Why Infants Should Be Baptized

Why Infants Should Be Baptized

Photo by Terry Healy on Unsplash

What is Baptism

Baptism is one of the sacraments of Christian initiation. It is in baptism that we are born of “water and the Spirit” (Jn. 3:5).

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Through Baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word” (CCC 1213).

At baptism, the baptized receives the forgiveness of sins (original and actual sin) or original sin only in the case of infants and a new birth in the Holy Spirit. The baptized therefore becomes a “new creature,” an adopted son of God, a member of the Body of Christ … and a temple of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1265).

Infants Need to be Cleansed of Original Sin

To begin with, the Catechism of the Catholic Church lays down vital reasons on why infants should be baptized. It says:

“Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant baptism. The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer baptism shortly after birth” (CCC 1250).

From the above, it is clear that one of the reasons why infants are to be baptized is due to the reality of original sin, a state in which every man is born. Because of this reality, there is therefore the utmost need to baptize infants in order that they may be freed from original sin, and experience a new birth in the Holy Spirit and thus be incorporated into the Church.

Baptism is the Fulfillment of the Jewish Circumcision

We find in Scripture that baptism is the fulfillment of circumcision which was practiced by the Jews. Circumcision was a covenant between God and Abraham. A covenant to be kept by all Abraham’s descendants for all generations (Gen. 17:9-14).

 Under the Old Law, every male child must be circumcised eight days after his birth. Circumcision was therefore mandatory for one to be counted among the Jews. It was the rite of initiation into the Jewish community. One who was not circumcised was not to be counted among God’s people for he had broken the covenant of God (Gen. 17:14). Circumcision was an essential practice for the Jews. It was to be observed both externally in the flesh (Gen. 17:9-14) and internally in one’s heart as a sign of inward and sincere repentance, a sign of faithfulness to God (Deut. 10:16; 30:6).

However, in the New Law, St. Paul sees Baptism as the fulfillment of circumcision. He says:

“In whom (Christ) also you are circumcised with circumcision not made by hand in despoiling of the body of the flesh: but in the circumcision of Christ. Buried with him in baptism: in whom also you are risen again by the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him up from the dead” (Col. 2:11-12, emphasis added).

 In the above passage, Paul sees baptism as the “Circumcision of Christ.” This is to say that baptism is the fulfillment of circumcision. Now since infants were circumcised in the Old Law, it is right and fitting that in the New Law, infants should also be baptized for it is necessary for them to receive that sacrament which provides for them much more than the circumcision of the flesh.

For just as circumcision ushered in an infant to be counted among the Jews so also does baptism ushers in an infant to be counted among the children of God and members of the Church. If baptism is restricted only for adults, Paul would not have used circumcision as a parallel for baptism.

Baptism and Salvation is for Everyone

In John 3:5 Jesus said to Nicodemus “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” In this passage, Jesus uses a universal declaration “no one.” This statement of Jesus is therefore applicable to all those whom are capable of being saved or belong to the kingdom of heaven. The Church “has always understood the words of Jesus to Nicodemus to mean that children should not be deprived of Baptism” (Pastoralis actio 12).

To say that infants should not be baptized will therefore be to say that infants are not capable of being saved or that infants do not belong to the kingdom of heaven, both which are heretical statements. The heretical nature of such statements is seen in the fact that Jesus Christ calls children to himself for He said “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). In fact, Luke’s Gospel uses the word infants for it says “And they brought unto him also Infants, that he might touch them” (Lk. 18:15 emphasis added).

Since Jesus calls children (infants inclusive) to himself, why then should infants not be baptized since it is through baptism that we are made members of the body of Christ as St. Paul says “For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13).

Also, Jesus’ command to the Apostles to make disciples of every nation and baptize them (Matt. 28:19) certainly did not exclude infants. For to them did the Lord expressly say “belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

The Promise is to you and to your Children

On the day of Pentecost, after Peter had addressed the people, they asked “what shall we do brothers?” (Acts 2:37). In response, Peter said “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit For the promise is to you and to your children”(Acts 2:38-39, emphasis added).

