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Why we Baptize Infants A study on the biblical basis for infant Baptism Part 1 The Essence of Baptism The essence of Baptism is this: it is common every day water comprehended in God's word and commandment [Matt 28:19] and sanctified by them.1 We know from Holy Scripture that God's word accomplishes exactly what He wishes it to [Isa. 55:11] and that salvation comes through the Word.2 We also know from Holy Scripture that Baptism is necessary for salvation, this is because God united His promise of salvation to Baptism, it is not a doctrine of man [Mar. 16:16].3 As St. Peter said, those who believe should arise and be baptized for the remission of sins [Act. 2:38], St. Paul says that to be baptized is to be incorporated into Christ [Gal 3:27], that being baptized is to be made holy [Eph. 5:26], and that Baptism regenerates [Tit. 3:5]4 those who believe the promise of forgiveness of sins offered in it. Baptism works because God offers His promise in the Sacrament through faith in Jesus Christ, and this faith is given to us by grace, it is not ours [Eph. 2:8]. To sum it up Baptism brings us the Holy Spirit [Act. 2:38], through the power of Jesus' work on the cross offered to us in Baptism. On the other hand, there is not one single passage in all of Scripture which states that Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. As a matter of fact the argument against a sacramental view of Baptism is based on nothing more than the rhetorical question "Where does the Bible clearly tech the doctrine that Baptism is a saving act?" The problem with such an approach is that it is an argument from silence. To be consistent, one must look for a specific passage which clearly states that God exists as a Trinity, or that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, for instance; otherwise we could not believe in those doctrines. Also, what interpretation will be offered for the passages outlined above? What does "The washing of water by the word" in Eph. 5:26 mean, if not Baptism? Those who believe Baptism is an outward sign must assume that this passage refers to a strictly spiritual washing; however this is merely an assumption based on the doctrine that Baptism is a purely symbolic act and does not have anything to do with God's word of promise, or circular reasoning. There is nothing in the text that says St. Paul is speaking figuratively, the words themselves clearly indicate Holy Baptism.5 To conclude the first section, we have seen that the Apostles Peter and Paul both saw Baptism as something more than a ceremonial washing, indeed they saw it as God's grace through the washing away of our sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. We also saw that there is no scriptural support for the doctrine that Baptism is merely a sign and, to the contrary, Jesus Himself made a connection between Baptism and salvation, as did both St. Peter and St. Paul. Furthermore, many of those who believe Baptism is a sign have difficulty explaining some passages in which a sacramental view of Baptism would seem to be called for, preferring to assert that unless a passage explicitly mentions Baptism we cannot interpret it as referring to Baptism. Such an approach is a weak interpretive framework and is in fact dangerous, since it would of necessity call into question the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation for example. Part 2 The Power of Baptism Now that we have seen what the essence of Baptism is we will next see what God does for us through Baptism. When we are baptized and we believe the promise of salvation proclaimed to us we are delivered from death and the devil by the power of the Holy Spirit because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.6 This is because , as we saw above, Jesus said that those who believe and are baptized will be saved [Mark 16:16]. When we are baptized we receive the Holy Spirit [Act. 2:38], God's name [Matt. 28:19]7, and also the old Adam dies and a new man arises [Rom. 6:3-6]. In other words, the Apostle teaches us that when we are baptized we are new creations in Christ [2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 3:27], the old Adam is drowned and we walk in newness of life, infused with the Holy Spirit, equipped to do God's work through the power of God's word united with water. That God will bring us spiritual blessings through physical means is well established in the Old Testament. For instance in Exodus 29:43 we see that God's presence sanctifies the Tabernacle. Another example is found in Exodus 29:21, here we see Aaron and his sons being made hallowed by the application of blood and oil along with the Lord's statement that this will make them so (Notice that in this instance the mere reception of blood and oil would make no difference at all, the blood and oil must be received along with faith in God's promise of cleansing). Our Lord ministers to the whole person, body and soul, not just the "spiritual" side of him. If all that ever mattered was spiritual truth there would have been no need for the Temple sacrifice system, and no need for our Lord to suffer physical punishment [i.e. death] to redeem us from sin, death and the devil. The Old and New Testaments both speak of God's concern to redeem our bodies as well as our spirits; this is why there is such a thing as the resurrection of all people, this is why God unites His promises to material things. Thus Baptism, although it seems to be little more than a bath to an unbeliever, has the power to save us. When we see the passages regarding Baptism in light of God giving us the material along with the spiritual, and that this pattern exists in both the Old and New Testaments, it becomes very difficult to maintain that Baptism is only an outward sign of a change that has already occurred within. But some may now object that both the Old Testament examples I have cited, and especially the New Testament example of Baptism, should both be interpreted "spiritually" or "symbolically" because a physical component at least implies works righteousness, and since we are saved by faith alone, any action or works we as people of God take that would cause others to be saved would undermine this great biblical truth. This difficulty arises when we fail to realize that our salvation is an external thing, so we will always require means to attain faith [Rom. 10:17]. If we believe we can receive faith without means, that would be works righteousness