At What Age Should A Child NOT Be Baptized?

[KMK]

What is the age limit in which a child can receive baptism based on the faith of the parent?

 

[Whitefield]

Ken, my rule of thumb has tended to be when the child has acquired sufficient verbal skills to express their will. "I want a cracker" "Don't wanna go to bed" "Watch Blue's Clues", etc., then they are too old for infant baptism. This is a bit of a gray area, too old for paedo and too young for credo.

 

[Edward]

What is the age limit in which a child can receive baptism based on the faith of the parent?

If this is a test, I believe the correct answer would be that age where the child would be able to make a credible profession of faith if called to do so.

As a practical matter, that's probably going to be about 11 years old, give or take a year, for most children.

Most cases I can recall of a non - infant child being baptised was in cases where the parents were joining after having gone to a previously credo church, and the child was baptized in connection with the parents joining, or the child was baptized when a younger sibling was (again, most frequently of parents who had previously been members of a credo church).

 

[lynnie]

Indifferentism and Rigorism

(Vern Poythress is a prof at Westminster TS)

 

[reformedminister]

Pardon me if I am wrong but I don't believe there is any Biblical evidence to support the idea of drawing a line when they are too young or old for Baptism. "And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." (Acts 16:33)

 

[Whitefield]

Pardon me if I am wrong but I don't believe there is any Biblical evidence to support the idea of drawing a line when they are too young or old for Baptism. "And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." (Acts 16:33)

and the ages of "he and all his" are?

 

[Turtle]

What is the age limit in which a child can receive baptism based on the faith of the parent?

The household of Lydia (Acts 16:15) could have been used to reveal the answer. Alas.

 

[Confessor]

Yeah, I didn't realize there could be an age limit, inasmuch as the child is still under the head of the household, and the head of the household is a believer.

 

[chbrooking]

Pardon me if I am wrong but I don't believe there is any Biblical evidence to support the idea of drawing a line when they are too young or old for Baptism. "And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." (Acts 16:33)

I hate to engage in casuistry, but your statement is best answered with an extreme situation.

A man and his wife become believers at the ripe young age of 62. They have a son who is pursuing his doctorate at whatever-U. He lives at home, since the school happens to be three blocks away, they have an unused in-law-suite, and it doesn't really make sense financially for him to live elsewhere. He's 27, and claims to be an agnostic.

Does he get baptized?

On the one hand, you've got the command to Abraham to circumcise even his household servants -- but not many of us would demand that our pool-guy be circumcised. Even in the OT, if someone would convert, he was to be circumcised. So there is a distinction between coming in of your own accord, and being brought in through your parents. Where's the line? At what point would you need to be brought in of your own accord?

My answer has already been given -- at the point at which he or she would be able to profess. I'm reluctant to give an age -- just as I don't like putting an age on communicant membership. I think this is an issue for the wisdom of elders. And, thankfully, for that calling, God equips.

 

[reformedminister]

and the ages of "he and all his" are?

The ESV says "all his family". Household baptisms would include everyone living in one's house, under the leadership of the householder. It would include infants, small children who could speak intelligible words, and even slaves.

 

[Whitefield]

and the ages of "he and all his" are?
The ESV says "all his family". Household baptisms would include everyone living in one's house, under the leadership of the householder. It would include infants, small children who could speak intelligible words, and even slaves.

You are assuming there were such in his household. Scripture does not say.

 

[chbrooking]

and the ages of "he and all his" are?

The ESV says "all his family". Household baptisms would include everyone living in one's house, under the leadership of the householder. It would include infants, small children who could speak intelligible words, and even slaves.

What about your aging mother-in-law, who is now under your roof? Does she get baptized? What if she doesn't want to? (I hope you aren't going to say "cut her off", i.e. kill her)

-----Added 4/27/2009 at 09:17:51 EST-----

I was re-baptized (read actually baptized) after my salvation

You just couldn't resist, huh?

 

[chbrooking]

You just couldn't resist, huh?

Well I mean no offense by it. That is what I believe Scripture teaches, so of course I intended my statement to be read from a baptistic perspective. I in no way try to belittle the beliefs of my Presbyterian brothers, though.

I don't take offense at your errors
But this is a board for paedo's to answer

 

[AThornquist]

... My bad. Deleted my posts.

 

[Hamalas]

... My bad. Deleted my posts.

You better get out of town boy....there ain't room here for the both of us!

 

[larryjf]

Anyone under the authority of the head of the household would be baptized. There would be different ages depending on different cultures...but for instance, in the U.S.A. the age of no longer being under your parents authority is 18. Therefore at 18 they would no longer be baptized as part of those under the head of the household.

 

[OPC'n]

I was baptized when I was about 15 yr old and I wasn't a Christian. My pastor said I was still under my mother's authority so it counted.

 

[Edward]

Anyone under the authority of the head of the household would be baptized. There would be different ages depending on different cultures...but for instance, in the U.S.A. the age of no longer being under your parents authority is 18. Therefore at 18 they would no longer be baptized as part of those under the head of the household.

You'd baptize a 17 year old of normal mental capacity who hasn't/can't make a profession of faith?

Do you think that is in keeping with the WCF?

"IV. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized"

 

[Theognome]

970.

