WHAT ABOUT INFANT BAPTISM?

WHAT ABOUT INFANT BAPTISM?         
    - by Greg Gwin

 Millions of infant children are baptized every year.  What
about this practice?  Is it Biblical?  Should we be doing this?  What
do the Scriptures teach on this subject?

 In the famous "Great Commission", Jesus instructed that
those who would be baptized should first be taught (Matt. 28:19).
He also said that they should believe prior to their immersion (Mark
16:15,16).  Infants can neither be taught nor can they believe, thus
they are not candidates for Bible baptism.

 Furthermore, we have no apostolic example of infants being
baptized.  The book of Acts records the conversion of literally
thousands of individuals.  These included people who "gladly
received the word" (2:41); believed the preaching "concerning the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ" (8:12); confessed
their faith (8:36,37); and acted obediently in response to what they
had learned (18:8).  Infants cannot do these things, and therefore we
know they were not included in these conversions.

 Some argue that whole "households" were sometimes
converted, and that this may have included infants.  A careful study
of the texts which mention "household conversions" shows that all
persons in the specific households did things that infants can't do:

 - Cornelius' household all "feared God" (Acts 10:2).
 - Lydia's household all received "comfort" (Acts 16:14- 
  15,40).
 - The Philippian Jailer's household all "believed in God" and
  "rejoiced" (Acts 16:33,34).
 - The household of Stephanas was "addicted to the ministry
  of the saints" (1 Cor. 1:16; 16:15,16).

 The practice of infant baptism is based upon the mistaken
notion that children inherit sin.  This is not true (Ezek. 18:20; Matt.
19;13,14).

 There is absolutely no authority in the New Testament for
baptizing babies. If we "do all in the name of the Lord," we will not
do this (Col. 3:17).
-- Greg Gwin           ggwin@korrnet.org