Understanding Infant Baptism

In 2017, my wife Kathryn and I traveled to Ukraine. In the shadows of Russia, Ukraine has always had a strained relationship with what was once called the “Evil Empire.” Our host on that trip was an American missionary named Patrick. He was planning a baptismal service and was encouraging everyone who had never been baptized to participate. I don’t know how else to say it, spiritually, the Ukrainian people seemed confused. They had been part of the Soviet Union, so there has been a communist hangover. Some Ukrainians believe in nothing; during communist rule they were taught atheism. They are working hard to survive, so they have no energy left to think about eternity. Some Ukrainians profess to be Orthodox, but they have not practiced their faith in decades. Some Ukrainians have joined cults. When religious freedom came to that land, cults arrived like Mormonism which began teaching their false theology. The Protestants, like Methodism, are lumped together with the cults. Patrick’s baptism service was important because he was simply trying to lead the people back to their Christian core. He was not promoting his denomination, the United Methodist Church, he was simply promoting Jesus! In the life of the church, nothing matters but Jesus! Any form of baptism means nothing without Jesus. Baptism has been part of our world for a long time.

Baptism was not created by the early church, but it was redefined by the early church. Baptism began with God’s Chosen People. Never forget, the Jews are both a race and a faith. Some were born into the faith. Gentiles, non-Jews, were baptized into the Jewish faith. The symbolism was clear. The individual was held under water to symbolize a washing. It was like taking your Saturday night bath. They were washing away the sins of their old life and starting over again fresh and new. It has been called the sinner’s baptism, and this was the baptism that John the Baptist offered. Many left the city and went into the wilderness to be baptized by John. Everyone was encouraged to be baptized because everyone had sinned. Then, Jesus came, and everything changed.

Jesus never sinned. I do not know why Jesus wanted to be baptized, but his baptism signaled the beginning of his earthly ministry. Like smashing a champagne bottle on a hull of a new ocean liner, Jesus went to work. The early church wanted to be like Jesus, so they baptized new converts. In the beginning, it took place on Easter morning. Men baptized men, and women baptized women. Everyone was in their birthday suits. The symbolism changed – when you were held under the water you were dying with Christ. When you were pulled out of the water you were being resurrected with Christ. We call this form of baptism “immersion” or believer’s baptism. Some churches, especially Baptist churches, continue to practice immersion.

Everyone would have been immersed if it wasn’t for the Dark Ages. For it was during that horrible period baptism changed. You can say it is based on poor theology. Mothers and fathers have always loved their children. Parents have always wanted to see their children go to heaven. The problem was, during the Dark Ages the infant mortality rate was sky high. Parents were afraid their children wouldn’t make it into heaven without baptism, so they ran their newborns to the church to be baptized, just in case the unthinkable happened. It is for this reason most of the western church practices infant baptism. The story of Lydia in Acts 16:11-16 illustrates how one believer can affect the lives of others.

In infant baptism two things happen. First, we wash away the original sin of Adam. Within each newborn is a flaw that leads them to sin. I have never met a perfect person. I have never met a single person who claims to be perfect. Second, we recognize the importance of environment. Children are not born into isolation, they are born into communities. Part of that community is family, part of that community is the church. The goal of infant baptism is salvation. We are promising to influence the child toward Jesus, our only hope of salvation. We want the child to gently wade into the faith. Infant baptism is my norm, so I want to examine it in this blog. I will do that by looking at the ritual used in the United Methodist Book of Worship and by looking at three words.

The first word is faith. John the Baptist believed in Jesus from the very beginning. It is for this reason he was uncomfortable baptizing Jesus. When Jesus was baptized, something wonderful happened. God Himself suddenly appears. God says in Matthew 3:17, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” In other words, God is endorsing Jesus as the Messiah. For the Jews, it meant the waiting was over. The Messiah had finally arrived. To us, it means more – it means that Jesus was the most unique life who ever lived. He was the very incarnation of God, the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is our only hope of salvation. Baptism reminds us that Christianity is the one true faith! Baptism is a witness. We are telling the world that Jesus is our only hope of salvation. Mohammed and Buddha were fine people, but they were not the son of God. They are both dead, but Jesus is alive. If you are reading this blog, then I am assuming you believe Christianity is the one true faith.

The second word is family. One of Paul’s traveling companions was Timothy. Who was Timothy? Timothy was several things. For one thing, Timothy was a product of a Christian home. Timothy’s grandmother was Lois, and his mother was Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy was not a first-generation believer. He was at least a third-generation believer. I do not know how much Paul knew about family dynamics, but I do know this: Paul knew the greatest influence on your life is your family. The greatest influence on the child being baptized is his or her family.

