Infant baptism
Barth says that ‘The one great dogmatic problem of the doctrine of infant baptism [...] is that of relating baptism on the one side to the faith of those baptised on the other.’ (CD IV.4.185). The link between water baptism and faith in Jesus appears to be the key to the issue of infant baptism. This essay will discuss how church theologians have related these two together and show how they have attempted to solve this issue in history. This essay will show that the basis of the issue needs to be grounded in the New Testament definition of baptism.
Before the theology of faith and baptism can be properly investigated, representative passages from scripture that discuss the issue will highlighted. The New Testament shows two main types of baptism, ‘[…] with water […] with the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 1:5) which reflect the bodily and spiritual immersions by John the Baptist, the disciples and Jesus. Yet there is only ‘one baptism’ (Ephesians 4:5) possibly unifying the water symbol to the inward reality. Jesus’ ‘great commission’ in Matthew 28:19 commands making disciples and baptising and teaching in the name of the Father, Holy Spirit and Jesus. As one of the apostles ‘preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women’ (Acts 8:12) showing a strong relationship between believing in Jesus and being baptised.1 Acts 16:15 and 16:33 refers to the households of Lydia’s and the Philippian jailer both being baptised after believing the gospel, yet it is unclear whether the households included or represents infants. Baptism is connected with Christ and His death, ‘[Those] who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death […]’ (Romans 6:3-4) where the water baptism connects with Jesus’ death via baptism in the Holy Spirit. Colossians 2:11-12 seems to mention circumcision and baptism synonymously, ‘In him
Before the theology of faith and baptism can be properly investigated, representative passages from scripture that discuss the issue will highlighted. The New Testament shows two main types of baptism, ‘[…] with water […] with the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 1:5) which reflect the bodily and spiritual immersions by John the Baptist, the disciples and Jesus. Yet there is only ‘one baptism’ (Ephesians 4:5) possibly unifying the water symbol to the inward reality. Jesus’ ‘great commission’ in Matthew 28:19 commands making disciples and baptising and teaching in the name of the Father, Holy Spirit and Jesus. As one of the apostles ‘preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women’ (Acts 8:12) showing a strong relationship between believing in Jesus and being baptised.1 Acts 16:15 and 16:33 refers to the households of Lydia’s and the Philippian jailer both being baptised after believing the gospel, yet it is unclear whether the households included or represents infants. Baptism is connected with Christ and His death, ‘[Those] who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death […]’ (Romans 6:3-4) where the water baptism connects with Jesus’ death via baptism in the Holy Spirit. Colossians 2:11-12 seems to mention circumcision and baptism synonymously, ‘In him