December 1st: Why Baptism Is Not for Infants
Speaker: Chris Laws
A survey of the New Testament to establish the proper recipents of Christ’s ordinance.
Command of Christ for the very beginning of the faith – elementary doctrine.
A simple external rite. But so much confusion and controversy.
1. Anglican infants. 39 articles of the Church of England teach infants are regenerated at baptism.
"Then shall the priest say, 'Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God...” (Different words used today.)
Obviously a physical ritual can't save.
Millions of unsaved English have been baptised – it doesn't change lives.
CHS very troubled by this – 1000s seriously misled; Victorian prisons full of them.
2. Children of believers (Presbyterians).
3. Believers only.
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTISED? GOSPELS & ACTS
Every example of baptism recorded in New Testament:-
Gospels
1. John the Baptist baptised only the repentant; the Pharisees & Sadducees disqualified.
Matt 3.5-9 “Then went out to him Jerusalem, & all Judea…& were baptised of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”
For repentant people, hence not infants. Luke calls it “the baptism of repentance” (3.3).
2. Christ (his disciples) “made and baptised disciples” (John 3.22, 4.1-2). Made disciples first, then baptised.
Only for disciples, not infants. He didn't ever baptise infants, but He blessed them.
“Suffer the little children to come unto me...”
3. Christ commanded the disciples to baptise. His only command on baptism.
Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach [disciple] all nations, baptising them...” (Matt 28.19).
Disciple then baptise, hence not infants.
Acts
Apostles did the same in Acts. All recorded cases were converted then baptised:
● Pentecost (2.41): “They that gladly received his word were baptised.” 3000 believers.
● Samaritans (8.12): “But when they believed Philip…they were baptised, both men and women.” Belief, baptism.
● First African – Ethiopian eunuch (8.36): “What doth hinder me to be baptised? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” Belief required before baptism.
● Saul (9.18): “And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptised.” Conversion then baptism.
● First Greeks – Cornelius and his house group, (10.44, 47): “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptised which have received the Holy Ghost?” Converted, then baptised.
● Philippi: Lydia (16.15), Philippian jailor (16.33).
● Corinth: Crispus (18.8), “the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord…and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptised”. Believed then baptised.
● Twelve at Ephesus described as “disciples” who “believed” (19.1-2) who “were baptised” (19.5).
WHAT ABOUT THE HOUSEHOLDS?
There are four “mentioned in the NT. Should we baptise the children of believers?
1. Philippian jailor (Acts 16.33): “was baptised, he and all his, straightway.”
V32 tells us Paul and Silas “spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”
V34 tells us “he rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” Revival! All believed, all baptised
2. Crispus (Acts 18.8): “believed on the Lord with all his house...and were baptised.” Revival days. Believed…baptised.
3. Lydia (Acts 16.15): “was baptised, and her household.”
We know nothing about her household. No mention of a husband. Did she have children, and if so how old?
Did her household consist just of servants?
Can only conclude that her household believed too like everyone else that was baptised.
4. Stephanas (1 Cor 1.16) “I baptised also the household of Stephanas.” But Paul describes “the house of Stephanas, that...have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Cor 16.15). Not infants.
What about Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost?
(Acts 2.38-39) “Repent, and be baptised everyone of you…For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call [convert]”.
“Your children” is the next generation; “all that are afar off” means distant generations.
But in all cases with this proviso: “even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
CONCLUSION SO FAR
Using quotations from paedobaptist writers:
Prof John Murray: “We do not have an overt and proven instance of infant baptism [in the NT].”
Prof Louis Berkhof: “The New Testament contains no direct evidence for the practice of infant baptism in the days of the apostles.”
Charles Hodge: “Baptism was the appointed mode of professing faith in Christ [in the NT]…The difficulty… is that baptism from its very nature involves a profession of faith…but infants are incapable of [that].”
It certainly is a difficulty.
The first historical mention of infant baptism is by Tertullian in about 200AD, and he writes against it.
It is generally agreed that it was unknown in the early church.
TEACHING ON BAPTISM IN EPISTLES
1. Rom 6.4 “We are buried with him by baptism into death, that...we should walk in newness of life.”
Not literally buried. A picture of the death of the old life, and rising to newness of life.
2. 1 Cor 1.13 “Were ye baptised in the name of Paul?”
Baptism is a public profession of following Christ (not Paul).
3. Gal 3.27 “For as many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ.”
Public declaration of having put on Christ’s uniform.
4. Col 2.12 “Buried with him in baptism, wherein ye are also risen with him through…faith.”
Picture of burying the old life and rising to a life of holiness through faith.
Water baptism pictures conversion – when we are baptised by the Spirit.
5. 1 Peter 3.20-21. Peter speaks of the ark “wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us…by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Baptism is a “figure” or picture of salvation.
We ask, what is the profit of infant baptism?
One paedobaptist author wrote: “I cannot say; the Scripture is silent.”
CONCLUSION
Faced with the above, presbyterian theologian Prof BB Warfield writes: “There is no express command to baptise infants in the NT, no express record of the baptism of infants, and no passages…implying it.”
End of the debate? No. So far so simple. But now things start getting confusing.
BB Warfield: “The warrant for infant baptism is not to be sought in the NT but in the OT.”
Something wrong? Aren’t we supposed to mimic Paul in church life? Hew didsn’t baptise infants.
C Hodge: the church must include the children of believing parents.
We ask, why? They answer, the nation of Israel was a church & included children, so our children must be included!
Physical descent doesn't count now – children of OT priests became priests however unworthy of the office – we don't make pastors' sons pastors automatically.
The NT equivalent of the Israelite’s children is our spiritual children.
CARE FOR CHILDREN
C Hodge: “Those parents sin grievously against the souls of their children who neglect…baptism. Do let the little ones have their names written in the Lamb's book of life, even if afterwards they choose to erase them.”
Rather we sin grievously if we don't pray for the children/ run Sunday Schools/ teach and evangelise them.
They too must come by grace.
Parents can be so anxious for their conversion that they want to make them members of the covenant as infants.
A cardinal rule for scientific researchers is, let the evidence take you where it will. Just follow.
So for believers: let Scripture take you where it will. Just follow.
BAPTISMAL REGENERATION
London Church of Christ – a cult.
“Rebirth and entry into the Kingdom of God [of adults] is by repentance and baptism.”
They say it is obedience to Christ's command that counts.
Proof text: Mark 16.16 “He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
1. We are saved by grace alone – not obedience to a command, works.
Rom 10.9 “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LJ, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Just faith, no mention of baptism.
2. Many have been saved but not baptised – death-bed conversions.
Eg thief on cross: “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”.
LCC object “they had no opportunity”. No, but then baptism is clearly not necessary to salvation.
3. It never features in testimonies, just mentioned.
CIRCUMCISION
Others argue that baptism is the equivalent of circumcision. Just as Jewish baby boys were circumcised, so the children of believers should be baptised.
But circumcision was just a teaching symbol. ‘Remember Abraham who was saved through faith, not works.’
We don’t need circumcision now. Conversion involves a spiritual circumcision – dying to sin.
Baptism, unlike circumcision, pictures conversion.
