In respose to my question about baptism & my 6 yr. old daughter..?

Question

Children aren't baptised at birth. They are christened and it is a ceremony done simply to bless and protect the child. Baptism is a ceremony performed to repent...wash away all sins. Newborns aren't capable of sin...niether is a 6 year old. So what is there to repent about and how can you wash away your sins if you haven't sinned yet? All children shall come unto the lord. SHE IS A CHILD! Until she understands or shall I say feels like she has done wrong in the eyes of the Lord & wishes to make it right. She doesn't know sin yet is all i'm saying so how can she make right what isn't wrong?

That's my main concern right there. Is the church trying to get a grip on anybody & everybody to prove something's happening in their church that isn't really there. I mean I'm sure the man that was baptised that Sun. felt the presence of the Lord & repented whole heartedly...but he was a grown man with an acceptable amount of knowledge to base his decision. My daughter has a relationship w/ the Lord. I have no doubt of that & I'm proud...but what i'm struggling w/ is should I let her do it for the show of it (b/c i think that on the behalf of the church) & then her do it again when it's acutally the right time? B/c it seems to be making light of the meaning & the ceremony symbolizm if she does it & doesn't know fully why. I'm so confused!!! I just want to do the right thing for my daughter. Sorry to keep going on & on

I agree w/ u 100%. I guess I should have chosen different words. I agree we are all born with sin but what I meant was she doesn't understand nor have the knowledge to be aware if she is or is not willingly choosing to commit a sin if she happens to. She's not aware of that severity of right or wrong...to distinguish between just doing something she shouldn't or doing something that is concidered a sin. I also agree w/ you that I need to brush up on my Bible skills but I'm speaking from what I feel in my heart. I believe in God. I don't believe you have to go to church & sit with a bunch of people there only for social & popularity reasons. (Not everyone is like that...I know there are true believers) to make it to heaven. I believe it's the relationship you have w/ God. That's something ONLY He & I know & honestly He's the only one to choose either way. I fully trust it to God as well as with my daughter. Maybe I should have asked God what to do huh?

Answer 1

You would be surprised at how fast children grow into understanding the difference between right and wrong these days. I have seen six year olds baptized, but it was only after much councelling with the family and the child that the minister agreed to the baptism. The key is does your daughter understand baptism? If yes, then she is one step closer to being baptized. Does your child understand why we are baptized? Does your child understand the difference between "right and wrong"? Does your child have a relationship with Christ? Does she understand why He came? Does she understand why He died?

Talk to her about it and pray with her. She will let you know if she is ready for baptism.

Answer 2

This seems a rather a blanket statement.
My kids were taught from birth, and by two or three were *very* clear on right/wrong and all the basics of sin, redemption, and the requirements for salvation. We dedicated them to God and pledged to raise them with knowledge of God and His Word as babies, but when they were almost 3 they prayed a prayer of repentance, received the lordship of Christ, and were baptised by immersion at 6 and 8 years old.
I do believe that a parent's spiritual authority-- even by New Testament standards, has much more power than most traditionalists of the Baptist doctrines are willing to concede, but this is based on tradition, and not Scripture. When a man received Christ as Savior, he was promised that he AND his household received salvation. All through the Bible, the authority, blessings, and curses of a parent over his children were powerful, effective, and often irrevocable.

Answer 3

Baptism is really an outward symbol of what's happened on the inside. When we decide to follow Christ and accept that His death is the sacrifice for our sins we enter into a new life. The baptism is a picture of this - going down into to the water is like burying our old life and coming back up is entering our new life. I believe the Bible teaches that we're all selfish and flawed and that's why we need a savior. But I believe it also teaches that children belong to the kingdom of heaven (see Luke 18: 15-17). Children are innocent before the Lord and full of faith. Perhaps she wants to express that faith? Baptism isn't just about washing sins away. It's truly the blood of Jesus that washes us clean. The baptism is symbolic of the fact that the believer is putting his/her faith in Jesus.

Answer 4

I hear you. The Church where I attend asks for its members, voluntarily, to be baptised as a testament of their Faith. The act istself does not "wash away" sin, as only Christ can do that. Since Christ Himself was a perfect man without sin, then there was no sin to wash away through baptism. Rather, He did it as an example for us to follow as a profession of one's Faith.

As for young children, many of them learn to lie at an early age, and despite their intent, this is a sin and violation of the 8th Commandment. Most pastors will tell you, and I believe as well, that a person is not truly held accountable for their sins until they reach the point of understanding. This of course varies from person to person, and only God can judge.

There are those who are baptised and not saved, and there are those who are saved and never baptised. Again, it is only Christ that can remove sin. The best that we can do as parents is to set an example and share the Word with our children. They will communicate to us when they are ready to preofess their Faith through baptism.

Answer 5

When we are born when adam and eve sinned we because they are our grandparents we cut off from the source of life, Jesus the second member of the God head came to give us a second nature instead of the dead nature, satans we have, when He died and rose again this is what being baptized is about, and anyone who is old enough to decide between wrong and right despite how old anyone understanding they can be forever lost is old enough to go to be baptized, its
God who is drawing and if that child WHO IS GOD'S CHILD NOT YOURS is pushed away they might not want to come to Him in the future, hay how about free bible lessons www.itiswritten.com and visit a seventh day adventist church in your area, "IF" we love Him keep His commandments, and the fourth says to keep the Sabbath and did you know that is saturday and not the first day of the week sunday, for in six days God created the heavens and the earth and rested on the SEVENTH DAY, no where does it say to keep the first day holy and you can not keep holy a day God did not make holy, and Jesus followers kept seventh day as sabbath LONG after Christ returned to heaven, with all do respect to your personal relationship to God the papcy, that is the roman catholic church is why you go to church on sunday and the papcy is very proud of that fact, hay free bible lessons www.itiswritten.com Talk to me via email [e-mail] God bless

Answer 6

What they mean with wash away all sins, they mean birth sins. In some religions they believe we have sins right from birth. The sins of Adam and Eve. They sined and those sins went on to all people born after that.

Answer 7

This is typical of all churches who are in the business of getting and holding followers in any way they can. Of course your child has not sinned but the church knows that the younger they get them the stronger will be their grip. As the Jesuits say "give us a child before the age of seven and we will give you a Catholic for life."

Answer 8

supposedly what they told me when i went to have my niece baptized is that it is to wash away the first original sin which is the sin of adam and eve. and to wash away the sin of your parents which i think is dumb because its not the babies fault that other people sin and who is to say they did sin. Anyway even though I dont agree with it that is what we were told the baptism is for. Hope I helped

Answer 9

Have you ever heard of "Hereditary Sickness"?

Well sins work the same way. According to scripture sins of the fore fathers can be passed down through the generations... you have the devil to thank for that.

Baptism is important.... but I can see that it is you who have reservations about it. You are intitled to your beliefs and reservations especially when it comes to your child.

I wish you and your family well.

Answer 10

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