Chapter 10.3
Infant Baptism
Baptism; the water that divides - Baptism Defined
– Anabaptist
Inferential Evidence - Age of Accountability –
Two Sacraments
Is it something you do, or something you receive?
– Circumcision
First
Word
I
am a student of the scriptures and read many commentaries, gleaming a
synthesis of thoughts and arguments of which conclusions I distill down into
layman’s terms, which lets me side step the technical and minute peculiarities
and counter arguments and grammatical controversies that just drive you crazy
and present the results with just plain talk; the following is what’s in my BS, my Belief System.
Christians of
many denominations are NOT UNITED on the subject
of Infant
Baptism, but have so much common ground on the things they do agree
on, such as: a) the Bible is the errorless word of God, b) God is the creator of the universe, c) Jesus is the Son of God, d) The
Holy spirit is the third person of the Trinity and e) we
all are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. With that said we should walk with a sense of
love towards those who have a different conviction on Infant Baptism especially since the Bible is silent on this subject;
if it was a command, God would have told us so.
Paedo-Baptism, Covenant Baptism, Household Baptism or Infant Baptism, is a form of
baptism that does
not require the active participation of
the baptized, but does require the active commitment of the parents. Many denominations that do not support Infant Baptism still have solemn, but yet joyful “Dedication
Ceremonies” for their children.
This is different from the Believer’s
Baptism which does require active participation.
Infant Baptism is conspicuously
absent in the Bible; there is not one incident of it, not even a
description of it, nor is there a mandate for it. No one in the New Testament wrote about it;
Jesus never baptized any children and nobody else in scripture did either; nor
were they instructed or taught to do so. To link this 2000 year old TRADITION of infant baptism to the Bible, you would
have to literally put it into the Bible yourself or use “Inferential Evidence”.
Inferential Evidence
God
said I will establish my covenant between Me and you and your offspring
after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant; to be God
to you and to your offspring after you.[1] The
word COVENANT is mentioned some 270 times in scripture. The covenant is extended to children on the
basis of parental faith.[2]
I want to paint
a picture here of how infant baptism could be inferred in scripture. There is
the mention of whole households being baptized which brings on the assumption
that the total household family usually contained children.
Stephanas whole household was baptized,[3] Cornelius and
his entire household
was saved.[4] Lydia
was baptized and her whole family,[5] as
well as the suicidal
Jailer and his whole family was baptized.[6]
Infant Faith was evident when
the baby “John
the Baptizer” leaped in the womb of his mother when Mary entered the
room with Jesus still in her womb.[7] Psalms says; from the womb you made me trust
you. Jesus Himself said children can
have faith and He took infants into His arms who were not necessarily of
believing parents and He blessed them.[8] Faith
is not a product of just reason, but of a relationship which is not limited to
the mind. The principal of Family Unity
is clear in scripture.
A Hebrew child was circumcised as an infant and became part
of the Covenant Family, likewise an infant born to a Christian Believer should
be baptized and
become part of the Covenant Family.
There is no evidence or record in the Bible
that baptism was forbidden on the basic of age, nor does it prescribe an age
for it. There is no evidence of anyone delaying the baptism of their children
because of their age, nor is there evidence of
anyone being against the baptism of an infant, nor was any parent challenged
who wanted to do such.
When
Christianity began, we only had scriptures of adults that were converted to the
faith; there were no “Cradle Christians” who had been brought up
from childhood in a Christian home; there just wasn’t any to be recorded in scripture. Jesus said the promise is for you and for
your children; “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for
to such belongs the kingdom of God”.[9] There is a
universal call to rise and be baptized;[10] EVERYONE, not just adults.[11]
The Question; what scriptural principal is violated
when a child is baptized and is brought along in their maturity of faith? The covenant faith of the parents qualifies a
child to be baptized; brought into the kingdom of God and taught the principals of the faith.
Background Noise
There
are a few things that are making NOISE in the
background that people Believe and think are in the Bible, but in fact they
have no scriptural reference at all; we need to look at a few of these and MUTE the sound.
Baptism has
mysterious and magical Divine powers that Saves; MUTE. A
child that dies before he is baptized will not go to heaven; MUTE. Baptismal
water washes away original sin; this is called Baptismal Regeneration; MUTE. Jesus was baptized when he was 30; so
teenagers, those in their 20’s and certainly infants should NOT be baptized
early; MUTE. The
Bible says that the age of accountability is set at 13; MUTE.
Hit
the MUTE button; place your “BS”; your Belief System
on hold for a little while. The real issue is; WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY about the status
of children of Godly parents?
Two Sacraments
Baptism
and the Lord’s Supper are the only two solemn sacraments that the Lord
has appointed for us to observe.
