Infant Baptism

FYI – I personally have no problem with infant baptism, but I heard something recently that made me want to investigate it further. Enjoy!

A German theologian, Schleiermacher, wrote, "All traces of infant baptism which have been asserted to be found in the New Testament, must first be inserted there."

He’s right. The host of German and front rank "Theologians" and scholars of the Church of England, the Anglican Church, which believes in infant baptism—a host of their scholars have united to affirm not only the absence of infant baptism from the New Testament, but from apostolic and post-apostolic times. It isn’t in the New Testament and it didn’t exist in the earliest church. They believe it arose around the 2nd or 3rd century.

Now, all that said, I personally have no problem with infant baptism and if you have an infant and would like him/her baptized I would do it for you! Though it is not what we typically do here at OLF. We have always felt that it was important that the person being baptized know and understand WHY he/she is being baptized. So what we do for infants and parents is a Baby Dedication. A lot like the other, just without water.

Okay, here is the main reason I am blogging about this; a pastor friend of mine mentioned that he knows a pastor who teaches that unless your child is baptized he/she would go to hell if he/she were to die. That is total hog-wash-bologna-dog-crud-not-in-the-bible-anywhere-heresy!

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” I said to him! He wasn’t kidding me. Here are questions I ask to see if what I hear is indeed truth:

1) Is it supported in scripture? What did Jesus say if anything?
2) Does it produce fear or peace?
3) Does it seem to fit within the overall teaching of scripture?

And that teaching doesn’t pan out well. So, this guy believes if your child dies during birth he/she goes to hell, since you didn’t have a chance to get him baptized? Heresy!! Of course I have not spoken to this person, and I would imagine even he would have some hem-hay way to back out of that scenario. With TRUTH there is no hem-hawing around, it’s either truth or not.

Bottom line: Don’t fear for your child’s eternal security in regards to baptism, and just be at peace that all God’s children are in His hands. And if you want to have your baby water baptized, then I would encourage you to do it.

And by the way, it’s Jesus who saves us, not water baptism... and I highly recommend if you are a follower of Christ, to be water baptised!