Infant Baptism

[adstrinity]

jax8686, if you can argue extra-Biblically, here’s some sites saying what they did during the first years of the Church.

catholic.com/library/Infant_Baptism.asp

search.yahoo.com/search?p=Infant+Baptism&fr=FP-tab-web-t&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8 – This one is from a Greek Orthodox author…I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT!!

cin.org/users/jgallegos/infant.htm

catholic.com/library/Early_Teachings_of_Infant_Baptism.asp From CA.

However, from that book I was trying to help with in that other thread, Where is That in the Bible? Chapter 21. “INFANT BAPTISM”

To explain the Church’s ancient practice of infant baptism, begin the discussion by showing the necessity and effects of baptism (see above).* Show that in the Old TEstament God instituted the ordinance of circumcision as the normative way for bringing a male child into the Covenant (cf. Gen. 17:1-14), and this ritual was symbolic of the stripping away of hardheartedness and obstinancy and the entering into God’s covenant of love with his people (cf. Deut, 10:12-22; 30:1-10). It was through circumcision that a child was brough into the Covenant.

Then move to Christ’s comments about bringing the children to him. We “lead children to Christ” preeminently through the waters of baptism. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Greek word used for children is *paidía, *a generic word that doesn’t denote any particular age. In Luke’s Gospel, however, we see, in adition to *paidía, *another Greek word for children: *br**éphe, *which means “infants,” children who are too young to walk and therefore were unable to “come to Christ” under their own power. THese infants, Luke tells us, were being brough to Christ by adults, most likely their parents so that Christ “might touch them.” In the sacrament of baptism, Christ touches the sound with his grace and life. Scripture tells us that baptism in the New Covenant replaces circumcision in the Old (cf. Col. 2:11-15). So, in the same way that Jewish parents, prior to the time of Christ, woudl covenant with God on behalf of their eight-day old son through the ordinance of circumcision, Christian parents also covenant with God on behalf of their children, through the sacrement of baptism.

The fact that God bestows blessings or forgiveness or healing on one person because of the faith and spiritual diligence of another person is shown rpeatedly in Scripture. Some examples of this are found in Genesis 18:16-33 (where Abraham intercedes with God on behalf of the city of Dodom), Matthew 8:5-13 (where the centurion’s servant is healed because of the centurion’s faith in Christ [cf. Luke 7:1-20]), Matthew 15:21-28 (where the Canaanite woman’s daughter was healed because of the mother’s appeal to Christ on behalf of her daugher), and perhaps most strikingly in Luke 5:17-26.

*I’m guessing they mean ch 20, here.

 

[adstrinity]

In this Gospel episode, a crippled man’s friends bring him to Christ and, because of the crowds who surround the Lord, are forced to bring their friend to Christ by lowering him through the roof! The Gospel tells us that when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the crippled man, “*Your *sins are forgiven.” This passage is very helpful in shoing how the Lord will forgive sins (i.e., as he does through the sacrament of baptism) even in situations where it is as a result of the faith of a third party (e.g. the faith of the parent’s or godparent’s who bring an infant for baptism).

**Matthew 19:13-15: **“Then children were brough to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; but Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and no not hinder them; for to such belongs the kindom of heaven.’ And he laid his hands on them and went away.”

**Luke 18:15-17: **“Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kindom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kindom of God like a child shall not enter it.’”

When Jesus says in this next passage that in order to see the kingdom of God, one needs to be “born anew” or “born from above” (Greek: anothen) he inludes all people, including children.

**John 3:3-5: **"‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kindgom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Sprit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’"

Other Citations
In Acts 16:27-33, we see that St. Paul answers the jailer’s question, “What must I do to be saved,” by saying, “Believe.” This is absolutely true for any adult, or child above the age of reason. For anyone in that category, as St. Paul points out, faith in Christ and repentance of one’s sins is necessary to receive the sacrament of baptism. But notice that in adition to the man himself being baptized, “the rest of his household” was also baptized, and we may reasonably presume (though the text does not say this) tha there were children in the group. Other passages that speak about “whole families” or “entire households” being baptized (which almost certainly included children) are Acts 16:15 and 1 Corinthians 1:16

Acts 16:27-33
Acts 16:15
Acts 2:37-41
1 Cor 1:16
1 Cor 15:21-22
Col 2:11-12

I hope this helps. God bless you & Mary keep you.

 

[Lorarose]

I recently came across a description of Ignatius’s martyrdom and how he wrote letters to different churches on his way to Rome.

In one of the letters he indicated he had been a member of the Church for 86 yrs.
Ignatius was 86 when he was martyred.

That would mean he was baptized as an infant.

 

[elvisman]

After much research on the matter, one of the most highly repected Evangelical Protestant theologians, R.C. Sproul believes in and teaches infant baptism.
Funny, the more Protestants “research” their faith, the mor Catholic it sounds . . .

"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" - St. Jerome

 

[Mickey]

Lorarose:

I recently came across a description of Ignatius’s martyrdom and how he wrote letters to different churches on his way to Rome.

In one of the letters he indicated he had been a member of the Church for 86 yrs.
Ignatius was 86 when he was martyred.

That would mean he was baptized as an infant.

I believe you are referring to St Polycarp.

 

[Phil_H]

elvisman:

After much research on the matter, one of the most highly repected Evangelical Protestant theologians, R.C. Sproul believes in and teaches infant baptism.
Funny, the more Protestants “research” their faith, the mor Catholic it sounds . . .

"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" - St. Jerome

He is Catholic because Catholic means Christian. Roman Catholic is another matter. Infant baptism in my understanding became widely accepted on and after the Day of Pentecosts. You should celebrate with your Christian brothers and sisters instead of mocking them.