| Most Recently Posted Ask a Question | |||||||
| Q: | My question is in regards to baptism. I read the following on a web site titled Clarifying Christianity, and I am interested what you think about this. | ||||||
| A: | The subject of infant baptism is discussed in a number of questions already posted on this web page under the heading Infant Baptism. The following is a summary from this section. Lutherans practice infant baptism because the command to baptize is inclusive: "Baptize all nations" (Matthew 28:19) "the promise is for you and your children" (Acts 2:38-39) children are not innocent but need forgiveness of sins (Ps 51:5) children can have faith (Matthew 18:6). Infant baptism emphasizes by grace alone and by faith alone. The child comes bringing nothing, in order to receive God's grace through which faith is begun and nourished. In addition to the resources listed at the section on baptism you might be interested in reading the volume on baptism in the People's Bible Teaching series available from Northwestern Publishing House. I will comment only briefly on the quotations below since a fuller treatment of infant baptism is available in the sources cited. 1. The word baptize is a transliteration of the original Greek word baptizo. Baptizo comes from the root word bapto, a term used in the first century for immersing a garment first into bleach and then into dye, both cleansing and changing the color of the cloth. (Note the similarity to baptism's cleansing of sin and becoming a new person through Christ.) Stated another way, when you process cloth to change its color, you are said to "baptize" it. If sprinkling of any kind was practiced, a different Greek word would have been used, but it was not. It is true that baptism means to wash in such a way as to produce a change in what is washed. One example of this kind of washing is dying clothes, but there are many others. A washing that produces change is exactly what baptism is since we are reborn through baptism. In the Greek text of Mark 7:3-4 the verbs "washing," "sprinkling," and "baptizing" are used side by side as descriptions of the ceremonial washings of the Jews. The NIV translates all three verbs as "wash." Among the things that the Jews "baptized" were hands, dishes, and couches. Many of these washings were not immersions. The statement that "baptizings" were always immersions is false. 2. Around 400 AD, a man named Augustine came up with the idea of "original sin." This of course concerned parents over the fate of their children, so they decided children should be baptized to take care of the original sin. They used sprinkling, since immersion was risky. Thus, both baptizing infants and baptizing by sprinkling are human ideas, not from the bible. This is completely false. Many passages of Scripture teach that we are born in sin. A few of them are Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:3, Romans 5:12, and Genesis 8:21. Furthermore, there is no significant danger in immersing a baby. 3. A child is safe in the arms of God, until they can understand separation from God because of sin. Read 2 Samuel 12:22-23, and Matthew 18:10 Passages that say the children can come to the Lord are all the more reason to baptize them since baptism is a means of bringing them to the Lord. Infant sin and infant faith is demonstrated in the passages cited above. All of the objections to bringing them to baptism are invalid since they depend on false definitions of sin and of faith. 4. Jesus said to baptize "all nations." But it is safe to say that this passage does not refer to infants and small children. Why? Matthew 28:19 reveals 2 things relevant to this question. First, the disciples Jesus is talking to are told to make other disciples, which are always adults. Second, Jews thought they were the only chosen people, and were angry to find out that Peter and the others were baptizing Gentiles. The focus of this verse therefore, is to make disciples, and reaching out to Gentiles as well as Jews. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) Disciples are learners. Certainly children are learners from the day they are born. In Matthew 28 we are given two ways to make people disciples--by baptizing them and by teaching them all things. There is no reason that we cannot begin doing this from the beginning of life. On Pentecost Peter said, " "The promise is for you and your children" (Acts 2:38-39). | ||||||
| |||||||