Just wanted to reply with a statement of belief about where I get it from… Just threw together a few resources from my particular flavor of christianity that I hope you will find useful.Let me ask y’all this: When babies are baptized, and then grow up and believe, are they then baptized again in obedience to God’s Word?
If the answer is yes, I see no harm in baptizing an infant. If the answer is no, I think this teaching is from the devil because it’s obviously not supported with scripture and it keeps the now-believing child or adult from following God’s Word - believe and be baptized.
We baptize little children because of what God tells us in his Word:
- Jesus told us to baptize “all nations” which is a broad term that includes everyone including children (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:39).
- Little children are sinful by nature (Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:3b) and must be born gain in order to be saved. (John 3:5-6)
- Little children can believe in Jesus. (Matthew 18:6, Luke 18:15-17)
Some religions don’t baptize children because they mistakenly believe that little children aren’t born sinful, or that little children must reach an age where they can reason things out for themselves before they can believe. Faith is a miracle worked in us by the Holy Spirit. It is not a matter of our choosing to believe in God (1 Corinthians 12:3). In Baptism God says he works the miracle of regeneration, that is bringing people to faith (Titus 3:5-7).
WELS Q&A #2We know that God will do what he promises and that he will work this miracle in adults as well as in little children. Nowhere in Scripture does God limit this promise to adults, so we know it is also a promise to little children who are included in “all nations.”
(Some spelling & grammar corrected by James1982)
The Bible nowhere mentions any specific age or group for baptism. Our Savior simply says, “God and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthe 28:20). A general command must be taken generally unless the Bible somehow limits it. You might also ask where the Bible specifically says that we should baptize teenagers or women or Chinese or Americans. All of these are included in the general command.
Besides the fact that babies are included in this general command, we baptize them for these reasons:
Scripture not only does not exclude infants from baptism but also indicates that they need to be baptized because they are conceived and born in sin. They need to be born again to enter the kingdom of God (Psalm 51:5, John 3:5-6). Through Baptism the Holy Spirit works to create or strengthen faith and brings the gifts of forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation (Titus, 3:4-7, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38-39).
Please note that on the day of Pentecost when Peter told the gathered crowd, “Repent and be baptized” he also said, “The promise is for you and your children” (Acts 2:38-39). Children were included in the command and promise Peter spoke. Please also note that St. Paul draws a parallel between Old Testament circumcision and baptism (Colossians 2:11-12). Babies in the Old Testament were to be circumcized on the 8th day after birth.
The Bible also teaches that babies can believe (see Mark 9:42, 2 Timothy 3:15). In fact our Savior holds up infant faith as model faith – “People were also bringing babies to jesus to have him touch them. When the disicples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’” (Luke 18:15-17). Please note that the only way anyone enters the kingdom of God and is saved is by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And one final quote… Touching on the fact that Baptism is a means of grace.You might ask your friend where in the Bible you find any teaching about an age of knowing or an age of accountability.
At the heart of the issue seems to be the view that baptism is merely an external sign of one’s internal faith but is by no means an instrument God actually uses to create or strengthen saving faith. In short, your friend rejects the truth that baptism is a true “means of grace” or instrument designed and used by God to give spiritual life and, with that, forgiveness of sins and salvation.
I am by no means an expert on the issue. Just some stuff for the community to chew on, I guess.All you need do is go back to those very passages (in the catechism or directly in the Bible, with their contexts clearly in place) and let the passages speak for themselves. I’m referring to passages like Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27, Titus 3:5-7, and 1 Peter 3:20-21. None of these speak of baptism merely as an external sign giving a message to other people about a person’s faith. They simply and clearly tell us that distinct blessings (the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, salvation, joining a person to Christ) are given in and through baptism. The words are clear enough as they stand.