because it would mean there is something within us that allows us to believe [Rom. 7:18]. Any good works we do are because of the prompting of the Holy Spirit [Phi. 2:13]. Since we do not possess the Holy Spirit from birth He must come to us through some means. Thus we cannot do any good on our own. Now since believing in what God has done in Jesus Christ is a good work 8, and all our good works flow from the action of the Holy Spirit within us, it follows that faith in Jesus Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, if faith in Jesus Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit, and our faith is brought about by means, then our faith is an external thing brought to us, it is not from us [Eph. 2:8]. Since we have established that our faith is the result of external action upon us and that this external action is required, it follows that Baptism is not a work that we do which merits grace in itself but is God's work on our behalf which He uses to bring us the Holy Spirit so we may have faith and life in Jesus Christ [1 Cor. 12:3]. Still, others may object that since we are justified by grace through the preaching of the Word [Rom. 10:17] that we need not have any other means for the Holy Spirit to create faith, that therefore the Baptism we receive is symbolic because only the Word can create faith, flesh means nothing [Jn. 6:63]. What this argument fails to discern is that we agree that the Word creates faith, however we also believe that in certain instances God chose to attach His promise to material things, and that one of the things He chose to attach His promise to is the water used in Baptism [Eph 5:26]9. Failure to discern the Word leads to a false understanding of justification and also of Baptism, as Luther said:
So while we agree that it is the Word that creates faith, what we disagree on is whether the word is ever united to anything material. Baptism is God's promise of salvation united with the water, because of the presence of God's word of promise the water works salvation. This does not mean that it is the water that saves us, rather it means that the Word with the water works salvation in us. Of all the examples there are of the Word uniting to a material thing nothing is more striking then the Incarnation itself:
This proves that the idea of God's word being united to material things is not foreign to either the Bible or the early church [Jn. 1:14]. Also, if there was no grafting of God's word of promise and material things there would be no resurrection [1 Cor. 15:16-17] and therefore no redemption of the flesh [1 Cor. 15:21]. God's plan of salvation actually requires that His Word be united with material things or salvation would be a strictly "spiritual" matter, and He would have wasted all of His efforts in creating the material universe! In conclusion, we saw that in both the Old Testament and the New God has used material things to bring about blessing and new life. Under the New Covenant, the Son was united with human flesh to win the redemption of the human race body and soul. And to save us body and soul He instituted Baptism, so that the spirit receives the word and the body receives the word with the water. We have also seen that our faith is created by the Holy Spirit through means, it is not our doing at all; so any objection to baptismal regeneration as being so-called "works righteousness" misses the whole point of external means used by the Holy Spirit to create faith, and we saw that in fact if the Spirit does not use means we have nothing left except works righteousness. And finally we have seen that Baptism, far from being a "hand full of water", is the very word of God united with water, and since God's word is what brings us life, Baptism brings life. Part 3 The proper Subjects of Baptism Now that we have established the essence of Baptism and its power, we will turn to the question of exactly who is to be baptized. We are told by Christ "He who believes and is baptized will be saved", so it is evident that faith and Baptism are linked. But who can and does believe? The answer is surprising! Anyone, even the smallest of children, can believe. Jesus Himself stated that children believe in Him [Matt. 18:6]11, we also know that God imparts Scriptural knowledge to the very young [2 Tim 3:15] and that infants offer praise to God [Matt 21:16]. God even said that He would write His law on people's hearts under the New Covenant [Jer. 31:34]. Said plainly, this means that our faith is more than the knowledge of certain doctrines, it is a childlike trust in God. It also means that children participate in faith even if they cannot articulate it, since our faith is the work of God in us and does not depend on our being able to explain it, otherwise we would be back to works righteousness. Furthermore, our faith flows out of God's grace [Rom. 3:24, 5:2]12 and is in fact worked in us through the Holy Spirit by His word. So if children can receive grace, they can receive faith.13 Any requirement we put upon someone to receive God's grace, such as a certain level of "knowledge", turns grace into works [Rom. 11:6] which, as we know, undermines the entire economy of salvation. Thus, since infants are under the power of sin and require salvation through grace just like anyone else [Rom. 3:10-11, 23] there is a positive reason to baptize infants. And since even infants can have faith and they are in need of salvation, it follows that infants are proper subjects for Baptism. How else could an infant receive the Holy Spirit? And finally, we know that God has approved of infant Baptism because He has given the Holy Spirit to people who were baptized as infants.14 If God did not agree that the Baptism of infants was valid, how could He deny Himself and give those of us who were baptized as infants the gift of the Holy Spirit? How could He bless those who use His ordinance so spitefully? In short, how could those who were baptized as infants be disciples of Christ, who enjoined the Apostles to baptize all nations [Matt. 28:19], and who said "He who believes and is baptized will be saved..."