Transcript

These are five reasons that infants can believe when we speak about infant baptism, specifically from a Lutheran perspective.

I'm arguing for infant baptism.

The question often comes up: But infants can't believe, so how can we baptize infants if they don't believe?

Now, there are a couple of things to say in response to this, and one of these is we baptize infants because of the promise, not because we know that they believe.

But with that being said, there is an understanding that infants can indeed actually believe the Gospels.

I know this sounds kind of strange, and people often ask this question: Well, how do you know infants can believe, or how can an infant believe?

They don't have the intellectual capacity to do so.

So in this video, we're going to explore that.

We're going to discuss five different aspects of infant faith, or five different proofs of infant faith that come from Scripture.

The first of those things I want to address is the question that naturally comes up, which is: Well, infants don't have the intellectual capacity that we have, so how can we possibly say that they believe?

What I want to say is we all understand that people have faith even at times when they don't have an active intellectual capacity that is thinking about the Gospel explicitly.

What I mean by that is this: if you are a believer, ask yourself the question: Do you have faith when you are asleep?

Because it's one thing to say, Yes, I have faith when I'm awake and I'm actively thinking about the Gospel, and I know that Jesus died for my sins, and I think through all the implications of that.

But there are times in which you still have faith, but you are not actively thinking about your faith.

When you're asleep is a great example of that because you don't suddenly lose faith; you don't become an unbeliever while you're asleep.

There's something about the state of who you are and who God has made you to be, which means that you are regenerate; you are a believer even if you are asleep, and even if your mind is not active at all.

Even if you are unconscious or in a coma, that doesn't get rid of the fact that you have faith or that you are a Christian.

Theologians have made this distinction between fides directa and fides reflecta.

Fides directa is we have faith that is direct or directed toward Jesus, but it's not this reflective faith that we have as adults when we are awake or thinking about our theology.

In other words, we have faith, but we can also reflect on the reality of that faith in our lives.

We can think through the implications of it, what that means.

But there is also a faith that is just direct; it is faith in Christ.

That faith maybe cannot reflect on itself, what it is, or what it means, but it is a real and true faith.

The second point to make is that faith is not a human work, but it is in fact a work of God and a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now we can go to several places in Scripture, I think, that demonstrate this.

One classic passage dealing with this is Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, You know, this is not of yourselves; this is not of works, lest anyone should boast.

It is the gift of God.

This gift encompasses everything that is stated before that; it's not just the grace, but this is a whole package: grace, faith—this is all a gift that is divine.

Now, this theme of faith being a gift can be shown in other places in Scripture as well.

We just have to look at the fact that faith is seen as a work of the Spirit, as something that God does.

For example, in John 6:44, Jesus says, No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

So there is this divine work; there is the supernatural work in bringing people to the faith.

Now, if we believe that faith is indeed a supernatural gift, if it is something that is not just a human work but something that God is intimately involved in doing and creating within the individual, then who are we to say that God cannot give that gift to an infant?

If faith were just human reflection or human work or a result of human will, then sure, it may be impossible for an infant to believe because they don't have the same kind of intellect or will that we have.

But if we understand that it is the work of God, that it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, then certainly we can say that the Spirit of God can give that gift to whoever He wills to give it, and we argue that He can indeed and does give it to infants.

Now, the third reason is we have a very clear example of infant faith in the New Testament.

There are other examples of infant faith as well, but the one that’s most popular is the example of John the Baptist because he’s a very significant figure in the New Testament.

We have a couple of different texts in Luke chapter 1 that speak about this.

This is in Luke chapter 1, verse 14. Here’s the prophecy to Zechariah speaking about the birth of John the Baptist: the angel says to him, And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

So we have this prophecy here that’s given to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, that his son is going to be filled with the Holy Spirit even from the womb.

So God clearly is doing a work in John the Baptist even from that point.

We have then this instance where Mary visits Elizabeth.

Now, Mary is going to be giving birth to Jesus, and Elizabeth now is pregnant with John the Baptist.

We are told that this happens: Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

And it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

So we have a leaping of John the Baptist; he hears the voice of the mother of his Lord because he knows that Jesus is present, and the Holy Spirit then fills his mother through this leaping in the womb.

This is clearly an example of faith.

The infant is even able to, in the womb, have joy to such an extent that he leaps because of the voice of Mary.

Now, that doesn’t have to say anything about John the Baptist's particular intellectual capacity or anything like that.

I'm sure it was pretty minimal while he is a fetus.

But even at that age, even as one in the mother’s womb, there’s this work of the Spirit that expresses itself in faith and even leaping because of the message of Jesus.

So this demonstrates to us that God can and does work through His Holy Spirit even in infants.

This pattern is not just there in John the Baptist, but this is something that’s common in the prophets; you see them being set apart from the womb.

God knows them even in the womb.

You see this with Jeremiah, for example.

So this prophetic calling is echoed in John the Baptist, and here is the most explicit and clear example that the Spirit has worked faith in this infant.

So if we acknowledge that the Spirit can do this miraculous work in someone like John the Baptist, why can He not do it in our children as well?

