Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
Introduction
This morning we come to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism. And just as with the sacrament of Communion it is vital that we understand just what it is that God has called us to do.
Therefore, I want to ask three basic questions:
A] Remember Baptism is a Sacrament. As such, Baptism is a means ordained by God to portray a central aspect of the Gospel that Scripture proclaims. In both cases, the message of Scripture and the message of the Sacrament are exactly the same FN#1.
B] What then is the central aspect of the Gospel portrayed by Baptism? Simply put: Baptism portrays in outward form the way that God responds to the faith of the believer (Remember, Baptism is something the believer receives–“Repent, and be baptized”) FN#2. It assures the believer that God responds to our faith by washing us and by including us in Christ and Christ’s people FN#3. In other words, the message portrayed by Baptism is the very assurance proclaimed at the heart of Scripture
Acts 2:21 EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
Problem: if Baptism represents the way that God responds to faith, why does Scripture instruct us to baptize our children before they ever come to faith?
II. Why Baptize the Children of Believers?
To understand why we baptize the children of believers, we need to do two things:
A] First, we need to make sure that the focus of Baptism is our starting point. Remember we just saw that Baptism is a sign and seal that guarantees the way that God responds. Therefore, to understand why we baptize the children of believers, we begin, not with the child, but with God. In other words, the focus in infant baptism is not what the child is doing for God but rather what God is doing for the child. Notice the result:
Baptism signals the fact that long before the child can speak his own name (much less call on God’s name) God is already pursuing that Child with His love
Importance: notice at once that what we see in Baptism is exactly the same thing that we see throughout Scripture- God always takes the initiative with His people.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
B] Second, to understand why we baptize children we need to identify the connection. While it is true that Baptism represents God’s response it is also equally true that God’s response is a response to faith. Where then is the faith to which God is responding in the case of children? Where is the bridge that connects the child to the Sacrament? The answer is the parent. How?
Remember, when a believer receives Christ, he is included in Christ and Christ’s people. In other words, he is included in all the promises God gives to His people, including God’s ongoing promise to His people concerning their future: God promises His people that they will continue unbroken through each and every generation (Gen 17:7).
Genesis 17:7 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their
generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
Importance: God’s promise concerning the future directly involves (speaks to/about) the children of believers. It assures God’s people that just as God has raised up believers today, He will be faithful to raise up believers from among His people in the next generation. FN#4
Notice the result: Baptism means that the child is counted under the household of faith in light of his parents’ faith. That is, the parents’ faith stands for the child until that time when the child either receives it as his own or rejects it. A beautiful example of this Biblical principle is found in the heart of the Passover account (Exodus 12:3-13) FN#5
Bottom line: the Children of believers are baptized on the basis of the parent’s faith, by which they are counted under or among the household of faith.
III. What benefits do Children receive from Baptism?
A] Remember we baptize the children of believers in light of the present reality of God’s promise to His people (God has made a promise to His people and even now He is working to fulfill it) FN#6.
B] Therefore, at its heart, Baptism means the child enjoys covenant participation. That is, because the children of believers are included under the household of faith, they are given the blessing and privilege of participating in the covenant life of God’s people. As such,
Bottom line: Baptism is not a magic charm nor is it an empty baby dedication. Rather, Baptism is based on the present reality of God’s promise to His people: God is already at work nurturing and growing the faith of the next generation. As such, Baptism is given to encourage and fortify faithful childrearing by the body of Christ. It assures us that God is using the faith and faithfulness of parents and church as His chief means to call forth and nurture the faith of their children. Therefore, Baptism assures us that our efforts to raise our children in the Lord are not alone nor in vain.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Footnotes
1] Let’s elaborate a bit more on the meaning of a sacrament: there are two sacraments- Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Notice then what distinguishes the two sacraments from the other rites and ceremonies of the Church. Simply put, a sacrament is a sign and seal of the covenant of redemption. As such, those who do not share in the reality signified by the sacrament are not saved. Such cannot be said of the other five rites often called sacraments. Thus, while these other rites are instituted and blessed by God for the wellbeing of His people throughout life, they are not signs and seals of redemption. For example, if one is not incorporated into the body of Christ (the reality signified by and sealed in baptism) they are not saved. However, no one is excluded from God’s Kingdom because they are not married.
2] Importance: 90% of the confusion over Baptism (infant Baptism, re-Baptisms, and etc.) arises from a confusion of focus. Therefore, as we move forward it is vital that we keep Scripture’s focus in full view: Baptism outwardly portrays God’s response. God is the focus not man. As such, Baptism is first and foremost something received not offered
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Unfortunately, many evangelicals confuse New Testament Baptism with the baptism of John. John’s baptism was a sign and portrayal of man’s response to God (it was the baptism of repentance and preparation). However, Scripture distinguishes this Baptism from that of Christ. John’s baptism taught men how to respond to God. Christ’s baptism shows men how God responds to their faith.
Acts 19:1 And it came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found some disciples, 2 and he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.
Notice then upon receiving New Testament Baptism (Baptism in the Name of Jesus) the Ephesian believers receive the Holy Spirit. That is, God bestows upon them the reality that New Testament Baptism signifies and depicts. They have the divine assurance that they are washed in the blood of Christ, received into Christ’s Body, and irrevocably sealed as God’s possession by the Holy Spirit. Simply put, New Testament Baptism depicts and guarantees God’s response to our faith. The focus and assurance in Baptism is what God is doing.
