Children and Youth and the Sacraments
By Pastor Errol Hale
There are differing opinions among Christians about both mode and timing of baptism. At Grace Bible Church, we practice believer's baptism by immersion, rather than infant baptism by sprinkling. Though we hold these convictions as being biblical, we do not break fellowship with Protestants who practice a different mode of baptism. The Bible commands that Christians observe baptism as one of the two ordinances or sacraments that Christ gave His Church (the other being the Lord's Supper). However, the Bible does not explicitly command a particular mode of baptism. For more on why we believe in believer's baptism by immersion, please see the pamphlet entitled, “Sacraments of the Church.”
This booklet deals with the question, “At what age should a child or young person be baptized?” The answer is, “There is no particular age.” The requirement for believer’s; baptism is that one be “born again” by the Spirit of God. This regeneration is a sovereign work of God, not the result of either one’s age, or intellectual, or emotional maturity.
A more important question
The correct question, therefore, is not, “At what age should my child be baptized?” but “Has my child been born again?”
That is not always an easy question to answer either. While parents know their children better than anyone else, parents can answer that question incorrectly—and with the best of intentions. All Christian parents deeply desire that their children be born again. This desire can be so strong that parents can easily assume their children are born again because they are good kids, they like church, and can correctly answer Bible questions, etc. While those are desirable things, they do not mean the person has been born again. To determine if the child has been born again, let us ask, what does it mean to be born again? The following are indicators that a person (of any age) has been born again:
The person has an awareness of the holiness of God. It may not be highly developed, but understanding something of the hoiness of God is essential. Why? Because otherwise the person will not possess the next indicator.
The person must have an awareness of his or her sinfulness, which springs from an awareness of the holiness of God. Isaiah was a religious man. He even spoke for God as a prophet. But when he was given a vision of the holiness of God, Isaiah was immediately aware of his own sinfulness. (See Isaiah 6:1-5).
The person who is aware of the holiness of God and of his own sinfulness will cry out to God, confessing his or her sin (Isaiah 6:6). This is not synonymous with repeating a “sinner’s prayer.” It is an individual response that happens when a person is born again and forgiven. Then what?
The person is given a new heart and a new set of affections for the things of God and to serve God and God’s people. Note how Isaiah was eager to serve the Lord in (Isaiah 6:8). Granted, this response and the new life that follows is not identical in all people. People have different personalities and temperaments. And children will not act in the same manner as adults. After all, they are younger, have less life experience, less maturity, and are unable to understand as much as adults.
People who have been born again, forgiven, and who have new affections will have a new attitude regarding their sin from this time forward. This is true regardless of age or of exactly how salvation is manifested. No Christian is sinless, but those who are born again have a desire to sin less. They are more troubled by sin than before—and not merely because they have been “busted,” but because they know their sin is displeasing to the Lord who saved them. Because they are troubled by their sin, they will confess it and seek to repent (turn) from it.
What you have just read is not merely about how to tell if a child or young person has been born again. It is how to tell if any person, irrespective of age and maturity, has been born again. But it is no less true of a child, a teenager, or a young adult than any person of any age.
Questions
“When should my child or youth be baptized?” When there is evidence that he /she has been born again.
And equally important: “When should my child or youth begin receiving the Lord’s Supper?” When there is evidence that he/she has been are born again, and subsequently has been baptized.
Both sacraments are for believers—those who have been born again.
As previously mentioned, well-intentioned parents, eager for their children’s spiritual rebirth and development, can sometimes believe a child has been born again when that young person has not. That is why when it comes to children, the elders of the church provide a valuable “objective voice” in the matter. When it comes to baptizing children, at Grace Bible Church we require that the child or young person meet with an elder (or two). This meeting is not an interrogation that should frighten the child or youth. It is merely an opportunity for the spiritual leaders of the church to ask a few questions to help ascertain the spiritual state of the child or youth’s heart.
The questions are not trick questions intended to trip anyone up. They are merely questions about what it means to be born again. A child will likely have less articulate answers, but even simple answers will indicate the person’s understanding.
The elders will then want to speak with the parents, either to suggest that they patiently wait and pray until the child is able to provide clearer answers, or to affirm that the child or youth appears to be born again and is ready to be baptized and begin receiving the Lord’s Supper.
What if the child is born again but the elders recommend waiting? Nothing is lost by waiting, and if the child is born again, but isn’t able to communicate that clearly enough, he or she will have clearer answers in time.
What if the child is deemed to be born again, but later turns in a direction that denies the previous profession of faith? First, that can happen no matter what a person’s age. Second, that will be the time when the parents and elders lovingly challenge the person to remember his or her profession of faith and baptism, and to repent, or at least admit that he or she is not born again. Third, everyone involved should pray for the individual’s conversion.
It is our conviction that a person must not be baptized unless the person is born again. It is also our conviction that regardless of age, people should not receive the Lord’s Supper unless they are born again and baptized.
e:\Documents\Literature\Booklets\Children Youth and the Sacraments.docx 2.0 6/2020