I enjoy reading Calvin on baptism. The other day I read something that has stuck in the back of my head, so I thought I’d share it and see what you think. Here is Calvin’s comments on who should administer the sacrament of baptism.

It is here also pertinent to observe, that it is improper for private individuals to take upon themselves the administration of baptism; for it, as well as the dispensation of the Supper, is part of the ministerial office. For Christ did not give command to any men or women whatever to baptise, but to those whom he had appointed apostles. And when, in the administration of the Supper, he ordered his disciples to do what they had seen him do (he having done the part of a legitimate dispenser), he doubtless meant that in this they should imitate his example.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). Institutes IV, xv, 20

I feel like it has become more common these days for churches to allow believers to baptize other believers, for example fathers baptizing their children. Personally, I like the idea of “protecting” the sacraments so that they don’t simply become “common.” But, I also wonder if this is an area that falls into the “priesthood of all believers.”

So, what do you think? Can any believer baptize? What scriptural support do you see for/against?

Photo Credit: Jeremy Nelson

Today I worked on a video that will be shown at Redemption Hill Church this coming Sunday. The video highlights some of the recent baptisms and, as I was editing the footage, I was reminded of what a amazing means of grace God has given us in the sacraments. So much more than empty rituals, they are active agents of God’s merciful kindness towards us. As I was thinking about this, I stumbled across this bit from Spurgeon and my soul was lifted up to God all the more:

Other means, however, are made use of to bless men’s souls. For instance, the two ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are both made a rich means of grace. But let me ask you, is there any thing in baptism that can possibly bless any body? Can immersion in water have the slightest tendency to be blessed to the soul? And then with regard to the eating of bread and the drinking of wine at the Lord’s Supper, can it by any means be conceived by any rational man that there is any thing in the mere piece of bread that we eat, or in the wine that we drink? And yet, doubtless, the grace of God does go with both ordinances for the confirming of the faith of those who receive them, and even for the conversion of those who look upon the ceremony. There must be something, then, beyond the outward ceremony; there must, in fact, be the Spirit of God, witnessing through the water, witnessing through the wine, witnessing through the bread, or otherwise none of these things could be means of grace to our souls. They could not edify; they could not help us to commune with Christ; they could not tend to the conviction of sinners, or to the establishment of saints. There must, then, from these facts, be a higher, unseen, mysterious influence — the influence of the divine Spirit of God.

Charles H. Spurgeon, vol. 5, Spurgeon’s Sermons: Volume 5, electronic ed., Logos Library System; Spurgeon’s Sermons (Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1998).

There are a lot of “rock-star” pastors these days. But, that’s nothing new. Heck, even before podcasts, blogs, and Twitter, people flocked to hear the big name preachers of their day (See: Whitfield, Spurgeon, Wesley, Finny, ect). It would seem that this can be traced all the way back to the early church where camps were forming around Paul and Apollos. (1 Corinthians 3:4)

One of the great problems with idolizing or over emphasizing a particular preacher, is that you often do so at the expense of hear what many other great preachers, like maybe the one in your church, has to say. This point was really brought home today as I was reading a biography on the great reformer, John Owen. It would appear that John himself was inclined to go and hear a “rock-star” of his day and, when a no-name preacher showed up, Owen almost missed out on hearing the very message that stirred his soul to God.

But the time had come when the burden was to fall from Owen’s shoulders; and few things in his life are more truly interesting than the means by which it was unloosed. Dr Edmund Calamy was at this time minister in Aldermanbury Chapel, and attracted multitudes by his manly eloquence. Owen had gone one Sabbath morning to hear the celebrated Presbyterian preacher, and was much disappointed when he saw an unknown stranger from the country enter the pulpit. His companion suggested that they should leave the chapel, and hasten to the place of worship of another celebrated preacher; but Owen’s strength being already exhausted, he determined to remain. After a prayer of simple earnestness, the text was announced in these words of Matt. 8:26, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Immediately it arrested the thoughts of Owen as appropriate to his present state of mind, and he breathed an inward prayer that God would be pleased by that minister to speak to his condition. The prayer was heard, for the preacher stated and answered the very doubts that had long perplexed Owen’s mind; and by the time that the discourse was ended, had succeeded in leading him forth into the sunshine of a settled peace. The most diligent efforts were used by Owen to discover the name of the preacher who had thus been to him “as an angel of God,” but without success.

John Owen, vol. 1, The Works of John Owen., ed. William H. Goold (Edinburg: T&T Clark), xxx–xxxi.

Reader, you don’t need a rock star preacher. Find a pastor that preaches God’s Word faithfully, and listen. It is likely God will use that preacher in far greater ways that a rock star.

Note: I grabbed the image of John Owen from Ocean’s Bridge. If you want to buy me a copy of the painting, I think the 72″x88″ one would be sweet! The original was was painted by John Greenhill and is currently in National Portrait Gallery, London.

My wrestling with the idea of baptizing children began in 2004, when my wife was pregnant with our first child. At the time, my struggle wasn’t about baptizing children, rather it was specifically about the baptizing of infants. I draw this distinction between baptizing infants and baptizing children because I believe it is an important one for this discussion. The issue of baptizing infants falls under the umbrella of what is known as padeobaptism, or as I prefer to call it, covenantal infant baptism. I don’t intend to discuss the baptism of infants here, but I draw the line between the two because I want to be clear that I am talking about credo (or confessional) baptism in this article. This is baptism, not based upon the covenantal promise given by God to parents, rather a person’s, in this case a child’s, confession of faith in Jesus.

Eventually my wife gave birth to our son, and 20 months later, our daughter. Since we were not attending a church that supported infant baptism, along with the fact that infant baptism wasn’t yet at the level of a conviction for me, we never baptized either of our kids as infants. Despite my leanings towards, and growing conviction concerning, covenantal infant baptism, it was when my son turned 5 and daughter turned 3 that I knew it was “too late” for me to baptize my kids based on the padeo-baptist framework. So, I was left wondering what to do. At what age, or what time should I discuss baptism with my kids? If they, at a very young age, say they want to be baptized, should I let them? What if I don’t think they are regenerate? What if I’m not sure of the state of their soul before God? What if I’m not sure they really grasp the truth of the Gospel? What am I to do? These were my wrestling.

On April 4, 2010, my wrestlings were resolved as both my children (ages 3 and 5) chose to enter the waters of baptism in obedience to Christ’s command, and as a declaration of faith to the Church and the world. As a father, I was both encouraged and enthralled to welcome my children as brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. Their baptism, like all the faithful before them, is valid, fruitful, and efficacious. Theirs is no “mock” baptism, trial run, or kiddy version. Like the faithful before and after them, my kids were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now, the purpose of the post, article, paper, or whatever you want to call it, is to explain the basis for which I believe it is appropriate and right for churches to baptize young children under a credo-baptism framework. For the sake of clarity, I will be using the term “young confessing children” throughout and, by this I mean those children under the age of 6 (+/-) who confess to have faith in Jesus as both their Lord and Savior.

My hope is that the arguments below will help give other parents and pastors food for thought in this critical area of church life.
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