Does Infant Baptism Save An Individual?

[Georges]

Yes....of course it does....it sets up a spiritual "force field" around the sinful child...after you are baptised as an infant, you are free to sin as much as you please....because you believed as a toddler, you're automatically enrolled in the "saved club"....and once you make that "faith only" proclamation, you are doubly sealed and given the carte blanc to sit back and enjoy your salvation...no work necessary to identify yourself as one saved.....only believe it and it is so..... ;-)

 

[stovebolts]

Your spot on Georges! :D After all, Once your Saved, your Always Saved! :smt023 Wahoo and Amen brother! Break out the band :smt041 and lets get together for a potluck! : Isn't that just absolutly beautiful! :smt055
Here my good friend, have a TULIP. Don't be shy now and remember, no tiptoeing :wink:

 

[thessalonian]

At the end of verse 20, we read that a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. It is not that they were saved by water; they were saved through the water. Water was not the savior, but the judgment through which God brought them safely.

Just quickly and this is apparent from my post above, you set up a straw man. The water is a symbol. The story of Noah's ark is used allegorically by Peter. The water did not save noah, God did, but being saved through the water is a forshadowing of baptism, quite clearly. As I said about, the water is an outward sign of the inward washing that takes place. Our souls are cleansed by God, i.e. saved, by the power of the Holy Spirit, not the water per say. It is not the removal of dirt of course as it is not a bath, but it is the removal of spiritual dirt on our souls. God chooses to respond to our obedience to him, by submitting to his holy sacrament of baptism to infuse us with the holy spirit, by which we are saved, cleansed of sin, and made children of God, born again so to speak. Another metaphore for what happens in baptism. Your views are gnostic in the sense that you deny that God saves through the physical.

George you do a fine job of mixing Catholicism and protestantism.

 

[Solo]

Born again is not a "so to speak" sort of thing, it is an actual birth of the new creature, and it does not take place at infant baptism. It takes place at the moment of repentence and confession of faith in Jesus Christ after hearing the Word of God. That is the Apostolic teaching, and that is the way an individual comes to see and enter into the kingdom of God. Anything spoken of other than this is a lie from the devil himself. Believe it or not.

 

[jgredline]

Just quickly and this is apparent from my post above, you set up a straw man. The water is a symbol. The story of Noah's ark is used allegorically by Peter. The water did not save noah, God did, but being saved through the water is a forshadowing of baptism, quite clearly. As I said about, the water is an outward sign of the inward washing that takes place. Our souls are cleansed by God, i.e. saved, by the power of the Holy Spirit, not the water per say. It is not the removal of dirt of course as it is not a bath, but it is the removal of spiritual dirt on our souls. God chooses to respond to our obedience to him, by submitting to his holy sacrament of baptism to infuse us with the holy spirit, by which we are saved, cleansed of sin, and made children of God, born again so to speak. Another metaphore for what happens in baptism. Your views are gnostic in the sense that you deny that God saves through the physical.

George you do a fine job of mixing Catholicism and protestantism.

Thess. I noticed you forgot to state the scriptures that support ''your view''
My view is the one that is consitant with the scriptures, Yours is not.

 

[Georges]

I forgot to vote...I vote other....

IMHO, Since inherent sin is a gnostic myth, a child is saved without baptism...Salvation is a matter of believing in God's promises to those who obey his Torah. A continuing lifelong practice.

A child (or anyone) cannot understand the Torah until they are taught it, which they are from infancy to Bar Mitzvah age. At that point (12-13) they are considered responsible for their actions.

A child who is properly taught, has a natural belief/faith in God (I did). Until the age of accountability, I believe the child's faith is what saves them.

 

[Free]

Only if Our Lord was joking.

So you believe that Peter disagreed with Christ?