House Church Talk - house baptisms

[Bruce Woodford]

Hi Cliff,

After I'd written:"Since infants cannot believe, we know that no infants 
were included in the household which were baptized."...

You responded:"How do you know? You start with a presupposition that only 
those of an age to believe can be baptized then try to support it. I have 
never infant baptized but I want to see us support stuff with facts and 
scripture not presuppositons."

Fair enough brother!

The Lord Jesus clearly instructed his disciples in Matt.28:18-20 to "teach 
all nations" or literally, "make disciples of all nations and baptize them 
(disciples)..."

I hardly think it is a "presupposition" to say that one cannot "make 
disciples" of infants, do you?

Philip stated the one requirement for baptism to the Ethiopian eunuch: "If 
thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." Acts 8:37

Do you think it is a presupposition to say that infants cannot believe on 
the Lord Jesus with all their heart?  How could they ever express such 
belief to satisfy the evangelist that they truly were believers in order to 
be baptized?

It is evident regarding all the household baptisms in scripture that all 
that were baptized believed. Now, IF there was ever any evidence that 
infants have believed, I suppose it would be an unwarranted assumption or 
presupposition to say that infants cannot believe. But all the evidence of 
which I am aware indicates that they do not have that ability.

What IS an unwarranted presupposition is that EVERY household includes 
infants and therefore household baptisms prove that infants were baptized!!!

Trust this helps.

Your brother in Christ,
Bruce

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