Confirmation is usually defined as the practice in Catholic or Anglican churches through which a young person becomes an official member of the church and is thought to have a personal, mature acceptance of their faith. Some traditions include a confirmation name. In the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions, confirmation is also listed as one of the seven sacraments.
Does the Bible address the issue of confirmation? Scripture is silent regarding the ritual. An individual becomes a Christian by God's grace through believing on Jesus in faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). This includes believing in Jesus as God's Son who rose from the dead and accepting Him as Lord (Romans 10:9). Those who believe are called to baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20), identifying one's self as part of the family of God. No formal church process of "confirming" one's faith is mentioned.
Does the Bible's silence mean confirmation is wrong or sinful? Not necessarily. Confirmation was developed in church history to offer a standardized manner to help young people come to faith in Jesus and become participating members in the church. It is not much unlike many of the church membership courses found in Protestant churches today. However, it is not the process that causes a person to become a believer, but rather salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
People can sometimes mistakenly think they are Christians because they have completed the confirmation process (or a church membership class). However, it is by grace we are saved through faith. No class or confirmation can replace this requirement.
Further, our salvation is confirmed by the actions in our lives, not by a ritual. First John 1 notes that if we have believed, we will walk in the light. Second Peter 1:10-11 teaches, "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Our salvation will ultimately be confirmed in the future. We "wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:7-8). At the end, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
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