Infant Baptism
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1. Introduction
Well my first experience of a baby getting baptised actually left a bit of confused. I was at Bible College up in Sydney, in 2nd year, and was a student minister at Anglican Church. Don’t worry I’m glad I’ve come to light.
But the reason it was a confusing experience wasn’t because of the service. It wasn’t about the minister who conducted the service or anything like that.
It was because the parents, at least from my perspective, it seemed like they had no idea about what was going on. Like I’d never even seen them at church before, and at least to me, it seemed like all of a sudden these strangers rock up and here’s a baby getting baptised. Very cute baby by the way.
And I remember speaking to the father of the baby afterwards and I said: Great to meet you, I’m Brian. This guy smelt of smokes – he goes; mate, I’m just glad I could make it. I had a big night last night. That left a bitter taste in my mouth. Why are you baptising your child? Why is this even happening at church? What is going on?
i hadn’t baptised my two little ones at that stage. no one had explained it. i didn’t make much of it. but i remember after that infant was baptised, my mate Andy who was also a student minister at the same church, he organised a lunch to grill a lecturer about the topic. one guy was a baptist, two Anglicans on the fence. But I wonder if you have thought about it. Are you a Credobaptist? That is you believe in believers baptisms only. only those who come to personal faith are baptised. Or are you a Paedobaptist, it is a good for infants to be baptised.
The big argument is that no where in New Testament does it explicitly say here ye here ye baptise babies. They say, if this is the practice of the church, why didn’t God state it clearly? That’s the argument. You can appreciate that. From that perspective, I agree. It is not explicitly stated in that way. But by this thinking, there is no passage that says you can’t baptise infants in the New Testament. We expect that unless God says something different. He would make it abundantly clear.
We want to bring clarity on this issue.
It’s important. This will help us with discipleship. It helps us to be intentional. Do we treat little children as little pagans that we need to wait to convert? Or are they in God’s family as little disciples? And, even if you have no children, we as a church, we have a responsibility, a privilege to help raise children in the Lord. It’s a corporate responsibility. Babies, children are not just there to be cute. No no, we want them to disciple them, support our parents in raising little disciples. And I was reminded of this last week as I was holding little Soren in his little Teddy bear outfit, actually as a family of believers, we’re all involved in this. A month ago, We vowed, we promised to pray for our children, little Heidi, to grow up in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus.
It’s important. This morning we’re looking at the big timeline of the Scriptures.God’s people have always received a sign of the covenant.
2. God makes a covenant with His people
First thing we must know is that God takes the first step. God takes the initiative. No one choses God. He makes a covenant, a promise, a pledge with Abraham. He graciously chooses Abraham. Abraham wasn’t a great leader. Abraham wasn’t worthy. He was a sinner like you and I. But God said in Genesis 17:7-8
And 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. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
God blesses Abraham with land offspring. And at its heart, God promises to be his God. Not just to him but to his children, and his children’s children.
Right up front we see God takes the initiative. He makes a promise to Abraham’s family line.
3. Circumcision was the sign and seal of the covenant
And he assures Abraham of this promise by giving him a sign and seal. What was it? Circumcision. It was a sign given to baby boys 8 days old and adult men, usually foreigners who came into God’s covenant people. It wasn’t just a physical sign. It was more than that. It was a reminder that God is their God. he has made promises to them. They are his people. he wants them to live for him. it’s a matter of the heart.
It was a sign. But it was also a seal. Look at verse 11 Romans 4 see the word seal
He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Lots in there. But the simple point I want to make is this; Circumcision was a sign and seal for Israel. It was a sign because it pointed to the great reality of God’s promises. But it was a seal because it was a guarantee from God. It was a stamp of approval. It’s authentic - this person is in right relationship with God.
I talked about this last week – the idea of a seal. The wax on an envelope authenticates the letter. it can be hard to understand. let me give another helpful example. So, take this cheque. There you are. I have one written for you Alistair. A cheque is when someone writes an amount of money, say $100. You need to write who to pay to, but what’s most important is to sign it! it’s got to be authentic. My $100 cheque is a sign because it points to a greater reality. It’s not empty. It’s got value. Like if I just got a piece of paper and wrote $100 that’s worthless. You can’t bank that. But a cheque has real value. It’s a promise from me to you that you can have $100, the signature is the pledge, the guarantee, it’s the seal. I can’t back out of it. if you go to the bank you can get the money. the cheque is a sign and seal. It has real value. It comes with a promise. Not an actual $100, but the promise of $100 when you go to bank it. reminds me I should go to bank my ANZ cheque.
