When do presbyterians baptize a baby

Does it surprise you to learn that even though we're presbyterians, we're also baptists? The fact is, we do baptize. Our disagreement with our baptistic brethren isn't over whether we should baptize; it's over whom we should baptize. We baptize professing believers and their children. Why do we baptize their children? As an aside, let me just say that we're not alone. As a matter of fact, infant baptism is the historic Christian practice!

In his book Outlines of Theology , A. Hodge sums it up like this: "The practice of infant baptism is an institution which exists as a fact, and prevails throughout the universal church, with the exception of the modern Baptists, whose origin can be definitely traced to the anabaptists of Germany, about A. Hodge concludes: " It encourages us.

But that's not why we baptize infants. The bottom line is, we baptize the children of believers in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church because we firmly believe that God's Word tells us to! To correctly answer the question, "Should we baptize infants? You have to ask, "Is infant baptism biblical? Having said that, you still have to face the question of how rightly to approach the Bible in order to correctly understand it. Believers commonly approach topics like baptism by looking at disconnected proof texts e.

You begin to see a serious problem with this approach, though, when you observe that this is the very same approach that sects use to deny other doctrines e. This second approach is better because to correctly understand texts you need to interpret them in their context. And when you take this second approach, you find that there's clear biblical warrant for baptizing both believers and their children.

Step 1. The church of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament are, in essence, the same church. Kind of like a caterpillar and a butterfly, they're very different in form , but they're the same in essence. Both have the same way of salvation. Both look to the same Savior.

Today, people are saved by trusting in the redeeming work that God has provided in Christ. When Old Testament believers brought sacrifices in faith, they were trusting in the sacrifice that God would one day provide. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship Both are under the same covenant relationship. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Both are members of the same body. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.

Both are "branches" in the same olive tree , Romans The apostle Paul declares that Israel as a whole was not disinherited, but that the unbelieving Jews were cut off from their own olive tree, and the Gentile branches grafted in their place; and he predicts a time when God will convert many Jews and graft them back into the same tree with the believing Gentiles.

Because the church of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament are, in essence, the same church, they sometimes swap names. On the one hand, the Bible calls Old Testament Israel "the church. Compare Psalm with Hebrews Thus Stephen called the congregation of Israel at Mount Sinai "the church in the wilderness," Acts James calls a local church a "synagogue," James The "elders" of the New Testament Church are identical in name and function with those of the Old Testament synagogue.

So, the church of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament are in essence the same church. Step 2. God includes the children of believers as members of this church. Our baptistic brethren sometimes wonder why we consider the children of believers to be members of the church. The reason is that The living God himself embraced the children of believers as members of his church. Further, God nowhere rescinded this principle that the children of believers are church members.

This is very significant. In order to maintain their position, those who oppose infant baptism have to prove that he did rescind this principle. Where does the Bible teach that? Baptism does not mean the child immediately becomes a Christian. Although salvation is promised, in time children must trust and believe in Jesus Christ for themselves.

When believing parents have their children baptised they are publicly declaring they are committed Christians, and that they want their child to come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way and to grow up to serve Him. Infant baptism is given on the basis of the qualifications of the parent, not the qualifications of the child.

Luther and Calvin also insisted that baptism be followed by ongoing instruction in the faith, particularly through the study of the Bible and catechisms. Presbyterians practice both adult and infant baptism.

Infant baptism expresses that it is God who chooses us for faith, discipleship, and salvation; without God, we have no power to claim these things for ourselves. However, we affirm that people come to faith at different stages in life, and recognize the baptism of older believers as an equally valid expression of the sacrament. While pouring or sprinkling water upon the head is most common, Presbyterians also allow for baptism by immersion.

Can anyone be baptized? However, baptism is but the beginning of a lifelong process of formation in the faith. Membership classes are offered four or five times a year. Watch the bulletin for baptism classes and special baptism Sundays or contact the pastoral care office. Although, I personally believe in being baptized like Christ by immersion, after hearing the sermon and reading this blog, I can somewhat understand the act of infant baptism.

We are new to Ward church and found your sermon on Baptism most interesting. We especially like the way you showed us the differences from Old Testament to New Testament. We learned more on that Sunday than the many years of our previous church. I am glad you found the message helpful.

Baptism is difficult to speak on breifly. The fact that children die shows that they are subject to the consequences of sin just like adults. But the Bible never mentions an age of accountability.

As Paul says in Romans, who are we the created to question the Creator. All human beings, including infants, are born sinners and are in need of a Savior to redeem them from original sin and the penalty of that sin: death…both physical and spiritual.

Looking for something fun to do over Thanksgiving Weekend? No registration is required, just show up and bring a friend! You may not be in the habit of praying and spending time with God. Learn more. Grief is hard, and special days and holidays always seem it to make harder. Thinking about how this year will be the first, or yet another, holiday season without a loved one can be hard to bear.

Ward Church is pleased to announce two different events from New Hope Center for Grief Support to help those who have experienced a loss find some peace and support during this holiday season. No menu assigned! Who can receive baptism? Do I need to be a member of Ward Church to have my infant baptized?