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| My daughter Gemma Grace after baptismal regeneration |
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."
Collosians 2:9-12
This is part 3 of 4 on infant baptism. If you haven't, I suggest you read the first and second posts here and here. In the above passage, St. Paul--the Catholic theologian--does a lot of work in a few words. The key is to look at how the clauses are linked.
He is the head over all rule and authority
AND
in Him we are circumcised with a [circumcision made without hands]
IN
The removal of the body of the flesh
HAVING BEEN
buried with Him in baptism
IN WHICH
we are also raised up with Him
THROUGH
faith in the working of God
WHO
raised Him from the dead
1. Christ can do what He wants and He has a circumcision that doesn't involve, well you know "hands" (see here for more info). Let's just say a Jew in the 1st century would know what that meant.
2. His Circumcision is about the "body of the flesh". This has nothing to do with the body as evidenced by #1. It does have to do with our sin nature (think works of the flesh).
3. How does this happen? St. Paul says that it was a "having been" experience. (See picture of my daughter). However it is not enough that through baptism we enter into the covenant of his death and burial.
4. We must have faith in the working of God who raised Him (and us) from the dead.
I see water. I see Gemma. I see water. I see Gemma. I see by faith the unseen Resurrection of the soul.
I see picture of my daughter above. So, if you've been to a baptism and realized, "I didn't see anything change, hmm?" Oh you of little faith, we walk by faith and not by sight.
So, why offer this to infants?
I think there are three solid Biblical reasons (besides the reason that the Church teaches it):
1. Baptism is the New Covenant Circumcision
When do you circumcise someone? How do parents "place" their children into the family of God? The direct link between O.T. circumcision and baptism is a strong witness to its rightful New Covenant context.
2. Baptism was offered to everyone in the family of the jailer in Acts 16:33.
"He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once."
It's unconscionable that the disciples, who had been chastised by our Lord for resisting the children (Matt 19:14), would now walk into a 1st century home and according to Scripture baptize "all his family" EXCEPT THE CHILDREN. No my friend, that is called adding to the text what is not there. It is not conjecture to assume the children were baptized, but it is conjecture to ADD to the text by saying that all = everyone but the children.
3. Christ taught that the faith of the Church (others) could save someone.
He is the head over all rule and authority
AND
in Him we are circumcised with a [circumcision made without hands]
IN
The removal of the body of the flesh
HAVING BEEN
buried with Him in baptism
IN WHICH
we are also raised up with Him
THROUGH
faith in the working of God
WHO
raised Him from the dead
1. Christ can do what He wants and He has a circumcision that doesn't involve, well you know "hands" (see here for more info). Let's just say a Jew in the 1st century would know what that meant.
2. His Circumcision is about the "body of the flesh". This has nothing to do with the body as evidenced by #1. It does have to do with our sin nature (think works of the flesh).
3. How does this happen? St. Paul says that it was a "having been" experience. (See picture of my daughter). However it is not enough that through baptism we enter into the covenant of his death and burial.
4. We must have faith in the working of God who raised Him (and us) from the dead.
I see water. I see Gemma. I see water. I see Gemma. I see by faith the unseen Resurrection of the soul.
I see picture of my daughter above. So, if you've been to a baptism and realized, "I didn't see anything change, hmm?" Oh you of little faith, we walk by faith and not by sight.
So, why offer this to infants?
I think there are three solid Biblical reasons (besides the reason that the Church teaches it):
1. Baptism is the New Covenant Circumcision
When do you circumcise someone? How do parents "place" their children into the family of God? The direct link between O.T. circumcision and baptism is a strong witness to its rightful New Covenant context.
2. Baptism was offered to everyone in the family of the jailer in Acts 16:33.
"He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once."
It's unconscionable that the disciples, who had been chastised by our Lord for resisting the children (Matt 19:14), would now walk into a 1st century home and according to Scripture baptize "all his family" EXCEPT THE CHILDREN. No my friend, that is called adding to the text what is not there. It is not conjecture to assume the children were baptized, but it is conjecture to ADD to the text by saying that all = everyone but the children.
3. Christ taught that the faith of the Church (others) could save someone.
So, next time you see a picture of this:
THINK THIS:
