How young is to young for baptism?

No age requirements

certainly 5 to at least 14 or 15 is too young

 

The good news is that baptism isn’t necessary for salvation.

I had a lady, in her 80’s, in our church that wanted her 5 year old autistic grandson baptized before she passed.

I wasn’t comfortable with it and didn’t do it.

My concern was giving the child, or others, a false hope of salvation when there was really no evidence of Holy Spirit involvement.

I would consider each case independently, but I would certainly observe who wanted the baptism the most… the child?, the parents?, the grandparents?

Peace to you

 

Simple.
Not yet a born again believer are too young for believer's baptism.

 

Yes, very true.

How many times have we heard someone testify they were saved as a child, then fell away as a teen and then in their 20’s or 30’s want to “rededicate” their lives to Christ?

My question to them is, “when were you ever dedicated to Christ”?

You get some strange looks with that question

peace to you

 

Charles Spurgeon:

https://www.spurgeongems.org/vols7-9/chs381.pdf

“We do not contend for the baptism of adults; we contend for the baptism of believers. Show us a child however young, who believes in Christ, and we gladly accept him”

 

Benjamin Keach (prominent 1600s Particular Baptist):

"little Children who do believe in Christ, have an indubitable right to Baptism"

"God hath in our days wrought by his Spirit, savingly on several little Children, some three or four years old, others about six or seven"

p. 16, “A Counter-Antidote…Wherein the Baptism of Believers Is Evinced to Be God’s Ordinance” by Benjamin Keach (London, 1694)

 

Spurgeon had classes that professing believers attended prior to baptism (if memory serves)

He proclaimed Christ crucified for sins in every sermon and urged all to come to Christ for salvation, even children.

He very clearly states he would baptize a child (not an infant) if the child gave a credible profession of faith.

I would expect he would hold all professing believers to a similar or identical standard when articulating that belief and request for baptism

peace to you

 

What do you do about a person with disability, they can't read the Bible, they listen to the sermon, they are loving and the only thing they can say is I love the Lord... If it was up to me I would baptize, that individual in a heartbeat... They already belong to the Lord, they were baptized by the Holy Spirit... Water baptism is a public declaration of who they belong to Jesus Christ... Brother Glen

 

It depends what he says he believes.

Acts of the Apostles 8:37 tradition.

Also 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

And John 3:16.

 

Age has nothing to do with it. Understanding does. When questioned does the child seem to understand and has there been a change in the child's life. Does the child relate a need to live for God?

 

Young children can learn Christianese. Seriously

they hear our answers and parrot them

it’s extremely important to make sure