. . . for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23

This Promise is for children

Why Baptize children and infants?

When we look at a new born child, we see beauty, are reminded of the possibilities of life, and experience great joy. Scripture reminds us of a more dreadful reality. All human beings are born into sin from birth. God judges sin with death.

• NRS Psalm 51:5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

• NAB Ezekiel 18:4 "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

God does not desire that we be left to this terrible fate. And so He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. His death and resurrection make it possible for us to be cleansed of our sins and to be forgiven. God grants us this gift through the means of grace: the Word, Baptism, and Communion.

We baptize children because God has commanded us to make disciples of all nation through baptizing {Matthew 28:18-19}. And because God explicitly says the promise is for them too.

Those Opposed to the Baptism of Infants and Small Children

During the Reformation {1500's} there arose a group called the Anabaptist who reject the baptism of infants.

There are those who are heavily opposed to the baptism of children. They reject the Scriptural idea that children are born sinful and are under judgment. Rather they suggest that human beings are born with free will. Rather than being enslaved to sin, we have the responsibility to make a decision to either follow or not follow God. They feel until we are old enough to make such a decision, that God does not hold us accountable for our sins. Baptism is rejected as a means of grace, but is merely the action a Christian takes as a public proclamation of obedience to God as a sign of a true decision for Jesus. Baptism, according to these groups, must be performed by a believer, as an exhibition of faith and an act of faith. They do not see it as a way that God creates faith.

The Lutheran confession agrees that faith is necessary for we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. But we understand from Scripture that faith is not the act of a free will, but is the gift of God that HE creates through His Word and Sacrament.

Hence the Apology of the Lutheran Confessions states:
 

When we are baptized, when we eat the Lord's body, when we are absolved, our hearts should firmly believe that God really forgives us for Christ's sake. 5 Through the Word and the rite God simultaneously moves the heart to believe and take hold of faith, as Paul says (Rom. 10:17), "Faith comes from what is heard." As the Word enters through the ears to strike the heart, so the rite itself enters through the eyes to move the heart. The Word and the rite have the same effect, as Augustine said so well when he called the sacrament "the visible Word," for the rite is received by the eyes and is a sort of picture of the Word, signifying the same thing as the Word. Therefore both have the same effect. --Apology of the Augsburg Confession Article 13

 
Faith is indeed important

Baptism is a baptism as long as God’s Word is combined with water according to His command. God’s gift is serious and present in the baptism, faith receives the gift. But when there is unbelief, the gift, though present, is undelivered.

To those who charge that a child must have faith to be forgiven, we respond that it is God who creates that faith. We do not deny faith; we emphasize faith. This is why we stress the importance of Christian education as a child matures. Christians can be thought of as crops of the field. We must be watered frequently with God’s grace lest the concerns of the world choke us out. Martin Luther, who spoke and defended the power of baptism to bring even infants God’s forgiveness, equally stressed the necessity of bringing that same baptized child up in the Christian faith. For this purpose he wrote what we call the small catechism. Recognizing the God given responsibility of the parents, especially the father, Luther began each section of the catechism with the words, ". . . as the head of the family shall teach them to his household."

• NAB Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

God does not first give responsibility for the education and nurture of the child to the church at large, but to the church at home. The pastor is to assist the parents in fulfilling their responsibility of raising the child in the faith.

• NRS Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.

Parents often find more demands upon them than they have time. We may very well have fallen short in nurturing our children in the faith. God’s attitude toward us is one of forgiveness. As always God’s forgiveness is not just a washing away of the past, but an empowering for the present. Each day is a day the Lord has made. God provides us with many opportunities to nurture our children in the faith. There are the more obvious ones like attending church and Sunday School. But there are others as well: reading Bible stories, sharing devotions together, taking turns reading Scripture at the dinner table, discussing difficult issues with your children. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answer; your children don’t expect you too. Turning to God’s Word your entire family can be nurtured a little bit at a time.

Remembering Baptism

One very important way of nurturing a child in their faith is by helping them think about, remember, and understand the significance of their baptism. Baptism has daily significance for us. What a wonderful treasure it is for a child who understands the amazing gift God gave them on that day.

Here are some suggestions for helping to remember and celebrate the day of a child’s baptism.

1. On a yearly basis, set aside the day as a day of celebration much as you set aside a child’s birthday. {It would be great to remember the parents’ baptismal days as well}

2. Have a devotion of some sort with the child. For example:

• Gather the family together
  

• Light the child’s baptismal candle
  
• speak the invocation "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
  
• read to the family Luther’s explanation of Holy Baptism and some scriptures that go with it that you find in the small catechism.
  
• share pictures, remembrances, and other momentos of the event.
  
• discuss the significance of the gift of the event and the wonder of the gift that is ours in Christ.
  
• Close with a prayer of blessing for the baptized.

copyright Rev. David D. Reedy, 1998

Rev. David D. Reedy 2002

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church   

Dayton Tennessee   

423.775.4253

Prince of Peace is a LCMS congregation located in Rhea County Tennessee, serving the entire county of some 32,000 people.