Why would
anyone baptize an infant? That is ridiculous! You never see an infant baptized
in the Bible. It is a practice invented by the Roman Catholic Church. Those
kinds of remarks are very familiar to me. I said things like that in the past.
But recently I baptized five little boys as “covenant children,” without a
profession of personal faith, based on the faith and covenant membership of
their parents, and Sunday, August 2nd, I am baptizing (sprinkling!)
three young children, including an actual infant. Why would I ever do such a
thing? Why did my convictions change? How could anyone ever think it is right
to baptize an infant
There is a lot that can be
said about the biblical basis for infant baptism as a sign of the covenant of
grace, and I will have a lot more to say about it in the coming months. The
change in my convictions did not happen suddenly, recently, or without
significant study and much thought and prayer. But in this article, originally
prepared for our church bulletin, I want to point out something most of you
already know that supports the baptism of infants born into the covenant.
We work from grace, not for
it. We obey the Lord because we are saved, not in order to be. The Bible is
clear that salvation is by grace, through faith, not of works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom.
3:28). So why are believers baptized? After all, the thief on the cross was not
baptized, but he was saved. Believers are baptized to be obedient to Christ
their Lord (Matt. 28:19-20). They are baptized to visibly demonstrate their
union with Christ and participate in the covenant of grace (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal.
3:27). Believers are baptized because they are set apart as holy, because they
belong to God’s covenant of grace (Acts 10:46-48; 16:30-34). And that is why
the children of believers are to be baptized too.
The NT says it explicitly: the children of believers are holy (1Cor. 7:14). The Greek word hagios used in this verse is translated saint throughout the NT epistles. This
does not mean a believer’s children are automatically saved. Each of them much
trust in Christ and repent of their sins. They must personally choose to serve
the Lord. They are not saved by their parents’ faith. But because their parents
are Christians, they already belong to the Church. They are visibly, outwardly
connected to Christ. They are part of the covenant community. They are set
apart as holy to God. The Bible says so. And that is why (among many reasons)
we now baptize our children. –JME