? Where was the church when all these infants were being baptized? If an infant's Baptism is not a valid Baptism, then I and the majority of the Church throughout its history have not obeyed Christ's words shown above, yet throughout the history of Christianity there have been many saints in the church who have lived faithful, godly lives. Part 4 Conclusion To conclude, we have seen that Baptism is water united with God's Word of promise, or grace. Baptism is also effective because God's Word is what creates saving faith in us, and since faith is more than a knowledge of Christian doctrines, and God's Word says that children can have faith in Jesus Christ, infants are proper subjects for Baptism. Furthermore, to deny infants the gift of God offered through Baptism is to deny them a means of grace which Christ said is an integral part of faith. We have also seen that God has approved of infant Baptism. The only reasons advanced against infant Baptism are that there no explicit passages which point toward it in Scripture15 and that all the examples in Scripture show Baptism after a profession of faith. In light of the case presented above these objections seem rather small and are overcome by a proper understanding of God's grace working in and through His Word. Footnotes 1 IV 14, Martin Luther , The Large Catechism, 2 Compare Isa. 55:11 with Jer. 23:29, Jon. 8:37 and Hos. 13:9-14. Throughout the Bible it is clear that God's Word which creates faith and which saves. 3 Mark 16:16 should not be interpreted as teaching the absolute necessity of Baptism, but it is meant to show that Baptism without faith does not save. 4 Some object that this verse does not refer to water Baptism at all, but to a spiritual washing. It refers to Baptism because of the words washing and regeneration, and the word poured out in verse six. Obviously these words mean that water is being applied. If this verse is referring to some kind of spiritual washing, I am at a loss to understand how a bystander or even the subject of this "spiritual washing" could tell that it even occurred; but if this refers to Baptism both the bystanders and the subject would have something of a more sensory nature to latch on to. Therefore I conclude that St. Paul was referring Titus to something that he and other Christians understood and had in fact undergone, namely: water Baptism. 5 In point of fact, Paul is making a connection between Christ's death on the cross, which most people will allow is a physical act, and the equally physical act of Baptism. If we assert that Paul is referring to a spiritual phenomenon exclusive of a physical one the analogy loses its force since Paul is stating in verse 25 that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church. Wives are material beings, and I find it difficult to believe that Paul would use an exclusively spiritual phenomenon to teach that men should not abuse their wives. 6 Martin Luther, The Small Catechism, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism: Second Part 7 To have God's name is to belong to Him. In 2 Chron 7:14 God says that Israel has His name, thus Israel belongs to God and no other. In Isa. 43:7 we see that all those who have God's name are formed and created by Him. (There are other examples, but I only wish to make the point) When Jesus commanded the Apostles to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit He was telling them to put God's name on everyone they teach, children included, thus claiming that person for God. 8 This would be the best possible work, since not only does it give glory to God, but gives us forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 9 It should be noted that anywhere there is the promise of forgiveness of sins, which is functionally the same thing as regeneration, we have life in Jesus Christ. For this reason any attempt to spiritualize Baptism will fail, since it does not discern God's word of promise. 10 St. Athanasius of Alexandria, The Incarnation, 2:8 11 Jesus' very words are "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin..." Since the little ones referred to in verse six are of the same type referred to in verses two and four, we must conclude that these are very tiny children indeed. The word used in verses two and four is paidion which in common usage means either an newborn male child, an infant generically, or a small child, i.e. a toddler. None of these groups have enough intellectual development to be baptized according to the teaching of those who practice "believer's Baptism", yet we have the words of Christ which say "He who believes and is baptized will be saved.." If they cannot believe how will they be saved? 12 Notice that the Apostle says that we stand in grace. Grace is the foundation of our salvation, faith is the working out of God's grace in us. Compare Eph. 2:8, here it is even more clearly spelled out that we are saved by grace through faith, not because of faith. Thus since grace precedes faith it is fitting to say that in Baptism God offers His grace, and that if this grace is grasped by faith it is a saving grace. 13 Our faith is something which grows and therefore is more than knowledge of Christ and His work on our behalf. As the man in the crowd said, "Lord I believe; help my unbelief!"; our faith can be increased. For this reason it is silly to impose an intellectual requirement for Baptism because someone does not know enough to be baptized, we are constantly learning. We should rest assured that any lack of knowledge will be rectified by God and humbly admit that none of us knows enough to be baptized. 14 The Large Catechism, IV 49, Martin Luther 15 The old argument says that while households were baptized, there is no explicit mention of infants. While this is true as far as it goes, it seriously begs the question. In the ancient world a household consisted of either a dwelling place or all the members of a family. Since no one maintains that houses received baptism we assume that people are being referred to in Act. 11:14, 16:15, 16:31, 16:34 and 18:8. To assert that infants were not present would mean either that the word household does not refer to all the members of a family or that infants were not present because they were not mentioned. As to the first statement, there is no basis for it! It is merely an assumption based on the doctrine that infants were not baptized and therefore begs the question. To reply to the second statement, suppose I said The whole family [i.e. household] attended service Sunday, does this mean that infants were left at home? Of course not! So we can see that those who do not believe in baptizing infants and assert that there is no Scriptural evidence for it are really playing fast and loose with language in order to maintain their doctrine of "believer's Baptism." Home Doctrine and Practice E-Mail Author
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