Baptism
#2
Baptize Who and When?
Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to touch them. But the disciples told the people to stop.
When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, "Let the little children come to me. Don't keep them away. God's kingdom belongs to people like them. What I'm about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God's kingdom like a little child will never enter it."
Then he took the children in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them. (NIrV)
Psalm 22:9-11
Lord, You brought me out of my mother's body.
You made me trust in you
even when I was at my mother's breast.
From the time I was born, You took good care of me.
Ever since I came out of my mother's body, You have been my God.
Don't be far away from me.
Trouble is near, and there is no one to help me. (NIrV)
Jimmy's story
Many years ago, during an after-school class for deaf children, one student asked to speak with me privately. While the other children were starting in on their crafts under the supervision of other adult volunteers, this young boy, whom I shall Jimmy, asked me a serious theological question.
"If someone who is not a Christian dies, does he go to hell?"
I answered, "God offers forgiveness to all people in Jesus Christ. But if people reject Christ and His forgiveness, and refuses to trust Him, yes, they cannot go to heaven to be with Him."
"But what if someone shoots me? Or a car runs me over?" Jimmy said, with a look that exposed real fear.
His words surprised me. Even though he was not a member of our church, he had been attending our Bible school class faithfully for a couple years, and I knew he attended other deaf church with his parents. "Jimmy, you love Jesus, don't you?"
He answered, "I asked my pastor, but he said I am too young. He says that I am not old enough to become a Christian."
I know Jimmy's pastor. He is a good Christian man, but sadly he believes that young children under the age of 12 are not able to understand Christian doctrine, and therefore they cannot make a true "decision" to believe in Christ. Clearly, Jimmy was ready and wanting to trust Christ as his Savior. What his pastor told was so wrong and hurtful. Jesus sternly warned us, "Let the little children come to me and don't keep them away...."
So I said, "Jimmy, we can take care of this right now. Do you love Jesus?"
"Yes!"
"And do you know that Jesus loves you? and that he took all your sins to the cross and there He died for you, taking your punishment?"
"Yes!"
"Ok, let's pray..." Then I led Jimmy in a prayer of faith and thanksgiving to Christ for saving him. He was no longer scared. He was truly happy.
Many years ago, during an after-school class for deaf children, one student asked to speak with me privately. While the other children were starting in on their crafts under the supervision of other adult volunteers, this young boy, whom I shall Jimmy, asked me a serious theological question.
"If someone who is not a Christian dies, does he go to hell?"
I answered, "God offers forgiveness to all people in Jesus Christ. But if people reject Christ and His forgiveness, and refuses to trust Him, yes, they cannot go to heaven to be with Him."
"But what if someone shoots me? Or a car runs me over?" Jimmy said, with a look that exposed real fear.
His words surprised me. Even though he was not a member of our church, he had been attending our Bible school class faithfully for a couple years, and I knew he attended other deaf church with his parents. "Jimmy, you love Jesus, don't you?"
He answered, "I asked my pastor, but he said I am too young. He says that I am not old enough to become a Christian."
I know Jimmy's pastor. He is a good Christian man, but sadly he believes that young children under the age of 12 are not able to understand Christian doctrine, and therefore they cannot make a true "decision" to believe in Christ. Clearly, Jimmy was ready and wanting to trust Christ as his Savior. What his pastor told was so wrong and hurtful. Jesus sternly warned us, "Let the little children come to me and don't keep them away...."
So I said, "Jimmy, we can take care of this right now. Do you love Jesus?"
"Yes!"
"And do you know that Jesus loves you? and that he took all your sins to the cross and there He died for you, taking your punishment?"
"Yes!"
"Ok, let's pray..." Then I led Jimmy in a prayer of faith and thanksgiving to Christ for saving him. He was no longer scared. He was truly happy.
Dan's story
Just like Jimmy's pastor, many Christians cannot accept the Bible's teaching about children, because they misunderstand what "faith" means. Consequently, what the Bible says about faith in children makes no sense to these mature adults.
I saw this clearly during a discussion I had with friend. He was hearing; his wife was deaf. Their hearing son attended the school of the church that hosted our deaf ministry. The husband attended the hearing church's catechism class. He liked it a lot, until they came to the lesson about baptism. That's when he asked to meet with me to discuss his concerns.
He said, "We __________s [naming his denomination] believe that a person is either lost or saved, and nothing in between. Either you are in or you out. There is no half way in But you Lutherans seem to believe that a person can gradually become a Christian."
"No," I answered. "That's not what we Lutherans believe. We completely agree with you that a person is either saved or lost, in or out. There is no such thing as halfway saved.
"But where we differ is that you and we have a completely different understanding of what FAITH means.
For you, faith is what you know.
For us, faith is Who you know.
