For the Believer
The last commission of Christ, as recorded by Mark, is: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16) This scripture clearly limits the subjects of baptism to those who are capable of hearing and believing the gospel; and this standard was invariably maintained by the apostles in their ministry. For example, we read concerning the multitude who received the word of God at Samaria, “And when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” (Acts 8:12) No children were baptized, but only those who believed—“men and women.”
The entire practice of giving a so-called baptism to young children originated in an apostate church and is positive heresy. It is nowhere taught in the Bible, either by a single text or by a single example. Nor is infant baptism found in any other example outside of the Bible until near the close of the second century, and then it was introduced as a result of two other errors that were being taught: 1. That infants are totally depraved and therefore guilty and lost; 2. That baptism itself regenerates from sin. Once these two false doctrines were believed, the baptism of infants naturally followed, as the only means of removing their depravity and preventing their going to hell in case of death.
There is no valid reason, either in the Bible or outside of it, for the observance of this infant rite. The statement often urged, that the apostles must have baptized infants, because they sometimes baptized households, has no bearing on the subject; for there is no proof in a single instance that there were infants in these households. Furthermore, in most cases, the context itself shows that believers only were baptized. For examples, see the records concerning the household of Cornelius (Acts 10) and the household of the jailer (Acts 16:81-84). Baptism is “the answer of a good conscience toward God,” (1 Peter 3:21) but infants have no conscience whatever.
If one ordinance of the church is applicable to infants, why not all of the ordinances? The Scriptures no more teach infant baptism than they teach infant communion. Some of the Eastern churches, such as the Greek, Syrian, and Armenian, do give communion to the infants that are “baptized” by them. The Armenian Church also practices the ordinance of feet-washing, after a certain fashion, once each year, on which occasion the priest who performs the mass selects twelve boys and goes through a form of washing the right foot of each. But the Armenians are inconsistent in that they exclude the infants from this.
Nor does this rite of infant baptism decrease in any sense the parental obligation to endeavor to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) No good can possibly come to infants by this senseless rite; on the contrary an incalculable amount of harm results. One writer urges infant baptism in order that the children “should never be allowed to believe that they were naturally aliens from the household of faith.” This is the very harm and deception that comes through infant baptism; for at this very day millions who were “baptized” in infancy are believing that they have always been the children of God, though they have never been “born again,” (John 3:3,7) and are on the road to hell. The entire so-called Christian East Papal, Greek, Gregorian, Coptic, Abyssinian and others are cursed by this delusion; while many forms of Protestantism have borrowed it from the great church apostate and are perpetuating it in the West.
When people grow up in sin believing that they are Christians because of a so-called baptism in infancy, it is almost impossible to convince them that they are not Christians at all; yet they must understand this truth before they can ever be definitely converted to God. I assert without hesitation, in the fear of God, that it is my firm conviction that no other false doctrine ever introduced under the name of Christianity has been the means of sending such a great number of people to hell as this one delusion—infant baptism. Not that the so called act of baptism itself is so harmful, but it is the accompanying belief that such candidates are Christians from their infancy. This belief is especially strong in the East, where all baptized people (irrespective of moral character) are called Christians; while those who have not had the rite are, by the so-called Christians, generally termed heathen. The doctrine of Christ is that “except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16)
I wish it were in my power to arouse the millions who are sleeping under the delusion that they were really baptized when they were babes and are therefore Christians. Unless such become awakened, “believe” the gospel and are saved thereby, and then are “baptized, both men and women,” (Acts 8:12) they will all be lost forever.