Rob Taylor

May 20, 2003

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Psalm 51:5 – Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

1. The command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" (KJV).
   1. Baptism is not just water - it is water applied by the Word of God.
   2. Baptism is not just for one age bracket, it is for all nations. This is because in Baptism, God is the one forgiving, regenerating, and washing clean.
   3. Baptism is more than a ceremony or symbolic action because the concepts of justification and the remission of sins are clearly and firmly connected with Baptism for adults and children alike.
      
2. Scripture clearly states that baptism is for the remission of sins - Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:20-21.
   1. As Noah and his family were saved by the water of the Flood, even so the water of Baptism now saves us. The reason is not because of the washing away of dirt from the flesh, but by the covenant of a good conscience toward God.
   2. Baptism then, involves the establishment of a covenant of grace between God and the person baptized.
   3. Daily repentance of sin is a return to the covenant of Baptism in so much as we confess our sins, turn from them and by faith continue to receive the forgiveness (remission) of sins established through the covenant began in Baptism. From there we strive for fruits worthy of repentance in a new life.
      
3. Scripture expressly points out that only such adults are to be baptized as have previously come to faith in Christ - Acts 2:41 and Acts 8:36-38.
   1. Baptism without faith is a meaningless ceremony because we are saved by grace through faith, and this not of your own works, it is a gift of God according to Ephesians 2:8.
   2. In the Early Church, adults studied for an entire year before receiving Baptism. If there is no faith in Baptism to do what God instructed it would do, i.e. God acting upon you for the washing, regeneration, and forgiveness of sins, then it is useless.
   3. Colossians 2:12 states that we are buried with him (Christ) in Baptism and are raised with him through faith. If one has no faith in the first part, then the second part is useless as well because how can one not believe they were buried with him in death and believed they are raised with him?
      
4. Infant Baptism is established by Scripture.
1. Children are members of the Kingdom - Mark 10:13-16 "They brought little children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them" (KJV). The Kingdom belongs to such as them according to Jesus.
2. Luke calls the children (ta Bsephey) - infants - in Luke 18:15. And they are to be brought to Christ. Infants too are able to receive spiritual blessings and actually are members of the Kingdom of God. Theirs is not a potential as some would believe, but an actual faith, that is, one they now have as children (Matthew 18:6; 1 John 2:13).
3. If Jesus is holding a little child, who can not repent or have faith, as some would argue, then how is it he tells his disciples to have faith like they do?
4. Colossians 2:11-12 also states that Baptism has supplanted the Old Testament Sacrament of Circumcision. Just as Circumcision was a means of entering the Old Testament written covenant with God, it is therefore a means of entering the New Testament covenant of grace with God for children.
5. At the bottom of the opposition to infant baptism is the single idea that only adults can repent and believe, but not children.
1. Some argue that infant baptism is nowhere expressly mentioned in Scripture, so therefore infant baptism cannot have been practiced in the Apostolic Church.
• Perhaps infant baptism was not expressly mentioned because it was common practice, especially after Jesus' instruction in Mark 10:13-16?
• Scripture does state that entire families and entire households were baptized, such as Cornelius and his entire household (1 Cor. 1:16; Acts 11:14; 16:15,33). It is reasonable to expect there were children and infants in all these households. If babies were excluded, it would have been stated, but it was common practice.
• Even the Early Church father Origen wrote, "The Church has accepted from the Apostles the tradition of giving Baptism also to the little children" (Origen, Epistola ad Rom. V).
6. When a parent brings a child to baptism, they take on an awesome responsibility.
   1. Matthew 18:5-6 states "And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whosoever shall offend (cause to stumble) one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (KJV).
   2. The apostles, such as Peter, understood Baptism was more than just an entrance into the Church, more than an outward sign of an inward faith, and more than just a water ceremony or dedication.
      • Baptism is the remission of sins, entering a covenant of grace with God, one in which an adult enters by faith, and one in which a child would grow, learn, and come to faith as they were instructed by their parents, and faith was modeled for them by the church, and the Word of God was taught to them.
      • Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God. What better way than in a household of faith, in a covenant of grace, with Almighty God.
        
7. Bottom line we have to ask ourselves is this: Do you put your trust in what you do, i.e. ceremonies, works, and feelings of the heart, or in what God does?
   1. God is the one who saves.
   2. God is the one who forgives.
   3. God is the one who gave us Baptism.
   4. God is the one who includes children into His Kingdom.
   5. In faith, we obey.

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