What about Baptism?

When it comes to baptism, there are two main positions amongst evangelicals, infant (baby) baptism and believers baptism. Infant baptism is and I quote from the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 166, titled, Unto whom is baptism to be administered A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized.

Believers baptism is and I quote from the Baptist Confession 1689 Chapter 29 Of Baptism, Paragraph 2, Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.

When we look at the two above, they are not in agreement when it comes to infant baptism. Those who believe in infant baptism believe that an infant without professing faith in Christ can be baptised, but those who believe in believers baptism believe that only those who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can be baptised. 

Notice what it says in regard to the infant and the New Covenant from the WLC above- I quote, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant- they believe an infant with at least one parent professing faith in Christ, and obedient to Him, automatically places the infant within the New covenant, so they are to be baptised. 

Notice also that in the BCF above that, and I quote, Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. An infant (a baby) is not able to profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ (which those who believe in infant baptism would agree) should then not be baptised- for baptism is for believers only. 

I am a reformed Baptist, so my position on baptism is believers baptism, which is clearly taught in the Bible. Nowhere in the New Testament will you ever find an infant being baptised, only those who came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

First, I want to look at the Great Commision found in Matthew 28:19-20. The Bible says, Going, then, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age. Amen. (LITV)

Notice that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded- Going, then, disciple all nations- What this means is to make disciples of all nations, and then Jesus commands, baptizing them (the disciples) into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit- which refers to water baptism. Notice the order, first a disciple, which means a saved person (a believer), and then as a disciple (a saved person), be baptised. Christ is commanding disciples to be baptised- be saved and be baptised. That is believers baptism. 

But there are other verses I would like to bring to your attention, which again clearly shows that the only people within the New Covenant are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The verses are found in Jeremiah 31:33-34. The Bible says, But this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, declares Jehovah, I will put My law in their inward parts, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah. For they shall all know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. (LITV)

In Jeremiah 31:33-34, it speaks about the New Covenant that will replace the Old Covenant. And in v.34, look at what God says about those who are within the New Covenant, God says, And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah (Yahweh), Then God tells us why- For they shall all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more

Notice God says- For they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest. Those who are within the New Covenant know God, and as God says, And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah. (Yahweh) For they shall all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. (Yahweh) All who are within the covenant will know God, they have a personal relationship with God, which means that the only ones who are within the covenant are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, for they are the only ones who know God. An infant (a baby) is not able to come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ- they are not able to understand the gospel message, thus they do not know God, and need to know God to be within the New Covenant, for God says, they shall all know me. 

Infants are to be raised according to the Bible, and teaching them about the true God and His saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Bible, and praying to God that He would save them by His grace through and in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

So, when we come back to baptism, baptism is for them who are within the New Covenant, and not for infants (baby). The only way for them to be within the New Covenant will be for them by the grace of God, come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and only then, should they be baptized in obedience to the command of Christ.