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Baptism of young children

Salty

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
From another thread

Walter said:
... I know of a Baptist pastor who baptized his son for the fourth time in his life because 'all those other times he professed his faith, he really didn't mean it'. I find that to be problematic as well. ....
Click to expand...

Walter brings up an interesting point:

So, what is your thinking (policy?) of extremely young children being baptism -
For example, would you baptize a 3,4 or 5 year old.
For older children - 6-8 would you simply baptize them or would you sit down with them.....

Open for discussion

Disclaimer
: - this is NOT a C vs A discussion
 
37818

37818

Well-Known Member
Arguably it comes down to how and if one chooses to apply Mark 10:14, ". . . But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Allow the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God, . . ." to believer's immersion. [Romans 6:3-4]
 
canadyjd

canadyjd

Well-Known Member
Salty said:
From another thread

Walter brings up an interesting point:

So, what is your thinking (policy?) of extremely young children being baptism -
For example, would you baptize a 3,4 or 5 year old.
For older children - 6-8 would you simply baptize them or would you sit down with them.....

Open for discussion

Disclaimer
: - this is NOT a C vs A discussion
Click to expand...
My approach was to not baptize young children as a general rule.

First: Their salvation does not depend on baptism.

Second: If they have Holy Spirit indwelling, He will guide them into the truth they need to follow Jesus in Baptism to symbolize their own death burial and resurrection, not parents, grand parents etc.

Third: As a general rule, young children cannot truly understand what exactly they are doing beyond it’s what their family wants them to do.

Fourth: If a young child came to me on several occasions expressing obvious conviction concerning baptism, I would consider it. That never happened. It was always the parents pushing for baptism.

I would usually offer a consecration ceremony as an alternative. That way, we have a ceremony where the parents pledge to raise their children as Christians teaching them the things of God and the church promises to support that effort.

peace to you
 
A

AustinC

Well-Known Member
What is the purpose of baptism. Does it function as the New Covenant equivalent of circumcision? When a person is baptized is he publicly confessing his union into the Covenant in Christ's blood?

Is this a circumcision of the heart, not the flesh?
 
Jerome

Jerome

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Also from the 1600s:

First Baptist Church of Newport, Rhode Island's "early fathers believed in child-conversions, and that children could profess faith in Christ and become members of the church....such instances are numerous during the history of the church".

p. 25, History of the First Baptist Church in Newport, R. I., by Comfort Edward Barrows (Newport, 1876)


*Tom Ascol’s 'Founders Journal' (#27 Winter 1997) tells us that:

“the First Baptist Church of Newport, RI…'deserves the first place as regards the consistent and persistent devotion of its leaders to Baptist principles'."
 
canadyjd

canadyjd

Well-Known Member
There is a very common testimony that I have heard on multiple occasions. It comes from different people but the testimonies are similar if not identical.

It goes like this…. “I was baptized as a child. Once I reached my teenage years, I rebelled and fell away from God. Now (in their 20’s or 39’s) I have decided to “rededicate” my life to the Lord.

My question is “when were you ever dedicated to the Lord.

Agsin, salvation is not jeopardized to delay Baptism. There is, however, the possibility of giving folks a false sense of security.

I remember a man (in his 40’s) saying he knew he wasn’t saved when his father baptized him as a child, but he just couldn’t get baptized with believers baptism because that would mean his father’s baptism meant nothing.

This was a man very confused about the meaning and purpose of baptism.

peace to you
 
JonC

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
I think we question one requesting baptism to make sure they understand the gospel and baptism. But afterwards, I suppose I'd be open to baptizing based on the confessors confession rather than my assessment.

I'd rather see one baptized understanding it is not to merit salvation only to realize later they didn't believe at the time and again be baptized than I would to deny baptism to a believer.
 
A

AustinC

Well-Known Member
Salty said:
Purpose of Circumcision
Click to expand...
From your post":
" For the Jews, circumcision was more than a rite of passage. For them it was a sign of their covenant with God. Circumcision marked them as the chosen people – God’s special treasure."

Baptism is a sign of the Covenant God has with His chosen people, the Israel of God, the Church. When we are baptized we are symbolically expressing the union into the Covenant that came by being spiritually baptized into Christ so that we no longer live, but Christ lives within us. We have a Covenant relationship with God.

Now, if one were a Presbyterian one would take that further to express that just as infants were circumcised at day eight to commit them to knowing the God of the covenant, so Christians baptize infants into the covenant in committing them to know the God of the New Covenant. Baptists, in recent years so something very similar in "baby dedications." They just stop short of actually getting the kids wet.

The big problem is in churches that go beyond commitment to raise a child in the covenant by teaching baptismal regeneration of infants. That latter teaching is openly wrong.
 
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