he might. Calvin addresses almost every conceivable argument against infant baptism, leaving this author with the . it is a "feel good" message, brimming with warm snugglies To Fidus, on the Baptism of Infants. Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org. God with fastingthen they are brought by us where there is water, As we will see, there is no doubt that the early Church practiced infant baptism; and no Christian objections to this practice were ever voiced until the Reformation. Does this mean unbelieving spouses should be baptized? In the proper historical and In fact, the confession of faith was so integral to baptism that, if a person could not confess the . In a polemic against views of baptism and regeneration among the heretics, he makes a very strong statement that denial of the baptism taught by the true church, which is regeneration to God, is a renunciation of the whole Christian faith. In how short and spiritual a summary has he set . This was urged by the [North African] legates, our brethren, since they redeem many such [abandoned children] from the barbarians (Canon 7 [A.D. 401]). The Christian literary sources, backed by secular word usage and Jewish religious immersions, give an overwhelming support for full immersion as the normal action. our flesh and being washed of the impurities of the old nature. culture may have had a role to play. We see in the Bible when It is important to study and consider the writings of Christians who came before us. evidence we have that a child was baptized comes from an epitaph on [W]hoever says that infants fresh from their mothers wombs ought not to be baptized, or say that they are indeed baptized unto the remission of sins, but that they draw nothing of the original sin of Adam, which is expiated in the bath of regeneration . little children to come unto me, and forbid them not." Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. Is Church Unity Possible? examples of Pauls missionary endeavors, where he preaches and many The argument in a nutshell is simply this: God established His Church in the days of Abraham and put children into it. The kingdom of God is not theirs; they cannot be brought to Christ in their unbelief. it as less than a total redemption, of the total man, to be fully adopted You can follow him on Twitter. We would Thanks. So too with infant baptism. borne by the act of baptism, that of self-abandonment and death to the A century after Tertullian, Cyprian advocated for infant baptism, although for many years this remained the exception to the rule of full immersion. If this is indeed the unanimous consent of the church, how did it happen For He says "Suffer the The covenant of circumcision is said