When should my son be baptised?

Status
Not open for further replies.

S. Spence

Puritan Board Freshman
Having just become a Dad for the first time, I was wondering when should my son Jonah be baptised. He's only one month old at the moment but we (my wife and myself) have only been members of our Reformed Presbyterian church for about two months and as we have come from a Baptist background we're not sure at what age infants should be baptised at.

Oh as well could someone tell me how to change my signature?
 
Last edited:
If you're members there, then I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to do it as soon as possible. There's no 'magic age' by any means. As you are members of a Reformed Presbyterian church, as your children, they should be marked with the sign and seal of the promise - and unless you expect NOT to do it, there's really no reason to delay.

for your signature, it can be changed by clicking on the "User CP Panel" button, and selecting "Edit your Signature" from the items in the left-hand column that will appear when you click the button.
 
The Reformed practice has always been to have the baby baptized as soon as practical. So, basically, if the parents and the baby can go to church the baby ought to be baptized.
 
As soon as possible. To delay is a sin.

I don't know you that well, so I'll have to ask...You're joking, right?

WCF Chap XXVIII

V. Although it be a great sin to condemn or neglect this ordinance,

To delay is sinful in so far as such delay represents neglect, that is the confessional position and is certainly no joke.

Note to moderators: I believe that the confessional texts hosted on this site contain an error in this section where they say "contemn" instead of condemn. This appears to be a common error in the reproduced text.
 
THE WESTMINSTER
CONFESSION OF FAITH

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Of Baptism.

V. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.

Oops.... Hippo beat me to it...
 
Note to moderators: I believe that the confessional texts hosted on this site contain an error in this section where they say "contemn" instead of condemn. This appears to be a common error in the reproduced text.

My Free Presbyterian edition has "contemn" which would certainly be possible.

contemn, despise, scorn, disdain (look down on with disdain) "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately"

Chris Coldwell can weigh in on this. He's the expert.
 
That would explain the frequency with which this text is found, I assumed it was an error because my Logos version says condemn.

I love new words, time to lord it over my colleagues at work with my new found knowledge of the English languge.
 
WCF Chap XXVIII

V. Although it be a great sin to condemn or neglect this ordinance,

To delay is sinful in so far as such delay represents neglect, that is the confessional position and is certainly no joke.

But Delay does not equal Neglect. I'm fine with the way you phrased it, but I don't think it is accurate to plainly say that delay = sin. Delay can be a lot of things, so suggesting it is sin implies that the child needs to be baptized in the delivery room.
 
WCF Chap XXVIII

V. Although it be a great sin to condemn or neglect this ordinance,

To delay is sinful in so far as such delay represents neglect, that is the confessional position and is certainly no joke.

But Delay does not equal Neglect. I'm fine with the way you phrased it, but I don't think it is accurate to plainly say that delay = sin. Delay can be a lot of things, so suggesting it is sin implies that the child needs to be baptized in the delivery room.

We delayed our first daughter's baptism so that my parents could be with us for the baptism. Were we in sin for doing so?
 
Thanks for the replies guys. It was Jonah's first day out at Church last Sunday, so I guess the answer would be as soon as possible.
 
This is an excellent article written by Vern Poythress who is a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary which is paedo baptist, as is Vern himself. ( he is ordained in the PCA)

However, this addresses the subject to people who are more credo baptist, or not sure which side they are on as they move towards Reformed doctrine, with an appeal to the fact that if you belive that baptism must await evidence of regeneration, children at a very young age can show that new heart and new spirit inside them, given by God. He appeals for Baptists to recognize the evidence for regeneration of children at certainly age 4-5 and even younger, as young as age 2.

Here is one snip:

What are the implications for small children? A profession of faith by a small child may be genuine, even though it does not show all the maturity that characterizes a profession by a spiritually mature adult. We must not impose rigoristic standards for a profession of faith, such as only a adult or teenager could meet. We must recognize that Christian faith is primarily personal trust in Christ rather than intellectual mastery or technical skill in verbal articulation of the truth. On the other hand, after a child has professed faith, we must avoid the indifferentist error. The child needs much instruction, much time, and much growth to come to maturity.

