Is Infant Baptism Biblical? Part 1

Throughout the religious landscape there are many practices that are popular. One of the most prominent though, is the practice of infant baptism. In the Catholic church alone there are more than 11 million babies, infants, and young children “baptized" ever year. When other denominations such as the Orthodox churches, Lutheran church, and Methodist church are included that number gets much higher. With a false view of Scripture, one might think it is a wonderful thing so many children are getting baptized, but the reality is, infant baptism is not a Biblical practice. With that in mind, let us consider several reasons why this is the case.

First, infant baptism is not Biblical because baptism is for the removal of sin. In Acts 2:38 Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”. When Ananias spoke to Saul he said, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Both of these passages teach a principle about baptism, and the principle is this: baptism is for the removal of sin. It is when we come up out of the waters of baptism that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5). The question is, do infants have any need for the removal or the washing away of sin? Unequivocally, the answer is no! In examining the Scriptures, we recognize that children have no need for the removal of sin because they have not sinned. In Ezekiel 18:20 the Bible says, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” David also understood infants have no sin, because when his son passed away, he said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:23). You will remember even Jesus made the point, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Why is infant baptism unbiblical? Infant baptism is unbiblical because baptism is for the removal of sin, and infants have no sin.

Second, infant baptism is not Biblical because baptism is something that believers do. In the book of Acts we read about all kinds of people who were baptized into Christ, and something that all of those baptisms have in common is that they were done by believers. On the Day of Pentecost, before “those who gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41), they believed in Christ (Acts 2:36, 37). You will remember when the Ethiopian eunuch asked the question, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Philip responded, “If you believe with all your heart, you may” (Acts 8:36, 37). Before the Philippian jailor was baptized, Paul and Silas told him that in order to be saved he needed to, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). No matter what passage we consider, we recognize any time someone in the New Testament was baptized into Christ, they first believed in Christ. So, here’s the question: do infants have the ability to believe in Christ? Undoubtedly, we all understand the answer is no, and that is okay. God would never require something of us that we do not have the ability to do. The truth of the matter is, infants do not have to be able to believe and be baptized (Mark 16:16), because they have no need of salvation. They have never been separated from God (Isa. 59:1, 2); therefore, there is no need for them to be reconciled to God.

Finally, infant baptism is not Biblical because, quite frankly, it is not in the Bible at all. When you consider all of the baptisms that we read about in the New Testament, there really are quite a few of them. There is the baptism of John (Matt. 3), the baptism of fire (Luke 3:16), the baptism of Moses (1 Cor. 10:1–3), and the list goes on. However, while there may be several different baptisms in the New Testament, it may surprise you to know there is not a single example of infant baptism. In fact, it was not until the late second century that people began baptizing infants. When we consider what baptism is, we understand it is the work of God (Col. 2:12), in order that an individual might be made right with God (1 Pet. 3:21). With that being said, if infant baptism were something God wanted done, don’t you think He would have something to say about it in His Book? (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

Though the practice of infant baptism may be common, it is not Biblical. As the people of God, may we always be ready to explain to those around us, the truth about baptism and what God teaches on the subject! (1 Pet. 3:15).