That is why in the ritual we ask the parents of the child these questions:

Beloved, do you in presenting this child for holy Baptism confess your faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Do you therefore accept your duty and privilege to live before this child a life that becomes the Gospel; to exercise all Godly care that he be brought up in the Christian faith, that he be taught the Holy Scriptures, and that he may learn to give the reverent attendance upon the private and public worship of God?

Will you endeavor to keep the child under the ministry and guidance of the church?

The parents always say, “We do” or “We will.” However, on the day the parents answer, “No!” the baptism is over. Infant baptism means nothing if the faith means nothing to the parents. Let me ask you this question: how important is the Christian faith to you? If you want your child to take the faith seriously, then you must take the faith seriously.

The third word is fellowship. There comes a point in the baptism ritual that the attention leaves the baby and the parents. It is now the church’s turn to make the promise. I have recited these words many times.

With God’s help we will so order our lives after the example of Christ, that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.

Don’t just read the words, look at their meaning. The church is promising to create a Christian environment to influence the child toward growth in faith and personal salvation. That is why Vacation Bible School is important. That is why Sunday school is so important. That is why Junior Church is so important. That is why confirmation is important. That is why the annual youth mission trip is so important. God has entrusted these young souls to us, so we must be at our best. How could you enjoy the riches of heaven if one of these precious souls was missing?

In a few weeks, I am scheduled to baptize a baby named Natalie. It will be a great day. Baptisms are great for three reasons. First, baptisms are great because they bring people to the church. It is no fun preaching to a half empty room. The more the merrier. Second, baptisms are great because they remind us of the goodness in younger generations. Sometimes we fail to see the goodness in other generations. Church is the last place where all generations mix. Third and finally, baptisms are great because we get to see a baby. How often do you get to see a baby? During infant baptism the spotlight will rest on Natalie. It will be a nice moment, but baptisms don’t just last a moment. The real work begins once the water dries. Chinese Church leader Watchman Nee (1903-1972) once said, “Baptism is an outward expression of an inward faith.”

Why Timothy?

Our scripture reading is Acts 16:1-5. Much has already happened. It will have to suffice to say that Paul had taken center stage. His first missionary journey is complete, and he is about to embark on his second. However, before he leaves, he enlists some help. His list of potential helpers was short. As a matter of fact, only one name is mentioned, Timothy. According to our text, Timothy was the product of a mixed marriage. His mother was a Jewess believer, and his father was a Greek, or Gentile, non-believer. His references spoke of him in glowing terms. Having just stated these facts, one question remains: why Timothy? What was it about Timothy that made him stand out? What made him an excellent candidate? Those are the questions I want to try to answer. They are the same qualities that God is looking for today. Could it be you have some of those qualities? Let me begin with the obvious.

Timothy was not selected by Paul for any physical reasons. This was not like the NFL draft where the physically gifted are selected first. We do not know how much Timothy weighed. We do not know how fast Timothy could run. We do not know how high Timothy could jump. We do not know if Timothy was extremely quick or tall. We do not know if Timothy was short or overweight. Luke does not include any of this information for one reason — it simply doesn’t matter. Church history is filled with people of every physical description. Timothy was not selected by Paul for any physical reason. Your physical state does not eliminate you or include you for Christian service. That is a good thing. Did you know, according to the United States government, approximately 41.9% of Americans are considered obese?

Timothy was not selected by Paul because he was the right age. I know age is one of the factors in this story. We can assume Timothy was young, he must be young. Both of his parents and his grandmother are still alive. In First Timothy 4:12 Paul tells us that Timothy was young. However, age does not seem to be the driving force behind Paul’s choice. If he was a United Methodist, it would be a factor. Did you know the medium age in America today is 38.5 years old? Did you know the average age of a United Methodist is 57 years old? Did you know the United Methodist Church has intentionally decided to shrink that gap by promoting more youthful laity and clergy? I believe every generation has something to offer. After all, God loves and uses every generation. Timothy was not selected by Paul because he was the right age. Your age is no excuse for not serving God.

Timothy was not selected by Paul for any economic reasons. There is no mention of money in this story. However, I do know that money is important. If you don’t believe me, then try to live without it. Try to maintain your church ministries and building without money. It would have been easier if Timothy had some extra cash. He could have paid for everyone’s lunch. He could have paid for some traveling expenses. He could have paid for some advertising. If Timothy had some money, then they could have eliminated all the fundraising. The problem is, money isn’t mentioned in the story, so money wasn’t a major factor. Timothy was not selected for any economic reasons. So why was Timothy selected? Timothy was selected for one reason, FAITH!

Second Corinthians 5:6-9 says:

Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

In other words, Timothy was a man of faith. Faith isn’t a magic wand to get what you want. Faith is a deep trust in God, who knows what is best. Does your faith teeter on getting what you want? Is your faith rooted in trusting God? The two are a million miles apart. Martin Luther (1483-1546) once said, “God our Father has made all things depend on faith, so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.”

