The Bible nowhere directly commands the baptism of infants—and this fact settles the issue for many Christians today. They reason that since the Bible does not command infant baptism, then we should not practice it.
But the problem with this conclusion is that the Bible simply does not tell us what to do with children born into Christian families. The Bible does not say to baptize the infant children of believers, but the Bible also does not say to wait on baptizing the children of believers until they profess faith in Christ.
The practice of infant baptism is neither commanded nor prohibited anywhere in Scripture. This issue must therefore be settled by asking a different question—What is the place of children in the church?
The Christian practice of infant baptism is also known as paedobaptism (paedo means “child” in Greek). Many churches practice infant baptism (including Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists), but only the Presbyterian and Reformed churches base the practice in its covenantal framework as a replacement of Old Testament circumcision. Like male children in the old covenant, children born to Christian parents are to receive the sign of the covenant. As Westminster Confession of Faith 28.4 says, “Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.”
Many Protestant churches today object to this practice and believe that only professing Christians should be baptized. This position is known as credobaptism (credo means “believe” in Latin).
The following will make the case for the practice of covenantal infant baptism, meaning that Christians should baptize their children as infants because Christian children are members of God’s covenant. Here is the argument in short:
(1) The children of believers were members of the Abrahamic covenant.
(2) The new covenant is a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant.
(3) Baptism replaced circumcision as the sign of the covenant.
(4) Children born to Christian parents are members of the new covenant.
Therefore, children of believers should receive the covenant sign of baptism.
(1) The Children of Believers Were Members of the Abrahamic Covenant
Let us first look at the Abrahamic covenant in the Old Testament. Notice that God made His covenant with Abraham and his children in Genesis 17:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant (Genesis 17:1-14).
God tells Abraham that His covenant is between Abraham and his “offspring,” and this covenant with Abraham is an “everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7). God then requires Abraham and all the males among his descendants (including servants who are “bought with your money”) to be circumcised as part of the covenant (17:10).
Circumcision is called the “sign of the covenant” between God and Abraham (Genesis 17:11). The covenant God made with Abraham included his children, and this covenant required that Abraham’s male offspring receive the covenant sign of circumcision at eight days old. Those males who were not circumcised “break” the covenant (17:14), showing that males are born into the covenant. Thus, they receive the sign as those who are already in the covenant rather than entering the covenant through the sign. This section is an undisputed statement of the OT practice. The next arguments build on this.
(2) The New Covenant Is a Renewal of the Abrahamic Covenant
The New Testament teaches that the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 17 is fulfilled in Christ and that the new covenant church thus inherits the promises made to Abraham. In Galatians 3:16, Paul says, “the promises were made to Abraham and his offspring.” Paul then identifies this “offspring”—“who is Christ.” So the promises God made to Abraham and his offspring apply to all who are in Christ. Those who believe in Christ, the church, inherit the promises made to Abraham. As Paul says in Galatians 3:7, “It is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.” And in Galatians 3:29, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” The church inherits the promises of the Abrahamic covenant.
This affirms the great continuity between old covenant Israel and the new covenant church. There has always been only one people of God, known as Israel before Christ came and as the church after His coming. Thus, the church is also known as the new Israel (Galatians 6:16).
However, the church actually existed in the Old Testament. The Greek word translated “church” [ἐκκλησία, ekklesia] in the New Testament means “assembly” and is used for the assembly of those who profess Christ as their Lord and Savior. This same word ἐκκλησία is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word קָהָל (qahal), which is used to speak of the “congregation” or “assembly” of God’s people in the Old Testament. קָהָל (qahal) is translated into Greek as ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) 69 times in the Septuagint, compared with 37 times as συναγωγή (synagoge), the Greek word for “synagogue.”
This usage of ἐκκλησία for the Old Testament people of Israel is continued in the New Testament. In Acts 7:38, Stephen uses ἐκκλησία for Israel as “the congregation in the wilderness.” And in Hebrews 2:12, the author quotes Psalm 22:22 but attributes it to Christ—“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” This Old Testament usage of ἐκκλησία is used of the church as God’s people in the New Testament and identifies the church as the new Israel.
This continuity of God’s people is also seen in Romans 11:17-24, where Paul tells us that the Gentiles have been grafted into God’s olive tree. The church and Israel cannot be separated as two peoples of God because the Gentiles were grafted into the true Israel (and unbelieving Jews cut off). Gentiles and Jews have been made “one” (Ephesians 2:14), are “one new man in place of two” (Ephesians 2:15), and are “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).
This is not to say that all who were physical descendants of Abraham were faithful Israelites but rather that the New Testament church is a continuation of Israel. The church is made up of those who have faith in Christ, and “it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). Those who are in Christ are “Abraham’s offspring” (Galatians 3:9), the true Israel (Romans 9:6-8). This is also seen in Jeremiah 31:31 where God says He will make a new covenant with the “house of Israel and the house of Judah.” The author of Hebrews then applies this prophecy to the church in Hebrews 8. We can therefore speak of both Old Testament Israel and new covenant Christians as the “church.”
Classical dispensationalists reject the above argument, but many dispensationalists today are embracing a more covenantal view of the church based on the teaching of Galatians 3. However, these modified dispensationalists still hold that there has been a change in the membership of the new covenant, which is why the following points are essential.
(3) Baptism Replaced Circumcision as the Sign of the Covenant
Circumcision was the sign of entrance into the Abrahamic covenant, yet Christians agree we are not to practice circumcision for religious purposes today. Christians also agree that baptism is the sign of entrance into the new covenant. So what is the relationship between these two signs? The answer seems obvious. Baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign of the covenant. There is no other possible replacement.
