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“You baptize babies? That’s not right.” Sooner or later, you’re going to hear it. It’s lonely being Lutheran sometimes, especially when it comes to the joy of Christ’s presence in the Sacraments. A lot of your fellow Christians believe that infant Baptism is just plain wrong, and they’ll probably be willing to tell you so. In fact, if you were baptized as a baby, sooner or later they’re going to tell you that your Baptism didn’t count. You might take infant Baptism for granted; and when someone tells you it didn’t count, you might not know what to say. Your memorization of the Small Catechism may vanish in a puff of panic. Fear not! Here are some of the most common arguments against infant Baptism, and how to respond.
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1.“Salvation is something you choose, and babies can’t choose.” Your response: “When was the last time a dead guy made himself alive?” Reason: This is HUGE! Lutherans disagree with many fellow Christians about infant Baptism because we start from different foundations. The Bible says that all are born dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1–2). Dead means, well, dead. It means that you’re unable to do anything to make yourself alive. It means that God has to do all the work to make you alive. Salvation isn’t something you choose. Salvation is a gift. Grace is a gift. Faith is a gift. All three are gifts of God, a package deal (Ephesians 2:8–9). It’s God who does all the work, and if God does all the work to save someone, what would keep Him from saving a baby? A lot of Christians believe that we have enough life in us to choose to be saved. For them, Baptism is a rite in which you choose to be a Christian—and since babies can’t choose, they shouldn’t be baptized. But dead people can’t do anything. If you want, pick a Bible text where Jesus raised someone from the dead, like Lazarus (John 11:43–44), Jairus’ daughter (Mark 8:54), or the boy at Nain (Luke 7:14–15). Ask, “What did the dead one do to be alive?” Nothing! Jesus did all the work. It works the same way when it comes to salvation: if we’re dead in sin, He does all the work to save us. He has to! Thanks be to God, He does. You might also ask, “Could Jesus raise a baby from the dead?” The answer, of course, is yes. Why couldn’t He give eternal life to a baby in Holy Baptism? 2.“Babies aren’t old enough to understand what’s happening.” Response #1: “Should we withhold food from babies until they understand nutrition?”
Reason: Newborn babies are blobs who don’t seem to understand much of anything. But even though they don’t understand what milk or formula does, it still gives them the nutrition they need in order to keep from starving to death. Babies don’t understand how blankets keep them warm, but blankets keep them warm, anyway. Babies don’t understand diapers, but parents still put them on. See where this is going? Since God is the one who gives forgiveness in Baptism, forgiveness helps the baby even if the baby doesn’t understand it. Response #2: “What did you do in order to be born?” Reason: Babies don’t do anything to be born. Being born is something done to them, not something they do. When Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, He says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Jesus didn’t tell Nicodemus to birth himself. He told him to be born—that’s something that He
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