more firmly incorporated into Christ is never taught:

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

Once you are born into God's family, there is no person or thing that can remove you from it:

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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 8:38-39  

A child of God does not need to be more firmly incorporated into Christ:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1
"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13
 

A spiritual imprint?

Another supposed benefit of Confirmation is that:

"Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul..." Pg. 333, #1317

You can search the Bible, but you will not read about the imprinting of spiritual marks on a Christian's souls. The Catechism tells us why:

"The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation..." Pg. 326 #1288

Confirmation is not in the Bible because it's a tradition of men... a life-long tradition that is to be performed up until the last moment of a Catholic's life:

"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." Pg. 332, #1314  

The real purpose of Confirmation

The practical result is that this ritual brings people into deeper bondage to the Catholic church. Surprisingly, the Catechism admits this:

"For by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church..." Pg. 326 #1285

But why would anyone need or want to be bound to the rules of the Catholic church, considering that Jesus came to set people free?

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free..." Galatians 5:1
 

Conclusion

Is the man-made Roman Catholic tradition of Confirmation necessary for salvation?

God's Holy Word emphatically states, "No!"
The Catholic church disregards the Bible and insists that it is.
Who will you believe... the Word of God, or the commandments of men?

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:9

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[Seeker]

Confirmation, besides being one of the sacraments necessary for salvation, also provides Catholics with other benefits, says the Catechism:

Confirmation can be thought of as a spiritual maturity and a sacrament of initiation into Christian life which is not strictly necessary for salvation.  In other words, the Church does not teach that someone who is baptised, but not confirmed, will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Through the Holy Spirit, confirmation prepares and strengthens us to spread the Gospel .

A good reply to your points about Confirmation not being biblical can be found at Catholic Answers:

The sacrament of confirmation is found in Bible passages such as Acts 8:14–17, 9:17, 19:6, and Hebrews 6:2, which speak of a laying on of hands for the purpose of bestowing the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 6:2 is especially important because it is not a narrative account of how confirmation was given and, thus, cannot be dismissed by those who reject the sacrament as something unique to the apostolic age. In fact, the passage refers to confirmation as one of Christianity’s basic teachings, which is to be expected since confirmation, like baptism, is a sacrament of initiation into the Christian life.

We read: "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment" (Heb. 6:1–2).

Notice how in this passage we are walked through the successive stages of the Christian journey—repentance, faith, baptism, confirmation, resurrection, and judgment. This passage encapsulates the Christian’s journey toward heaven and gives what theologians call the order of salvation or the ordo salutis. It well qualifies as "the elementary teachings" of the Christian faith.

The laying on of hands mentioned in the passage must be confirmation: The other kinds of the imposition of hands (for ordination and for healing) are not done to each and every Christian and could scarcely qualify as basic teachings that form part of the order of salvation.

Catholic Answers, “Confirmation” (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2004)

[DavidFilmer]

If Ayodhya plans to cut-and-paste the works of others, the least he could do is attribute it. Ayodhya plagerized this content from the book "Understanding Roman Catholicism," copyright 1995 by Rick Jones, which is posted (with permission and attrition) on Jack Chick's website (Jack Chick is a professional anti-Catholic):

http://www.chick.com/reading/books/160/160_27.asp