Theognome

 

[Turtle]

and the ages of "he and all his" are?
The ESV says "all his family". Household baptisms would include everyone living in one's house, under the leadership of the householder. It would include infants, small children who could speak intelligible words, and even slaves.

You are assuming there were such in his household. Scripture does not say.

We could assume Lydia and the jailer had sextuplets all under the age of 3 months.

But I'm ok with just reading it as household and leaving it at that.

 

[larryjf]

Anyone under the authority of the head of the household would be baptized. There would be different ages depending on different cultures...but for instance, in the U.S.A. the age of no longer being under your parents authority is 18. Therefore at 18 they would no longer be baptized as part of those under the head of the household.

You'd baptize a 17 year old of normal mental capacity who hasn't/can't make a profession of faith?

Do you think that is in keeping with the WCF?

"IV. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized"

Excellent point...i will have to pray about this.
Thanks for the correction.

 

[Whitefield]

and the ages of "he and all his" are?

The ESV says "all his family". Household baptisms would include everyone living in one's house, under the leadership of the householder. It would include infants, small children who could speak intelligible words, and even slaves.

You are assuming there were such in his household. Scripture does not say.

We could assume Lydia and the jailer had sextuplets all under the age of 3 months.

But I'm ok with just reading it as household and leaving it at that.

Cool .. and what is the Greek word for household in Acts 16:33?

 

[Edward]

Anyone under the authority of the head of the household would be baptized. There would be different ages depending on different cultures...but for instance, in the U.S.A. the age of no longer being under your parents authority is 18. Therefore at 18 they would no longer be baptized as part of those under the head of the household.

You'd baptize a 17 year old of normal mental capacity who hasn't/can't make a profession of faith?

Do you think that is in keeping with the WCF?

"IV. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized"

Excellent point...i will have to pray about this.
Thanks for the correction.

Well, upon looking it up, I'm not sure that my position doesn't need some correction downward, as well. Now I'm going to have to find time to try to research the original intent of the drafters.

 

[reformedminister]

.. and what is the Greek word for household in Acts 16:33?

.

Excuse me. I am making a point concerning household baptisms. If we are going to get technichal about this then I will make my point from Acts 16:15. Thanks for calling me on that. I think some good examples have been mad concerning this question. We don't want to get too hypothetical. What does the Scripture say, and what does it not? If we have any questions in between, then we must seriously pray about it and seek some godly counsel from more than one credible source The more real scenarios that may approach the hypothetical, the more we shoudl pray and use some common sense.

 

[Whitefield]

.. and what is the Greek word for household in Acts 16:33?

.

Excuse me. I making a point concerning household baptisms. If we are going to get technichal about this then we can use my example from Acts 16:15.

I know, sorry, I was joking a little with Turtle. But, seriously, until the contents of the household are defined, one cannot extrapolate from the word household.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

The Bible is replete with descriptions of households, and we certainly know that many of them explicitly included "little ones," or babes in arms.

So, unless one has already decided that these households simply cannot, for some theological a priori, contain such persons, then the presumption favors the abandonment of any prejudgment as to what such a household might contain. The word must be accepted according to the general biblical usage, and not restricted. The whole authority structure is assumed by the language.

 

[Whitefield]

The Bible is replete with descriptions of households, and we certainly know that many of them explicitly included "little ones," or babes in arms.

So, unless one has already decided that these households simply cannot, for some theological a priori, contain such persons, then the presumption favors the abandonment of any prejudgment as to what such a household might contain. The word must be accepted according to the general biblical usage, and not restricted. The whole authority structure is assumed by the language.

Presumption seems to me to be a very thin rope upon which to suspend a doctrine of baptism (cf. Post #5 above).

 

[Whitefield]

Just so there is no confusion, I am a paedobaptist.

 

[Turtle]

.. and what is the Greek word for household in Acts 16:33?

.

Excuse me. I making a point concerning household baptisms. If we are going to get technichal about this then we can use my example from Acts 16:15.

I know, sorry, I was joking a little with Turtle. But, seriously, until the contents of the household are defined, one cannot extrapolate from the word household.

Just imagine the state of mind of the jailer who was barely saved from killing himself because he thought Paul and all the prisoners had fled after the earthquake. Can you imagine his shock and respect to Paul and Silas and his dramatic rush of emotion? The man went from a sword on his own neck to salvation in minutes. His wife was nearly a widow and his children orphans. Can you imagine the exuberance of the jailer as he brought all of his straightway to be baptized? I can just picture the jailer and his family pulling in the donkey, cats, pots, and pans, etc. while Paul and Silas grinned at their childlike zeal and enthusiasm and had to explain it again. ..Or maybe there weren't any almost-orphans.

 

[Confessor]

Anyone under the authority of the head of the household would be baptized. There would be different ages depending on different cultures...but for instance, in the U.S.A. the age of no longer being under your parents authority is 18. Therefore at 18 they would no longer be baptized as part of those under the head of the household.

I think this really demarcates an excellent distinction between living in a household and actually being under the sovereignty of the head of the household. It might be a hard age exactly to pinpoint, but my answer would be whenever the person is considered not to be under the head of the household.

Until then, even if the person is an incorrigible and reprobate seventeen-year-old, if he is under the care of the head of the household and attending church with his family, then I would say he gets baptized. He is part of the covenant community at that point. Baptism is supposed to more reflect a jurisdictional claim than a soteriological claim, anyway.