Collierville, Tennessee

May 2, 2011

I recently had a talk with a couple of young men present in our congregation concerning the difference between our position on baptism and those who baptize infants. It is impossible to give an exhaustive study to that subject here, but hopefully a few thoughts will help.

Some of the reasons we as Baptists baptize only those who publicly profess faith in Christ and pledge to serve Him:

1. This is the example of the New Testament. While infants were given the religious rite of circumcision in the Old Testament as a sign of their entrance into the Jewish religious community, that practice is not commanded in the New Testament Church. The Church is not a continuation of the Old Testament Israel, but is a new institution started by Christ. Israel (as ordered by God in that time) was a theocracy with racial and national boundaries. Children of Israelites were literally born into the religious community. The New Testament Church, on the other hand, is not based on national, family, or social distinctives. The requirement for being a part of the Church is a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and baptism, regardless of family background, race, nationality or other such distinctives. The New Testament example is that those who repented and believed the gospel were given baptism. There is never one example of the infants of believing parents being baptized. We believe we stand on solid Scriptural ground in following the New Testament pattern.

2. Baptism is an act of identifying with Jesus Christ and His truth. It is an act of submission to Christ, is called the answer of a good conscience before God, and is an act symbolic of something that has been done for and in the one being baptized. How does this square with an infant being baptized? The infant cannot identify with Christ, submit to Him, and have a good conscience in the act, because the infant has no idea what is going on! How can an infant identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and claim an interest for himself in it?

3. Along with the error of infant baptism usually comes the error of mode of baptism. Most who practice infant baptism practice baptism by sprinkling, rather than by immersion. Much could be said here, but consider this: if baptism is a picture and symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, how can anything but immersion picture that? In immersion the person is literally buried in the water and raised again, a beautiful picture of the gospel. Does sprinkling picture this? The answer is obvious.

4. While our intent is not to “throw stones” at Christian brethren who do not believe what we see as the truth in this area, it does need to be stated that is not a subject of small importance. It matters what the church practices regarding baptism. Many in our day seem to look upon this as a very lesser matter. We submit that it is not. I hope that our young people, and all of us, will consider the importance of this practice. And, may we fervently pray that we will see in the very near future more baptisms of those who have been brought to repent of their old way of life and follow Christ in newness of life.