The OT Passover is a meal that
is restricted and reserved for those who can understand God’s redemptive act and is
meant to nurture and grow the believer; it is a renewing of the Covenant of
Grace.
The NT Lord’s Supper is an
observance that is restricted and reserved for
those who have confessed Jesus as Lord of their life and have been baptized
into the community of believers. There is one body, one Spirit,
one hope, one Lord, one faith, and ONE BAPTISM.
Baptism is a Command
On
the day of Pentecost, Peter gave God’s COMMAND to repent and
be baptized.[12] You can be indifferent, unwilling, defiant or
uninterested in Baptism, or just be completely opposed to the thought of making
a public spectacle of yourself, but it’s still a COMMAND.
Baptism Defined
The
Bible is clear on what Baptism is, who it is for and what it accomplishes. ONLY BELIEVERS in Jesus Christ
are baptized as a public testimony of their submission and covenant
relationship with Him; identifying with His life, death, burial and
resurrection.
Baptism is an
action or works of man and scripture
is clear that through works, we can do nothing to merit salvation.[13] So Baptism does not
save even though some denominations say that it does. Simon the
Sorcerer believed and was baptized,
but
was not saved.[14]
First is
repentance for your sins and acceptance that Jesus Christ is your Lord, then a
public observance through baptism and a turning away from the old sinful
nature.[15]
Baptism is a
sign of belonging; Jesus is the vine, we are the branches that belong to the
vine and so are the little twigs on the branches.[16] All are alive in the vine; at some point if
there is any dead wood or make-believers, they will be pruned and CUT OFF.[17]
Infant Baptism Dedication should only be
extended to Covenant Infants; children of active
professing believers. We
don’t wait until the child grows up to see if he chooses to be part of the
family, but is treated as part of the family right away.
God’s
Covenant involves two things; 1) Family
Solidarity and 2) Personal Responsibility; Not one or the other, but
both. The Covenant extends to the
believer, their family and the future generations to come.[18]
One Baptism
There
is one body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, and ONE BAPTISM.[19]
Baptism is a SIGN
and
a SEAL of a Believer
entering into the family of God. Believer’s
Baptism assumes that the person has received Christ, renounced his former life,
embraces Jesus as Lord of his life, and is now willing to make it a public
profession. The doctrine of
salvation is by Grace alone through Faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
This
is personal confession that cannot function in an infant.
Infant Baptism is considered symbolic as well as the
mysterious act of God by which a claim or mark is placed on the child’s life by
God and the Church.
There is a distinction between the two baptisms; one needs to
repent, the other does not.
Infant Baptism is a dedication of an infant by “Professing
Christian Parents” making a public commitment that they will raise
the child up in the Christian Faith with the admonitions of the Lord and are
asking the community of believers to help them to do just that, with the belief
and anticipation that one day, the child of his or her own “Free Will Choice”,
will make a public profession of faith and receive salvation. Sometimes it is called a “Confirmation”, which is the
culmination of mentoring or church classes that “confirm” his or her
understanding and commitment.
Anabaptist
History
would point out that the Catholic Church baptized
Infants into SALVATION and into the
Church membership. They believed that “Tradition” carried the same weight as the
Scriptures. There arose a sect which believed “sola
scriptura” or scripture alone should
govern the life of a Christian, not Tradition. You cannot read
Tradition into the scriptures.
The sect was against baptizing children who had not yet come to the age
of accountability; they were known as the anti-baptizers or
the Anabaptist.
Anabaptists
are Christians who believe in delaying baptism until the
candidate confesses his or her faith in Christ, as opposed to being baptized as
an infant. They required that baptismal candidates must be able to make a
confession of faith that is freely chosen, thus they rejected baptism of
infants. They insisted upon the "Free
Course" of the Holy Spirit in worship, which included the
operation of the “Gifts of the Spirit”, yet still maintained
that it must all be judged according to the Scriptures.
They were early promoters of a “Free Church” and argued for the
interdependence of the church and secular authorities which we refer to as the
“separation of church and state”. Anabaptists were heavily persecuted during
the 16th century and into the 17th century because of their views on the nature
of baptism and largely because of their interpretation of scripture, “sola scriptura”; scripture alone which put them at odds with the official state
Catholic Church interpretations and the government.
At one time
there was no separation of Church and State; there were countries where
everyone was a Catholic because they had been baptized as an infant as a
Catholic; and there were countries where everyone was a Protestant because as
an infant they had been baptized as a protestant; you were under both Political
and Religions laws.
Ana means “again”; Anabaptist became a nick
name for re-baptizers.
They were against being baptized once as an infant then baptized again when you
reached the age of accountability. In
the year of 391AD the civil code of law made it a capital offence to Baptize
twice. “Whoever forsakes the Holy faith and
desecraters the Holy baptism through heretical superstition shall be excluded
from human society”; you were “persona non-grata”
in your own society. Today the
successors of the Anabaptist are the Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, and Schwarzenau
Brethren.
