Where is Repentance in Infant Baptism?

 

Certainly, one of the foundational stones in the Episcopal Church building is infant baptism. Exactly like the Roman Catholic Church in which she broke from, the Episcopal Church failed to leave that mode of baptism behind them.

 

Two points are clear in scripture as it addresses salvation. First, water baptism is not a part of it. Second, repentance is a part of it. But most importantly, the Triune God of the Bible is all of it. A most deceptive teaching is that man has a role, within himself, to make an independent and final decision to his own salvation. Yet, Jonah cried out from the belly of the fish, "Salvation is of the Lord." Salvation has not changed. It was of God then and it is now.

 

Our Lord warned us in Luke 13:3 and 13:5 to "repent or perish." How does an infant repent? Well, they don't. How can anyone repent without the cognizant or innate knowledge of understanding their need to repent? It is true from scripture that we are all born into sin because we are conceived in sin (Psalm 51), but how does an infant grasp that?  Well, they don't because they can't.

 

Surrogates or representatives cannot supersede scriptural command. Paul wrote in I Timothy 2:5 that the only mediator between man and God is the Lord Jesus Christ and since the Episcopal Church, et al, think that they can use human surrogates to represent a child during infant baptism they are wrong. Also, infant baptism does not regenerate anyone to salvation. The regeneration is by the Holy Spirit and not by man's decision.

 

There must be repentance to salvation wrought by the Holy Spirit. Water has nothing to do with it. Representatives have nothing to do with it. Only God can bring about one's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A baby has no concept of sin or repentance. So, where is the repentance in baptismal regeneration? There is none! And without repentance there is no salvation.