When we think of sacraments, it’s not just a sign but a seal. It’s got real value. It’s God’s promise. It’s got his signature. It’s guaranteed. It’s effective if you receive it by faith in Jesus.
4. Baptism now replaces circumcision
And so this is like baptism. You won’t find baptism spoken about as a seal in this way. But there is a clear link between baptism and circumcision.
Come to Colossians 2:11-12 And here Paul he writes about Christ and the believer
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Do you hear what Paul is saying? He is saying physical circumcision pointed to spiritual circumcision. That’s what was important. And this is not done by human hands. it’s about having the flesh of the sinful nature cut off. Circumcision is a pretty gross image isn’t it? Cutting off. Blood. That’s what Jesus does for us. On the Cross Jesus faced the full penalty of sin, the curse of the covenant. He was cut off. He took our sin. All of it. He died for our sin. Now Paul in verse 12 here connects this baptism. Because in baptism we were buried with Jesus in his death because of sin, and yet we were raised with Jesus through faith.
Paul sees circumcision and baptism as pointing to the same spiritual reality. It’s the cutting away, the washing away of the sinful nature by faith in Jesus.
So baptism is as a sign and a seal of God’s promises just like circumcision. And more than that, baptism has now replaced circumcision. Of course, it’s a very different sign. But someone once said, it’s better to be splashed and slashed.
And if that’s the case, faith can come after baptism, just like circumcision. It’s like how you might go, oh yeah I want to bank the cheque now. You can do that right away if you have the cheque. You’ve already been baptised. you’ve already received the sign. Or you can go and get the cheque, ask me to write it and then bank it. Either way, what’s crucial is your desire to go get the cheque. That’s faith. But my signature guarantees it.
Summary: Can you see what’s happening?
Remember I said there’s a logic here. God is a covenant maker. He makes a promise to Abraham and his descendants. He gives his people a sign and seal, circumcision. And after Jesus came, God’s new covenant people are baptised. It has replaced circumcision. There has always been a sign of the covenant.
When we get our head around the fact that baptism is not so much my public profession. It’s about God. It’s a visible word of promise. it’s about his promises to his people from the Word. Then we can understand that the promise can come to little children.
5. Baptism of children in the New Testament
In fact, the Apostle Peter says this. He’s preaching to the Jews in the day of Pentecost. They have come to Jerusalem for the festival. And he declares the Gospel;
Come with me to Acts 2:37-38
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now listen to this:
For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Peter says this promise is for his hearers and their children. Not when they grow up, for his children that day. Some don’t agree with that.
But let me present an argument that helped me on this. Under the old covenant, the sign of circumcision was given to men and male infant boys. I said that before. Now with the change to the new covenant, the sign has changed from circumcision to baptism. That was Colossians 2:11-12. And now even offered to women. But what about children? Have we moved from a male only adults and baby boys to adults only? Would that make most sense? I don’t think so. It’s better to believe it’s expanded. Not reorientated.
If you think about the Gospel and it’s movement. The Gospel has expanded from Israel to the nations. ‘go and make disciples of all nations’ and if the sign of the covenant is not to be given to children, why doesn’t God tell us in the Bible? No where in the New Testament does the Bible say have children, it assumes it right. In fact, Jesus welcomes children. he rebukes his disciples for thinking they are a nuisance. Friends for centuries the Israelites gave the sign to their children. Why doesn’t Peter say stop giving the sign of the covenant to children? God’s people have always received a sign of the covenant.
6. Baptisms of households in the New Testament
And more than that, there are 5 household baptisms after Pentecost. There’s the household of Cornelius in Acts 10:47, Lydia remember her in Acts 16:14-15. Have a look with me
One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Her story is so encouragement. She offers up hospitality to these missionaries. You see the Gospel changes households. Her entire household was baptised.
And the Philippian jailer; remember him. He was supposed to keep Paul and Silas in jail. That was his job. But God intervened. And he goes what must I do to be saved? They said: Believe in the Lord Jesus, And you will be saved, you and your household. And then
And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
There’s more. The household of Crispus Acts 18:8 and household of Stephanus 1 Corinthians 1:16. 5 explicit references. Of course, Paul and the Ethiopian Eunuch that did not have household baptisms. But that’s because they had no children. Really there are only two places that speak of credo – adult baptisms. The disciples of John in Ephesus Acts 19 and Simon the Sorcerer Acts 8:12.
