Should Baptists baptize children?

By Raul Enyedi

Some time ago I learned about a practice among our churches which is strange to
us: that of baptizing young children. We in Romania were perplexed when we heard of it
because it seems to us so contrary to the strong stands our kind of churches take on
baptism and church truth. We expressed our concerns both in private and public. Since
this practice seems to be gaining more of a foothold, we would like to call everyones
attention to the potential harmful effects that such a practice may have in the life of
individuals and in our church life. Some may find this article offensive and think it
exaggerated, but I wish it would be perceived as a token of our love and appreciation for
our sister churches in the U.S. All I ask is that they give us a fair hearing.
I have done my best to research the matter and to understand why Baptists would
adopt such a practice. I learned that baptizing preteen children is of recent origin. It started
in the 20th century (there may be exceptions, but I havent come across any yet) and is
mostly practiced in America and in places where American Baptists have a strong
influence. In other parts of the world Baptists usually delay baptism until a person reaches
at least teenage years or even adulthood. This has been generally true throughout our
long Baptist history. Back in Reformation times we find that even some early Reformers
(Zwingli is one such example) recommended at first that parents would wait in bringing
their children to be baptized until they were 12 years old. What would our forefathers, the
Anabaptists, say if they saw us baptizing children that are younger than those initially
baptized by the Reformers? Looking at history I learned that baptizing preteen children is
something new among our Baptist churches and, as with any novelty, it should be put to
the test to see whether it is something harmless or not.
But what does the Bible say? With us it is the Bible not history or any tradition that
should have the final say in the matter. When we look in the Scriptures we do not find a
minimum age of the candidate stated. But does this silence grant us the liberty to baptize
children at any age? No, it does not. Even though we do not have a minimum age of the
candidate stated, when we look at the baptisms in the book of Acts we first find that
personal faith in Christ is a prerequisite for baptism. One that does not or cannot believe in
Christ is not a proper candidate for baptism. In the book of Acts those that believed the
Gospel are repeatedly described as men and women, (Acts 5:14; 17:12). All the baptisms
in the New Testament were performed on men and women, (Acts, 8:12) and church
members are described as men and women, (Acts, 8:3, etc.). In the book of Acts we do
not find little children believing, being baptized and becoming church members. We have
enough evidence to see a pattern even though a minimum age is not given: the person
baptized must be old enough to understand the great truths of the Gospel and
independent enough to declare personal faith and loyalty to Christ.
But what about little children that profess faith in Christ? Do we not see in the Book of
Acts that all those that profess faith are baptized? Why not baptize them? I believe this is
often the reasoning behind this practice in our churches. There are several things to
consider. First, all those mentioned in the book of Acts that professed faith are men and
women not children. Second, since God-given repentance and faith produce visible
changes in ones life, we should demand signs of true conversion before baptizing anyone
at any age. This is what John the Baptist did; he refused to baptize those who did not
show fruits meet for repentance. Is this also true for the baptisms in the book of Acts?
Yes, even though it is not specifically mentioned. Let us remember that all those that
professed faith in Jesus as Christ came from a non-Christian background. For the Jewish
leaders our Lord Jesus was a deceiver: an impostor. His followers were hated, mocked
and persecuted. There was an immediate price to pay for anyone that publicly professed

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faith in Him. So if a person professed such faith it meant that they were ready to pay the
price for following Him. This is still true in non-Christian societies in our day and time .
(Think of a man or woman in a Muslim country professing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Such
a profession is proof in itself of conversion because there is a high price attached to it). But
in societies that have a Christian tradition there is no such price tag implied in our
profession of faith and this is why we should wait until we see fruits of conversion in any
candidate. So who was baptized in the book of Acts? Men and women that professed faith
in Christ: their profession involving the readiness to pay a high price for discipleship.
The Lord can save someone at an early age. But the conversion of little children
(their repentance and faith) is something that cannot be verified until years later when they
grow into adulthood and become independent enough to make their own choices and
experience life on their own. This is one reason why we should delay baptism of children
that come to profess Christ. When children profess Christ without being manipulated they
are no doubt sincere. They are sincere even when they are manipulated: this is one of the
great qualities of a child that all of us adults should desire to imitate. We should be aware
that children are naive, easily influenced and changeable. These are actually good
qualities because they make a child trainable. But they also make it difficult to recognize
the permanent changes that conversion brings in someones life. Despite of all our
precautions and good intentions, it is so very likely that a child will make a profession in all
sincerity without being really saved. If a child was really saved in his preteen years, then
the cementing of his individuality in teenage years will confirm the genuineness of his
conversion. Such teenagers will be able now to understand better the great truths of the
Gospel and the greatness of salvation in Christ. Teenage years are the earliest usual age
when the first fruits of true conversion can be seen, therefore, we believe it is wise that
baptism is not considered before anyone reaches this age.
As children grow they begin to explore and discover their own individuality and the
surrounding world. In teenage years children have the natural tendency to disobey their
parents and question the established facts that they were taught. This rebellion against
authority is part of the process of becoming independent from their parents and building
their own individuality. They want to put everything to the test and see for themselves if
what they were taught is true or not. These are also the years in which we discover our
sexual desires. It is a time of being self-centered mostly because it is the time when we
discover our own selves: who we really are. The matters of faith are not excepted from
questioning and many teenagers and young adults discover that what they thought to have
been a conversion was not something real.
