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Infant baptism is a huge error!
- Thread starter Classik
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Classik
Member
- Jul 5, 2011
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Re: Infantile baptism is a huge error!
Yes - the preacher is right - and I totally agree with him. You can't baptise a baby. What does the baby know? Nothing!!! You baptise a person who is of age, a person who 'understands' and 'believes'. Believes what? The verse above.
Yes - the preacher is right - and I totally agree with him. You can't baptise a baby. What does the baby know? Nothing!!! You baptise a person who is of age, a person who 'understands' and 'believes'. Believes what? The verse above.
Re: Infantile baptism is a huge error!
I completely agree, and I was immersed as a believer at 14. But I have been a member of a church that practiced infant baptism
together with confirmation. I cannot say that these believers are not Christians. In adult confirmation I was grounded in the Word
as in no other place. I am so indebted to this church. Prior to then I was told to read the new testament by my liberal church.
Otherwise, there was no salvation message, no prayers over communion that anyone could hear, and the scripture that was read
with it never had anything that pertained either. Yes, I had believed and repented, later was baptized, but was not even taught
about the trinity or the Holy Spirit. I was only taught that there was God and his son was Jesus, who died on the cross and arose.
There were more born again believers who had received Christ in the church that practiced infant baptism than in the one that just
requested people to repent, be baptized by immersion, confess the Lord Jesus, have communion every Sunday, call themselves
Christians and have no creeds. So I just don't quibble about this issue. I leave it up to the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.
I completely agree, and I was immersed as a believer at 14. But I have been a member of a church that practiced infant baptism
together with confirmation. I cannot say that these believers are not Christians. In adult confirmation I was grounded in the Word
as in no other place. I am so indebted to this church. Prior to then I was told to read the new testament by my liberal church.
Otherwise, there was no salvation message, no prayers over communion that anyone could hear, and the scripture that was read
with it never had anything that pertained either. Yes, I had believed and repented, later was baptized, but was not even taught
about the trinity or the Holy Spirit. I was only taught that there was God and his son was Jesus, who died on the cross and arose.
There were more born again believers who had received Christ in the church that practiced infant baptism than in the one that just
requested people to repent, be baptized by immersion, confess the Lord Jesus, have communion every Sunday, call themselves
Christians and have no creeds. So I just don't quibble about this issue. I leave it up to the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.
Claudya
Member
- Oct 16, 2012
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Re: Infantile baptism is a huge error!
I agree. But a lot of christians I know were baptised as infants, and being baptised meant a lot to them, even when they were children. Most of them wouldn't consider their early baptism an error.
I agree. But a lot of christians I know were baptised as infants, and being baptised meant a lot to them, even when they were children. Most of them wouldn't consider their early baptism an error.
Claudya
Member
- Oct 16, 2012
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Ukulele!:shocked Are you of the opinion that such practice is okay?:dunno
The Bible isn't clear about it. So I won't condemn those people that have their babies baptised, or those people that were baptised as babies and are so okay with it they don't feel the need for another baptism.
God's mercy doesn't depend on what age we are baptised anyway.
farouk
Member
- Nov 17, 2010
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Claudya:
Acts 2.41 says that those who believed were baptised; in other words, they were of an age to believe; and then they were baptised as a symbol of having believed, not in order supposedly to become Christians.
People who rely on the symbol, instead of exercising faith, are on shaky ground.
farouk
Member
- Nov 17, 2010
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You set up a fact where there isn't one. Some might consider that as an act of adding to the Bible.
But if I feel like baptising someone who has died (like the Mormons do), I could say that there is no verse against it, so I can do it; but it wouldn't be right.
The context of baptism is those who believe. Acts 2.41. Also the Philippian jailer was 'believing with all his house' (Acts 16.34): all his house believed, and they were all baptised.
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Mike S
Member
- Mar 10, 2011
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This scripture in Mark's Gospel mentions the relationship between faith and baptism, but does not imply that faith of the person baptised is the necessary PRIOR requirement of the baptism itself.
As Christians, we know that faith is a condition for baptism, but that baptism itself is not a demonstration of faith by the person baptized. Baptism is administered by the church as the Body of Christ. It is the act of God through the grace of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is, among other things, incorporation into the body of Christ. The questions asked in the baptism of infants are asked not of the parents and sponsors to answer on behalf of the infant, but on behalf of themselves. Those who cannot or will not answer these questions affirmatively for themselves in good faith are not yet ready to support another in a journey toward discipleship to Jesus Christ, and so are not able to enter the covenant relationship entailed in baptism.
Just as infant Jewish males are circumcised as an expression the convenant within the community of God's people, infant Christians are baptised as the expression of inclusion inChrist's new convenant. It is the means of God's grace to the child within the Christian family. Circumcision under the covenant of Abraham was applied to infants on the basis of parental faith within the nation of God's people. Today we are part of that covenant through faith in Christ. The new sign of the covenant, water baptism, can likewise be applied to infants on the basis of parental faith.
farouk
Member
- Nov 17, 2010
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mark: You and I agree a lot of the time, but here I think your Reformed/Covenantal theology is showing through (if this is what you believe, well, okay); but repeatedly, as verses already quoted from the New Testament show, baptism is associated with those who believe, not one day might believe.
Part of the Reformed/Covenantal difficulty is that often no proper distinction is made between the church and Israel.
Blessings.
Mike S
Member
- Mar 10, 2011
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Yes, there is a relationship between faith and baptism...you and I will disagree on what exactly that relationship is. But, I have no problem with churches that practice believer's baptism. We all work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
Frankly, I don't spend a lot of time worrying about every detail of our Christian theology; there is a certain amount of mystery, and God will save whom God will save. I've accepted Christ's as savior, I do my best to live a life according to Christ's example of humility, service and sacrivice, and leave the rest to Him.