For you, faith means acquiring information and making a decision about that information.
For us, faith means having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
For you, faith is a function of the mind.
For us, faith is a function of the spirit."
Just like Jimmy's pastor, many Christians cannot accept the Bible's teaching about children, because they misunderstand what "faith" means. Consequently, what the Bible says about faith in children makes no sense to these mature adults.
I saw this clearly during a discussion I had with friend. He was hearing; his wife was deaf. Their hearing son attended the school of the church that hosted our deaf ministry. The husband attended the hearing church's catechism class. He liked it a lot, until they came to the lesson about baptism. That's when he asked to meet with me to discuss his concerns.
He said, "We __________s [naming his denomination] believe that a person is either lost or saved, and nothing in between. Either you are in or you out. There is no half way in But you Lutherans seem to believe that a person can gradually become a Christian."
"No," I answered. "That's not what we Lutherans believe. We completely agree with you that a person is either saved or lost, in or out. There is no such thing as halfway saved.
"But where we differ is that you and we have a completely different understanding of what FAITH means.
For you, faith is what you know.
For us, faith is Who you know.
For you, faith means acquiring information and making a decision about that information.
For us, faith means having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
For you, faith is a function of the mind.
For us, faith is a function of the spirit."
Can a baby's spirit have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, without having language, without knowing all that God has done for him/her? ...without an intellectual understanding of The Plan of Salvation?
Can a baby have a relationship with his/her own mother and father, without really knowing how he/she was conceived, without intellectually understanding what his/her parents are doing for his/her care?
The answer to both questions is the same.
Yes, of course a baby bonds with his parents -- especially with Mom -- even before birth. They have a living relationship that doesn't depend on exchanging information through language.
And long before a baby has any human language, the spirit of that baby can connect and communicate with the Spirit of his/her Heavenly Father.
We see this in the Bible.
Remember the story of John the Baptizer. When did he become filled with the Holy Spirit? When did he first express his relationship with Christ his Savior? While he was still in his mother's womb! (See Luke 1:15 and Luke 1:41-44)
Mark 10:
Can a baby have a relationship with his/her own mother and father, without really knowing how he/she was conceived, without intellectually understanding what his/her parents are doing for his/her care?
The answer to both questions is the same.
Yes, of course a baby bonds with his parents -- especially with Mom -- even before birth. They have a living relationship that doesn't depend on exchanging information through language.
And long before a baby has any human language, the spirit of that baby can connect and communicate with the Spirit of his/her Heavenly Father.
We see this in the Bible.
Remember the story of John the Baptizer. When did he become filled with the Holy Spirit? When did he first express his relationship with Christ his Savior? While he was still in his mother's womb! (See Luke 1:15 and Luke 1:41-44)
Mark 10:
People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to touch them. But the disciples told the people to stop.
When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, "Let the little children come to me. Don't keep them away. God's kingdom belongs to people like them. What I'm about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God's kingdom like a little child will never enter it."
Then he took the children in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them.
Jesus did not say, "You children need to wait, grow up, and have an adult understanding in order to be saved." No! He said exactly the opposite: "You adults, these children are your example, your teachers, for what saving faith means. If you want to be saved, you must become like them in your relationship with Me."
So every night, when my children were asleep (or I thought they were asleep -- later I learned that sometimes they were playing 'possum), I would go into their room, stand over each one and pray, "Lord, commune with the spirit of this child with Your Holy Spirit. Your Word says that the sins of the father infect his children. But please, not only forgive my sins, but also let the cross of Jesus cancel the effect of them in this child. And make the energy for their life not by my character, but the Yours."
And He did.
So every night, when my children were asleep (or I thought they were asleep -- later I learned that sometimes they were playing 'possum), I would go into their room, stand over each one and pray, "Lord, commune with the spirit of this child with Your Holy Spirit. Your Word says that the sins of the father infect his children. But please, not only forgive my sins, but also let the cross of Jesus cancel the effect of them in this child. And make the energy for their life not by my character, but the Yours."
And He did.
A toddler's faith
Once, when one of my daughters was barely two years old, using only two words, she urgently prompted her mother to pray for her sick infant sister. Those two words were simply, "Baby Jesus! Baby Jesus!" which were the only words she knew in our language to identify Christ the Great Physician. God heard that prayer, and in 30 minutes our baby's temperature dropped from 104 to 99 degrees.
How much did this two-year old understand the profound theological implications of Christ suffering, death, and resurrection? Probably a lot more than I pretend to understand right now. A couple years later, having acquired more language, at the age of four, I overheard her making up a song which she sang to her doll while she rocked in our big rocking chair. "Jesus died, but then He got a alive again!"
