Now to your second question about churches that do not believe in infant baptism. You are right about the heart of the problem, they do not understand the serious nature of original sin. Most of those churches would agree that a "sinful nature" of some sort is passed on to children in this life, but they would maintain that it only becomes "active" when the child is old enough to consciously choose to give in to that sinful nature. Sometimes they call that an "age of accountability." To put that another way, those churches not only routinely teach that we must make "a decision for Christ," but, in effect, they are also teaching we must make a "decision" of sorts to become fully and effectively a sinner before God.

What those churches fail to take into consideration is that nowhere does Scripture define sin as only that which we consciously choose to do. In Psalm 19:12 King David cleary reveals that we may be ignorant of our sins, but still need God's forgiveness for them. Their misunderstanding of original sin also ignores the fact that sin is first and foremost a "state" or "condition" of being natural-born enemies of God who are under his just judgment. The outward "sins" that we commit do not "make us sinners," but simply reveal the condition which has been true about us since we were born. Paul reminds us that we were "by nature objects of [God's] wrath" (Ep 2:3) and King David laments the fact that we have been sinful since the time our mothers' conceived us (Ps 51:5). How wonderful that God in baptism gives us a tool by which the Holy Spirit can work repentance and faith in the heart of infants who need a Savior from their sin no less than we do.

Since those who deny baptism to infants also misunderstand how we come to faith (man's decision instead of the Spirit's gift), perhaps we probably also need to add here that faith is no more a miracle in the heart of an infant than it is in the heart of an adult.

All of this also begins to answer the question about "baby dedication." Why create a church custom with no promise of God to "fill in the gap" when we have a biblical sacrament that comes with the promise of God to apply to our children?

However, to your last question allow me to issue a strong caution. You are rightly convinced from Scripture that your friend's child will stand in need of baptism. However, please also remember that God has not entrusted that child to you, but to her. While I will not fault your motives, we must remember that "the end justifies the means" is hardly a Christian motto for life. To baptize a child by deception (without telling the parents) does not seem to fit those who seek to "speak the truth in love" (Ep 4:15).

For example, what if you secretly baptized her child, but then continued to encourage infant baptism. What if, taking your words to heart, your friend decides to have her child baptized. Are you going to reveal what you have done, or allow a "show" to take place in church as a child that is already baptized is treated as an unbaptized child.

How much better it is to pray for wise words with which to speak to your friend and to pray for God to help her to see the importance of infant baptism. Then, simply watch for the opportunities God may give you to encourage baptism. That approach bears witness to the truth without doing something behind the back of the parent to whom God has entrusted that child.