The Mystery of Grace
in the Baptism of Our Children
Bart Garrett
THE MYSTERY OF GRACE IN THE BAPTISM OF OUR CHILDREN
Copyright ©2006 Bart Garrett. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf & Stock, 199 W. 8th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401.
Resource Publications
an imprint of Wipf & Stock Publishers
ISBN 10: 1-59752-848-X
ISBN 13: 978-1-59752-848-1
EISBN 13: 978-1-4982-7096-0
Manufactured in the U.S.A
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my beautiful bride, Katie, and our three, precious little girls, each a blessing wrapped in a promise.
Thanks to my parents, hands that are steady, character that is deep, and a faith that seems unwavering—I learn from you both. From Corrie, a posture that questions the status quo—thanks for challenging me!
Thanks to Jonathan St. Clair, my partner in ministry and faithful friend. We share a brain, and he brings order to my abstraction. Thanks also to Scott Jones and Eric Youngblood. The three of us were inseparable in graduate school, and these two men are an integral part of who I am as a pastor.
Finally, it is rare for a day to go by when I do not stop and think: “What would Richard Pratt have to say about that?” Thanks Richard, for your voice that forever remains in the ear of your students.
Preface
Over the years I have talked to many well meaning, sincere couples who grapple with the Christian doctrine of infant baptism. “Jesus was baptized as an adult.” “The New Testament never really talks about baptizing babies, so why should we do it now?” “It just will not be as meaningful when she is a little baby.” “The Bible says, ‘Repent, believe and then get baptized.’ How can little babies demonstrate repentance and faith?” “I want him to appreciate Christ and come to trust in Him for salvation; then baptism will actually mean something to him.” “Jesus came up out of the Jordan River. You mean to tell me that just sprinkling a couple of drops on my baby’s head does the trick?”
This booklet is an attempt to deal with those sincere, heart-felt questions in a pastoral way. It is not an attempt to defend my case, prove my point, or eviscerate those who believe differently. As a pastor, one of my greatest privileges is to hold a precious, little child in my arms, pray for her, pray for her parents, and counsel our congregation towards recognizing that, in our very midst, this little one has the opportunity to learn the ways of our Savior. I then have the blessing of baptizing her. I hope this booklet will be useful in helping parents understand more fully the wonderful gift and privilege of baptism that God has given to the children of believers.
Chapter 1
Pastoral Counsel
Wisdom is the God-given ability to discern which issues are most and least significant, which issues are most and least clear. Wisdom helps us distinguish between a mere preference, which is to be held more loosely, and a conviction, which should be held more tightly. Many biblical scholars have demonstrated quite adequately that baptism should be limited to people who have made a profession of faith in Christ and that the practice should not include their children. Other scholars have demonstrated quite adequately that baptism should be extended to those who have professed faith in Christ and to their children. Years ago, as a graduate student, I wrestled with great intensity over this issue. For months, on my bedside table was a stack of about twelve books, precariously positioned, suspended over the pillow on which I slept. Typically, on the subject of baptism, I held to the convictions of the author of the book that sat upon the top of the stack. Needless to say, my opinions on the matter changed every other week.
As people get older they become more certain of fewer things. We begin to understand that there is really a lot that we do not know; yet what we have come to know we hold with even greater fervor and passion than we once did. What are the few things that I am most certain about? Christ died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. And these three are clear enough in the Scriptures, which we believe speak to us with authority because they come from God. Finally, my only comfort in both life and death is that I am utterly dependent on Jesus for salvation, and I trust that he will come through brilliantly in the end, completing the work of refining someone as selfish and insecure as I am.
Please recognize that baptism is a very important issue, but I do not think it is an essential one. If it were, then while on the cross, Jesus would not have refused the wine-soaked sponge, but would have accepted it in order to sprinkle some on the thief that had just trusted in him for salvation. Yet, instead, with no formal baptismal rite, Jesus responded: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” It is important that sincere parents come to resolution on this issue. Yet, I am not so sure that their resolution will arise from calculated study and an effort to gather and collect all of the data. There is simply too much to consider on both sides of this issue. Rather, resolution will hopefully come with a sincere submission to the authority of the pastor that serves your respective church.
As a pastor, I long for the day when parishioners will again exercise confidence and trust in their church leadership. With the scandal of sexual and financial impropriety dotting the clerical landscape, I realize that this is a grandiose request. Yet, the Bible is full of admonitions that beckon believers to submit to the authority of their pastors and shepherds. I recognize that the term, “authority,” today is fraught with negative connotation, yet it is important to recognize that all of us submit to authority, whether that authority be the authority of autonomy or whether is be the authority of a particular belief system or ideology. The chief reason that I pastor a church that belongs to a larger denomination is this one: I want to shepherd our people while in submission to many leaders who are more seasoned, and thus, more wise, than I am. I need the accountability. Our church needs the accountability. In a society where large corporations are granted privileges and incentives permitting them the power to make unwise decisions unilaterally, it is important to me that the church remains in submission to the accountability of a larger entity like a denomination.
Likewise, there are many perplexing issues like baptism that create opportunity for sincere church members to submit their confusion and uncertainty to the counsel of the pastoral leadership. On these important, yet non-essential issues, allow the leadership to shape policy—policy that has been wrestled through with a certain degree of theological skill and expertise. Then, be willing to embrace the outcomes. The Bible teaches that teachers will be held to a higher standard of accountability, thus, take the pressure off of your own shoulders and let us bear it for you. Baptism is a very important issue. It is not an essential issue.1 Deference to your leadership and the present community in which you worship is perhaps more pleasing to God than your own personal opinions and premonitions about baptism itself.2
1 See James 3:1.
2 I choose to highlight deference to one’s authority, not because it is primary, but because, today in America, it is largely treated as ancillary. Difficult decisions like these are best made from various sources of input, from our present community, from its leadership, and from our personal convictions as they are informed