From
about the 4th century on, the parents of Methodist, Presbyterians,
Lutheran, Episcopalian and Anglican denominations still practice this ceremony
of publically announcing their intent of bringing their children up in the
admonition of the Lord through the “Dedication Ceremony” of Infant Baptism; MARKING the child for
the family of God.
SIGN and SEAL of the Covenant
To understand
baptism
in the NT,
we must first understand circumcision
of the OT.
There
were three kinds of covenants:
1)
One
sided:
I make an agreement with you because I want to, you agree to the conditions.
2)
Two
sided:
The two of us make an agreement, we both
participate fully.
3)
Self-imposed: Covenant is with God, He seeks us out and remains
faithful when we are not.
God made a covenant with Abraham and his
offspring; the Nation of Israel and children were a part of this covenant. This
covenant was extended to the “never to believe” Ismael and to the “not yet believing” Isaac and to all of Abraham’s servants. The sealing ordinance was for “all who believe”
Male
Children
were to be circumcised on the 8th day as a SIGN of the everlasting Covenant between God,
Abraham and his descendants, marking them with a sign of their entrance into
the covenant community. It was a cutting off of
Abraham and his children from the rest of the heathen world.
Jesus was born
into a Covenant Community and was circumcised,
and later was baptized into the New
Covenant Community of believers.[20]
The Old Covenant
with Abraham was one sided; Abraham did not have to do anything, it was
initiated and completed by God, but it had an IF clause in it… If you obey God’s
commands, THEN you will
receive the full blessings of the covenant.[21]
It
goes without saying that some who were circumcised
were not really of the faith. Ishmael,
the son of Abraham left the covenant community and renounced his faith in the
one God of Abraham and embraced Allah and started his own religion of Islam.
So you can be brought into the community
of Believers and over time leave because you were just a Make-Believer.[22] Today many have a mental assent to God and
only have a form of godliness that denies His power. It’s in the Book
Old Testament SIGN
and SEAL; if you were a MALE, Circumcision was required if you wanted to become
part of the family of Jews and worship the one God of Israel.[23] Circumcision of Jewish adults was rare since
there were few converts to Judaism, you were born into it and circumcised
as an infant.
New Testament SIGN and SEAL; if you were a MALE or FEMALE,[24] Baptism was
required if you wanted to become part of the family of God and worship God and
Jesus Christ His Son. The Spiritual
meaning of Circumcision in the Old Covenant is fulfilled in the Baptism
of the New Covenant.[25]
Baptism is
Circumcision made without bloody hands;[26]
the cutting off of
the sinful nature and is made available to all, male and female, Jew and
Gentile;[27]
A BETTER COVENANT. Baptism
replaced Circumcision as the SIGN and SEAL of the covenant of grace and righteousness.
On the
day of Pentecost, Peter said that the Covenant promise was for them and their
Children.[28]
As a side note; at the very young age of
13 a boy and a girl of 12 could marry, so it is reasonable to assume that the
preadolescence were part of this promise.
If the New Covenant excludes our children from the promise, then the New
Covenant is less generous to us than the Old Covenant.
Age of Accountability
The
age of accountability for a Jewish boy according to Jewish
law is 13
years of age when he becomes a “bar mitzvah” and is then accountable
for his actions. According to Orthodox and Conservative Jews; a girl becomes a
“bat
mitzvah” at the age of 12, and according to Reform Jews, she is
accountable at the age of 13; until then they are considered INNOCENT and INCAPABLE of sin. Wikipedia
However; scripture
teaches that we are ALL sinful at any age,[29]
we are born in Sin; David confessed that he was sinful at conception.[30] Can we be sinful, but not accountable?
The Conundrum
With
the advent of the Gospel message presented on radio, television, crusades
and camp meetings; salvation has always been on the forefront, but Baptism has
taken a back seat to the Great Commission
to Go Preach, Teach and Baptize[31].
The world is
full of people who have accepted Christ, but have never been baptized, likewise
the world is full of people who were baptized as infants, and marked for the
kingdom, but have never accepted Christ after hearing and understanding the
Word of God.
Presbyterians who were “sprinkled”
at their Believer’s baptism are not accepted into the Baptist Church which
requires full submersion; they must be RE-BAPTIZED as if their
faith at their first baptism was not sincere and was of no effect. With much emotion many reject this second baptism, and worship God in the church
without ever becoming a member.
The Take Away
To
drive you further crazy; Baptism is not something that you do, but it is
something that happens to you; Baptism is received from God.