When I was in high school, I had a friend by the name of Nancy. There was no romance, just friendship. We were in high school youth group together. The love of her life as a teenager was her horse. She was bright and attractive. As an only child, she was the apple of her parent’s eyes. To say the least, she was an extrovert. She made every experience fun. I spent hours with her acting silly and laughing. Years later, I attended her wedding and had too much fun at the reception. A year later, she told me she was going to have a baby. Her future seemed so bright. Then a horrible thing happened. Both she and her baby died during the birth. Her husband struggled for answers and her parents mourned. My parents told me her parents left the church because they didn’t believe in God anymore. Their faith was gone. I don’t want to be critical, but they didn’t get the memo. There is nothing easy about life or faith. Faith is not a magic wand to get what you want. Faith is trusting God to know what is best.

In 2016, my wife Kathryn and I visited Vicksburg, Mississippi. We love history, and in particular, Civil War history. Today, Vicksburg is a struggling community on the Mississippi, but in the 1860’s it was a booming metropolis. Do you remember your American history? As long as the Confederates controlled Vicksburg, they controlled the entire Mississippi River. It was vital that the Union take Vicksburg. Ohio born U.S. Grant (1822-1845) made that happen because of a forty-seven-day siege. Once Vicksburg fell, the Confederacy was cut in half and the Mississippi was opened to commerce again. That battle happened in 1863. However, the Union occupied Vicksburg for years to come.

One of the great names attached to that battle was Ohio born William T. Sherman (1820-1891). In time, he would make it to Atlanta, and then complete his famous march to Savannah, the famous “March to the Sea”. You can say, in Vicksburg he practiced for his future success. Trying to isolate the state of Mississippi from the war, he traveled 180 miles from Vicksburg to Meridian, Mississippi. He destroyed railroad lines and private property along the way. Sherman was confident that he would succeed, but one thing did surprise him — he never expected freed slaves to follow him and his army along the way. That would happen time and time again, until the end of the war. They followed Sherman for one reason: they didn’t just believe in Sherman, they had faith in Sherman. They really didn’t know what the future held. There were no promises of free money, education, or a piece of land. The only thing those former slaves knew was life had to be better following him. Blindly, they followed Sherman because they believed he knew what was best for them. That is true faith. Timothy was selected because he had faith.

Are you a person of faith? I am not talking about magic wand faith. I am talking about the kind of faith that trusts God no matter how hard life gets. Christian author and clergyman Max Lucado (born 1955) once said, “Faith is not the belief that God will do what we want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.” Timothy was selected because he was a man of faith. What is the condition of your faith? Would you have been chosen?

Examining Obedience

Any Bible student will tell you; the Book of Acts can be divided into two sections. The first twelve chapters comprise the first section and cover Peter’s efforts in the early church. Chapters thirteen through twenty-eight comprise the second section and cover Paul’s evangelistic efforts. Our reading, Acts 9:10-19a, is part of the second section. Saul, later Paul, was just converted in the previous chapter. He was traveling to Damascus to persecute Christians when he is confronted by Jesus, himself. In the end, he was hungry, thirsty, and blind. Once in Damascus, he was forced to do the most unnatural thing, wait! The scriptures do not tell us how long he waited. However, the scriptures do tell us that while he waited, God was at work. If Saul was going to fulfill his destiny and become the greatest evangelist in the history of the church, then he would need some help to get started. God drafted Ananias to help.

The name Ananias was a common name at this point and time in history. The name means “The Lord shows grace.” Ananias had the right name for the job. He would be forced to offer grace to a man who deserved no grace. Just think about it for a moment. Saul didn’t deserve a single ounce of grace. Because of Saul, people died. Because of Saul, countless lives were disrupted. Because of Saul, countless people were forced to leave their homes. Because of Saul, some mothers never saw their children again. Because of Saul, no one got a good night’s sleep. In his little corner of the world, Saul evoked the same emotions as Vladimir Putin (born 1952) in our world. Welcoming Saul into that early Christian community was like welcoming a Muslim Jihadist into our church. There is no other way to say it. Saul doesn’t deserve an ounce of grace, but grace was offered to him by a man whose name means “The Lord shows grace.” There is only one problem, Ananias was reluctant to show Saul grace. Anaias knew what God wanted him to do, but he was reluctant to do it. Don’t be too critical of Ananias. Obedience is a complex topic. It isn’t just true in the Bible; it has always been true.

