Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!porthos.rutgers.edu!christian From: math1h3@jetson.uh.edu Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Infant Baptism (Was Re: Validity of Baptism) Message-ID: Date: 2 Nov 90 08:51:11 GMT Sender: hedrick@porthos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Houston Lines: 50 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , farkas%qual@sun.com (Frank Farkas) writes: > > I find it strange that a new born needs baptism! Can someone tell me why? > If I read the Bible, I understand that baptism is unto repentance. Can > someone tell me what is a new born baby need to repent of? > > The second problem I have is regarding what happens if a new born baby won't > get baptized. Most of the world is not Christian. What happens if they are > not baptized? This is a good question, and one which shows how difficult it is to discuss one aspect of Christian doctrine, without getting into everything else that we as Christians confess. As we have seen from various posts, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and Lutherans all perform 'emergency Baptism' on infants about to die. The fundamental reason for this is that all of these churches believe that Sacraments, including Baptism, are more than just outward symbols, but work real spiritual benefits in us. In particular, Christ, in Matt. 28:19 mentions Baptism as a means of making disciples; 'teaching' being the other means. We baptize infants because they need forgiveness of their sins. Simply by failing to know and love God they are in a state of sin -- or perhaps this is a result of their state of sin. Perhaps even I am stretching a point. But they definitely have 'original' or inherited sin. As Jesus said, 'Flesh is born of flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.' And as David said, 'Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me' (Psamy mother conceive Noah's day God said: "every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood" (Gen 8:21) and "every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was evil all the time" (Gen 6:5). At the time of the reformation, almost all of the theologians, Catholic, Lutheran, and many non-Lutherans who praised the Augsburg Confession, subscribed to the doctrine of original sin. There was some difference of opinion regarding what original sin was. So we believe infants need forgiveness. And Baptism offers assurance of forgiveness, the promise of salvation. For Christ said "All who believe and are baptize will be saved." So in Baptism we have a means of offering comfort to parents of infants who are about to die. Christ did not say, however, that those who are not baptized will be damned. In fact he told the thief on the cross next to him, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." We have no reason to believe that this thief was baptized. Christ did say, however, that those who do not believe will be damned. David H. Wagner a confessional Lutheran My opinions and beliefs on this matter are disclaimed by The University of Houston.