Baptism Faith TrainingVzorec

Day 5: What about Infant Baptism?

Baptism is connected to so many incredible things. But maybe you were baptized as an infant, and you’re wondering whether it was God-honoring, scriptural, or valid. Did it stick? Do you need to be re-baptized? Or maybe you have a child, and you’re wondering whether it’s good to baptize them.

You’ll find Christians arguing both ways.

This is the polarizing question surrounding baptism in churches today. Should we baptize infants or only those who have professed faith in Jesus? Some people try to come up with proof passages either showing how the New Testament never gives a specific example of infants being baptized while others argue it’s implied from phrases like “all nations” (Matt 28:19) or “entire households” (Acts 16:31). Both sides are arguments from silence and seem pretty weak.

But actually, the debate is not about whether infants should be baptized. It’s about something deeper. The debate is really about the intersection between baptism and faith.

With the risk of oversimplification, Christians can be divided into two camps: The symbol camp and the sacrament camp.

The Symbol Camp: This camp says baptism shows faith. It’s a symbol and nothing more. Think of it like a trophy. Imagine you win some event. As a sign that you’ve won, you’re given some kind of medal or trophy. That medal doesn’t make you a winner. It just shows and recognizes that you are one. It would be stupid to buy a medal and give it to someone who hasn’t actually accomplished what it represents. It only makes sense to give it to someone who has actually won!

The symbol camp sees baptism this way. If we’re saved by faith in Christ, then it makes sense to only give the symbol of faith (baptism) to someone who has demonstrated that they believe in Jesus. This faith is usually demonstrated via a public profession of faith along with some evidence of a changed life. Since infants don’t do this, it doesn’t make sense to baptize them.

(There are mediating positions, too. Going back to the trophy analogy, there’s a tendency in kids’ sports to give everyone a participation trophy. It’s generated from a desire to affirm that everyone is valued and belongs. There are some who say that baptism is a symbol, but that symbol should be put on infants and children to show that even though they haven’t yet expressed faith, God counts them valuable and welcomes them into a covenant with him. Sometimes, symbol camp Christians will baptize infants.)

The Sacrament Camp: This camp agrees that baptism is a sign that shows faith. But they also say baptism does something more. Explanations vary, but this camp will say that when you’re baptized, God actually does something to you. Examples include bringing children into God’s covenant (similar to circumcision), giving the Holy Spirit, affecting spiritual regeneration, bestowing God’s grace, or implanting faith.

If this is the case, it makes sense to baptize infants and children since baptism gives the very thing for which it then becomes the sign.

Interpreting New Testament Passages

Symbol or sacrament? How does one decide? That depends on how you interpret passages that talk about baptism. Remember Romans 6? Let’s take it as a case study. It says,

Romans 6:3-4. Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

How do we best understand this passage?

• Does “baptized” here just mean “immerse,” as if to say, “Don't you know that all of us who were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into his death? We were therefore buried with him through immersion into death…”?

Is the “immersion” in mind not immersion into water but immersion into Christ through some other means, like faith or obedience?

• Is this metonymy?

Metonymy is a figure of speech where one thing closely associated with another comes to represent it.

Here’s a classic example: “In a press release today, the White House declared...” No one actually thinks the White House grew vocal cords and a mouth and started speaking. The term “White House” represents the president, his cabinet, and the official position of U.S. leadership, and thus comes to stand for it.

We do this in faith conversations, too, when we say things like, “I’m saved by the cross of Christ.” Really? The actual wood saved you? If so, start gathering shards of it as relics! What we mean instead is that what happened on the cross of Christ (that which is closely associated with it) saves us. (See Luke 7:50 and 2 Cor 5:21 for other examples.)

If Romans 6 is metonymy, then what does baptism represent? Repentance? God’s election? Faith?

• Or does Romans 6 mean that through the act of baptizing someone with water, God somehow also immerses us into Christ and his salvation?

Examples of God working in this way fill the scriptures. Samson gets strength through his hair. The Israelites’ sins are forgiven by priests killing animals. The angel of death passes over houses marked with lambs’ blood. God attaches himself to an ark in a tabernacle (and later to a man in Palestine). It’s not that any of these tangible things have some special magical properties. It’s just that God chose to work through them as conduits and vessels.

The sacrament camp tends to see New Testament passages talking about baptism into Christ and baptism with water as synonymous. Or better, baptism with water is a vehicle by which we’re baptized into Christ.

If so, it begs the question of how baptism with water accomplishes this. Does it give the Holy Spirit? Does it bring faith?

How you answer these questions will determine whether you think infants should be baptized.

Questions

1. Do you find yourself more in the symbol camp or sacrament camp? How come?
2. What’s one thing you can learn from the other camp?