How does your Church deal with Child professions of Faith?

[webdog]

there is a big difference between knowing about jesus and knowing jesus though!

And many have 'asked him into their hearts", but walked away later on, and never were saved to start!

Think hjust a reminder to continue doing what you are doing, in raising your family up in fear and admonition of the Lord!

One cannot know Jesus without first inviting Him in. There is a difference between the TBN 'just say this prayer' false Gospel and thoroughly explaining to a child their condition, the punishment, the solution, and the result.

 

[Salty]

... Jesus specifically commanded NOT to discourage and prevent little children from coming to Him. ...

There has been some discussion about baptizing a young child. But who has said that we should DISCOURAGE little children (for salvation). If possible give post # - I may have missed it.


Again, I like what Berean said: "I personally feel childhood decisions should not be solicited or encouraged, but never discouraged."
(bold my emphasis)

 

[annsni]

A person has to be brought to the end of himself before he will recieve Christ.

Was Paul brought to the end of himself? Was the Etheopian eunich brought to the end of himself? I don't see anything about needing to be brought to the end of oneself before they will receive Christ. I was 7. I knew exactly what sin was because my parents taught me right from wrong, good from evil. When my mother explained the Gospel to me, I fully realized that I was never going to be good enough to earn salvation and that Christ died on the cross because of that. I didn't know about big theological terms but I knew sin, repentance, atonement and salvation. That was all I needed. The same with my children at very young ages.

My youngest grandson is four years old and starting T-Ball. When he is on the field that is his world. Off the field he is in other worlds like Spider Man and all things that get's four year olds attention. I just can't comprehend children three, four and five years old going through conviction of sin, when they don't really understand what sin is.

Maybe he doesn't really understand what sin is because people believe that he's too young to understand it and haven't explained it to him. My children heard the Word of God from the time they were infants. None of it was new to them at 5 years old.

 

[Yeshua1]

One cannot know Jesus without first inviting Him in. There is a difference between the TBN 'just say this prayer' false Gospel and thoroughly explaining to a child their condition, the punishment, the solution, and the result.

And trus thtat the holy spirit opens their hearts/minds to receive christ!

 

[salzer mtn]

One cannot know Jesus without first inviting Him in. There is a difference between the TBN 'just say this prayer' false Gospel and thoroughly explaining to a child their condition, the punishment, the solution, and the result.

I wonder if this form of conversion taught to little children is just a way of getting a child to behave by telling them the boogie man will get them if they don't mind. You said, thoroughly explain to them the punishment. Which is burning in hell. All this amounts to is scaring a child into a profession. A true repentance of sin is not about the penalty. A Godly sorrow worketh repentance in the heart of the sinner unto salvation, 11 Cor 7:10. A Godly sorrow is a regret, a grief that you have offended a Holy God. A true conviction of sin brings on love toward the one you have offended. A burning up in hell religion is conceived out of fear, and when a person fears someone long enough they will began to hate the person they once feared. Can a three, four, five year old understand this ?

 

[annsni]

I wonder if this form of conversion taught to little children is just a way of getting a child to behave by telling them the boogie man will get them if they don't mind. You said, thoroughly explain to them the punishment. Which is burning in hell. All this amounts to is scaring a child into a profession. A true repentence of sin is not about the penalty. A Godly sorrow worketh repentence in the heart of the sinner unto salvation. A Godly sorrow is a regret, a grief that you have offended a Holy God. A true conviction of sin brings on love toward the one you have offended. A burning up in hell religion is conceived out of fear, and when a person fears someone long enough they will began to hate the person they once feared. Can a three, four, five year old understand this ?

I've seen adults "accept Jesus" because of being afraid of hell. Let's think of Spurgeon's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". How many people there prayed because they were afraid of hell?

But the key is the truth that you give them. If you are going to go all hell and brimestone with them, yes - they may respond in a way to just get away from the icky hell thing. But when you teach them the true Gospel, you get a true repentance when they submit to the Lord.

Really, your arguments against children coming to the Lord can absolutely be across the board regardless of age. It is not just kids who might respond to a wrongly taught Gospel but adults as well.

 

[webdog]

I wonder if this form of conversion taught to little children is just a way of getting a child to behave by telling them the boogie man will get them if they don't mind. You said, thoroughly explain to them the punishment. Which is burning in hell. All this amounts to is scaring a child into a profession. A true repentance of sin is not about the penalty. A Godly sorrow worketh repentance in the heart of the sinner unto salvation, 11 Cor 7:10. A Godly sorrow is a regret, a grief that you have offended a Holy God. A true conviction of sin brings on love toward the one you have offended. A burning up in hell religion is conceived out of fear, and when a person fears someone long enough they will began to hate the person they once feared. Can a three, four, five year old understand this ?

