FAQ: Baptism
What About Infant Baptism?
Infant baptism did not originate until well after Bible times and grew out of two erroneous teachings:
- that children are born guilty of original sin, and
- that the only thing that can bring about their forgiveness is baptism.
Sin, however, is defined in the Bible as a transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), and infants, and those not responsible for their actions, cannot sin. Further, they do not inherit the sin of their parents. (Ezekiel 18:20)
Your are all sons of God
through faith in Christ
Jesus, for all of you who
were baptized into
Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ.
Galatians 3:26-27 Second, baptism is not a sacrament, that is, a rite which conveys virtue within itself, but is meaningful only when it is an expression of one’s personal belief in Christ. Since infants meet neither of these criteria, we believe that infants are therefore not subjects of, nor candidates for, baptism.
Though these reasons are why we believe infant baptism was begun, there are many who practice infant baptism today simply as a dedicatory rite. We believe this also is without Biblical precedent, and therefore, we do not practice it.
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