The date was July 3, 1863. The place was Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. For two days, that small community of 2,400 residents had been ravaged by war. The Union army was led by George G. Meade (1815-1872). The Confederate army was led by Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). The day began with cannon fire. Both sides shelled the other for hours. The sound was deafening. They say the people of Philadelphia, 140 miles away, could hear it. Then, the cannons grew silent. The Confederates stopped firing because their ammunition grew low. The Union stopped firing because the smoke had grown so thick, they couldn’t see their targets. Lee thought the Union had stopped firing because they had run away, like they had done in the past. Desperate for a victory, Lee took a great gamble. He ordered General George Picket (1825-1875) to line up his soldiers and march up the hill in open view to confront the enemy. Standing shoulder to shoulder that line of 12,000 men stretched out for a mile. At first, their ascent looked promising. Those few minutes were called the high-water mark of the Confederacy. Then, in a moment everything changed. At a single point on the battlefield, the Union army opened fire on their enemy. Within an hour, it was over. Lee’s gamble failed. Only half of those 12,000 returned. The Confederacy had not just lost at Gettysburg, it was the beginning of the end of the war, itself.

Here are some questions for you. Do you consider those 12,000 soldiers heroic because they obeyed their orders? Do you consider those 12,000 soldiers foolish because they obeyed their orders? If you were part of Picket’s Charge, would you have marched up the hill? If you were part of Picket’s March, would you have run for the hills? Obedience is a large part of the Christian faith. Speaking of obeying God, German-Dutch Christian writer Thomas a Kempis (1380-1871) once said, “Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience.”

Obedience is a complex topic. In my time in the ministry, I have learned a few things. One of the things I learned was about obedience. What God wants us to do is not a mystery. We know what God wants us to do, but we just refuse to do it. You can’t claim ignorance. Are you surprised that God expects us to care for those who live in poverty? The Third World is filled with poverty. However, we are doing nothing to help them. As a matter of fact, we do an excellent job of ignoring them. Are you surprised that God wants us to love unconditionally? It sounds easy, but it is hard to do. God doesn’t see our differences (gender, age, race, nationality, education, and economics). God only sees what we have in common. Everyone needs love and acceptance! However, we only love and accept people who are just like us. Are you surprised that the Biblical standard for giving is the tithe, 10%? On the way to our next vacation, we cry “poor” and give about 2%. Are you surprised that God wants us to live moral lives? We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ! We are representing Jesus. The problem is, we have accepted immorality as proper behavior. The truth is, we may live in the most immoral times in American history. Do I have to go on? Do I really have to go on? We are just like Ananias. We know what God wants us to do, but we refuse to do it.

The problem is we just don’t want to do it – obeying God means we may be inconvenienced. That is why so many promote the fact that God loves us. He does, but that is not an excuse for being disobedient. So many want the benefits of the faith without any sacrifice. The great German theologian Detrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) of the twentieth century called it “cheap grace.” I hope that is not your story. Every day we are forced to choose. Are we going to do what God wants us to do and obey? Are we going to do what we want to do and disobey?

Fred Craddock (1928-2015) taught homiletics at Candler School of Theology at Emory University for many years. I consider him one of the finest preachers of the twentieth century. No one influenced my preaching more than him. No one could tell a story quite like him. Let me tell you one more of his stories.

During a school break, Fred decided to go back home for a visit. It is no place special on the map. It was just a little town in Arkansas. On the first morning of his visit, he ventured downtown. He walked into the diner that had been there for a hundred years. Fred just wanted to sit there, eat breakfast, and remember simpler times. He said the place had not changed. Everything was identical to his youth, even the owner. As Fred waited for his fried eggs, the owner walked up to him and said, “I know you! You used to live here. You went on to be a preacher! I need to talk to you.” Fred nodded yes, but he thought, “Just go away! All I want is breakfast and some quiet.” The owner pulled up a chair and began to talk. He said to Fred, “I don’t know what to do.” Fred said, “About what?” The owner responded, “About the curtain!” He motioned to the curtain and Fred looked. The curtain had been there for years. Fred remembered that curtain from his childhood. The curtain wasn’t there just for decorative purposes. It had a practical purpose. The curtain was there to separate the white customers from the black customers. The white customers would enter the restaurant through the front door and ate on that side of the curtain. The black customers entered through the back door and ate on that side of the curtain. Just then, Fred’s breakfast was delivered. He wanted the owner to finish up his story because his eggs were getting cold. To hasten it along, Fred asked the owner, “So what is the problem?” (Fred knew the problem.) The owner said, “Should I take the curtain down or should I leave the curtain up?” Fred gave him a blank look and the owner continued. “If I take the curtain down, I will lose my business. If I leave the curtain up, I will lose my soul!” The owner knew what God wanted him to do, but he was afraid. The story doesn’t change.

The owner of the restaurant, Ananias, and you and I are the same. We know what God wants us to do, but we refuse to do it. Sometimes we are afraid. Sometimes we just don’t want to be inconvenienced. Are you going to take the curtain down, or are you going to leave the curtain up? Charles Stanley (Born 1932) once said, “The bottom line in the Christian life is obedience, and most people don’t even like the word.” Take your curtain down!