Question 134: Why should infants be baptized?

Answer:

Infants should be baptized because they are born into sin and need to be united with Christ through His covenant of grace. Baptism for infants, as for adults, is a sign of God’s promise and a means of entering the family of God. In Scripture, God includes the children of believers in His covenant, and the Church continues this pattern by baptizing infants and raising them to know, love, and follow Jesus. (Genesis 17:7, Acts 2:38–39, Mark 10:14–16, Colossians 2:11–12, 1 Corinthians 7:14)

Full Scripture References

“I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” — Genesis 17:7 (BSB)

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you… This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call.’” — Acts 2:38–39 (BSB)

“But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.” — Mark 10:14, 16 (BSB)

“In Him you were also circumcised… not with a circumcision performed by human hands… having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the power of God.” — Colossians 2:11–12 (BSB)

“For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.” — 1 Corinthians 7:14 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

Infants should be baptized because they, like adults, are born in sin and need the grace of God offered through Christ. The Gospel is not limited by age or understanding—God’s promises are for believers and their children. Just as circumcision was given to the infants of Israel as a sign of the covenant, so Baptism is given to the children of the Church as the new covenant sign of entry into God’s family.

Scripture never revokes God’s pattern of including children in His redemptive plan. In Acts 2, Peter declares that the promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit is “for you and your children.” Jesus Himself welcomed infants and declared that the kingdom of God belongs to them. While faith is necessary for salvation, God’s grace always goes before human response. In Baptism, God claims the child, and the Church promises to raise the child in the faith until they can make it their own.

The Book of Common Prayer affirms that infants who are baptized are “regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church.” Article XXVII of the Thirty-Nine Articles states, “The Baptism of young children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.”

Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote, “Let us never forget that an infant may be admitted into the visible Church by Baptism, though not yet able to understand. The seal is not meaningless, but a pledge of the grace that will follow” (Knots Untied, 1874).

Rev. Dr. Joel Scandrett (Trinity School for Ministry) teaches, “Baptizing infants is not about presumption—it is about promise. We act in faith, trusting that God will bring the seed sown in Baptism to full fruit in due time” (Anglican Catechism in Depth, 2020).

Canon Dr. John Yates III (Falls Church Anglican, ACNA) explains, “Just as God calls families into covenant in the Old Testament, He continues to do so today. Infant Baptism declares, ‘This child belongs to Christ and His Church.’ It is the beginning, not the end” (Catechesis Forum, 2021).

Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba (Church of Uganda) affirms, “Baptizing children proclaims that grace comes before we can even speak. It is God’s love reaching down to the least, the smallest, the helpless, and calling them His own” (Baptismal Homily, 2022).

Therefore, infant Baptism is a faithful expression of God’s covenant mercy, and a sign that salvation belongs to the Lord—not by works or understanding, but by grace from beginning to end.

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD): “He came to save all by Himself—infants, children, youth, and the aged. Therefore, He sanctifies all who come to Him, including infants who are born again through Him.” — Against Heresies, II.22.4

St. Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170–235 AD): “Baptize first the children; and if they can speak for themselves, let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them.” — Apostolic Tradition, 21

St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD): “The custom of the universal Church in baptizing infants must not be disregarded… The faith of the Church supplies what the child cannot yet express.” — On Baptism, I.17

St. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329–390 AD): “Do you have an infant? Let him be sanctified from a young age. Let him be consecrated by the Spirit from the cradle.” — Oration 40