Question:
Dear
Greg,
I have been researching infant baptism vs. believers’ baptism and I
have reached a point of confusion. I
was always taught that through baptism the Holy Spirit creates faith in Jesus
in the infant’s heart. Is that
true or are all infants born with faith in the Lord already and some just end
up rejecting him as adults?
Heather
Answer:
Dear
Heather,
There is no biblical warrant for stating that the Holy Spirit creates
faith in Jesus. Further, while I
am not aware of any study, I would venture that those who are baptized as
infants differ little, if at all, in their adult lives from those not baptized
as infants, in terms of their acceptance of Jesus as Lord.
The key here is that baptism, as an act, does not confer any special
status to an individual. Baptism
is undertaken, either by an infant’s family on behalf of an infant (as my
family did for me when I was an infant) or by an adult, as they become
personally aware of God’s saving grace and work in their lives.
These adults then respond to him (as once again, I did as an adult,
later in my life).
The specifics about baptism are absolutely immaterial. How
old the individual is, what church or denomination sponsors the ceremony, the
status of the person performing the ceremony, or how much water is used
(whether immersion, pouring or sprinkling).
All of what we do is immaterial. That
we are baptized is commanded, but it is also clear when and how it is done is
immaterial to our salvation. All
salvation is all about Jesus and not at all about our baptism.
Hope this helps.
In Christ,