INFANT BAPTISM IS SCRIPTURAL !

Baptism of infants is biblical because circumcision in the Old Testament meant the same thing as baptism does in the New, and there are no scriptures in the New Testament that state that infants of believers are now to be treated differently in the New Covenant from the way that infants of Israelite children were treated in the Old! The norm of the Old Covenant always treated Israelite chrildren as part of the covenant community. There is nothing that changes this norm by informing us that children of Christians are to be treated as "outside" the covenant community. In fact, the trend of the New Testament was actually to include people who used to be considered "outside". For example, gentiles, people excluded from the covenant community in the Old Covenant, now make up the majority of the church. Women worship with men in Christian congregations instead of in a separate courtyard outside the temple, and females as well as males are included in New Covenant baptism. Peter told his audience, "Acts 2:38-39 (ESV)
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off , everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." In view of all this, the argument which states that there is no scriptural evidence of infants being baptized in the New Testament holds no water! Including children was already the "norm" and if we are looking for New Testament evidence, we should be looking for scriptures that would deny baptism to infants and not the other way around.
Both baptism and circumcision were signs of the righteousness we receive by faith and baptism came in the room of circumcision in the New Copvenant:

Col. 2:11-13 (ESV)
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism , in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

Romans 4:11 (ESV)
He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,

Deut. 30:6 (ESV)
And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Ezekiel 36:24-27 (ESV)
I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. [26] And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

All little children are part of the family of God under any covenant and circumcision was applied before they understood anything about it or before anyone had any knowledge as to whether they would receive the spiritual blessings it symbolized when they reached the age of accountability. This rules out the idea that, since an infant is unable to believe for himself, that he should not be baptized! They are already saved, so they should be allowed to receive the sign of salvation like any believer. When they reach the age of accountability, being brought up by godly parents, then they receive Christ for themselves and it is at this time that their baptism becomes meaningful to them. The bible always instructs "adults" who were converted out of Judaism and Paganism to be baptized as believers, but this was before the "christian family" had time to develop! Everyone would instruct unconverted adults to "believe" before baptism but this doesn't exclude infants born into christian families! The New Testament never tells us about a single adolescent or young adult who had been raised from infancy by parents in christian homes who later received baptism only after he or she expressed faith in Christ! There is not "one shred" of scripture that says that infants born into christian homes should not be baptized!

 

Yes, because remember I said that the trend of the New Covenant was to be more inclusive than the Old. The nature of baptism is such that females can participate in the New ordinance, although they were always considered part of the covenant community through the circumcision of the male!

 

Hebrews 8:11 (ESV)
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother , saying, 'Know the Lord,'
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.

This is talking about adults!The Israelites, being unable to keep the Law of God perfectly had to be saved by grace like anyone else, and by faith received the Holy Spirit which is the only way we can be counted righteous under the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit gives us the "desire" to keep God's laws. No one is saying that converted adults could come into the covenant without "knowing the Lord" because that's the way we receive the Holy Spirit. Circumcision and baptism, though not identical, have the same meaning and show us the mind of the Lord in including little children as part of his family. When they die they have a free ticket to heaven more then anyone else!

 

The bible is full of typology Sola, especially the parables of Jesus, His principle way of teaching!

 

These scriptures are talking basically about knowing the laws of God. The Israelites in the Old Testament failed to continue in the covenant because they forsook the laws they promised to keep if they were to be the Lord's people and He was to be their God. However, when the better covenant takes affect, they know the Law not because each one teaches his neighbor or his brother saying "Know the Lord" but because the law of God is written on their hearts by the spirit of God..

Sure, you have to teach adults who "don't know the Lord" before they can enter into a covenant relationship as adults. That's what happens when a little child grows up and reaches the "age of accountability" and reallizes that "he doesn't know the Lord". When he reaches this "state of reason" he reallizes he is no longer unaccountable because of innocense but now needs to be saved like anyone else. At this time he is no longer being taught from within the covenant relationship. He is taught as a sinner in need of salvation! However it is from progressive training from early childhood to adulthood (age of reason), that he finally realizes his lost state. But to deny that an innocent child is part of the covenant community is to fail to see all that the Lord has taught us by the law of circumcising infants under the Old Covenant.

 

Don, I'm not saying that Gentiles or anyone else needs to be circumcised before they can be Christians. The law of circumcision was done away with under the New Covenant and replaced by baptism.

 

Your statements don't seem very plain to me Sola.

And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all (that is adults-every man his neighbor and brother) shall know me, from the least to the greatest. Heb 8:11 No one every said that adults past the age of accountability could be in the covenant if they did not know the Lord!

 

That's where the confusion lies! When a little child grows up, he reaches the age of accountability and sees himself as a sinner like everyone else. At this time he is no longer part of the covenant because of innocense. After he believes,he is part of the coventant again. I'm not part of the tradition that believes infant baptism "seals" salvation. Every child must believe when it grows up, baptized or not. But the little child while in the stage of innocense is intitled to the covenant symbol- baptism.

 

I understand what you are trying to say Sola, but your argument is invalid because the scriptures say that it's "every man his neighbor" and "every man his brother" that won't be taught to know the Lord in the New Covenant . It doesn't say children in the Covenant won't be taught! When it says all shall know me from the least to the greatest it refers to these adults in context, not to children! Children are taught from earliest childhood, and because of innocense and unaccountability, remain a part of the Covenant. Their understanding is only partial, because if they had full knowledge, they wouldn't be children anymore. I'm using the terms "children" and "adults" loosely and realize that a person can reach the age of accountability and still be a child and that you don't have to be a full adult to fully understand. But when they do become adults, because of previous teaching and training, and in a moments time they realize they are lost sinners in need of repentance like all other adults, and when this happens, they are no longer in the Covenant! So you can't say that there are adults in the covenant being taught "know the Lord" because at this time children lose their innocense and are no longer in the Covenant ! Sometimes, if the child has been taught well, it is out of the Covenant only for a moments time. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a part of the Lord's Covenant for your entire life accept for this one moments time ? I wish I could say that for myself.

P.S. to avoid confusion, I think it should be said that when the scriptures say that no adult in the New Covenant will have to be taught "know the Lord" it refers to that knowledge that we need to have about our lost condition and our need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and not to other knowledge that helps us grow in the faith. Evem though a part of the Covenant, we still need to grow in knowledge the rest of our lives!

[ May 14, 2003, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: Smoke Eater ]