In the New Testament, baptism is given to those who repent and believe, following a profession of faith: the Gospels and Acts consistently show belief leading to baptism. Some faithful churches, seeing the covenant as one sign given from infancy, baptize the young children of believers as well. This is an honest difference among godly Christians, tried since the early church. Follow Scripture, your church, and a clear conscience, and hold the shared center: baptism belongs to those who belong to Christ.
Not a summary of these passages: the passages themselves. Read them, then come back to the study below.
The study
What the Scripture says
1
In the New Testament, faith leads to baptism
The consistent New Testament picture is a person believing and then being baptized. Peter tells the crowd, 'Repent, and be baptized, every one of you,' and 'those who gladly received his word were baptized.' The eunuch is baptized after believing; the jailer is told to believe in the Lord Jesus and is baptized immediately, he and his whole household, having believed in God. Wherever Acts shows people baptized, faith has come first.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household.And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Jesus' command links baptism to discipleship: make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that He commanded. Baptism is the sign given to those who are being made disciples, who have heard the word, believed, and come. In the pages of the New Testament, it is the mark of a person who has entered the school of Christ, not merely a stamp on a birth.
Go,and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
The Gospels and Acts speak of whole households being baptized: Lydia and her household, the jailer and all his, the household of Stephanas. Faithful readers understand these differently. Some see in them entire families, including little children, baptized with the believing head. Others point out that in the accounts the household 'believed' and 'rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God,' and so see believers baptized with their believing children and household. The text is read both ways, and has been for centuries.
When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
(I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.)And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
Those who baptize infants point to the covenant. In the Old Testament, God's sign was given to children at eight days old, as a token of the covenant with their parents (Genesis 17:11-12). Paul links baptism to circumcision as the New Testament counterpart, a circumcision 'not made with hands' in Christ, and Peter says 'the promise is to you, and to your children.' On this reading, the sign belongs to believers and their covenant children, as circumcision did.
You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed.And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
This is a question the church has never settled into one answer, and both sides have loved the Lord and His word. What Scripture does make plain is that the heart of baptism is union with Christ, that its proper recipients are those who belong to Him through faith, and that the patterns of preaching and conversion lead to water. Where faithful churches differ on the timing, Paul's spirit rules: 'Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.' Seek your church's teaching, examine Scripture yourself, and do not make the age of baptism the dividing line of fellowship.
One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Go,and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed.And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.