Why we baptize infants

We as Catholics recognize the sin of Adam that we inherited from him:

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.⁵⁰ 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.⁵¹(CCC 1250)

However, many of our separated “bible only” brothers and sisters insist that baptism should be reserved for adults or at least until a person reaches the age of reason. But, is this biblical? We should note that just as the Bible nowhere explicitly states that we should baptize infants; it likewise nowhere states that we should not.

The biblical reasons why we baptize infants is persuasive. We can refer to the Old and New Testaments for compelling rational.

⁵ People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. ¹⁶ But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. (Luke 18:15-16 RSVCE)

In the passage above Jesus informs us that the kingdom of God belongs to “even infants”. But, how do we gain entrance to the kingdom of God? Through baptism, as John’s gospel attests to:

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3:5 RSVCE)

Through baptism we receive the grace of salvation:

²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. ²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for^[a] a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:20-21 RSVCE)

The Church has seen in Noah's ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism, for by it "a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water":¹⁴ (CCC 1251)

It is important to note that the manner in which an infant entered into the covenant with God in the Old Testament was through circumcision. There we read the following:

⁹God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. ¹³ Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17: 9-14 RSVCE)

Obviously, infants could not have brought themselves to be circumcised. Likewise, infants today cannot. They rely on the faith of their parents. Reading 1 Corinthians 7:13-14 we see that through the belief of one parent children are made holy.

¹³ And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

Christian parents will recognize that this practice also accords with their role as nurturers of the life that God has entrusted to them. (CCC 1251)

In the New Testament fulfillment with the coming of Jesus the covenant would include everyone. We see from Colossians 2 that St. Paul the writer connects baptism with circumcision:

¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision,by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; ¹² when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made youalive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, (Colossians 2:11-13 RSVCE)

Notice that (un)circumcision (or circumcised) is mentioned 4 times in these three verses sandwiched around verse 12 which mentions baptism. Infants entered into the covenant through circumcision and now we can assume that infants would be baptized as a sign of the New Covenant. Many of the audience in Colossians were Jewish, it would not have been necessary for St. Paul to specifically spell it out that they should baptize their babies, they would have already been aware of the old covenant practice of circumcising babies.

It is important to note that at the time the New Testament was written Christianity was brand new. All the adults we read about being baptized in the Scriptures did not have the opportunity to be baptized as infants. However, scripture mentions in at least 3 places that entire “households” were baptized. We can make an assumption that these households included small children as families in those days were quite large. We read in the Book of Acts the following:

²⁹ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴ He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.(Acts 16: 29-34 RSVCE)

(See also 1 Corinthians 1:16 and Acts 16:15)

Finally, we should consider this analogy. One would not withhold medical treatment to save the life of their child. Likewise, we should not withhold the saving grace of baptism from our children.