baptismal regeneration.

The belief that water baptism effects the saving work of the Holy Spirit in washing away original sin. In Roman Catholicism baptism (usually of infants) is understood to confer grace upon the individual, whether or not faith is present. In Lutheran theology baptism must be accompanied by faith, whether the faith of the individual or of the parents, to be effective in washing away sin. Other Protestants reject baptismal regeneration, arguing that it contradicts the concept of justification by grace alone through faith alone (Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms [hereafter PDTT], 19).