Here, Peter was clearly not saying that baptism Is meant for adults alone but also for children (infants inclusive) which indeed makes sense. This passage further shows the relationship between baptism and salvation which as St. Peter says “Baptism . . . now saves you” (1Pet. 3:21). Now, it is either infants are capable of being saved and as such should be baptized or they are not and should not be baptized. The answer Is obvious which is the fact that Infants are capable of being saved and as such should be baptized.

Whole Households Were Baptized

We futher see in Sacred Scripture that whole households were baptized. With this being the case, it can be asserted that infants were also baptized. For example, in Acts 16:14-15, we read about the conversion of Lydia by Paul’s preaching. After her conversion, the Scripture says that she and her household were baptized. The Philippian jailer who was put in charge of Paul and Silas together with other prisoners was also baptized together with all his household (Acts 16:33). In 1 Cor 1:16, Paul says that he baptized “the family of Stephanas.”

It may be argued that the fact that households were baptized does not necessarily imply that infants were included. However, it is pertinent to say that when “households” were baptized, it will not only be the husband and the wife but will also include children. We do not know the exact age of these children. They may have past the age of reason (usually seven years of age) or under that age, but they may also have being infants baptized in these households. If infant baptism was not permitted, there would have been clear references to this in Scripture, but there are none.

Does the Bible say Only Adults Should Be Baptized?

Interestingly, the Bible no where says only adults should be baptized. However, a fundamentalist may argue that even though the Bible does not explicitly say only adults should be baptized, it is what we should to believe to be the case.

 It should be noted that the reason why we read more of adult baptism in Scripture is because Christianity was just beginning at that time and as such those who were converted to the Christian Faith were adults.

Also, there is no passage in Scripture that says a child born into a Christian family should not be baptized until he makes a “decision to follow Jesus” no where in Scripture do we find an instance of a child born into a Christian family who is baptized only when he makes a “decision to follow Jesus.”

The Catholic Church teaches that “the practice of baptizing children rests on an immemorial tradition originating from the Apostles, the importance of which cannot be ignored; for when whole households received baptism, infants may also have been baptized (PA 18; CCC 1252).

Must Personal Faith Necessarily Precede Baptism?

Some Christians who reject the practice of infant baptism argue that personal faith of the individual must necessarily precede baptism. For them Jesus’ words in Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” means that an individual must first possess faith before he can be baptized. Since infants do not possess faith, infants should not be baptized.

However, it is important to note that the words of Jesus do not have the meaning which these people say it has. This is because Jesus never said one must first have personal faith in order to be baptized or that personal faith is a pre-condition for baptism. He only said “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” which means that faith and baptism go together not that “personal faith must precede baptism.”

When critically look at we will observe that the view that personal faith must necessarily precede baptism will lead to dire consequences one of such is that all babies who die without believing or having faith are not saved. This is because babies cannot possess faith. The error of such an assertion is very clear as it goes contrary to Jesus’ words where he said “Let the children (infants inclusive) come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”. (Matt. 19:14; Lk. 18:15-16).

Also, the thief on the cross was probably not baptized. Does that mean that he did not go to heaven or he is not saved? The answer is no. Everyone’s life is not the same. Not everyone (infants and adults) may have the opportunity to be baptized due to one reason or the other. The Church teaches that “baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament (CCC 1257).

It should however be noted that “baptism Is never administered without faith: in the case of infants, it is the faith of the Church” (PA 18). As St. Augustine says “in the Church of our Saviour children believe through others, just as they contracted from others those sins which are remitted in Baptism” ( A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 1:40).

The Church teaches that Baptism Is not just a sign of faith but also a cause of faith (PA 18), and that even though infants do not posses faith, it does not restrict baptism been conferred on them “since in reality, it is in her (the Church) own faith that she baptizes them” (PA 14). St. Augustine asserted that “the presentation of the little ones to receive the spiritual grace is the act not so much of those by whose hands they are borne up (although it is theirs also in part, if they themselves are good believers) as of the whole company of the saints and the faithful. (Letter to Boniface 98:5).