There are two reactions to this sad discovery: some in an attempt to be honest with
themselves will deny their former profession of faith to the disappointment of their parents
while others, even though doubting the reality of their conversion, will not deny it. Some
will not have the courage to re-evaluate themselves from fear of finding a lack of true
conversion and will continue to trust themselves in that profession even if real fruit is
lacking. Outwardly they will keep a form of obedience and service to Christ without being
changed inwardly. In the cases above the early profession of faith caused more harm than
good to everyone involved.
But there is something else to consider regarding conversion. Let us remember what
conversion really is. It consists of repentance toward God and faith in Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance is more than being sorry for sin. A lost person can repent in that sense too
and at any age. But this is not God-given repentance. Even if the person is sincere such a
repentance does not last long because the nature has not been changed. The apostle
Paul talked about a godly sorrow that works repentance so being sorry for sin and true
repentance should not be confused. God-given repentance is a total change of heart: it is
an attitude that involves our intellect, emotions and will. Our intellect is involved because
we must understand the message of the Gospel. The Gospel starts with the bad news for
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the sinner and talks about our rebellion against God and the just condemnation for our sin.
The sinner hearing the Gospel needs to thoroughly evaluate himself (his past experiences,
his character, his world view) through the lens of the Gospel message. The Spirit will
convict him and assure him that the message is true. His conscience will bear witness to
his failures to live by Gods standard. The outcome is that his self sufficiency and
confidence in his own merits will crash. He learns that he stands before God already
condemned and awaiting the execution of that condemnation.
When he reaches the sense of total helplessness and realizes that there is no way
he can escape the just condemnation of God the Spirit will point him toward the Person
and work of Lord Jesus Christ who bore our sins and paid in full our debt. The helpless
sinner will then cast himself at the feet of Jesus, cling to Him as his only help and
understanding the magnitude of His love and grace will pledge his unconditional allegiance
to His Lord and trust Him with his life. Faith in Christ is more than agreement with some
statements or facts. It implies faithfulness or loyalty to Him. But that doesnt come without
an ability to comprehend the cost of service to Him. And this means that we understand
what were giving up and what we are taking upon ourselves when we declare our faith in
and allegiance to Him.
God-given repentance and faith involve the deepest of our emotions and the
strongest determination of our will. But they also involve our intellect. They involve the
ability to understand concepts like life, death, good, evil, justice, forgiveness, service, love,
sacrifice, etc. They also involve the ability to know ourselves and evaluate our past
actions, character and world view in light of the statements of the Gospel. It should be
obvious that preteen children are not able to comprehend the Gospel as described above
except in a limited and superficial way. God can save them even with limited
understanding, but there is no guarantee of true conversion until they will be independent
enough to make their own choices: to know themselves and discover their own identity. No
one can be given assurance of salvation until they come to understand the magnitude of
things involved in their conversion. Therefore, when young children are baptized there is
no definite proof that their conversion is real. But their baptism is actually a confirmation to
them that they are truly saved in the estimation of the adults around them (parents, church
leaders and members) who understand conversion much better than they. If they are not
truly saved as often is the case then they are led to trust in a false profession: they are
given a false hope. If the Lord does not show them their condition later in life they will be
lost religious people. Baptizing young children puts them into a worse position than the
infants baptized by the Protestants who encourage such to make a profession later in life.
When Baptists baptize young children they do so upon what they consider genuine
profession of faith and children will naturally trust in that profession (genuine or not) since
the adults around them confirmed it by accepting them for baptism. Delaying baptism until
definite signs of conversion are obvious (in later teenage years at least) will confirm to
children the seriousness of the subject and will lead them to continually evaluate
themselves until they are assured by the Lord regarding their salvation. This is far better
for the children because if they were not truly saved in early years they avoid the
discouragement of finding that they werent saved even though the adults around them
assured them that they were by approving their baptism.
There is something else to consider: what are the effects of this practice upon church
membership. When we are baptized we are immediately incorporated into the church
body. In this body all members are equal even though each one is different in strength and
function. Church membership is a great blessing, but it involves great responsibilities. The
church is the administrator of the keys of the kingdom and one use of them is the power
to discipline unrepentant members as the Lord teaches us in Matthew chapter eighteen. In
order to do that the members of the church must be able to understand and judge the
cases brought before the church. Members must have a degree of maturity and
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independence of thought to form their own opinions and vote according to the dictates of
their own conscience in order for their vote to amount to anything. If that is not the case
then the church has a congregational form of government in name only. It should be
obvious to all those that have participated in business meetings that young children do not
have the maturity of comprehension and the independence of thought to form their own
judgment and exercise a vote accordingly. Therefore, they are not fit to be church
members until they reach an age when they are independent and capable enough to make
their own judgments.
Baptizing young children affects negatively the testimony of a church: it weakens it.