What I said was the very gospel message! "This form of conversion" is what the great commission is! Where did I say anything about only burning in hell without anything else accompanied with it?

I'll tell you, on Oct 7, 1979 I heard the sermon on hell that brought me to my knees! You better believe I was scared of the punishment, who isn't that has their eyes opened to eternal ramifications for temporal choices? Judas had regret...where did that leave him? Hanging by a tree and in hell today. Repentance is not regret, maybe this is where you are getting everything wrong.

 

[webdog]

There has been some discussion about baptizing a young child. But who has said that we should DISCOURAGE little children (for salvation). If possible give post # - I may have missed it.


Again, I like what Berean said: "I personally feel childhood decisions should not be solicited or encouraged, but never discouraged."
(bold my emphasis)

There was a mystical magic age of 12 post a page or two back.

 

[salzer mtn]

I've seen adults "accept Jesus" because of being afraid of hell. Let's think of Spurgeon's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". How many people there prayed because they were afraid of hell?

But the key is the truth that you give them. If you are going to go all hell and brimestone with them, yes - they may respond in a way to just get away from the icky hell thing. But when you teach them the true Gospel, you get a true repentance when they submit to the Lord.

Really, your arguments against children coming to the Lord can absolutely be across the board regardless of age. It is not just kids who might respond to a wrongly taught Gospel but adults as well.

Spurgeon didn't preach this message, it was Jonathan Edwards. I wonder if these three, four, five year old children after they made a profession, were placed in another home because of a car accident or something where the parents didn't go to church. I wonder if these same children after several years would even remember making that profession ?

 

[salzer mtn]

What I said was the very gospel message! "This form of conversion" is what the great commission is! Where did I say anything about only burning in hell without anything else accompanied with it?

I'll tell you, on Oct 7, 1979 I heard the sermon on hell that brought me to my knees! You better believe I was scared of the punishment, who isn't that has their eyes opened to eternal ramifications for temporal choices? Judas had regret...where did that leave him? Hanging by a tree and in hell today. Repentance is not regret, maybe this is where you are getting everything wrong.

Look up the word sorrow and see if don't say regret. A Godly sorrow worketh repentence. Judas had a sorrow (regret) but not a Godly sorrow.

 

[Salty]

There was a mystical magic age of 12 post a page or two back.

Very interesting the way you answered my question. "somewhere"

Often an adult will say "sometime when I was a child I asked Jesus into my heart"
I would be very cautious of someone who made that statement. I believe that a person should be able to pinpoint a time when you accepted Christ.

We often hear "Where were you when JFK was killed", or "Where were you when the Murrah Federal Bldg in Oklahoma City was bombed"?

I have no ideal what I was doing on my 5th birthday

I am NOT saying it is impossible for a 5 year old to be saved - but....

BTW, that "magic age of 12" was talking about baptism - not necessarily salvation.

Its interesting - we do not allow children to make important decision on most issues. And salvation is the MOST important issue. Just saying.....

 

[webdog]

Very interesting the way you answered my question. "somewhere"

Often an adult will say "sometime when I was a child I asked Jesus into my heart"
I would be very cautious of someone who made that statement. I believe that a person should be able to pinpoint a time when you accepted Christ.

We often hear "Where were you when JFK was killed", or "Where were you when the Murrah Federal Bldg in Oklahoma City was bombed"?

I have no ideal what I was doing on my 5th birthday

I am NOT saying it is impossible for a 5 year old to be saved - but....

BTW, that "magic age of 12" was talking about baptism - not necessarily salvation.

Its interesting - we do not allow children to make important decision on most issues. And salvation is the MOST important issue. Just saying.....

No, the age of 12 by Old Union was dealing with salvation. Its not that I was being vague, I don't feel like going back through the thread. We can all do our own homework here. Nobody said "somewhere", btw. A page or 2 back is quite explanatory.

Just because you forgot what you did on your fifth birthday doesn't mean what you were doing wasn't sincere at that time. Using this reasoning the saved person with dementia never had a salvation experience because they cannot remember it.

John MacArthur cannot pinpoint a time in his life. Are you alluding to the fact he is not a believer.

We need to stop using human reasoning to understand what a child's heart can and cannot discern

 

[Yeshua1]

No, the age of 12 by Old Union was dealing with salvation. Its not that I was being vague, I don't feel like going back through the thread. We can all do our own homework here. Nobody said "somewhere", btw. A page or 2 back is quite explanatory.

Just because you forgot what you did on your fifth birthday doesn't mean what you were doing wasn't sincere at that time. Using this reasoning the saved person with dementia never had a salvation experience because they cannot remember it.