Baptism has a role to play. Baptism marks the inception of Christian living and the beginning of membership in the church. It ought not to be confined to those with some kind of mature or long-tested faith. We must avoid rigorism at this point if we are to practice genuine love toward children. Hence, we need to baptize small children who give a credible profession of faith. Leaders will find that as they adjust to the capabilities of children, and the congregation becomes used to instructing and exhorting children in an appropriate way at an early age, the age of baptismal candidates will decrease down to three or even two years.

Change in this area is not optional: it is an implication of practicing biblical love towards children.




Indifferentism and Rigorism

Indifferentism and Rigorism in the Church:
With Implications for Baptizing Small Children

by Vern Sheridan Poythress


Westminster Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 27009
Philadelphia, PA 19118-0009


[Published in Westminster Theological Journal 59/1 (1997) 13-29. Used with permission.]
************

I do hope you will read this. If your credo conscience will not allow you to baptize your baby, perhaps it will help you avoid thinking that your child must be 14 or 16 or so and have their systematic theology all figured out before they can get baptized. Perhaps you find a middle ground of baptizing with evidence of regeneration, but realizing that can be seen at a very early age.
 
WCF Chap XXVIII



To delay is sinful in so far as such delay represents neglect, that is the confessional position and is certainly no joke.

But Delay does not equal Neglect. I'm fine with the way you phrased it, but I don't think it is accurate to plainly say that delay = sin. Delay can be a lot of things, so suggesting it is sin implies that the child needs to be baptized in the delivery room.

We delayed our first daughter's baptism so that my parents could be with us for the baptism. Were we in sin for doing so?

in my opinion, no. To make a vow before God witnesses are required. I could think of no witness (on earth) that is to be prefered above family.

-----Added 1/19/2009 at 10:25:16 EST-----

As soon as possible. To delay is a sin.

I don't know you that well, so I'll have to ask...You're joking, right?

No.

I am convinced that that we should baptise our children as soon as practical. In a past age that meant within a few days of birth. In our age that may mean waiting until the family can assemble, or for several weeks.

To wait until "spring" or until "I convince my parents that I am not RC", or until "my buddy from seminary can do it" seems (to me) to rise to the level of a "neglect". For that reason I say that to delay is (or perhaps better stated, 'may be') a sin.
 
Just saw this. People often think contemn is a mispelling for condemn, but in context this is not condemn, but contemn, and that is the original text, and while I don't have a collation on errors I suspect printed editions of standards are generally correct while the error may be found in more recent citations who mistyped or miscorrected the text.

Condemn means “to judge harshly, to bring judgment against, to convict.” Contemn means “to treat with contempt, to scorn or despise.” It is infrequent and often considered a “literary” word, and it is sometimes mistaken for a misspelling of condemn. Let context help your readers recognize contemn: The neighbors contemned our failure to maintain our property. condemn, contemn. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993
Note to moderators: I believe that the confessional texts hosted on this site contain an error in this section where they say "contemn" instead of condemn. This appears to be a common error in the reproduced text.

My Free Presbyterian edition has "contemn" which would certainly be possible.

contemn, despise, scorn, disdain (look down on with disdain) "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately"
Chris Coldwell can weigh in on this. He's the expert.
 
Quick note: if there were medical reasons then I think it is understandable to wait a bit. A child in a congregation I knew of was born premature and had to stay in the hospital weeks after birth so I thought waiting a few weeks after the release from the hospital was an acceptable decision by the elders.
 
Stephen,

Greetings! I'd encourage you to talk to one of the members of session this week and see what barriers there are to having the covenant sign applied to your covenant child this Lord's day. If not this one, then next! Don't let your newness to the congregation be an obstacle to you asking your session/pastor questions like this either - I am confident it would warm their hearts for you to seek their counsel.

For Christ's crown and Covenant,
Matt
 
I think the right question must be, how soon can I baptize my son?

and as stated above, right away, why would one even want to wait?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top