3] To be theologically precise, Baptism outwardly portrays the inward working of the Holy Spirit by which Christ and all His benefits are applied to the believer. Thus:
(1) The believer is irrevocably sealed/marked by the Spirit as God’s own
possession.
(2) The believer is included in Christ and His people. As such, the fullness of all
that Christ accomplished for His people is given in its entirety to the believer.
(3) The believer is washed by the Spirit. That is, the Spirit applies the grace and
new life that Christ accomplished for the believer to the believer.
Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit
4] Importance: it is vital to note that there is far more to this promise about the future than just some fringe aspect of God’s covenant. Instead, at the heart of this promise is the very heart and love of God. Over and again, Scripture reminds us that God loves His people and therefore loves the children that He has given them to love. Listen to what God sends Moses to tell His people:
Deuteronomy 4:37 “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,
Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
Second, God’s promise to His people about their future is based on and is a direct reflection of God’s promise to His people concerning their King. Jesus will sit upon the throne of David and His Kingdom will suffer neither end nor interruption.
Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; 7 ……There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on (no interruption) and forevermore (no end).
Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.”
So, why do God’s people continue unbroken on the earth? Why does their witness abide through each generation? The reason is because their King and defender is never vanquished, not even for a moment.
Not only that, the unbroken continuation of God’s people on the earth is a declaration and demonstration of God’s Lordship, purpose, and plan for all creation. God’s purpose is what determines the future of creation and His people are its rightful heirs. Therefore, God does not relinquish one moment or one aspect of His creation to the rebellious usurpers. Instead, God promises to always to have a witness on this earth. Why? The continuation of His people is a visible demonstration that God’s plan for the future is what is directing all time and place.
2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Finally, the unbroken continuation of God’s people on the earth is a central aspect of the mission and labor God has given His people. In fact, it is nothing short of a reflection of and participation in Christ’s reign.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Therefore, you go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Notice then, as Christ reigns without interruption or challenge and as He subdues all that opposes His Father’s will/plan until the Kingdom He has established is implemented in full, so too the people He has given a share in that labor, do their work without interruption.
The point of all of this is to say that God’s promise to His people concerning the future and their ongoing continuation on earth is no minor or peripheral promise. Rather, it lies at the very heart of God’s love, His promise concerning our King, the sovereignty of His plan for all creation, and His promise concerning our share in our King’s labor. As such, it is front and center of so much of what salvation in Christ involves. The result is that we have come full circle from where we began: being included in Christ means being included in the promise that God has made to His people about their future, a promise that directly concerns our children because they are the next step in the unfolding of that promise.
5] We see this same principle illustrated throughout Scripture. Notice then, when God blessed His people’s faithfulness with a bountiful harvest, their children also ate well. In turn, when God sent His angel to deliver His people from an overwhelming foe, it wasn’t just the adults that were spared, it was also their children who with them inside the walls of the city. On the other hand, when God sent a prophet to His people, their children also heard the prophet’s public call. However, when God’s people refused to repent it was both they and their children who were carried off into exile. In each of these cases the parents’ faith stood for their children. Notice then, the picture that Scripture repeatedly demonstrates is not of covenant children left out of the city’s wall in some exposed field somewhere until such time as they should decide to knock at the city gate so that it might be opened to them. Instead, the picture is of covenant children already inside the gate among God’s people, who are expected to grow up in the faith that defines that community. And if they do walk away, they are knocking at the gate from the inside and insisting on departing. That is, they are leaving a blessing that already been bestowed and already surrounds them.
6] Does Baptism mean that children are saved or guaranteed salvation just because Baptism is administered? No. The child may reject the blessings that God has given or the parents and church may neglect those blessings. (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)
Is Baptism then just an empty ceremony that has no significance or value to the child until the child believes? No- We baptize the children of believers in light of the present reality of God’s promise to His people (God has made a promise to His people and even now He is working to fulfill it).
7] Another huge benefit of Baptism that really should have been mentioned in the sermon is that Baptism assures us that the child enjoys covenant protection. As believers we know that the children we have, we have from God. They are God’s children and we are stewards of His gift. In turn, God knows from the start the number of their days on this earth and has intentionally placed them under His covenant protection. If the child tragically dies, the parents have the covenantal sign and guarantee that they are the Lord’s, included under His covenant, and that God has already provided for their well-being. Listen to David after hearing that his child has died. David knows and takes the greatest comfort in the assurance of God’s covenant protection
2 Samuel 12:23 “But now my child has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
In turn, throughout the child’s life as we raise the child, we have the security of knowing they are in God’s hands. By contrast, no such assurance is provided by the made-up notions of baby dedication or age of accountability. In fact, if such were the case, the kindest thing we could as parents would be to kill our children before they ever reached accountability, thereby trading moments in this life for the certainty of eternity. However, such is insane and the very opposite of who God calls us to be as His people. Thus, in place of the nurture, faith, and faithfulness called for by Baptism, we would have death, mistrust, and an attempt to game the system. But such things never bode well with God.
Epilogue
Baptism gives great assurance and hope to both the parents and the church. It reminds them that God’s love, promises, and involvement are not just teachings in Scripture that are meant for someone else in some other time. Instead, the water of Baptism (with all its assurances and meaning) is placed directly on your child. In other words, God has specifically included them in all that the sacrament guarantees. Your child is in God’s hands.