Moreover, circumcision and baptism signify the same thing, as they are outward signs of inward regeneration. Paul speaks of both circumcision and baptism in Colossians 2:11-12:
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
“A circumcision made without hands” refers to regeneration. This is seen in the Old Testament when God commanded the Israelites to circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4). However, God also promised to do this for His people Israel in Deuteronomy 30:6—“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” God promised to circumcise the hearts of Jews and their offspring. Regeneration is not a new concept to the new covenant church, and it is of note that God promised to do this to the offspring of believers.
In Colossians 2, Paul links this circumcision of heart (regeneration) with being “buried with him in baptism,” including spiritual death and resurrection. Thus, physical circumcision signifies the same thing that baptism does—regeneration. Baptism is an outward sign of the inward washing and renewal of the Christian. The spiritual nature of Old Testament circumcision is also seen in Paul’s words in Romans, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).
The spiritual nature of circumcision is clear. Yet credobaptists still object that baptism cannot be given to children because it is tied with faith. However, this objection misses the point that circumcision was also tied with faith. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 4:11 that Abraham “received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.” Circumcision was not simply a physical sign tied with the land promise. Rather, circumcision was a spiritual sign that signified the righteousness that Abraham had by faith.
It is essential to note that Abraham received the sign after he had believed, but he was commanded by God to give the sign to his male children—before they could profess faith. Thus, God commanded children to receive the covenant sign even though the children did not yet possess the very thing the sign signified, namely righteousness by faith (or at least the professed faith that credobaptists require). Circumcision was a sign of the righteousness Abraham had by faith, yet it was still given to his children (Romans 4:11). To object to baptism being given to children because it is tied with faith is to object to circumcision being given to Abraham’s children. We must avoid the logic that leads to credo-circumcision.
(4) Children Born to Christian Parents Are Members of the New Covenant
So far we have seen that the new covenant is a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant and that baptism has replaced circumcision as the entrance into the covenant. It is therefore only right that one would expect to see a continuation of the inclusion of a believer’s children in the covenant in the New Testament. And this continuation is exactly what we see in the “household” baptisms in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians:
He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household (Acts 11:14).
One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us (Acts 16:14-15).
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God (Acts 16:30-34).
Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8).
I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else (1 Corinthians 1:16).
None of these passages specifically says that infants were baptized. Acts 11:14 does not even mention baptism. But what is important in these verses is the use of the word “household” [οἶκος, oikos]. This is a clear allusion to the language of Genesis 17 and the covenant of circumcision. Abraham is said to have circumcised the men of his “house” [οἶκος in the LXX] in Genesis 17:23 and 17:27. The book of Acts could have simply named the individuals who believed in Christ. But the language of “household” is purposely used in order to pick up the covenantal language of Genesis 17.
Acts 16:30-34 makes clear that the Philippian jailer and his whole house heard “the word of the Lord” (Acts 16:32) and that he and his household rejoiced with him (Acts 16:34). But Peter told the jailer that if he (singular “you” in Greek) believed in the Lord Jesus, both him and his house would be saved. The word was then spoken to all his house and the jailer was baptized with all his family. Though it says all his household rejoiced with the jailer, it is notable that they rejoiced “that he (singular) had believed in God” (Acts 16:34). It is clear that all those in his house who were able to profess faith in Christ did so, though it is not clear that there were not any infants in the jailer’s household.
The fact is that none of these passages are explicit as to whether infants were present in the “households” baptized in the book of Acts. But the very fact that the “household” language is used in Acts is evidence that God still deals with families as a unit. This supports the covenantal inclusion of a believer’s children, and this is exactly what one would expect to find in the book of Acts if the children of believers are included in the new covenant.
Ephesians 6:1-4 is another important passage that shows that children belong in the new covenant community:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Paul addresses “children” broadly. He presumes that children in the church are part of the church and does not make any distinction between those “professing” faith and those who do not. He simply addresses children as those “in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1). Paul even cites the Fifth Commandment, showing the continuity between the old covenant and new covenant people of God. The Fifth Commandment was originally given to children in the old covenant, who were members of that covenant. Yet Paul here does not say that new covenant children are no longer members of the covenant until they profess faith. Thus, the principle of the inclusion of children in the covenant continues. God still deals with families as a unit.
Therefore, there is no place in the New Testament that teaches that children are excluded from the new covenant. Though this is assumed by credobaptists, there is no abrogation of the Abrahamic covenant and the inclusion of a believer’s children in the covenant. Moreover, the household baptisms in Acts and Paul’s words in Ephesians 6 presume continuity with the old covenant principle that children of believers are members of the church.
Conclusion
The church is the continuation of Old Testament Israel. Gentiles have been grafted in, and the church has inherited the promises made to Abraham. The new covenant is a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant. The promise to believers and their children still remains. Children of Christians are members of the new covenant and are to receive the sign of baptism. These children are “in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1), and Christian parents are to bring up these children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
We must do away with the notion of a pure church. There are always going to be unbelievers in the visible covenant community, and Christ will separate the sheep and the goats at His return. This is not to say people who willingly reject the faith should be baptized. Christian children are not included in the church because of professed faith—they are included in the church because God has put them in the church. Christian parents are to therefore raise their children in the church and disciple them as they would other believers.
At the end of the day, credobaptists simply do not know what to do with their children. They require their children to profess faith in Christ before they baptize them, and when that happens they count their children as members of the church. Credobaptists want to keep the church pure and therefore limit the church to those who profess faith in Christ. But a profession of faith by a child or youth is not a good basis for knowing whether the child is truly regenerate. A profession does not guarantee that a child belongs to spiritual Israel.
It is not our job to purify the church more than God has commanded us to. God has put the children of believers in the covenant, and nowhere has he put them out. The visible church consists of believers and their children, and we are to therefore give the new covenant sign of baptism to the children of believers. We must then do our due diligence to raise such children to live according to the way of Christ.