A couple years later, she and I went out on our first daddy-daughter date at McDonalds. No sooner had we said our Thank You prayer, when she look around the restaurant and asked, "Daddy, do all these people know Jesus?"
How do you answer a question like that? "I don't know. It's a safe guess that some do and some don't."
"...Oh," she said with an expression of concern for those who might not know Him, as she certainly did.
Once, when one of my daughters was barely two years old, using only two words, she urgently prompted her mother to pray for her sick infant sister. Those two words were simply, "Baby Jesus! Baby Jesus!" which were the only words she knew in our language to identify Christ the Great Physician. God heard that prayer, and in 30 minutes our baby's temperature dropped from 104 to 99 degrees.
How much did this two-year old understand the profound theological implications of Christ suffering, death, and resurrection? Probably a lot more than I pretend to understand right now. A couple years later, having acquired more language, at the age of four, I overheard her making up a song which she sang to her doll while she rocked in our big rocking chair. "Jesus died, but then He got a alive again!"
A couple years later, she and I went out on our first daddy-daughter date at McDonalds. No sooner had we said our Thank You prayer, when she look around the restaurant and asked, "Daddy, do all these people know Jesus?"
How do you answer a question like that? "I don't know. It's a safe guess that some do and some don't."
"...Oh," she said with an expression of concern for those who might not know Him, as she certainly did.
Can babies and young children believe? Yes, they can -- a lot more than you or I do.
My friends for whom this makes no sense, for whom "faith" is simply a commitment in response to information, have a little problem explaining how infants and young children are saved. Some deny the Bible's clear teaching that we are conceived with a sin-nature, and we are born as sinners in need of redemption. (See Psalm 51:5 I know I've been a sinner ever since I was born. I've been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.) Others grudgingly acknowledge the Bible's clear teaching about this, but they claim that God does not hold young children accountable for their actions and attitudes until they are old enough to make deliberate moral choices. Like Jimmy's pastor, they concoct an arbitrary "age of accountability."
The only problem is that children make deliberate moral choices a lot younger than Jimmy's pastor thought.
My friends for whom this makes no sense, for whom "faith" is simply a commitment in response to information, have a little problem explaining how infants and young children are saved. Some deny the Bible's clear teaching that we are conceived with a sin-nature, and we are born as sinners in need of redemption. (See Psalm 51:5 I know I've been a sinner ever since I was born. I've been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.) Others grudgingly acknowledge the Bible's clear teaching about this, but they claim that God does not hold young children accountable for their actions and attitudes until they are old enough to make deliberate moral choices. Like Jimmy's pastor, they concoct an arbitrary "age of accountability."
The only problem is that children make deliberate moral choices a lot younger than Jimmy's pastor thought.
The Lamp Cord
The same daughter in whom we saw evidence of faith as a two-year old, we also saw her making deliberate moral choices when she was only a few months old.
At that stage in her life, anything that was small and loose was meant to go into her mouth. That's true for all babies. That's how they learn. God wired them that way. But not all small loose things can or should go in their mouths.
When I saw my daughter exercising her natural curiosity, crawling toward a lamp cord, I picked her up, and moved her back to the middle of the living room, with that one word instruction: "No." She didn't know what that word meant yet, but she was about to learn. To her, this was just a fun game, so she made a bee-line back to the lamp cord. I pick her up, and said "No" again. The third time, rather than picking her up and moving her, I got down on the floor next to her and waited until she started slowly reaching out her hand to grab the cord. I positioned my hand over hers, said, "No," and then gave the back of her hand a little snap with one finger. Immediately she pulled her hand back.
What happened next was very significant. She looked me squarely in the eye, while she slowly and deliberately extended her hand toward the cord again. She was laying down her challenge. By now she clearly understood my instruction, and she deliberately chose to disobey. She was watching to see how I would respond.
I was near the point of panic. This was a critical teaching moment in her life. How I responded to her rebellion in that instant would be foundational for the development of her character. I shot up a prayer for wisdom, "Lord, what do I do now?"
In the background I saw her playpen. So I simply picked her up, and put her in it. Her game was over, indeed! She let out with an angry cry that said I was the meanest cruelest father in the whole world.
Five minutes later, when tears had subsided, I picked her up again, gave her a hug, and put her back out in the middle of the living room floor. She was happy, and she never showed an unhealthy interest in lamp cords ever again. More importantly, she learned to respect my authority.
The same daughter in whom we saw evidence of faith as a two-year old, we also saw her making deliberate moral choices when she was only a few months old.
At that stage in her life, anything that was small and loose was meant to go into her mouth. That's true for all babies. That's how they learn. God wired them that way. But not all small loose things can or should go in their mouths.