The fourth reason is because there are testimonies in the Psalms that speak about infants, youth, and young children trusting in the God of Israel.

Now, this is really important because the Psalms were sung by the corporate people of Israel.

While they are individual messages, while David, for example, who writes many of the Psalms, is speaking about his personal experience, these are never meant to be just personal.

This is meant to be the reflection of the entirety of the people of Israel as they all come together and worship with these same corporate words.

The first thing I want to read is Psalm 71. Now, this is not listed as a Psalm of David; we don't know exactly who wrote Psalm 71. Psalm 70 is a Psalm of David, Psalm 72 is a Psalm of Solomon, and for Psalm 71, we’re not exactly sure.

But this particular Psalm speaks about trust in God at different ages and stages of one’s life, even going back to childhood.

So it says this in verse 4: Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For you are my hope, O Lord God; you are my trust from my youth.

By you, I have been upheld from birth; you are He who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually of you.

Then he goes on to speak about old age, and there’s this continual theme of hoping in God and trusting in God throughout this Psalm at different times of life.

There are other references to the youth of the psalmist as well, but what is clear here is that there is this relationship expressed between the psalmist and Yahweh that begins even from birth.

God is the one who has brought this child forth in birth, and he has trusted in God throughout his youth, throughout his time growing up.

So it’s clear that there is an expectation here that the child, the young child, God is his God, and he will trust and does trust in God throughout his life, even unto old age.

But it begins in his youth.

There is an even clearer statement that there is faith in infancy in the Psalms, and this is Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is very famous because it’s the Psalm that Jesus cites when He’s on the cross: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

But particularly in this Psalm, in verses 9 and 10, there are statements about the psalmist’s relationship with God even from birth.

It says this: But you are He who took me out of the womb; you made me trust while on my mother’s breasts.

I was cast upon you from birth; from my mother’s womb, you have been my God.

So the psalmist is saying here that God has been his God even from birth, and God made him trust.

You see that notion there of faith being this divine gift that God has worked.

God has worked in the infant; God has worked in the child in Israel so that this child could believe.

This relationship has been established even in the womb and even while in the age of breastfeeding.

Remember, this is the corporate song of Israel.

The people of Israel know these Psalms; they know and they are singing these Psalms.

So there is a recognition that God has established this relationship with His people even from infancy.

And so here we have two clear texts that speak about God’s relationship with His people, the work of the Spirit, and the faith of those people in response to God, whom they are called to trust in.

Now the fifth proof that infants do and can indeed have faith is the instance of Jesus, which is very famous, where He blesses the children who are being brought to Him.

This instance is recorded in Matthew's Gospel as well as in Luke's Gospel.

I'm going to read both of these accounts.

We see it especially outlined in Luke's Gospel that this does include infants, but let's begin with Matthew 18, verses 1-6. Then we'll look at the parallel text in the Gospel of Luke.

Matthew 18:1-6: At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'

And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said...

So we do see that there is this connection here with the child and faith.

In fact, that child is an example of faith, and we are to receive the faith just as a little child would and does.

He speaks of little ones who believe in Him.

Now, the term here that is used to refer to children is paideia, which means young children.

It doesn't necessarily mean infants, but it could reference an infant or a young child.

There’s a parallel text now in Luke 18, verses 15-17, where he says this: Now they were bringing even infants to Him.

We see again that there is this connection between salvation and children, that as they are brought to Jesus, He lays His hands upon them, He blesses them, and to them belongs the kingdom of God.

In other words, they are citizens of the kingdom of God.

Now, what’s really interesting is that Luke uses a different term.

He doesn’t use paideia, which is a little more general, but he even includes the term brephe, which is a specific reference to infants.

So we see that there is a very explicit reference in the life of Jesus Himself in this instance where He speaks about how infants do believe.

In fact, children, including infants, are the example of faith, and they can enter into the kingdom of God.

So this just reiterates what we’ve seen in all of these various other texts and places: that the Holy Spirit is the one who works faith.

If the Holy Spirit desires to work, He can work wherever He pleases to do so.

We see these numerous instances in Scripture, whether it’s from the Psalms, the life of John the Baptist, or the example of these children being brought to Jesus, that infants can indeed believe.

God has established His relationship with them; He loves them.

He brings them into the kingdom of heaven.

Now, that doesn’t mean that their faith is of the same kind as ours in the sense that they can think about the deep truths of theology.

But as Jesus says, even faith the size of a mustard seed saves.

Even that tiny little bit of faith is what God has given.

God has given them faith.

No, they may not have the intellectual capacity that we have, but it’s not up to the human will; it is a work of God.

Scripture is really clear on this issue: that God can and does grant the gift of faith by the power of His Spirit, even to young infants.

So there’s my explanation of the issue of infant faith.

We could get a lot more in depth, but I wanted to do a quick five reasons video on this.

If you have any other questions or comments or want me to delve deeper into some objections and things like that, I can do that as well.

But for now, thanks so much for watching.

If you haven’t already, like and subscribe, comment, all of that good stuff, and we’ll see you in the next video.

God bless!