In contradiction to this, those who are opposed to infant baptism usually mention the fact that there are no explicit instances of infants being baptized in the New Testament, but the dedication of babies (
1 Samuel 1:28) is found in scripture. The dedication of babies is more or less following this same pattern of Hannah. We've asked God to bless, to give us children, recognizing that these children are gifts from God, we bring them back to God and say "God, you have given us this child, but we want to give this child to You, for Your purposes that the child might serve You all the days of their life. That Your purposes and Your will might be accomplished within the child." So the dedication of our babies unto the Lord.
Now I do not know of any scriptural basis for baptizing babies. I do not know of a single scriptural proof for the baptism of babies. I really believe that baptism is more the act of a conscious adult. There are two scriptures really that deal with baptism. The one is, "Repent and be baptized". Now I have yet to meet one of these little babies that has repented. In Mark's gospel it says, "He that believeth and is baptized," and they really don't have enough intelligence yet to believe.
Now it doesn't mean that the child would be lost if it dies. I believe that a child within a Christian home is saved if it dies before an age of accountability. I believe that I Corinthians, the second chapter teaches this. That, "The believing wife, or husband, either of them being a believer, the child is covered by the believing parents, else would your children be unclean. But now," Paul said, "they are holy." So the faith of a believing parent covers for that child. You say, "But what about an unbelieving parent?" That I don't know, the Bible is silent. I must be silent.
You say, "But would it be fair," well, God will do whatever's fair. But the Bible doesn't say specifically, I can't say specifically. I believe that God will be fair. I'm sure that He'll be fair. I know He'll be fair and I rest my case there in the righteousness and the fairness of God. God will be absolutely fair in all His judgments. There's not one person gonna get a bad deal before the judgment bar of God. There's not one person's gonna be a walk away, gonna be able to walk away and say, "That isn't fair". God will deal justly with every case and every extenuation in each case. The justice of God is something that I am absolutely convinced of. The absolute righteousness of the judgments of God.
The justice of man is something I have little belief in. I cry with the crowd, "There ain't no justice," but that's only speaking from a human standpoint. But from the divine standpoint the absolute righteousness of the judgment of God is something that I have no question about whatsoever. Thus, I'm not really worried about those people that have never heard of Jesus Christ or the babies who die, or whatever. I know that God is gonna be absolutely righteous and fair in His judgments. So I just rest it there. But babies can be scripturally, can be dedicated or presented to God.
Now in the New Testament when Jesus was born, they came and offered the sacrifices for the firstborn child and they presented Him unto the Lord. The priests lifted Him up in his hands and blessed Him, and said, "Now Lord let thy servant die in peace for You've allowed me to see Your salvation." But again the idea of, "Here's my child Lord. I present it to You that You might use this life for whatever purposes, that Your influences might come upon this child and lead and guide him as he grows, and develops. And Lord, I give him back to You all the days of his life." I think that it's a marvelous gesture on the part of a parent. We dedicated all of our children to the Lord, actually between us dedicated them to the Lord before they were ever born.
Now it is true that when they're old enough they've got to make their own commitments, and their own decisions. The fact that we dedicated them to the Lord doesn't follow that they are going to consent to that dedication when they get old enough to do what they want. But hopefully by that time we will have given enough spiritual input and all that when they are older, they will not depart from that faith that they have gained while growing up under our tutorage. So it is more than just dedicating; there is a responsibility as parents to train up the child, or to catechize the child in the ways of the Lord. To teach them, to instruct them in the ways of the Lord, so that as they grow older these will be things that have been planted in their hearts and minds deeply, become a very part of their very thinking processes.
because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord, and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.
