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Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
Introduction
This morning we come to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism. And just as with the sacrament of Communion it is vital that we understand just what it is that God has called us to do.
Therefore, I want to ask three basic questions:
1. What is Baptism?
2. Why do we baptize the children of believers?
3. What tangible, actual, benefits do our children receive from baptism?
A] Remember Baptism is a Sacrament. As such, Baptism is a means ordained by God to portray a central aspect of the Gospel that Scripture proclaims. In both cases, the message of Scripture and the message of the Sacrament are exactly the same.
B] What then is the central aspect of the Gospel portrayed by Baptism? Simply put: Baptism portrays in outward form the way that God responds to the faith of the believer (Remember, Baptism is something the believer receives–“Repent, and be baptized”) FN#1. Simply put, Baptism assures the believer that God responds to our faith by washing us, by including us in Christ and Christ’s people, and by marking us as God’s possession FN#2. In other words, the message portrayed by Baptism is the very assurance proclaimed at the heart of Scripture.
Acts 2:21 EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
Problem: if Baptism represents the way that God responds to faith, why does Scripture instruct us to baptize our children before they ever come to faith?
II. Why Baptize the Children of Believers– To understand why we baptize the children of believers, we need to make sure that the focus of Baptism is our starting point. Remember we just saw that Baptism is a sign and seal that guarantees the way that God responds. Therefore, to understand why we baptize the children of believers, we begin, not with the child, but with God. In other words, the focus in infant baptism is not what the child is doing for God but rather what God is doing for the child. Notice the result:
Baptism signals the fact that long before the child can speak his own name (much less call on God’s name) God is already pursuing that child with His love
Importance: notice at once that what we see in Baptism is exactly the same thing that we see throughout Scripture- God always takes the initiative with His people.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. FN#3
III. What benefits do Children receive from Baptism?
A] First Baptism is not a magic charm nor is it just an empty baby dedication that has no significance or value to the child until the child believes. Instead, we baptize the children of believers in light of the present reality of God’s promise to His people (God is already at work in the life of your child, pursuing that child with His love and grace- Ps 22:9).
B] Notice then, Baptism is given to encourage and fortify faithful childrearing by the body of Christ. It assures us that God inhabits the faith and faithfulness of parents and church and uses these as the chief means by which He will call forth and nurture the faith of their children. Therefore, Baptism assures us that our efforts to raise our children in the Lord are not alone or in vain (Prov 22:6)
C] Not only that, the child’s participation, nurture, and training are all signs that God is already fulfilling His promise to His people. God is already at work nurturing and growing the faith of the next generation.
IV. How then do we respond?
1. Make sure your family is in church every Sunday. The blessings of inclusion are found within
2. Make sure that you as parents have non-superficial faith, that you are growing, and spending quality time in God’s word every day (you can’t lead where you have never been)
3. Pray for and with your child daily. Read them Bible stories before bed
4. Talk about and work through your faith in front of your kids. Involve them in praying through family decisions
5. As a family trust God, seek His way, and delight in each other
Footnotes
1] Importance: 90% of the confusion over Baptism (infant Baptism, re-Baptisms, and etc.) arises from a confusion of focus. Therefore, as we move forward it is vital that we keep Scripture’s focus in full view: Baptism outwardly portrays God’s response. God is the focus not man. As such, Baptism is first and foremost something received not offered
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
2] To be theologically precise, Baptism outwardly portrays the inward working of the Holy Spirit by which Christ and all His benefits are applied to the believer. Thus:
(1) The believer is irrevocably sealed/marked by the Spirit as God’s own
possession.
Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
(2) The believer is included in Christ and His people. As such, the fullness of all
that Christ accomplished for His people is given in its entirety to the believer.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
(3) The believer is washed by the Spirit. That is, the Spirit applies the grace and
new life that Christ accomplished for the believer to the believer.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit
3] To understand why we baptize the children of believers, we actually need to do two things:
A] First, we need to make sure that the focus of Baptism is our starting point (as we discussed in the sermon above).
