for Christians & Messianic Jews
 Non-denominational
 Home

Forum index page

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Pro Rege (For the King)

         

Search:  

Log in | Register
 Forgot your password?





   

Baptism remits Original sin in infants... (general)

posted by bibleprobe(R) Homepage, Mass., 10.31.2009

Turbo6:

You and I just view Baptism & apostolic tradition in a fundamentally different way. We are both Christians otherwise, and both love the Lord.

For me, Baptism is for the remission of both Original and Actual sin. It remits only original sin in the case of infants and young children, since they are incapable of actual sin. Baptism remits both original and actual sin in the case of older persons. I think an adult must also be sincerely sorry for these sins and ask forgiveness from the Lord.

Regarding your claim that infant baptism is not found anywhere in Scripture.. It isn't if you have some sort of reason to think this, such as belonging to a splinter denomination that teaches against infant baptism. If you have not been brain-washed then the command to perform infant baptism is everywhere, both in apostolic tradition (what the apostles and early church fathers said & did) and in Scripture itself.

Don't skip over the Acts of the Apostles. And don't 2nd guess the Lord when He told you that Baptism is necessary for salvation. If we believe the Lord in this --then we certainly should not deny baptism to infants - who like we adults can and do pass from this life without a moments notice.

Jesus said that no one can enter heaven unless he has been born again of water and the Holy Spirit (John 3:5). His words can be taken to apply to anyone capable of belonging to his kingdom. The Lord Jesus included even children in this: "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14).

In Acts 2:38 Peter explained what happens at baptism when he said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Please take special notice that Peter did not restrict this teaching to adults. Peter then added in Acts 2:39: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

We also read: "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16). These commands are universal, not restricted to adults. Further, these commands make clear the necessary connection between baptism and salvation, a connection explicitly stated in 1 Peter 3:21: "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Paul's parallel between baptism & circumcision:
Paul notes that baptism has replaced circumcision (Colossians 2:11–12). In that passage, he refers to baptism as "the circumcision of Christ" and "circumcision made without hands." Of course, usually only infants were circumcised under the Old Law; circumcision of adults was rare, since there were few converts to Judaism. If Paul meant to exclude infants, he would not have chosen circumcision as a parallel for baptism.

Colossians 2:11–12
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Post reply
 

Complete thread:

                                                                              
Search: