Paedobaptism (aka pedobaptism) is the practice of baptizing infants with water. Although popular in many religious circles, the practice reveals an immature understanding of the expectations from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit concerning water baptism for the church throughout scripture (Matthew 28:18-20).
In an attempted scriptural defense of the practice, its promoters will often cite passages referencing "household" baptisms (see Acts 16:15; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16) or Peter’s instructions (which references Joel 2:28-30) to, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)
Regarding these defenses, it should be remembered the usage of "children" does not necessitate the inclusion of infants (see Mark 13:12 which uses the same Greek word as Acts 2:39), and the totality of scripture (Psalm 119:160) describes the prerequisites of water baptism given by the Lord, which were practiced and taught by his apostles and prophets. Simply put, the water baptism commanded by the Lord is a believer’s baptism (Mark 16:15-16) and it requires an ability and desire from the person being baptized to confess their faith and repent of their sins (Jonah 4:11; Romans 7:9; 10:6-14; Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9).
A certain understanding of who we are, who God is, and the agreement we are entering into remains a key distinction between the Old Covenant the New Covenant. Misunderstanding this reality is a contributing factor to the immature understandings of God’s purpose for water baptism.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”” (Hebrews 8, NKJV)
- Paedobaptism reveals an immature understanding - 2026-01-31
- When art imitates lies - 2026-01-23
- Faith from the beginning - 2026-01-15