"Ipaglaban mo nang puspusan ang pananampalataya. Panghawakan mong mabuti ang buhay na walang hanggan, dahil diyan ka tinawag ng Diyos nang ipahayag mo sa harap ng maraming saksi ang iyong pananalig kay Cristo." I Tim. 6:12

May 24, 2010

Infant Baptism?


Catholics always wondering why does INC members not baptized when they are infants? They even show bible verses that they say, “PROOFS” that even Christ demonstrated that little children/ infants should be baptized.

The verses that consider by nonmembers as proofs:

"People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them." Luke 18:15
"Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them." Matt. 19:13

Notice what Christ did to the infants or young children who were being brought to him—He laid his hands on and prayed for them. This is not baptism and is different from what is done to one who is baptized (Matt. 3:13-16, Acts 8:36-38)

Baptism is not for infants, but for those who have been taught the gospel and believed in it as the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught:

"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:15-16


Having no capacity to understand yet, infants and little children can not believe in the gospel. Faith or belief in the gospel is attained by listening to the message preached by the messenger of God (Rom. 10:17, 14-15). For the listener to have genuine faith, he should have the faculty to comprehend and believe, which infants do not have. Hence, infants should not be baptized.

Thus, in the Church of Christ today, infants are dedicated to God through prayer as set by the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the very verses that the nonmembers say as being “PROOF”:

"Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there." Matt. 19:13-15

But when they grow up and reach the age of 12, Iglesia ni Cristo children are given instructions in biblical doctrines and they baptized , in consonance with the Lord’s command that all those who are made disciples should be baptized
(Matt. 28:19).

Moreover, since baptism is to be administered for the forgiveness of one’s sins (and to commit a sin is to transgress God’s law of which little children are not capable of doing) infants, therefore, should not be baptized at the age of their lives (Acts. 2:38; I Jn. 3:4). AGAIN, Baptism is not for infants or children who have not reached the age of discretion.


History
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"Scholars disagree on the date when infant baptism was first practiced. Some believe that 1st-century Christians did not practice it, noting the lack of any explicit evidence of paedobaptism. Others, noting the lack of any explicit evidence of exclusion of paedobaptism, believe that they did, understanding biblical references to individuals "and [her] household" being baptized (Acts 16:15, Acts 16:31-33, 1 Corinthians 1:16) as well as "the promise to you and your children" (Acts 2:39)as including small children and infants.

While the earliest extra-biblical directions for baptism, which occurs in the Didache (c. 100), speaks to the baptism of adults, rather than young children, since it requires that the person to be baptised should fast, writings of the second and early third century indicate that Christians baptized infants too. Irenaeus (c. 130–202) speaks not only of children but even of infants being "born again to God" and three passages of Origen (185–c. 254) mention infant baptism as traditional and customary.

Tertullian (c. 155–230) too, while advising postponement of baptism until after marriage, mentions that it was customary to baptise infants, with sponsors speaking on their behalf.

The Apostolic Tradition, attributed to Hippolytus of Rome (died 235), describes how to perform the ceremony of baptism; it states that children were baptised first, and if any of them could not answer for themselves, their parents or someone else from their family was to answer for them.

While they acknowledge that in the third century the practice of infant baptism was believed to be of apostolic origin, some writers deny that it was in use in the first century. Some of them link infant baptism with the use of baptismal methods other than total immersion, and deny, in spite of the evidence of the Didache, that those methods were used in the first century.

From at least the third century onward Christians baptized infants as standard practice, although some preferred to postpone baptism until late in life, so as to ensure forgiveness for all their preceding sins." source: wikipedia

For the full content, click here.


Wow, Not even a practice in the first century. Meaning, another added doctrine! Tsk. Tsk.



3 comments:

  1. Oo alam kong Blog ito ng Kapatid ko ng si Read Me. plano ko rin na gumawa nito nuon, pero hindi ko na ninais pa na ituloy, para lang ipagtanggol ang pananamplataya ng Iglesia Ni Cristo sa mga nang uupat at nanguusig sa amin. Sapat na siguro ang isang Site na ito. Contra sa mga Site nyo na nagkalat, at nagkakalat, at mahilig magkalat ng mga pagtutungayaw at paninira, na wala namang ibedensya.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wala pong problema Brod, Basta po kaya kong tumulong gagawin ko. Regards sa buo nyong Pamilya.

    Salamat sa mga pagpupunyagi at pagpapagal mo na gumawa ng Blogs na ito.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BROD README
    GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

    SALAMAT DITO SA BLOG MO, ALAM KO GINAGAMIT DIN ITO NG AMANG DIOS PARA MAKILALA PA NG MARAMING TAO ANG IGLESIA AT NG SILAY MALIGTAS.

    AT MAKATULONG SA MARAMING KAPATID ABROAD.

    MABUHAY ANG IGLESIA NI CRISTO SA BUONG MUNDO.

    BAGWIS2010

    ReplyDelete

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