When I saw my daughter exercising her natural curiosity, crawling toward a lamp cord, I picked her up, and moved her back to the middle of the living room, with that one word instruction: "No." She didn't know what that word meant yet, but she was about to learn. To her, this was just a fun game, so she made a bee-line back to the lamp cord. I pick her up, and said "No" again. The third time, rather than picking her up and moving her, I got down on the floor next to her and waited until she started slowly reaching out her hand to grab the cord. I positioned my hand over hers, said, "No," and then gave the back of her hand a little snap with one finger. Immediately she pulled her hand back.
What happened next was very significant. She looked me squarely in the eye, while she slowly and deliberately extended her hand toward the cord again. She was laying down her challenge. By now she clearly understood my instruction, and she deliberately chose to disobey. She was watching to see how I would respond.
I was near the point of panic. This was a critical teaching moment in her life. How I responded to her rebellion in that instant would be foundational for the development of her character. I shot up a prayer for wisdom, "Lord, what do I do now?"
In the background I saw her playpen. So I simply picked her up, and put her in it. Her game was over, indeed! She let out with an angry cry that said I was the meanest cruelest father in the whole world.
Five minutes later, when tears had subsided, I picked her up again, gave her a hug, and put her back out in the middle of the living room floor. She was happy, and she never showed an unhealthy interest in lamp cords ever again. More importantly, she learned to respect my authority.
One of our friends said that she never believed in what the old theologians called "original sin," until she had children of her own, and saw the effect of it first hand.
So, yes, we are all born as sinners in need of a Savior, even from infancy. And yes, even infants can believe in Jesus as their Savior. So, yes, we baptize them as His own, and lay claim to the promises in baptism that we discussed last time even for our children ...those promises of the Holy Spirit's power working with God's Word in baptism.
Jesus said,
So, yes, we are all born as sinners in need of a Savior, even from infancy. And yes, even infants can believe in Jesus as their Savior. So, yes, we baptize them as His own, and lay claim to the promises in baptism that we discussed last time even for our children ...those promises of the Holy Spirit's power working with God's Word in baptism.
Jesus said,
"Let the little children come to Me,
and don't keep them away!"
and don't keep them away!"
Supplemental Scriptures
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
These are the commands, rules, and laws that the LORD your God told me to teach you to obey in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take. You, your children, and your grandchildren must respect the LORD your God as long as you live. Obey all his rules and commands I give you so that you will live a long time. Listen, Israel, and carefully obey these laws. Then all will go well for you, and you will become a great nation in a fertile land, just as the LORD , the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Listen, people of Israel! The LORD our God is the only LORD. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign. Tie them on your forehead to remind you, and write them on your doors and gates.
Psalm 51:1-12
1 God, show me your favor
in keeping with your faithful love.
Because your love is so tender and kind,
wipe out my lawless acts.
2 Wash away all of the evil things I've done.
Make me pure from my sin.
3 I know the lawless acts I've committed.
I can't forget my sin.
4 You are the one I've really sinned against.
I've done what is evil in your sight.
So you are right when you sentence me.
You are fair when you judge me.
5 I know I've been a sinner ever since I was born.
I've been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.
6 I know that you want truth to be in my heart.
You teach me wisdom deep down inside me.
7 Make me pure by sprinkling me with hyssop plant. Then I will be clean.
Wash me. Then I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear you say, "Your sins are forgiven."
That will bring me joy and gladness.
Let the body you have broken be glad.
9 Take away all of my sins.
Wipe away all of the evil things I've done.
10 God, create a pure heart in me.
Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.
11 Don't send me away from you.
Don't take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you.
Give me a spirit that obeys you. That will keep me going.
Acts 16:13-15
On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate. We walked down to the river. There we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered together. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia. She was from the city of Thyatira. Her business was selling purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to accept Paul's message. She and her family were baptized. Then she invited us to her home. "Do you consider me a believer in the Lord?" she asked. "If you do, come and stay at my house." She succeeded in getting us to go home with her.
Acts 16:25-34
About midnight Paul and Silas were [in prison] praying. They were also singing hymns to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a powerful earthquake. It shook the prison from top to bottom. All at once the prison doors flew open. Everybody's chains came loose.
The jailer woke up. He saw that the prison doors were open. He pulled out his sword and was going to kill himself. He thought the prisoners had escaped. "Don't harm yourself!" Paul shouted. "We are all here!"
The jailer called out for some lights. He rushed in, shaking with fear. He fell down in front of Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out. He asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus. Then you and your family will be saved." They spoke the word of the Lord to him. They also spoke to all the others in his house.
At that hour of the night, the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. Right away he and his whole family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house. He set a meal in front of them. He and his whole family were filled with joy. They had become believers in God.
Luke 1:11-17
While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, "Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly."
Luke 1:39-45
A few days later [after Gabriel's visit to Mary] Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."