At the end of Peter’s Pentecost sermon when the people were cut to the heart by the gospel and asked what they should do, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” (Acts 2:38-39)
This is one of the key passages for understanding why we baptize our children. Let me point to 3 things very quickly: First, Peter says that everyone is to repent and be baptized. Baptism is a symbolic Exodus. In baptism, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are joined to His death and resurrection and participate in His exodus out of the Egypt of sin and through the Red Sea of death. One of the crucial moments in the story of the first exodus was when Pharaoh said that the Israelite men could go, but that the women and children would have to stay behind. Moses did not accept this compromise but insisted that everyone would go: men, women, and children. The children may not have understood exactly what was going on, but they could not be left behind, so we bring our children to be baptized. We cannot leave them behind.
And second, just in case we’re tempted to think Peter isn’t thinking about our children, notice that Peter immediately says the “promise is to you and for your children” – that is the language of the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If the New Covenant was not supposed to include our children, this was a key moment when Peter needed to make that clear. Instead, he says that what those older covenants pointed toward is now being fulfilled in Jesus. The promise is for our children; so we baptize our children.
Lastly, notice that Peter says that the efficacy of this repentance and baptism is the Lord’s calling – those who come are those whom the Lord our God has called. Of course, it is also said that all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And so they are. But it turns out that our calling and the Lord’s calling go together. When we call on the Lord, it’s a sign that He has called us. And it’s the same with our children. We bring them to be baptized in faith believing that because they have been put into our families and into our covenant community, He is calling them.
And so as you raise your daughter, remind her of this day when the Lord began calling her, so that she may grow up learning to call on Him.
Tim Prussic says
Thanks for connecting the actual language of Acts 2 to that of the Abrahamic covenant. I hadn’t made that specific connection before.
Rodney Story says
Well written. It was just this passage, Acts 2, with Peter’s covenantal language mirroring God’s covenant with Israel, that convinced me of the blessed truth of God’s calling on our children.
Thank you for so clearly speaking this amazing hope!
Dona says
I respectfully disagree. Here’s another perspective. http://www.gotquestions.org/baptism-circumcision.html. This is from that article: “In contrast, the New Covenant has a spiritual means of entrance: one must believe and be saved (Acts 16:31). Therefore, one’s spiritual life is closely connected to the sign of baptism. If baptism indicates an entrance into the New Covenant, then only those devoted to God and trusting in Jesus should be baptized.” Paul says, “Repent and be baptized…” Babies have not repented, so should not be baptized. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Babies have not been discipled or taught to observe all that Jesus commanded.
I think it follows scripture much more faithfully to Dedicate the baby to God. In that ceremony the parents promise to raise the child as a Christian (disciple them) and the congregation promises to help. Then when the child is old enough to understand sin and repentance, they get to decide if they want to give their lives to Christ and, if so, be baptized then. God gives everyone a choice. Yes, He draws them to Him but He also gives them a choice. I wish He overcame their freewill. He’d listen to my prayers then and overcome all the relatives I have who are not saved and don’t want to be. But He doesn’t because if He forced them, the people wouldn’t really love Him. That’s what He wants from us, our hearts loving Him. Parents are instrumental in teaching their kids to love God and follow Him but they can’t make the choice for the child. Sadly!
Travis finley says
Dona,
It seems to me that your desire proves more than you allow. Based on your post, how do you speak to your child? Do you teach your child from toddling to talk to, sing to, pray to and love God? Before your child is converted? Does this seem consistent to you?
It seems to me you are operating as a “Presbyterian” within the life of the covenant while denying the power therein. What do you think? This argument seems to make sense to me.