# 185 On Infant Baptism

The Book of Genesis

Day 185

Ge 21:3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him-whom Sarah bore to him-Isaac.  4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him

“As God had commanded him.” Instant obedience on the part of Abraham.  He named the child as God told him to do and he circumcised him, not on the 7^th day or the 9^th day, but on the 8^th day!  He didn’t wait till Uncle Lot could clear his schedule and make it to the ceremony….he circumcised him as God commanded, on the eighth day!

Let’s talk about the link between the Old Testament commandment concerning circumcision and the New Testament commandment of baptism.  This commandment was given to the church as part of the great commission in Mt 28:19,20  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Just as an infant child born to Hebrew parents was a member of the Jewish nation, so then are infants included in “all the nations.” And even as Isaac couldn’t bring himself to the operating room of Abraham to be circumcised, so it is with infant baptism. Both are brought into the covenant by faith filled friends who believe the promises of God. Abraham acted on faith in God’s promise of a covenantal relationship  with Isaac through circumcision, and New Testament parents bring their infant children to the waters of baptism through the same kind of faith in the promises of God!

The correlation between circumcision and baptism is made evident in Col 2:11,12, “In Him (Jesus) you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

The “sins of the flesh” are removed from the soul by the “circumcision of Christ,” which in the New Testament is water baptism.  How can this be? How can the faith of the parents (who bring their infant children to be baptized) affect the sinful state of the child who was conceived in sin and is in need of forgiveness?

A familiar Bible story will help clarify this matter.

Lu 5:18-20, “ Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

Pay attention here. This man was paralyzed. He could not bring himself to Jesus, just as an infant who is conceived in paralyzing sin cannot bring himself or herself to Jesus.  Then note too, who’s faith was mentioned. Was it the paralytic’s faith or the faith of his friends? (v20)

And what did Jesus say to the man? The same thing He says to an infant when brought to Him to “put off the body of sins” in baptism. “your sins are forgiven you.”

One more thing. Even though a certain day has not been commanded to baptize an infant. I really wish we would use the 8^th day! For one thing it places a certain degree of urgency on baptizing the child, and for another it makes the rite all about what God is doing to that child in baptism, rather than making it about Uncle Lot’s day planner.

Pray: Lord thank You for this wonderful assurance you have given to Your church. In the circumcision of Christ (baptism) our sins are washed away through faith in Your promises!