This means that infants are baptized in the faith of the Church and the grace of baptism comes from God through the Church in whose faith they are baptized. St. Thomas Aquinas likened baptism to carnal birth affirming “that as the child while in the mother’s womb receives nourishment not independently, but through the nourishment of its mother, so also children before the use of reason, being as It were in the womb of their mother the Church, receive salvation not by their own act, but by the act of the Church” (ST III, Q. 68, Art. 9, ad.1).

Furthermore, we see in Scripture that the faith of others is sufficient to bring about certain effects. For instance, in Matt. 8:5-13 we read of the centurion whose servant was healed because of the centurion’s faith. In Mark’s Gospel, we read of Jairus, ruler of the Synagogue whose daughter Jesus healed on account of Jairus’ faith (Mk. 5:21-24; 35-43). The paralytic man in Matt. 9:1-7 was healed on account of the faith of those who brought him to Jesus. The boy who was possess with a demon was delivered because of his father’s faith (Lk. 9:37-42). Now the question Is: if Jesus did all these miracles on account of the faith of others, would he not also approve the faith of parents who bring their Infants to be baptized?

For just as Jesus healed the servant of the centurion, Jairus daughter, the paralytic man and the boy who was possessed on account of the faith of others so are infants baptized on account of the faith of the Church, in whose faith they are baptized.

Christ Was Baptized as an Adult

Some people reject infant baptism on the grounds that Jesus Christ was baptized as an adult. For them, since this is the case, infants should not be baptized.

The fact that Christ was baptized as an adult does not in any way give the conclusion that infants should not be baptized. Those who reject infant baptism on this account should understand that Jesus Christ was a Jew and under the Jewish Law, he was circumcised eight days after his birth (Lk. 2:21). Now, it is true as already asserted above that baptism is the fulfillment of the Jewish circumcision. Since Christ was circumcised as a Jew while still an infant, and since baptism is the fulfillment of circumcision, it therefore necessary that infants should be baptized for it is through baptism that we are incorporated into the Church and made members of the body of Christ. For just as in the Old Law, infants were circumcised into the Jewish community, in the New Law, infants are baptized into the Christian community.

Also, Christ baptism marked the beginning of His public ministry. Christ did not begin his public ministry as an infant but as an adult (Lk. 3:23). Pope Benedict XVI (then Joseph Ratzinger) in his book “Jesus of Nazareth” says: “He (Jesus) inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners His inaugural gesture is an anticipation of the Cross” (18). Thus in Christ baptism, we see the love and humility of Christ who chose to begin his Divine mission by associating himself with those whom He came to save.

Let the Child Choose

Some people oppose infant baptism on the grounds that children should be allowed to choose their own faith freely. For them, infant baptism takes away the freedom of a child.

While it agreed that faith is personal and people should not be forced, it should be noted that there is a difference between forcing a child and making good choices for a child. Infant baptism is not a matter of forcing a child but that of choosing what is best for a child.

The view that Infant baptism is opposed to or takes away the freewill of a child can be described as a view of self deception. It is an illusion because “there is no such thing as pure human freedom, immune from being influenced in any way” (PA 22). This is because those who affirm this view would also affirm that there are many times in which decisions are taken on behalf of a child for the child’s physical or material good. This will include the choice of food, school, clothes, medical treatment, even the child’s name etc. The question is: is this not also an infringement on the child’s freewill? “A so-called neutral attitude on the part of the family with regard to the child’s religious life would in fact be a negative choice that would deprive the child of an essential good” (PA 22).

Taking your child to be baptized as an infant is the best choice a parent can make for a child just as they make other important decisions on their behalf.

Besides, Christian baptism as an initiation into the Church is admittance to true freedom in Christ (PA 22; Jn. 8:36; Rom. 6:17-22; 8:21; Gal. 5:31 etc).

Baptism of Infants in the Tradition of the Church

From the second century, there is evidence that infants were baptized.

St. Irenaeus

 “He (Jesus) came to save all through himself; all, I say, who through him are born again to God: infants, and children, and youths, and old men. He Therefore passed through every age, becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for children, thus sanctifying those who are of this age, being at the same time made to them an example of piety, righteousness, and submission” (Against Heresies 2:22:4 [A.D. 189]).

