June 15, 2003, Vol.3, No.12.
Two new articles every two weeks.
Bible Question? E-mail
us.
THIS ISSUE: "Should
my Children be Baptized?" (see
below)
and "Discerning Good and
Evil"
ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS:
Should my Children
be Baptized?
by Tom Rainwater
 QUESTION:
Our children are ages seven to fifteen years old. None of
them have been baptized and I am ashamed of this. However, the
churches we've attended seem to be so preoccupied with baptizing
them and not teaching them the significance of baptism beforehand.
Please advise of any alternative ways of accomplishing their
baptism.
ANSWER: Hello! It is admirable
that you have a desire for your family to be baptized and serve
God. Unfortunately many religious groups are misinformed on the
Bible subject of baptism, and thus they mislead a lot of people.
Let's examine the Scriptures.
Faith in Jesus Precedes Water
Baptism
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:16.
"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water: and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water; what doth hinder
me to be baptized?' And Philip said, 'If thou believest with
all thine heart, thou mayest'. And he answered and said, 'I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' And he commanded the chariot
to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both
Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him." Acts 8:36-38.
These verses emphasize that faith in Jesus Christ is necessary
before baptism. Notice that Philip did not baptize the
eunuch until he first believed with all of his heart that Jesus
is the Son of God. Everyone baptized in the book of Acts was
taught the truth beforehand. As the apostle Paul says in Romans
10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God." God's word produces faith, and faith
responds by obeying that word.
A Confession of Faith in
Jesus Precedes Water Baptism
As the eunuch confessed his faith before baptism, so must
we. Notice what Paul says:
"..that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made to salvation."
(Romans.10:9-10).
Repentance Precedes Water
Baptism
Repentance (a turning from sin to Christ) is also a necessary
prerequisite to baptism.
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 2:38.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come
from the presence of the Lord" Acts 3:19.
In summary, Scripture teaches us that before we are baptized,
we must believe in Christ, confess that belief, and repent of
our sins.
The Purpose of Baptism
The reason we are baptized is the removal of sins. There is
nothing special about the water used, but God has promised that
when we are immersed in water, He in heaven will forgive us our
sins. Jesus has already paid the price of His own blood so that
we can have our sins forgiven (Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7;
2:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 3:23-25; 5:7-10). It is the obedient
act of baptism that finally removes the sin from our own record.
"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized,
and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
(Acts 22:16).
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
(Acts 2:38).
Through baptism we are saved from our sins.
"And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--
not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God
for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.."
(1 Peter 3:21, NASB)
The New Testament tells us that we are baptized into
Christ. In other words, spiritual fellowship with our Lord begins
when we are scripturally baptized.
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Romans
6:3).
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27).
What about Infants and Small
Children?
Infants and young children are sinless and safe from condemnation.
Because of their innocence, Jesus says about them: "for
of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14). If a
baby or young child dies, he will be guaranteed a home in Heaven.
Baptism is not for small children since they are born free of
sin. Besides, they are not mature enough to fully comprehend
truth and what is required of those who need to be baptized.
When an adolescent child matures to the point of being able to
understand the moral consequences of right and wrong and does
wrong, he has committed sin and thus, like adults, needs salvation
through Christ. In Romans 7:9, I believe Paul speaks of that
in his own life when innocence ended and he began to fail in
his responsibility to obey God's commandments.
"I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment
came, sin revived and I died."
In the context of this passage, Paul explains that he found
salvation, not in himself or in the Law of Moses, but through
faith and obedience in Christ. A maturing child must be able
to understand this very thing: that Christ, through His death,
burial and resurrection, paid the price for sin -- and this he
himself has the responsibility to believe and obey.
That time of maturity varies with each child, and sometimes
it's hard to determine when that might be. But for each person
the decision to obey God must be his own decision based
upon his own faith in Christ and his own desire
to turn to him from sin. That's why it's so important that we
teach our children young to prepare them for that time of decision.
The decision to serve Christ is a serious lifelong commitment.
A person desiring to become a Christian must "count the
cost" of discipleship, understanding he must love the Lord
more than all family and possessions and even his own life. (Luke
14:25-33; Matthew 10:38-39).
Baptism is a Burial
The action of baptism is that of immersion. In the original
Greek, "to baptize" means "to dip, bury or immerse."
In other words, the person being baptized must for a moment be
fully under the water. The following verses show baptism to be
a burial:
"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen
with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath
raised him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12.)
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we
are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also
in the likeness of his resurrection." (Romans 6:3-5.)
The image in Romans is clearly teaching immersion: We are
buried in water like Christ was buried in the tomb. When we rise
from the water, we are like Christ rising up from the tomb to
walk a new life.
Who may Baptize?
It doesn't matter who baptizes you as long as the baptism
is being done according to God's word. The Bible doesn't put
any requirements on the person doing the baptizing. All the requirements
are on the one being baptized. So you don't have to search for
some so-called denominational "clergy-person" to do
the baptizing.
I hope what I've written will help you in your Bible study
and your desire to help your family live according to God's word.
If you have any questions about any of this or anything, feel
free to ask.
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