When Should My Children Be Baptized?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesA querist asks, “At what point in their life should my children be baptized?”
As we all know, children mature at different rates. Having arrived at both genuine faith and the need for remission of sins at a relatively early age, one child may be a proper candidate for baptism, while another child may not reach this point until well into adolescence. The best plan is for Christian parents and grandparents to educate their children and grandchildren (at a very young age) as to what God commands people to do in order to be saved (cf. Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15). This is accomplished by answering any Bible questions they might ask and lovingly encouraging their steps toward faith (1 Peter 3:15; Romans 10:17).
Before we answer the querist’s question by Scripture, let us ask and biblically answer the following question:
Why does any person need to be baptized? — We first need to consider the following important points regarding baptism:
The Scriptures tell us that act of baptism is for the purpose of remitting our sins (Acts 2:38 KJV). Since sin is lawlessness or lawbreaking (1 John 3:4). And since sin is the outgrowth of evil desire (James 1:14-15) involving willful disobedience (James 4:17), it is every individual’s own sin that makes his or her salvation necessary (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:6-10; Romans 6:23). In fact, God Himself says, “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4; Ezekiel 18:20).
Both Jesus and the inspired writer Peter affirm that baptism is a necessary component of salvation (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21). Other New Testament passages teach us that baptism:
- Enters us into the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12).
- Enables us to put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).
- Adds us to His body, the number of those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:41; Acts 2:47).
These Scriptures demonstrate that salvation, discipleship and baptism are inextricably interrelated. One cannot be saved, participate in the spiritual benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection, enter His body [the church – Ephesians 1:22-23], or become His disciple, without being baptized. Therefore, anyone who wants to belong to Christ and inherit His salvation must be buried or immersed in water (cf. Acts 8:36-39).
Knowing the above biblical information regarding baptism and its necessity, we are now prepared to answer the querist’s question by Scripture:
When should a person be baptized? — Using the criterion set before the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip the evangelist in Acts 8:37, a person is a candidate for baptism when — “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” When a young person can respond to this statement with genuine faith as the eunuch did — “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” — he or she should not be hindered from being baptized.
When a person believes with all his or her heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he or she is a candidate for baptism. Note that Philip baptized the eunuch immediately after the Ethiopian’s confession of faith (Acts 8:38). The eunuch’s baptism followed his being taught about Jesus from the Scriptures (Acts 8:35) — a necessary prerequisite of faith, as we learn in Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This is the pattern we observe in other conversion accounts in the book of Acts (Acts 2:14-41; Acts 8:12; Acts 10:34-48; Acts 16:13-15; Acts 16:30-33; Acts 19:1-5).
Therefore, the scriptural timing of baptism places the act:
- After one’s learning from the Scriptures about Jesus.
- Understanding the Bible’s teaching that He is God’s Son.
- Believing this teaching with a willing heart or mind.
A child must be of sufficient intellectual maturity to do all these things before becoming a scriptural candidate for baptism.
Until a child has developed the rational maturity to choose wrong (willful disobedience to God’s law) against right (as defined by God’s law – Joshua 24:14-15), he or she has no sin for which to be forgiven, and therefore has no need of baptism.
The Bible clearly teaches that a child who is yet innocent of sin already belongs to God (Deuteronomy 1:39; Isaiah 7:14-16; Matthew 18:2-4; Matthew 19:13-14; Mark 10:14-15; Luke 18:16-17; Romans 9:11) and needs no forgiveness. Only after we sin (1 John 3:4) do we require the saving, cleansing blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:5-7; 1 John 2:1-2).