I heard a cute report last Saturday on the Paul Harvey report. He had been asked a question of a listener. This man had a little dog who had died and he wanted to ask Paul if that dog would be in heaven. I get asked this often. Mostly by nominal Christians. Seems like to them this is a big deal. So, Paul Harvey postulated the question to Billy Graham. I thought, now this is going to be interesting. You will be happy to know that Billy Graham agrees with me. There is little evidence of Dogs, Cats or Horses in heaven. Although there is some prophetic writings that you could interpret thusly. But in any case one more time, if you need to have your pet in heaven to have fullness of Joy (which is what heaven is) then you will. My guess is Jesus will be enough. But, that settles that from the desk of Billy Graham and Gene Redlin.
On a more serious note, I have been openly critical of Infant Baptism. I’m a believer that Infants should be dedicated to the Lord as Jesus was (there was Baptism before Jesus was born so if Baptism was the thing to do to babies they would have done it to/for Jesus). I believe that once a person comes to faith in Jesus he or she should then, upon the profession of that faith, be Baptized in the Name above all Names, Jesus, the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. A baby has no faith. It must be a person of reason. An adult. I was baptized at 32 years old.
I don’t think infant baptism does any good but it does have the potential to do harm. It offers false security to parents that they don’t have to work very hard to raise their kids in a Christian home. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard parents say to me, “I know he’s away from God but he was baptized as a child so I know he’s going to heaven”. I want to tell them the raw truth. He’s hell bound and will not see heaven unless he repents.
The other reason adult baptism is important is the whole line in the sand thing. Once we are buried and raised again in baptism we can point to that when the devil comes to us to lie.
I remember growing up how priests and pastors would race across town to baptize little babies who were just born but who thought they might die. The idea was that if a little baby died without being baptized it would go to hell or if catholic at least to limbo. No heaven for that little tyke.
What a bunch of hogwash that was.
It was with some appreciation that I saw that the Pope has renounced the catholic theology of Limbo. That if a baby dies baptized or not it goes to heaven. He’s right about that. I have often said that I have more in common with Catholics than I do with some protestant denominations theologically. Now even more, I'm more in line with true presence in the elements of Commnunion as well, but that's another story.
This is one such agreement with the Pope I say Yea and Amen to.
Now if we can just get the Pope to quit baptizing Babies we’re getting somewhere.
On a more serious note, I have been openly critical of Infant Baptism. I’m a believer that Infants should be dedicated to the Lord as Jesus was (there was Baptism before Jesus was born so if Baptism was the thing to do to babies they would have done it to/for Jesus). I believe that once a person comes to faith in Jesus he or she should then, upon the profession of that faith, be Baptized in the Name above all Names, Jesus, the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. A baby has no faith. It must be a person of reason. An adult. I was baptized at 32 years old.
I don’t think infant baptism does any good but it does have the potential to do harm. It offers false security to parents that they don’t have to work very hard to raise their kids in a Christian home. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard parents say to me, “I know he’s away from God but he was baptized as a child so I know he’s going to heaven”. I want to tell them the raw truth. He’s hell bound and will not see heaven unless he repents.
The other reason adult baptism is important is the whole line in the sand thing. Once we are buried and raised again in baptism we can point to that when the devil comes to us to lie.
I remember growing up how priests and pastors would race across town to baptize little babies who were just born but who thought they might die. The idea was that if a little baby died without being baptized it would go to hell or if catholic at least to limbo. No heaven for that little tyke.
What a bunch of hogwash that was.
It was with some appreciation that I saw that the Pope has renounced the catholic theology of Limbo. That if a baby dies baptized or not it goes to heaven. He’s right about that. I have often said that I have more in common with Catholics than I do with some protestant denominations theologically. Now even more, I'm more in line with true presence in the elements of Commnunion as well, but that's another story.
This is one such agreement with the Pope I say Yea and Amen to.
Now if we can just get the Pope to quit baptizing Babies we’re getting somewhere.
3 comments:
How can you say who is going to heaven or to hell? Wouldn't that only be your opinion based on your belief?
Just to offset the "baptolic" blog:
Q. Why do some churches baptize infants?
A. Churches that baptize infants do so because of what the Bible teaches regarding:
1.) God's command to baptize (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). There is not a single passage in Scripture which instructs us not to baptize for reasons of age, race, or gender. On the contrary, the divine commands to baptize in Scripture are all universal in nature. On the basis of these commands, the Christian church has baptized infants from the earliest days of its history. Since those baptized are also to be instructed in the Christian faith, (Matt. 28:20), the church baptizes infants only where there is the assurance that parents or spiritual guardians will nurture the faith of the one baptized through continued teaching of God's Word.
2.) Our need for baptism (Psalm 51; 5; John 3:5-7; Acts 2:38; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:3-4). According to the Bible, all people--including infants--are sinful and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). King David confesses, "I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). Like adults, infants die--sure proof that they too are under the curse of sin and death. According to the Bible, baptism (somewhat like Old Testament circumcision, administered to 8-day-old-babies--see Col. 2:11-12) is God's gracious way of washing away our sins--even the sins of infants--without any help or cooperation on our part. It is a wonderful gift of a loving and gracious God.
3.) God's promises and power (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5-6; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:1-4; Colossians 2;11-12; Ephesians 5:25-26; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Those churches which deny baptism to infants usually do so because they have a wrong understanding of baptism. They see baptism as something we do (e.g., a public profession of faith, etc.) rather than seeing it as something that God does for us and in us. None of the passages listed above, nor any passage in Scripture, describes baptism as "our work" or as "our public confession of faith." Instead, these passages describe baptism as a gracious and powerful work of God through which He miraculously (though through very "ordinary" means) washes away our sins by applying to us the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection (Acts 2:38:39; Acts 22:16), gives us a new birth in which we "cooperate" just as little as we did in our first birth (John 3:5-7), clothes us in Christ's righteousness (Gal. 3:26-27), gives us the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-6), saves us (1 Peter 3:21), buries us and raises us up with Christ as new creatures (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12), makes us holy in God's sight (Eph. 5: 25-26) and incorporates us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). All of this, according to the Bible, happens in baptism, and all of it is God's doing, not ours. The promises and power of baptism are extended to all in Scripture--including infants-and are available to all. Parents and sponsors then have the privilege and responsibility of nurturing the baptized child in God's love and in His Word so that he or she may know and continue to enjoy the wonderful blessings of baptism throughout his or her life.
Gene,
I'm very familiar both with the view you hold on baptism and that of your anonymous commenter. I've flip-flopped several times between infant baptism and believer baptism. I've recently taken to believing a "third view" of baptism, one that holds the other two views as traditions that are non-biblical, but not un-biblical. In case you're interested, my latest blog post collects all of my previous entries in my baptism series into one post. Have a read, and as always, you're welcome to comment.
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