Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
And in saying this Jesus reinforced the notion that these children, little as they be, are members of the visible church, just like the Jews of old. As such, they are entitled to all the rights and privileges of the church.
Being that this is so, these children are presented here today for baptism. In so doing we mark them out as distinct persons in this world—ones who belong to God and are set apart for his service.
Yet we remember that this sign points to a deeper reality. This initiation into the church through water signifies greater spiritual reality. It points us to that cleansing that comes through the blood of Jesus Christ. It reminds us that the only way to enter the society of heaven is through the washing away of the filth of our sin by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes my daughter and I will go for walks in the woods. One of the things she likes to do is find bottles in the creekbed that flows through the woods. And when she finds one, she wipes the dirt and filth off of it, and then she brings it home and plays with it out in the back yard. There is one catch though: She can't bring them inside the house. That's because the bottles, though they've been cleaned on the outside, are still filthy on the inside.
The only way they can come into the house is if they have been thoroughly cleansed.
Baptism is much like that. We can say that our children are much like those bottles. They get to enjoy so many privileges. When they are first born, they receive a washing of baptism. And so they get to come and live in God's yard, the church. They get to enjoy the protection and care of God, just as the bottles enjoy the tender love of my daughter as she plays with them. And these children may even enjoy a sweet life, just as the bottles would be better off than they were back in that creekbed.
Yet the only way these children can be brought into the Father's house is by being cleansed on the inside by the power of the Holy Spirit. And we rely on the steadfast love and faithfulness of God to make that a reality in their lives.
Parents you have a responsibility to making that reality come true. God uses means. And so you must be diligent to train your child up in the way he should go, to teach him the doctrines of our faith, to pray with them and for them. All the while you are to remind them of their special position and their relation to God. And that they have the responsibility to respond in faith to Jesus Christ and the promises of salvation.
Our God is a gracious God, steadfast in mercy and forgiving iniquity transgression and sin. He delights to call sinners unto himself and see godly seed raised up within the church. And this is seen in the promises of Scripture. The Holy Spirit says,
For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. (Acts 2:39; Gen. 17:7; Acts 16:31)
Having read these great promises, I shall now ask the parents the questions for baptism.
- Do you acknowledge you child's need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit?
- Do you claim God's covenant promises in (his/her) behalf, and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for (his/her) salvation as you do your own?
- Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God, and promise, in humble reliance upon divine grace, that you will endeavor to set before (him/her) a godly example, that you will pray with and for (him/her), that you will teach (him/her) the doctrines of our holy religion, and that you will strive, by all the means of God's appointment, to bring (him/her) up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?
Being that you, the congregation of Providence Church, are also in covenant with God and personally responsible for the spiritual development of these children, I will ask you:
Do you as a congregation undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?
6 comments:
"In so doing we mark them out as distinct persons in this world—ones who belong to God and are set apart for his service." So a child can be baptized, receive the benefits of the church, belong to God, be set apart for His service, and yet go to hell because the inside of the bottle is not clean? I wonder why Philip, when asked by the Ethiopian eunuch if he could be baptized, responded, "If you believe, you may be baptized."
Kind of like Esau, isn't it?
Agreed, not all Israel is truly Israel. Yet all the Israeliets belonged to God in the sense that they were his distinct people in the world, chosen and set apart for His purposes. They belonged to Him as members of His covenant.
Just so in the church all children belong to God as ones with whom God has covenanted. These children still may not be true Israel in heart. They may very well be covenant breakers. Nevertheless, they belong to God in the same external/covenantal sense.
If a man and woman marry, that woman in a true sense belongs to her husband. She may cheat on him and break the marital covenant. Even though her heart was not altogether knit to the man, she still wore the sign of the covenant--the wedding ring.
Children are in the same sort of relationship with God. I hope you can see the analogy, I have to get back to work and can't elaborate on it. :)
Sorry for the continued comments, but I am trying to understand. If the children are only seen as God's externally as they have no true faith in God, then are they not just as much a child of the devil as before? Is there an intermediate state in the Bible between saved and unsaved? If the child is not truly saved, then is the baptism of which you speak the same as child dedication in other churches--where the parents promise to raise the child for God, but the child, of course, is not yet a Christian? Is the baptism of which you speak similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church, where one becomes part of the church and is born again as an infant as in certain of heaven (unless he leaves the Catholic Church?) I understand how a parent may promise to raise a child for God, but I do not understand how a child can get wet and be on the way to heaven, without any faith of his own. I do not understand how a wet child can be more of a saint than the unsaved, but less of a Christian than the saved.
I'm glad you are trying to understand. Most would just poke fun and write it off as bunk.
Let me ask this: Do you understand how Ishmael can be circumsized and a child of the covenant promise yet not be regenerate? He got "cut" (corresponding to the "wet" of baptism) but was not circumsized in heart as Jeremiah spoke of. He was one of those with whom God covenanted, but was not one who was elect and ultimately saved.
I like that you use the word "saint" because that is biblical language in regards to this issue. Paul addresses the Ephesian letter "to the saints in Ephesus." Then later on he speaks directly to the children, calling them to obey their parents in the Lord. It is interesting that the children are recognized as "saints," yet Paul knew nothing of their inward estate or what would become of them after they died.
He simply recognizes that these children have a special relation to God (i.e. covenant members) and are distinguished from the children of the rest of the pagan world.
I'd like to flesh out the distinction between baptism and child dedication, but got to get back to work again. Toodles!
Yes--Paul tells children to obey their parents in the Lord. Certainly these could have believing children already. Certainly Paul did not write that to infants. Circumcision was only for the males, so it does not seem to correlate directly to baptism in that regard. If, when baptized, we die with Christ and are then expected to walk in newness of life, I cannot see how a baby is expected to have a changed life after baptism. A changed diaper, maybe, but I doubt one notices a big difference in the before and after picture of a baby's growth in Jesus.
What good does this special relationship do if the infant is still lost? How is this different than Roman Catholicism? It seems to me that those in the Bible who were baptized were believers. If baptism, as Peter states, is a sign of a good conscience before God, I wonder how many infants have a good conscience before God. It seems that much of what you say on this matter is derived from generalities , or as if you have your belief, and then are trying hard to show how somehow the Scriptures support your belief. It seems, rather, that if one were simply to do away with preconceived notions and simply read the Bible, one would conclude that baptism is for those who have believed.Would it be wise to boast that your child has a special relationship with God while the child is still a child of the devil and unsaved?
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