Infant Baptism?
By Ron Boatwright
Many in the religious world today say that infants are born sinners and must be baptized in order to be saved. They say we inherit sin from our ancestors all the way back to Adam. This contradicts God’s word. God says in Ezekiel 18:20, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor shall the father bear the guilt of the son." Here God is telling us that children do not inherit sin from their parents, grandparents, or any of their forefathers, all the way back to Adam. God says "The son shall not bear the guilt of the Father." Each person is responsible for his own sins.
What is sin? I John 3:4 says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness." We do not inherit sin; we commit sin; and we commit sin when we commit lawlessness. An infant has not broken any law of God and thus has not committed any sin. How is sin committed? In James 1:14-15 we read, "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed, then when lust is conceived, it brings forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death." A baby cannot be drawn away and enticed into lustful sin.
One error leads to another. Men say since infants have inherited the sin of Adam, they must be baptized or they will be lost. Not only are infants not lost but they are not suitable candidates for baptism, since they cannot believe. Jesus says in Mark 16:16, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Here one of the prerequisites of being saved is to believe, which is impossible for an infant to do. Also one of the prerequisites of being baptized is one must repent. The apostle Peter told a group of people to "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38). Can an infant repent? It would be absurd to think an infant could believe or repent, but it is just as absurd to think an innocent infant, who is without sin, must be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, which he does not have.
Parents who have their infants "christened" are being deceived by the false doctrines of men. Satan has many ways through his lies in fooling people into being lost. When a person who was baptized as an infant becomes accountable, he doesn’t think he needs to be baptized again so he can be saved. Satan knows infant baptism accomplishes nothing. Satan knows when people who were baptized as an infant become accountable, at that time they begin to sin and will be eternally lost in the burning fires of Hell if they don’t obey the Lord. When a person becomes accountable he must "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38), not before. If a person misses Heaven by believing the lies of Satan, he will only have himself to blame.