Infant baptism is of course a joke but it's been in vogue for centuries in the Catholic and many of the "high" Protestant churches. They make it a step towards salvation by a misreading of the Gospels. Too, the purpose is to make the parents feel good in thinking that this makes their children Christians, which it does not.
As well, it adds numbers to these churches. For example, the Church of England can claim thousands more as part of their Church by infant baptism. The unsaved in England get the message. Recently, many of their members have held "de-baptism" services in order to get themselves or their children out of that apostate religious organization.
But the Church of England has gone one step further in admitting the joke of their baptismal ceremonies. They have shortened the services and down graded the language so that those going through the services might understand just a little bit more of what they are doing in baptism.
Why is it that those closest to that Church do not see the stupidity and hypocrisy of the dead ceremony of what they are doing? Why is it that no one reads the Bible as to what baptism is really all about? Why is it that human nature gravitates to error more quickly than the truth? The high churches use Mark 10:14 ("Permit the little children to come unto Me") as one of their verses claiming infant or child baptism. Of course Mark 10 won't work. This has nothing to do with child baptism! And they use the passage about Crispus who believed "with all his household" (Acts 18:8) to claim that there had to be children in the house who came to Christ along with the adults. (See also 11:14). All such claims fall flat! They have no basis whatever in attempting to prove infant or child baptism (and salvation).
I believe the youngest child who can exercise true faith and belief is indeed saved! God has mercy on those who cannot put forth such belief. Most evangelicals hold to the fact that God shows grace on the children who are below the age of accountability. While we may not know what that is, we trust God's faithfulness and fairness in this matter of silence. But for certain, infant baptism is not biblical for putting the child into the church or for saving the child without true trust in Christ for his salvation.
The Church of England is so ritualistic that few trust its proclamations. And few could explain salvation or Christianity from all of the coated-over ritual that it is putting forth for popular consumption. Apostasy is alive and well with most of our churches. We cannot be far off from the rapture of true believers. The wrath is not far behind!
--Dr. Mal Couch (2/11)