St. Hippolytus

“Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them” (The Apostolic Tradition 21:4 [A D. 215])

Origen

“Every soul that is born into flesh is soiled by the filth of wickedness and sin. . . . In the Church, baptism is given for the remission of sins, and, according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants. If there were nothing in infants which required the remission of sins and nothing in them pertinent to forgiveness, the grace of baptism would seem superfluous” (Homilies on Leviticus 8:3 [A.D. 248]).

 “The Church received from the apostles the tradition of giving baptism even to infants. The apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of the divine sacraments, knew there are in everyone innate strains of (original) sin, which must be washed away through water and the Spirit” (Commentaries on Romans 5:9 [A D. 248]).

St. Cyprian of Carthage

“As to what pertains to the case of infants: You [Fidus] said that they ought not to be baptized within the second or third day after their birth, that the old law of circumcision must be taken into consideration, and that you did not think that one should be baptized and sanctified within the eighth day after his birth. In our council it seemed to us far otherwise. No one agreed to the course which you thought should be taken. Rather, we all judge that the mercy and grace of God ought to be denied to no man born” (Letters 64:2 [A.D. 253]).

“If, in the case of the worst sinners and those who formerly sinned much against God, when afterwards they believe, the remission of their sins is granted and no one is held back from baptism and grace, how much more, then, should an infant not be held back, who, having but recently been born, has done no sin, except that, born of the flesh according to Adam, he has contracted the contagion of that old death from his first being born. For this very reason does he [an infant] approach more easily to receive the remission of sins: because the sins forgiven him are not his own but those of another” (ibid., 64:5).

St. Ambrose

 “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ No one is expected: not the infant, not the one prevented by necessity” (Abraham, 2,11:79 [A.D. 387])

St. Augustine

What the universal Church holds, not as instituted [invented] by councils but as something always held, is most correctly believed to have been handed down by apostolic authority. Since others respond for children, so that the celebration of the sacrament may be complete for them, it is certainly availing to them for their consecration, because they themselves are not able to respond” (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 4:24:31 [A.D. 400]).

“The custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants is certainly not to be scorned, nor is it to be regarded in any way as superfluous, nor is it to be believed that its tradition is anything except apostolic.” (The Literal interpretation of Genesis 10:23:39 [A.D. 408]).

“The blessed Cyprian was not issuing a new decree but was keeping to the most solid belief of the Church in order to correct some who thought that infants ought not be baptized before the eighth day after their birth. . . . He along with some of his fellow bishops, held that a child is able to be duly baptized as soon as he Is born” (Letter to St Jerome On the Origin of the Soul 166:8:23 [A.D. 412]).

“By this grace baptized infants too are ingrafted into his [Christ’s] body, infants who certainly are not yet able to imitate anyone. Christ, in whom all are made alive . . . gives also the most hidden grace of his Spirit to believers, grace which he secretly infuses even into infants. . . . If anyone wonders why children born of the baptized should themselves be baptized, let him attend briefly to this. . . . The sacrament of baptism Is most assuredly the sacrament of regeneration” (Forgiveness and the Just Deserts of Sin, and the Baptism of Infants 1:9:10; 1:24:34; 2:27:43 [A.D. 412]).

Council of Carthage V

“Item: It seemed good that whenever there were not found reliable witnesses who could testify that without any doubt they [abandoned children] were baptized aand when the children themselves were not, on account of their tender age, able to answer concerning the giving of the sacraments to them, all such children should be baptized without scruple, lest a hesitation should deprive them of the cleansing of the sacraments. This was urged by the [North African] legates, our brethren, since they redeem many such [abandoned children] from the barbarians” (Canon 7 [A.D. 401]).

Council of Carthage

“Canon 2. Likewise it has been decided that whoever says that infants fresh from their mothers’ wombs ought not to be baptized….let him be anathema” (Canon 2, [A.D. 418]).

In addition to the above, other Church fathers such as St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, St. Optatus of Mileve and also Popes, Church Councils, all affirm the practice and necessity of infant baptism.