Infant Baptism

We baptize babies in the Lutheran Church. Some other denominations don’t.

Why do we baptize babies and what is the reason that other denominations don’t?

The above questions may be ones we’ve never given much thought to. Part of that is due to the area of the country in which we live. Here in the Midwest there is a large concentration of Lutherans. We, of course, have a solid practice of infant Baptism.

In other parts of our country, however, where Lutherans are in the minority, a majority of babies may not be baptized. You see, Baptists, Assembly of God, Pentecostals, and others do not baptize their babies. And that brings us to the two related questions for today -- “Why don’t they baptize their babies?” and “Why do we baptize ours?”

The reason that Baptists, Pentecostals and others don’t baptize babies is two fold.

They Don't Understand What Sin Is ...

First, they have a wrong understanding of the Biblical teaching of sin. Their reasoning is this: “A baby doesn’t need to be baptized because he isn’t sinful. After all, a baby hasn’t committed any sins.”  These churches deny the Biblical doctrine of original sin. For them, sin is simply “doing wrong deeds” and since babies haven’t done any wrong deeds, they are not sinful and therefore do not yet need the saving work of Christ in their lives.  To a certain extent we have all fallen into this fallacy, especially when we look upon a newborn infant as being “sweet and innocent.”

Such teaching denies that we are born sinful and in need of Christ’s forgiveness. Psalm 51:5 says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Jesus also told Nicodemus, “Flesh (sinful parents) gives birth to flesh (sinful infants)” John 3:6.

Such denial of the sinful condition into which we are born also goes against plain Biblical logic.

(1) How can two sinful people conceive a sinless child?

(2) How come we don’t have to teach children to sin? As soon as a baby is old enough to do things, they begin doing sins (temper, selfishness, etc.). Who taught them that? No one! The sin was obviously inside all the time, waiting to break out. In fact, while we don’t teach children to sin, we do have to teach them not to sin (to share their toys, etc.).

(3) Can babies die? The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23. Sinless people are incapable of dying. If babies are sinless, then they should not be able to die until the first time they actually did something sinful. Sadly, we know that is not the case.

(4) If a baby is not sinful at conception, then how do we deter- mine when they are? These churches go so far as to say that when little children do wrong things, they are not held accountable until a certain age. The selfish outburst of a 4 year old is not sin, they say, while the same behavior from a 12 year old is a sin. Nowhere does Scripture make such distinctions. Sins are sins.

(5) The most serious consequence, however, is that by saying a baby isn’t sinful you are saying that there is a time in one’s life when they don’t need Jesus, when the Savior’s death on the cross is meaningless. Jesus, then, didn’t die for all people, but only adults. What sad logic!

They Don't Understand What Faith Is ...

Secondly, they have a faulty definition of faith. We touched on this in the last newsletter in connection with “altar calls.” They believe that faith is something that we must do, a decision that we must make to accept Jesus. They do not recognize faith as a gift given by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments. The Bible says the Holy Spirit creates faith in the heart of one who is baptized! Is God not powerful enough to create faith when and where He wants?

Faith is not an intellectual exercise or a cognitive process. It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this (faith) is not from yourselves (a decision on your part), it is a gift of God” Ephesians 2:8-9.

“But how can a baby believe?” they say, “A baby doesn’t even know who Jesus is?” But do you know who Jesus is when you are sleeping or in a coma? No. But you still have faith. That’s because faith is a gift placed in the heart apart from facts about Jesus that you might know (or not know) in your head. Jesus once spoke of “little ones who believe in Me”  Matthew 18:6. The Greek word translated “little ones” is the word “brephe” which literally means “nursing infants.” Jesus recognized even nursing infants as having faith!  Jesus commanded us to baptize “all nations.” I can’t imagine any “nation” that has no babies.

The Bible is crystal clear -- babies are sinners, babies can believe and, therefore, Baptism is for babies too! Thank
God!