Baptism of the
New Covenant is God’s claim on a person, just as Circumcision of the Old
Covenant is God’s claim on a person. Both are a sacrament indicating that a person
was set aside and MARKED for the family
of God. A child of the Old Covenant was
not expected to have faith or be instructed in the law because they were
incapable of manifesting faith or receiving instructions. Likewise the expectations of a Child of the
New Covenant is not expected to express faith and receive instructions.
I was saved and baptized at the age of nine and a half even though I did not even
know what a virgin was, let alone on how the blood of
Jesus on the cross could save me from
my sins, but God said the blood satisfied Him and
that’s what I believed. I was brought
into the family of believers and continued to grow in my understanding; today
at 80 I am still a student of the word, growing in my understanding.
It is not necessary for children to
believe in order to be brought into the family of God.
We must move
away from thinking about coming into
the community of believers as something that was OUR
DECISION and
move to the place where we believe that it was GOD’S
DECISION to
bring us in. It was a one sided covenant where
God did it all, we just receive the grace gift.
Children
of the Promise were marked with CIRCUMCISION only once; Hold that thought.
If you have
never been baptized, then this is the opportunity for you to share God’s
decision and finished work in your life through the sacrament of baptism that
is witnessed by the community of believers who will covenant with you to help
you to grow in your faith.
If you were
baptized as an infant and have now come to the place in your life as a believer
that you choose to be in the family of God; there is NO NEED TO BE RE-BAPTIZED, just as Jesus
does not have to be re-crucified; you have already been marked for the family
of God.
I know this upsets some folks, but …
just as there
was only one circumcision,
there is only ONE BAPTISM.[32]
[1] Genesis 17:7 – Covenant between God,
Abraham & his children
[2] Joshua 24:15 - Family Unity; My whole house will serve God
[3] 1 Corinthians 1:16 – Stephanas whole household was Baptized
[4] Acts 11:13-14 – Cornelius was saved and
his household.
[5] Acts 16:15 - Lydia was baptized,
and her household as well
[6] Acts 16:31-33 – Jailer was baptized
and his whole family
[7] Luke 1:44 – The Baby John the baptizer recognized
Jesus in the womb -- Psalm 22:9 - From the womb; you made me trust you
[8] Luke 18:15 – Infants were brought to Jesus
-- Matthew 19:14 – Jesus said; Let the little children come to me -- Mark 10:14-16 – Children belong in the
kingdom of God; Jesus took them in his arms
and blessed them. -- Mark 9:42 – Children can believe on Christ
[9] Acts 2:38-39 – Be Baptized; for the promise is for you and for your children
[10] Acts 22:16 – Universal call; Rise and be baptized calling on his name
[11] Romans 4:11 – The Sign and Seal is extended to all who believe
[12] Acts 2:38 - Repent and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins
[13] Galatians 2:16 – We are not justified by our
works; what we do -- Ephesians 2:8 – Salvation is a GIFT from God; it is
not from your works past, present nor future.
[14] Acts 8:13 – Simon the Soccer believed and
baptized, but NOT SAVED -- Acts 8:18-23 – Simon offered money to buy
the Holy Spirit
[15] Acts 2:38 - Repent then be Baptized
[16] John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the
branches
[17] John 15:1-2 – Make-Believers; the dead
wood in the vine is pruned away
[18] Acts 2:38-39 – The Promise is for you and your children; repent
then be baptized -- Deuteronomy
7:9 – The Lord’s Covenant extends to thousands of generations
[19] Ephesians 4:4-5 – One Lord, One Faith, One
Baptism
[20] Luke 2:21 – Jesus was circumcised
-- Matthew 3:16 – Jesus was Baptized
[21] Exodus 19:5-6 – IF you obey my covenant, you will possess my
promises
[22] 1 John 2:19 – Make Believers left that did not really belong to us -- 2 Timothy 3:4-5 – Make Believers have only a form of godliness
[23] Genesis 17:12 – The Law: He who is
eight days old shall be circumcised
[24] Acts 8:12 - Baptized, both men and women
[25] Romans 4:11 – Circumcision is God’s seal of righteousness -- Colossians
2:11-12 - Christ performed a spiritual circumcision
[26] Colossians 2:11-12 - Circumcision made
without hands -- Deuteronomy
10:16 – Circumcise the foreskin of your heart
-- Deuteronomy 30:6 - God will
circumcise your heart
[27] Exodus 12:48 – Let the Gentile be circumcised and become a native of
Israel
[28] Acts 2:38-39 - The promise is for you and for your children who
are yet born
[29] Romans 3:23 - For ALL have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
[30] Psalm 51:5 – We are sinful from conception
[31] Matthew 28:19-20 – Great Commission; Preach, Baptize, Teach
[32] Ephesians 4:4-5 – There is One Body and One Spirit, One Lord, One Faith, ONE BAPTISM
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