What is the significance of infant baptism? This topic is highly debated and I do not know why. The closest that I see infants and water in the Bible is Moses in the basket. The hermeneutic for infant baptism is based on inferences drawn from the narrative in the text.
The New Testament never commands infants to be baptized nor does it forbid infants to be baptized. Nowhere in Scripture is there any instance of an infant being baptized. Acts 16:15, 29-33 and 1 Corinthians 1:12-17 uses the term "household baptism" are the only exceptions. Assuming that "household" including infants.
The problem is the context in Acts 16:29-34:
29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
Notice five observations from the Text:
1. The pressing question on the jailer's mind is how do I get saved? Paul and Silas are like believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (30).
2. The same is true for his household or family. They all must believe in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ (31-32).
3. They heard the message (32-33).
4. They understood the message (33-34).
5. They rejoiced in the message (34).
Luke uses clear terms in his letter. (In fact Luke is a Doctor and he uses very explicit terms to convey his message). There is nothing in the context of this passage to indicate that "household refers to infants. However, if "household" infers that there were infants then they were pretty intelligent infants. They heard the message, they could understand the message, they rejoiced in the message and they believed the message. That would make the jailer's infants the smartest infants ever recorded in history. Or the "all" refers to those who had the ability to understand the message.
The second passage, I Corinthians 1:12-17:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and there by no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no none may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Notice the use of "households" in this text:
1. Paul is downgrading the significance of baptism.
2. Paul is making a running commentary of who he did and did not baptize.
3. Paul is comparing the importance of baptism with the preaching of the gospel of Christ.
4. Paul assumes that his audience is old enough to understand why he was sent.
There is no indication that "household" is referring to infants. It would be a huge stretch to think otherwise. Lets dive into the term "household" and see if we can get some significance to the term.
The Greek word for "household" is Oikos. In Mounces Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament words, Mounces states, "Oikos is... used of the Christian Community as the "House of God."... It can refer to the "family" of God and is explicitly linked with the Church (345). There is nothing in Mounces definition to indicate that there were infants. (There is great debate whether infants when baptized are apart of the Covenant Community. We will discuss that in my next article). Dr. Wayne Grudem in his masterful book Systematic Theology, points out from the Acts 16:34, "The entire household had individually come to faith in Christ"(978). In The Crossway Comprehensive Concordance of the Holy Bible, the author lists that "Household" is used 115 times, and "Households" is used 12 times (488). In many times in the Bible when the term "Household" is used it is either preceded by cognation/faith or followed by cognation/faith. The point is that nowhere in the context of the Bible is "Household" when it comes to baptism refers to infants. To stretch the context is to take the Bible out of context.
In Conclusion, why infant baptism? I do not know, and I am concerned with any doctrine that is drawn from inferences taken from the Holy Text. Nowhere in the Scripture is there any instance of an infant being baptized. Acts 2:38 says, "Repent and be baptized." I see no reason to reverse it, do you?
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