"WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT BAPTIZING INFANTS"

The practice of baptizing infants has no precedent nor authorization through command in the Word of God. The Bible says that whole "households" were baptized at different times (Acts 11:14; 16:15, 27-34; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16; Hebrews 11:7 & 1 Peter 3:20-21). However, there is no evidence that suggests that the baptism of these "households" involved infants. In the first century a household could include male and female servants as well as spouses or offspring.

The evidence regarding baptism is that it was never designed for babies. The Bible says that a candidate for baptism must be able to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and to confess this belief (Acts 8:35-39; Romans 10:10). The Bible also says that candidates for baptism must be able to repent of (renounce) sin (Acts 2:38). This would involve the knowledge and recognition of what constitutes sin (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). Further, the Bible says that the candidate for baptism makes his/her own determination that they wish to be saved from their sinful condition (Acts 2:37; 8:24, 36-38). Infants have neither the ability nor the inclination to meet these God-given requirements.

Finally, the Bible says that infants are pure of heart, and of the nature of mind and soul that will be found in heaven (Matthew 19:14). The Bible says clearly that no sin nor any soul to whom sin is accounted or imputed will be allowed into heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Since the infant has no sin imputed to it because of the innocence and purity of its heart there is therefore no sin to wash away in baptism (Acts 22:16).

The phenomenon of infant baptism or "christening" was and is a tradition contrived by man. The Bible's clear omission of it as either a command or by example is evidence enough that infant baptism has no place as a regular practice in the church that answers to Jesus and uses the Word of God as its standard.

David Decker              

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