Dear Weekly Readers!
God’s Peace!
One of the topics that was part of the Pastors training on a
mission trip lately was Baptism. This is
a very important Sacrament in the Christian Church. However, many people are confused by this
issue. Please enjoy the well-written
article below by Pastor Steve Wouri.
Lord willing, I will share more on this topic in coming
weeks as well.
May God Bless your week!
Of New Birth, Baptism and Children
The history of the Christian church has often been marked by
discussions, disagreements and divisions over points of scripture and
interpretations of the will of Godin certain areas. One of these concerns the
question of whether infants and young children are children of God from the
womb, or are in need of a “new birth” experience. This leads further to the
matter of baptism - should it be performed on infants or must some adult
comprehension or decision be involved? I believe we can come to a clear
understanding through study of God’s word as expressed in both the Old and New
Testaments.
The Word makes abundantly clear that Jesus is a lover of
children. He would often hold a young child and use the child as an example of
faith and a proper heart condition to those who were assembled to hear Him. In
Mark 10, Jesus gathered children to himself, “...took them up in His arms,
and blessed them”. In this way He was claiming them as His own, putting His
blessing upon them, making it clear that in His eyes, they belonged to
Him. We see abundant and unconditional love of God demonstrated through this
simple and forceful act of Jesus, for He claimed them without regard to their
lineage, the condition of their parents, or even their own thoughts, Jesus’
blood was shed for all, and He was that Light described in John 1. “...that
lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Jesus could therefore
claim any child as His own, knowing that He would die to save them, and knowing
that they belong to no one else.
God has also always instructed that His children be marked with
the seal of His love at a young age. This was accomplished through circumcision
in the Old Testament, and is accomplished through baptism in the New.
Hebrew parents were instructed to bring their male children to be physically
circumcised and named on the eighth day after their birth. Genesis 17: 11-12, “And
ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the
covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised
among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house,
or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.” Luke
2:21, “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child,
His name was called Jesus,...”.
In the New Testament, baptism (understood to be the visible
sacrament of baptism with water) is to be applied soon after one becomes a
believer. In Matthew 28:19 we read,“ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost:” Recall that the first desire of the Ethiopian eunuch
(Acts 8) after he became a believer was to be baptized by Philip with water,
and Acts contains several other examples of people being baptized unto Jesus
Christ immediately after they believed. So, if baptism is to be performed soon
after faith comes, where does that leave an infant?
It cannot be emphasized forcefully enough that all people are
children of God ( believers by faith in Christ) in the womb. The reaction of
John the Baptist, who leapt for joy in his mother’s womb upon hearing of Jesus
in the salutation of Mary, is an example. Luke 1:41 “And it came to pass,
that when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb;
and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:” , is a vivid depiction of
how even the unborn , with no capacity for thought or reason, respond by faith
to the love message of their Creator. To suggest otherwise is to imply that
all, or some unborn are children of the devil. This is impossible, as the devil
has no ability to create life, and he only accumulates children who fall from
faith into unbelief at some point (perhaps years) after birth.
The newborn, however , is a believing child of God to whom the
covenant of baptism applies, and this covenant has nothing to do with the
opinion or decision-making ability of the child! The Hebrew children were not
asked for their views on whether they should be circumcised (marked), Jesus did
not ask the children if they wanted to be blessed, and we are not to be
concerned about whether an infant wishes to be baptized (marked). Why? Because
it is entirely the work of God, who marks children as belonging to
Himself with a seal that is good for life. In other words, God’s
view of the child is constant and unchanging, even if the covenant is later
broken through adult unbelief, it is clear that God did not break it.
The beauty
of infant baptism is that it is applied when man is at his most helpless and
incapable state, leaving the work entirely in the hands of God. Baptism has
also been properly compared to the natural example of branding of a calf in a
cattle herd - the calf will forever carry the mark of original ownership,
though it may later go to another master. As Luther noted, “to suggest that an
adult decision is required for baptism contorts the Sacrament, converting it
from the work of God into the work of man.” Baptism, once applied, is valid for
life, and there is no need to repeat it in adulthood.
This also clarifies who is in need of new birth, or being “born
again”. New birth is only required in those who are dead spiritually, those
whose spiritual portion, which was alive at birth, has starve, withered and
died through lack of nourishment. This can occur at any point after birth, and
one who has lost their pure God-given faith in Christ must be reborn. Such was
the state of the Jewish leader Nicodemus and those he represented, and Jesus
admonished him “... ye must be born again.” John 3:7 We cannot, however,
require new birth of a childhood Christian, one who has never denied nor lost
their faith. No spiritual death has occurred, and therefore it is not possible
to require new birth. Such a requirement is a heavy burden of man and is not
edifying to the believer. I believe that childhood Christians do,and must, and
will experience a “ piercing of the soul”, similar to that which Mary
experienced (Luke 2:35), wherein the fallen condition of our flesh,our own
failures, forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ are brought
home to the heart in a very personal and special way. It is impossible to
assess at what age this should happen, and we must therefore leave the timing
of such an experience in the hands of God. He is faithful, and may His Word
ever be a blessing among His people.
In Christ
Stephen J.
Wuori Calgary, Alberta, Canada