John MacArthur cannot pinpoint a time in his life. Are you alluding to the fact he is not a believer.

We need to stop using human reasoning to understand what a child's heart can and cannot discern

I used the age of 12 . as being the time my church allows one to get water baptized , as that is the 'age of accountibility" we see in the biblical pattern...

One can get saved by god at ANY time, but we have to be very cautious to just take them as really converted because they say so! many want to please mom/dad/pastor, others join their friends, some really confused on what it means, others really are saved!

 

[annsni]

Spurgeon didn't preach this message, it was Jonathan Edwards.

Sorry - That's what I meant. I was waiting for my son to come in with his history and I quickly typed that out wrong.

I wonder if these three, four, five year old children after they made a profession, were placed in another home because of a car accident or something where the parents didn't go to church. I wonder if these same children after several years would even remember making that profession ?

They might not remember but God would most likely if it was a true conversion. He would keep them, and make sure that they walked with Him.

 

[webdog]

I used the age of 12 . as being the time my church allows one to get water baptized , as that is the 'age of accountibility" we see in the biblical pattern...

One can get saved by god at ANY time, but we have to be very cautious to just take them as really converted because they say so! many want to please mom/dad/pastor, others join their friends, some really confused on what it means, others really are saved!

You were one of those to mention age 12, but I see no biblical pattern. There is no asterisk inserted into the text in "go and make disciples of all nations, *baptizing them in the Nam..."

*12 years old is the intended age not given by Jesus

 

[annsni]

I am trying to remember - I think my big girls were 8 and 10 when they were baptized, my son was 10 and my youngest was 8.5. We didn't push - they requested it. They had to be able to explain their testimony/faith and tell us a good reason for us to baptize them. They certainly gave it!

Here is the thread I started when my son was baptized:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=64029&highlight=baptized

Here is when my daughter was baptized

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=73221&highlight=baptized

Here is the picture that isn't showing up:

 

[Monster]

I am trying to remember - I think my big girls were 8 and 10 when they were baptized, my son was 10 and my youngest was 8.5. We didn't push - they requested it. They had to be able to explain their testimony/faith and tell us a good reason for us to baptize them. They certainly gave it!

Here is the thread I started when my son was baptized:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=64029&highlight=baptized

Here is when my daughter was baptized

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=73221&highlight=baptized

Here is the picture that isn't showing up:

That's nice and all, but...

- Does it count if it was salt water (appears to be) and not fresh? Which was Jesus baptized in?

- Was the water temp correct at the actual time of the baptism? Was it Jordon-like enough?

- And the clothing, don't forget that, shouldn't the administrators be wearing proper mid-eastern-period garb? Those men look to be dressed in overly modern-western.

- And how do we know the child simply didn't want a trip to the beach? You know children, they're LIKE THAT!!!

But seriously and begging your indulgence and forgiveness (if necessary). All my points above are absurdity meant to parrot and mock earlier posts in this thread.

What a wonderful picture. Praise God for children seeking the Lord so young and following His will, in obedience and love. And sorry again, for using your lovely post to demonstrate my sarcasm relating to some of the prior ridiculous posts. The juxtaposition of the legalism presented by some and the beauty in the picture you've posted is just too much to let pass.

I wish I had pictures of my own down-in-floor baptism from ages ago. It was a memorable experience. Ironically, I was twelve at the time, but saved at five.

 

[Berean]

Very interesting the way you answered my question. "somewhere"

Often an adult will say "sometime when I was a child I asked Jesus into my heart"
I would be very cautious of someone who made that statement. I believe that a person should be able to pinpoint a time when you accepted Christ.

We often hear "Where were you when JFK was killed", or "Where were you when the Murrah Federal Bldg in Oklahoma City was bombed"?

I have no ideal what I was doing on my 5th birthday

I am NOT saying it is impossible for a 5 year old to be saved - but....

BTW, that "magic age of 12" was talking about baptism - not necessarily salvation.

Its interesting - we do not allow children to make important decision on most issues. And salvation is the MOST important issue. Just saying.....

I believe I remember Billy Graham stating at one time that he could not recall the time of his conversion. This was long before his dotage.

 

[Yeshua1]

I believe I remember Billy Graham stating at one time that he could not recall the time of his conversion. This was long before his dotage.

The point is not can God save a child? yes he can and does, but are there MANY who look back to a child profession of faith as means to be right with god, yet never showed real evidence of being saved by God?

 

[Winman]

Watch this video, many of these little children know far more about Jesus than the adults that are shown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKo4Hsbti1E

Webdog, congratulations on your daughter receiving Jesus Christ as her Saviour. Praise God!