Friends, the weight of evidence shows children and babies were baptised.
Now of course, people debate whether household includes infants. But think about Jewish thought. Consider Noah and his household in Genesis 7:1. Or the protection of the household during the Passover, or the promises to Abraham which includes his children in Genesis 17:9-10. Household are those under the same roof. Anyone that’s in the house – adult, child or infant.
7. Baptism is for the children of believers
Now, you might be thinking – any baby can get baptised. Bit like I felt at the baptism where I was the student minister. No, it’s for the children of believers. Come to 1 Corinthians 7
If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
See what Paul says about children of believers? They are holy. They are clean. it some ways they are set apart. It’s not exactly clear what that means for children of believers. Certainly it doesn’t mean the children are saved because of the faith of their parents. But what is clear is they are unique. Why? Because of the faith of their parents. Practically, if you think about it – they are raised within the Christian faith. They are not outsiders. They are part of the visible church. In fact, children at Epping. We teach them to live as God’s children – from birth. We don’t wait for them to become a follower in some crisis moment as teenagers. My little children, i sing Jesus loves you this I know for the Bible tells me so. I pray with them together as a family. I read the Bible with them as insiders, not trying to convert them every day. We assume they are, because they are our children. Of course they will need to own their faith as they grow older. But it will be to stay in the faith, not join from outside. Can you see this is different to them as an unbelieving child. They chose to enter into the visible church. Believers children are raised inside the community of faith. Infant baptism recognises this difference.
it’s for the children of believers.
Brothers and sisters, God has always given a sign of the covenant to his people. let me reiterate, when we think about Baptism the primary thing is God’s promises. It’s God and his grace first because us an our response. and this brings me to my last point.
8. Infant Baptism is a better picture of the Gospel
Now I remember sitting in Doctrine at Bible College. Good old Peter Jensen, former archbishop of Sydney, lovely gentle kind brother in Christ taught on this topic. And this is what really won me over. Of course, the weight of scripture, what we see in church history, the majority of Reformers are for infant baptism…all that had an impact, but what he said really hit the heart.
He said: Infant baptism is a better picture of the Gospel. It gives us a picture of the gospel of Grace. Do infants need to be saved? Yes, they are not innocent. They need to be born again. Do they need the Gospel? They need the grace of God, they need the death of Jesus applied. Therefore, in a sense infant baptism models the grace of God towards all, it assures us that they too need to be saved. When we have adult only baptism, the emphasis shifts more to the human response. But when we baptise infants, it shows God’s work. His promise. The Gospel is God’s gift, not a human response.
Realising this changed my thinking. When we baptise infants, it displays the power of the Gospel. It’s God’s initiative. He is the promise maker. The parents promise to raise their child in the faith as covenant children.
9. Application
What can we take home?
Here’s the first; If you are not a believer today, don’t worry about baptising your child. God wants you to come to trust in Jesus. That’s what’s most important. You know the cheque I showed before? The $100 cheque? Friends, the Gospel is infinite in value. It’s this $100 to infinity. Knowing Jesus, having your sins forgiven, knowing what God has done for you that is worth everything. If you don’t know Jesus. here’s what you need to know. Come to trust in Jesus, that’s what ultimately most important. Be right with God.
Secondly, friends, If you are a Christian parent, sitting on the fence, i want to encourage you to give your children the sign of the covenant. it’s a better picture of the Gospel. God has always given his people a sign of the covenant. Baptism it’s a picture of his pledge. Not about you and you decision. But God and his promises to save your child by faith. For baptism says you are welcomed among us by God’s grace towards you – not because you have proven yourself to be fit to be among us. It says we welcome them as members of the church. It says we will be praying for them, love them, disciple them together. Give them the sign of the covenant.
Thirdly, for all of us, our children are little disciples to be discipled. taught the faith, shown how to pray. modelled grace and godliness. even at a very young age. wouldn’t it be great if we at Epping here all took our little ones and took a real interest in their faith. Really encouraged them for Christ. Really prayed for them and their parents. Let the sign of the covenant, baptism encourage us to be on about the Gospel by discipling our children and encouraging our parents in their walk with the Lord.
Why baptise infants?
God made a covenant to Abraham and his children. He has given us a sign and seal of this covenant. It’s Baptism. and it’s for the children of believers. We don’t raise little pagans, we raise those who belong to Christ and we seek to nurture and grow that faith prayerfully under God, encouraging them to stay in the Lord. It’s a better picture of the Gospel.
Let’s pray.
