Where does it say that not all believed in the households?
Acts 16:
30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 Then they** spoke the word of the Lord to **him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
The implications was that all believed.
Why does reason tell me there had to be infants in the household? Actually reason tells me differently: According to a catholic here on CAF, 5 households are mentioned in the Bible to have gotten baptized. The odds are good that of all those that were baptized (many thousands) there were 5 households that the youngest were old enough to hear the Gospel and respond correctly such that they were baptized. Now if the Bible said hundreds of households all got baptized, the odds would be in your favor.
So tell me were the jewish babies that were circumcised agreeing to the covenant of God? Oh my goodness, they should have waited until the age of reason for these children to agree to a covenant because according to you the covenant doesn’t apply unless people know what they’re getting into. The jews had no problem entering their babies into a covenant, why would the converted jews have a problem with entering their babies into the new covenant?
What you are doing is playing mind games with yourself, you’re not using common sense and applying it to the times. That’s the trouble with relying on the bible alone, everything has to be written down word for word so that it could be understood.
On top of everything else, the early church fathers are not even studied! Why do you even deny history?
Irenaeus: For he came to save all by means of himself – all, I say, who by him are born again to God – infants, children, adolescents, young men, and old men. (Against Heresies II.22.4)
Hippolytus:* And they shall baptize the little children first. And if they can answer for themselves, let them answer. But if they cannot, let their parents answer or someone from their family.* And next they shall baptism the grown men; and last the women. (Apostolic Tradition 21.3-5)
Origen: I take this occasion to discuss something which our brothers often inquire about. Infants are baptized for the remission of sins. Of what kinds? Or when did they sin? But since “No one is exempt from stain,” one removes the stain by the mystery of baptism. For this reason infants are baptized. For “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Homily on Luke 14:5).
[After quoting Psalm 51:5 and Job 14:4] These verses may be adduced when it is asked why, since the baptism of the church is given for the remission of sins, baptism according to the practice of the church is given even to infants; since indeed if there is in infants nothing which ought to pertain to forgiveness and mercy, the grace of baptism would be superfluous. (Homily on Leviticus 8:3).
[After quoting Leviticus 12:8 and Psalm 51:5] For this also the church had a tradition from the apostles, to give baptism even to infants. For they to whom the secrets of the divine mysteries were given knew that there is in all persons the natural stains of sin which must be washed away by the water and the Spirit. On account of these stains the body itself is called the body of sin. (Commentary on Romans 5:9)
Cyprian: In respect of the case of infants, which you say ought not to be baptized within the second or third day after birth, and that the law of ancient circumcision should be regarded, so that you think that one who is just born should not be baptized and sanctified within the eighth day, we all thought very differently in our council. For in this course which you thought was to be taken, no one agreed; but we all rather judge that the mercy and grace of God is not to be refused to any one born of man… Spiritual circumcision ought not to be hindered by carnal circumcision… we ought to shrink from hindering an infant, who, being lately born, has not sinned, except in that, being born after the flesh according to Adam, he has contracted the contagion of the ancient death at its earliest birth, who approaches the more easily on this very account to the reception of the forgiveness of sins - that to him are remitted, not his own sins, but the sins of another" (Letter 58 to Fidus).
Augustine: For from the infant newly born to the old man bent with age, as there is none shut out from baptism, so there is none who in baptism does not die to sin. (Enchiridion; ch. 43)
Do you not remember that Jesus started the new COVENANT ? That means that instead of circumcision, we were now entered into the covenant through baptism.
