In view of our son Noah’s imminent baptism, I’m attempting to outline what I see as the case for baptising infant children of Christian parents. See here for the first post.

1. Reflections on the bigness of the issue.

So, how big an issue is infant baptism? As in, how much does it matter? I want to say both ‘it’s big’ and ‘it’s not that big.’

a. It’s big…

..because it has an impact on how we bring up our children. And the Lord will call us to account for that on the final day. It’s also big because baptism matters, it really does. How we bring up our children, and what we practice on baptism, is a matter of the application of the gospel of grace, and that’s pretty important. Errors here can lead to errors elsewhere (and are often indications that errors have already been made). It’s big because it has an impact on what we think the Church is, and ought to be, and ought to do (and how it ought to do it).

Similarly, it’s big because it’s part of a whole nexus of theological questions that are related to another question – does grace transform or replace nature? And getting that wrong might just mean you’ve been infected by a kind of neo-gnosticism.

It’s big because it’s about the nature of the people of God throughout history, of salvation under the old covenant, of the relationship between the covenants. It’s big because it touches on hermeneutics.

It’s big because it relates to questions around the nature of saving faith, and the place of church discipline, and the whole question of assurance.

b. But it’s not that big…

…because getting this issue wrong in certain ways (and at this moment in time) is not a case for church discipline. It’s not so big that it ought to divide or split churches, or render partnership between churches impossible.

It’s not that big because sincere, bible-believing Christian brothers and sisters wholeheartedly disagree on this matter and yet what holds them together, and commands that they belong together, and demands that they love and serve and worship together, is far bigger.

And it’s not that big because it is possible (albeit irregular) to have much of what baptism stands for without having had baptism.

And it’s not that big, because Baptists are believers in a far more fundamental way than they are believer’s Baptists, if you know what I mean. And that’s an even bigger deal than infant baptism.

So, it’s big enough that all Christians should make up their minds on it, and that those entrusted with teaching the word of God to the people of God should preach it and persuade people that it is taught and indeed commanded by scripture.

But, it’s not so big that it ought to be made the barometer of Christian fellowship, a barrier to communion, or a reason for division within the body of Christ. As baptism itself teaches us, after all, we are all one in Christ Jesus.