Part 1: Approaching the question:

The question of the inclusion of the children of believers by baptism in the church of Christ is not difficult. The whole Word of God, the promises of the gospel the whole work of grace testifies that children of believers are included in the assembly of the people of God, It testifies that they as a body, though not every individual, are the church of Christ in its infancy, "For of such is the kingdom of God," Mark 10:14.

Children's exclusion an innovation

The notion that children of believers are now excluded is an innovation. It is simply a fact that through all the ages of the Old Testament, children belonged to the household of faith,the church. This was true for Adam and Eve, in Abel and Seth, true for Noah in the ark, true for Abraham and his seed and true for Israel when God brought them out of Egypt by Moses and gave them the land of Canaan under Joshua.

When the Word of God makes a change, such as their exclusion would entail, it always does so explicitly. This is true for the passing away of the sacrifices in the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:11-14) and the fulfilment of the temple of God in the church as the spiritual temple of God ( Eph. 2:20-22).

When there is a change, it is always made clear in the Word. The analogy of the inclusion of the Gentiles into the people of God, which was of earthquake proportions to the, then, Jewish New Testament church, makes this clear. God speaks to Peter in a vision at Joppa, The Holy Spirit is poured out first on the half-Jewish, half-Gentile Samaritans and then on Gentile Cornelius and his house. The church stands in awe of the wonder which God is now doing by His grace, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto Life." Acts 11:18. Children's exclusion would be a like innovation, Where is it taught in the Word of God? Nowhere!

Moreover, where such changes occur, it has always the character of raising the people of God to a better level of salvation and blessing than that which preceded. The earthly temple gives way to the spiritual and heavenly. The sacrifices of bulls and goats gives way to that of Christ, the Lamb of God. The church becomes broader and now includes the Gentiles, while God's believing people of the Jews were brought into the fulfillment of God's promises (Acts. 13:32, 33). Every advance in the work of salvation, leads God's people into better blessings. The church never loses anything of God's grace and gifts.

Children of believing parents are "an heritage of the Lord," (Psalm 127:3), but now on exclusionist principles they are such no more. God promises to be a God unto Abraham and his seed (Gen. 17:7). But now, though believers, Jew and Gentile, in Christ are 'Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise," (Gal. 3:29), this is no longer true. The promise has been changed. It no longer embraces their children, even when the apostles preach otherwise, Acts 2:39 and Acts 16:31.

The exclusionist's principles are contrary to the nature of God's grace, the progress of the work of redemption, and the Word of God.

Exclusion a misuse of the Scriptures

Nor will it do to point to some texts about believing and baptizing and twist them out of context. The passage in Mark 16:18 may illustrate this. In Mark 16 :18 Jesus says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." In the context Jesus has just set before His disciples the commission to preach the gospel to every creature. What then is verse 18? It is a promise to the apostles and God's people about the two-fold reality and fruit of that mission work, namely: that believers are saved and unbelievers are damned. What the text is not, is a command about how to administer baptism. It is a promise about mission work, not a command about baptism. That it speaks of believing and baptizing is the natural order of the matter on the mission field.

But there is more, Scripture interprets Scripture. How did the apostles actually carry out the work of missions and baptize new converts? The answer is very simple. Those who believed were baptized and their household (Acts 10:44, 47; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:31-34). The fact is that it does not matter even whether there were infants in these households. The texts teach that, what the Word of God has always taught, is still true, that God sets His grace in families and saves not merely individuals, but a people for Himself in the generations of believers.

Moreover on exclusionist principles the apostles Peter and Paul have no business even preaching the way they do. Peter preached "For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call," Acts 2:39. On what basis may he mention children according to exclusionist principles? He may not. He was preaching moreover, to a Jewish audience steeped in God's promise to Abraham, "to be a God unto thee and thy seed after thee," Gen.17:7. How contradictory of Peter if God no more includes children and families as families in His church. Paul likewise says to the Philippian jailor, personally as a parent, father, and husband, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,"Acts 16:31.Note too that the expression, "and thy house," is a promise to the jailor. On children's exclusionist's principles, Paul may not even preach this way.

Likewise those who would exclude the children of believers come with the false argument that is sometimes raised that the whole matter must be decided only on the basis of New Testament texts. Since when did only one portion of the revealed will of God become the will of God for the church? Such an approach is a blatant denial of the Word of God, which says, ' All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," II Tim. 3:16. All Scripture means all Scripture. Such a false division of the Word of God is not the Christian gospel; it is the doctrine of cults.

The same false argument is raised with the demand for a text specifically commanding infant baptism and their inclusion.This is nothing more than a demand that God repeat Himself. That, what He has oft declared as to the place of children of believers among the people of God, be said all over again to the satisfaction of men. Note too that such a demand does not arise out of any text of the Scriptures, but man's demand for proof to satisfy men. If adultery was now claimed to be approved of God, such a demand would be reasonable, as the whole Bible condemns it. As was pointed out above that is why the new reality that the Gentiles should be co-citizens with the saints, which was new, was repeatedly emphasized. That is not the case with the inclusion of children. It is their exclusion which requires proof.

Maintaining the whole Word of God

The Scriptures as a whole must be taken seriously. When that is done the truth of the matter is indeed simple, though in need of careful distinction. God's promises are for a believer and his seed in their generations. God saves not mere individuals, but in His grace saves a believer and his house. Salvation is personal, but not individualistic. While not every child head for head, who is baptized is saved or chosen of God, (neither are adults) yet God is pleased of the children of believers to save and gather a spiritual seed for Himself and to command His grace from generation to generation of those that fear Him. The children of believers, as a body, are the church of Christ in its infancy and are to be baptized as a sign and seal of that which they have in Christ. Baptism is God's Word visibly represented, a sign and seal by which God puts His name upon His people and separates us from the children of this world unto fellowship in the blood of Christ (Matt. 28:19). It is an outward and visible sign and seal of an inward and invisible grace of God which God works in His grace to believers and their seed, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call," Acts 2:39.

Note also that baptism "into the name of..." means that God is speaking an not man. While in the case of adults baptism maybe accompanied by a confession of faith, baptism is not man's confession. We are "being baptized" something passive in Scripture. God speaks in baptism and not man. God puts his name upon us, not we, our name upon Him (Matt. 28:19).

This is the consistent truth of the Scriptures concerning the inclusion of the children of believers in the people of God. It is the truth, because God is that kind of God, Christ that kind of Savior, the gospel that gospel. For one who has an exclusionist background this entire way of looking at the matter involves putting on different glasses as it were. This is part of the inherent difficulty. The exclusionist postion involves a fundamentally unscriptual way of looking at the whole issue. It involves seeing only half of the gospel. It involves thinking of salvation in only unbiblical individualistic terms. Part 2 of this matter addresses the subject in outline form in a postive manner:

By Rev. Thomas Miersma

In addressing the question there are three sections

• Exclusion is an innovation
  
  
• It is a misuse of the Scriptures
  
  
• That we are to maintian the whole Word of God
  
  

The second part addresses in outline form the unity of the word of God in Christ concerning the place and inclusion of Children

• What we maintain
  
  

See also What Jesus said in the following articles

• God's will and believers and their seed
  
  
• The nature of his flock
  
  
• His kingdom
  
  
• One people of God
  
  
• Children's inclusion
  
  
• Baptism
  
  

The Baptism Form, which is a confessional statement of the doctrine both of baptism and children's inclusion

• Baptism form
  
  

The Covenant of Grace


The Covenant of Grace and the Children of Believers


The Covenant God's Tabernacle with Men


Ground of Infant Baptism


Infant Baptism and Sovereign Grace


The Mode of Baptism