As I have stated before, there is no explicit command in the Bible to baptize infants.  There is Biblical evidence pointing to the verity of infant baptism, but there is not one single verse that clearly spells out the practice of infant baptism to New Testament believers.  Let me give two contrasting examples that will hopefully help show what I mean.  If I wanted to use the Bible to prove that stealing was wrong, it would be fairly easy.  One turn to the Ten Commandments would be all it would take.  After all, “Thou shall not steal” is rather straightforward and easy to understand.

A completely different example is the concept of the Trinity.  Virtually all branches of Christianity believe in the Trinity and yet, surprisingly for many Christians, there is not one passage in Scripture that contains the word “Trinity.” It is simply a word that early theologians used to describe our Triune God. But, while the actual word might not be found in Scripture, the concept of the Trinity is found throughout the Bible.  Proving that infant baptism has been ordained by God is kind of like using the word “Trinity” to describe our Triune God.  There might not be any one Scriptural passage that explicitly commands Christians to baptize their young but, once we fully understand the concept of our covenant relationship with God, the truth of infant baptism can be seen easily enough. 

I am saying this because readers will have to be patient while working through this issue because there are no shortcuts to the understanding of infant baptism.  It is not a journey from Point A to Point B.  Rather, it is a journey from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on.  Now, there is ample Scriptural evidence for each point along the way and my hope is that this understanding of the sacrament of baptism will lead you to a richer and fuller relationship with Christ - as it did for me.

The study of infant baptism centers on the covenant God made with Abraham in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis.  This passage is crucial for understanding the doctrine of infant baptism.  We read:

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”  15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”  17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Breaking this chapter down, we see:  In this covenant God promises to be God to Abraham and his descendants (vs. 7, 10).  It is an eternal, or everlasting, covenant (vs. 7, 8, 9, 13, and 19).  The sign of the covenant, as ordained by God, was circumcision (vs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, and 27). This sign was to be given to all the males including male infants only eight days old (vs. 12).

Now, there are several things to take away from this passage, and, in the next post, we will begin to look at the enormous amount of implications this covenant, that God made with Abraham thousands of years ago, still holds for Christian believers today.  Stay tuned…

Editor’s Note:  For the rest of this series please see: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8.