How can we defend believers baptism against the Pedobaptists when our candidates are
just a few years older than theirs? How strong can be our case for congregational form of
government when our deliberative body is composed of members that cannot even
comprehend the matters under discussion?
Even though we readily admit that God sometimes saves young children we wonder
why is it that in the last decades we see a steady increase of such professions and
baptisms? Let us look around at those who practice them on a large scale. What kind of
Gospel do they preach? In most cases it is a diluted Gospel message or an altogether
false one. Many respond to such a call, but they are still dead in trespasses and sins no
matter the age. Baptizing young children and baptizing anyone without looking for signs of
conversion endangers the church. The Lord built His church to be composed of
regenerated members. If we keep adding members that are lost our church will fall into
apostasy like countless other churches before us. Apostasy is real: is irrevocable. No
church is spared. The soundest church is only one generation away from apostasy.
Brethren, let us realize that if we do not guard the faith our church will become apostate.
We are not immune to it. If we let the guard down we will be overtaken.
A word to believing parents: every parent desires that their children will be saved and
spared from the defilement of the world. But baptism and church membership will not
spare them from the temptations and rebellion of teenage years and young adulthood. If
they werent truly saved it will make it worse for the children, for the parents and for the
church. If the Lord saved a child at an early age that child will be a good member of the
church some years later. Teach children the great truths and virtues of the Scriptures, set
yourselves as examples and pray for them constantly! Explain the Gospel to them.
Exemplify with your life what it means to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Make sure
you make time for family prayer and devotion. But do not push for a profession of faith and
for baptism. You sow the seed and let the Lord work in His due time. The salvation of
every person rests ultimately with God.
A word to people that made early professions: if the Lord saved you in your childhood
years and you came to this assurance, be thankful, praise Him and love Him with all your
being for He chose to spare you from many pains! It is a great grace that not many have
received! Live a clean life that honors Him!
If you find yourself among those that made a profession of faith in your early life, but
you are not sure if you are really saved then I urge you to come to the Lord! If you do not
hunger and thirst after Him and His Word: if you are not different than lost people around
you: if you do not see the fruit of the Spirit in your life then do not try to trust in something
that you did: come to the Lord now! Baptism will not save: your years of coming to church
will not save you! Only He can save you and give you true assurance!
If you made a profession of faith and realized that your life is not changed - if you
question the reality of salvation and believe everything is counterfeit - let me tell you that
counterfeits exist because the real thing exists! Regeneration is a life changing experience
and it is real! Do not be discouraged: seek the Lord! Come to the Lord now and ask Him to
grant you true repentance and faith! He will not cast away any one that comes to Him!

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 A word to preachers: let us carefully examine ourselves before the Lord! We are His
messengers! We proclaim His message not ours. Let us make sure that we do not remove
anything from it! The true Gospel is foolishness to the flesh! Only those that are
regenerated by the Spirit of God can answer the call of the gospel of grace! If
unregenerate and unconverted people (no matter the age) can habitually answer to the
call of the Gospel that we preach then there is something wrong with our preaching! It
means that we have taken out the element that is offensive to the flesh. But that very
element is what distinguishes the true Gospel from its counterfeits and what makes it the
power of God unto salvation of anyone who believes. Many have changed the Gospel and
adapted its message to the liking of their hearers no matter their ages. The direct result of
it is that their churches are large, but largely lost. Let us make sure that we learn from
them and steer clear from that danger! Let us emphasize what true repentance and faith
are! This is our duty to the Lord that sent us and to the people that we serve!
A word to churches: brethren, we have a holy task: to protect, to preserve and to
proclaim the truth at any cost. We are members of the Lords churches not men made
organizations. A true church is not a trivial thing. If the Lord tarries we must make sure that
we entrust the sound faith and practice to the next generation for them to carry on the
Great Commission when we are called home. It is probable that our times are the greatest
times of apostasy in all our history. What is our attitude about it? Should we be pleased
with being just a little better than apostate churches? They should serve us as a warning,
not as a standard! Some baptize children of age five or younger and call it believers
baptism. And most of their membership is most likely lost. Should we be satisfied to being
just a little better than them?
A church will stand or fall depending on how she guards her ordinances. Baptism is
the means to enter into church membership. Why is it so important? Because the church is
designed by the Lord to be composed of regenerated persons. It is the only way it can
function properly and fulfill its purpose. The need for regenerated membership is the very
reason why we advocate believers baptism. Only those who can make a valid profession
of faith are scriptural candidates for baptism. Since we do not believe that baptism is
necessary to salvation we should demand from all candidates fruits meet for repentance,
that is, clear visible proof of a changed life and delay the act until such fruit is made visible.
I do not doubt the good intentions of the parents whose greatest desire is to see their
children saved and baptized. Neither do I doubt the good intentions of the churches that
baptize young children because it is a great joy when a person raised among us comes to
faith and asks for baptism. But we need to see what a practice does on a long term basis
before generally approving it. And it does much more harm than good, it weakens our
churches and has the potential of even leading toward apostasy. Let us learn from the
mistakes of others and return to the practice of our predecessors for the benefit of our
children, our churches and for the testimony of Christ!