B] Second, we need to identify the connection. While it is true that Baptism represents God’s response, it is also equally true that God’s response is a response to faith. Where then is the faith to which God is responding in the case of children? Where is the bridge that connects the child to the Sacrament? The answer is the parent. How?
Remember, when a believer receives Christ, he is included in Christ and Christ’s people. In other words, he is included in all the promises God gives to His people, including God’s ongoing promise to His people concerning their future: God promises His people that they will continue unbroken through each and every generation.
Genesis 17:7 “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you (c.f. Acts 2:38-39).
Importance: God’s promise concerning the future directly involves (speaks to/about) the children of believers. It assures God’s people that just as God has raised up believers today, He will be faithful to raise up believers from among His people in the next generation.
Importance: it is vital to note that there is far more to this promise about the future than just some fringe aspect of God’s covenant. Instead, at the heart of this promise is the very heart and love of God. Over and again Scripture reminds us that God loves His people and therefore loves what He has given them to love. Listen to what God sends Moses to tell His people:
Deuteronomy 4:37 “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,
Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
Second, God’s promise to His people about their future is based on and is a direct reflection of God’s promise to His people concerning their King. Jesus will sit upon the throne of David and His Kingdom will suffer neither end nor interruption.
Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; 7 ……There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on (no interruption) and forevermore (no end).
Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.”
So, why do God’s people continue unbroken on the earth? Why does their witness abide through each generation? The reason is because their King and defender is never vanquished, not even for a moment.
Not only that, the unbroken continuation of God’s people on the earth is a declaration and demonstration of God’s Lordship, purpose, and plan for all creation. God’s purpose is what determines the future of creation and His people are its rightful heirs. Therefore, God does not relinquish one moment or one aspect of His creation to the rebellious usurpers. Instead, God promises to always to have a witness on this earth. Why? The continuation of His people is a visible demonstration that God’s plan for the future is what is directing all time and place.
2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Finally, the unbroken continuation of God’s people on the earth is a central aspect of the mission and labor God has given His people. In fact, it is nothing short of a reflection of and participation in Christ’s reign.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Therefore, you go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Notice then, as Christ reigns without interruption or challenge and as He subdues all that opposes His Father’s will/plan until the Kingdom He has established is implemented in full, so too the people He has given a share in that labor, do their work without interruption.
The point of all of this is to say that God’s promise to His people concerning the future and their ongoing continuation on earth is no minor or peripheral promise. Rather, it lies at the very heart of God’s love, His promise concerning our King, the sovereignty of His plan for all creation, and His promise concerning our share in our King’s labor. As such, it is front and center of so much of what salvation in Christ involves. The result is that we have come full circle from where we began: being included in Christ means being included in the promise that God has made to His people about their future, a promise that directly concerns our children because they are the next step in the unfolding of that promise.
Notice the result of all of this for our discussion about baptism: Baptism means that the child is counted under the household of faith in light of his parents’ faith. That is, the parents’ faith stands for the child until that time when the child either receives it as his own or rejects it. A beautiful example of this Biblical principle is found in the heart of the Passover account (Exodus 12:3-13). Remember, on the night of the Passover the head of each house was instructed to believe God and to place the blood of the lamb on their doorpost. However, it was not the head of the house who was spared but rather it was the first born child of that house who was spared in light of their parents’ faith and faithfulness. The parents’ faith stood for the child.
Bottom line: the Children of believers are baptized on the basis of the parent’s faith, by which they are counted under or among the household of faith. As such, the child enjoys covenant participation. Because the children of believers are included under the household of faith, they are given the blessing and privilege of participating in the covenant life of God’s people. As such,
a) They taste and see firsthand the fruit of grace at work in God’s people.
b) They are nurtured and taught the way of the Lord by those who belong to and know the Lord.
c) The spiritual gifts given to nurture the faith of God’s people are also intended to nurture and raise up faith in the child
d) Finally, their participation and training are signs that God is already fulfilling His promise to His people concerning their future. God is already at work nurturing and growing the faith of the next generation.