INFANT BAPTISM BIBLICAL?
To Baptize or Not to Baptize Our Children? What Adam and I Learned About God’s Gift in the Water
When Adam and I sat down with our friend Pastor John Bambaro for our Diving Deeper series, we started with what felt like a loaded question:
“To baptize or not to baptize our children?”
Coming from a non-denominational background, infant baptism used to feel so foreign to us, maybe even wrong. We were used to baby dedications and seeing baptism as a public proclamation of my decision for Jesus. So when we started encountering Christians who baptized their babies, it honestly felt a little shocking.
But as we studied Scripture, dug into church history, and asked a lot of questions, our perspective changed in a really beautiful way. I want to share some of that journey with you here, not to win an argument, but to point you to the comfort and certainty God gives in His promises.
Do Our Kids Really Need Baptism?
A good starting place is the question Pastor John posed:
Do children need salvation?
Scripture’s answer is very clear and honestly, as a mom of four, I see it every day in my home:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, ESV)
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5, ESV)
My kids didn’t “learn” how to sin. It’s in them from the start, just like it’s in me. The Bible doesn’t talk about an “age of accountability”; it talks about all of us being born in sin and needing to be made new.
If that’s true, then our children don’t just need better behavior or Christian values; they need Jesus and His saving work applied to them just as much as we do.
What Is Baptism, Really?
This is where the biggest shift for us happened.
We had often heard: “Baptism is your way of publicly proclaiming your faith.” That’s partly true in that faith and baptism belong together, but in Scripture, baptism is described as something far deeper and more powerful than just a symbol or announcement.
Look at how the Bible talks about it:
“He saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
“Baptism… now saves you… as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21)
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
Baptism is described as:
a washing of regeneration
a saving act
a burial and resurrection with Christ
tied to the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38–39)
That’s not language of “I’m making a statement.” That’s language of God doing something.
Pastor John gave this beautiful picture: just as a baby breaks through the waters of birth into this world, in baptism we are “born again” through water and the Spirit (John 3:5). The church has always seen baptism as the place where Jesus applies His finished work to sinners, young and old.
“Let the Little Children Come to Me”
One of the passages that hit my mama-heart the hardest was this:
“Now they were bringing even infants to him… But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 18:15–16)
In Luke’s account, the word is “infants”—nursing babies.
Jesus doesn’t say, “Wait until they’re old enough to understand.” He says, bring them to Me. The question then becomes: Where has Jesus promised to meet us and give His saving gifts?
In His Word preached
In His Supper
And in baptism, where He places His Name on us
If baptism is truly God’s work, His promise, His washing, His gift, then it makes sense that we would rush to bring our most helpless, needy little ones to Him there.
From “What I Do for God” to “What God Does for Me”
One of the biggest mindset shifts for our family was how we thought about church and the Christian life.
We used to think mainly in terms of:
“I go to church to worship God. I decide for Jesus. I rededicate my life.”
Those things aren’t bad! But they can put a heavy spotlight on my sincerity, my feelings, my consistency. And what happens on the days when you’re struggling? When you’re stuck in sin, numb, or flooded with doubt?
Pastor John walked us through a different, more biblical emphasis:
Church is first and foremost where God serves us.
He speaks His Word of forgiveness.
He feeds us with Christ’s body and blood.
He claims us in the waters of baptism.
That means my assurance doesn’t rest on how strongly I believed at youth camp or how perfectly I’ve kept my promises to God. Instead, it rests on something objective, outside of me:
Jesus doesn’t lie.
Jesus said, “Be baptized…”
Jesus promised, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16)
When my heart feels wobbly, I don’t look inside for proof that I’m “really saved.” I look to what Jesus has done to me and for me, including the very real day He put His Name on me in baptism.
What This Means for Us as Parents
So, to circle back to the original question:
To baptize or not to baptize our children?
As Adam and I searched Scripture, we became convinced that baptism is not primarily about our child making a choice for God, but about God choosing and claiming our child.
That means:
We don’t baptize our kids to check a religious box.
We bring them to the font because they need salvation and Jesus has provided it.
We then raise them in the faith that is already given to them, teaching them, praying with them, taking them to church, and eventually bringing them to the Lord’s Table.
We’re not trying to “convert” our own children from the outside; we’re nurturing them in the faith into which they’ve been born again.
If this view of baptism feels new or even uncomfortable, I get it. I’ve been there. My encouragement is simply this:
Open your Bible. Read every passage on baptism in context. Ask the Lord to show you what He’s actually promising to do in that water.
Major Takeaways
Baptism is God’s saving work, not just our statement.
Scripture describes baptism as a washing of regeneration, a burying and rising with Christ, and something that “now saves you” (Titus 3:5; Romans 6:4; 1 Peter 3:21,). It’s an objective anchor outside your shifting emotions, God’s concrete promise applied to you and your children.As parents, we’re invited to bring our children to Jesus in baptism and then raise them in the faith they’ve received.
Because all are born in sin and need salvation (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, ESV), and because Jesus welcomes even infants (Luke 18:15–16, ESV), we have both the privilege and responsibility to bring our kids to the font, and then keep pointing them to Jesus through His Word, His church, and His ongoing grace.
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If you’re wrestling with this, you’re not alone. God isn’t afraid of your questions. He loves you, He loves your children, and in Christ He has given more than enough grace for all of you. 🌊✝️
