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RickBaptism2

We affirm that baptism is to the New Covenant what circumcision was to the Old Covenant, a sign and seal of God's covenant of grace with those that He redeems by the blood of Jesus Christ. As circumcision was administered to male infants before their exercising faith unto salvation in the Old Covenant, so we affirm the appropriateness of administering baptism to infants born to believers in the New Covenant before their exercising faith unto salvation.

We affirm that baptism, as a sacrament, does not save, whether it is administered to an infant or to a new believer. We affirm that we are saved by God's grace through faith, alone.

We affirm that baptism is appropriately administered by sprinkling. It is also appropriately administered by pouring water upon the head of the candidate for baptism, or by immersing the candidate in water.

We affirm that baptism is to be administered in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and that it ordinarily does not need to be administered more than once to each person.

We affirm that there are many areas in doctrine about which equally committed and sincere believers in Jesus Christ disagree. Baptism is one such area of doctrine. We affirm that each Christian's conscience about such matters must be bound only by the Word of God, the Bible, through the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, even as the leadership of StoneBridge Church continues to affirm the appropriateness of infant baptism and encourage Christian parents to have their infants baptized, so also the leadership respects the scruples of Christian parents who wish to have their children baptized only after they have exercised faith in Jesus Christ.

We affirm our commitment as a local expression of the Body of Christ to work for and to guard the peace, love, and respect among ourselves as brothers and sisters in Christ in this area of doctrine and others about which we may hold different convictions.

Questions asked about Baptism

Why do we extend the Sacrament of Baptism to children?

We see the Sacrament of Baptism is to the New Covenant community (the Visible Church) what circumcision was to the Old Covenant community. The Old Testament emphasizes both a physical circumcision and a spiritual circumcision, a circumcision of the heart (Deut. 30:6; Rom. 2:29). So the New Testament speaks of both a physical baptism (Sacrament) and a spiritual baptism (union of the believer with Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit). The spiritual baptism occurs when one places his or her faith in Jesus Christ and is converted. The key question becomes, "Are children a part of the New Covenant community, the visible church?" We believe the answer is "Yes!" God is the One who set up the family structure. He honors what He established. Just as He told Abraham to bring all the males within his household and have them circumcised, in the New Covenant with a greater outpouring of grace (male and female) of believers receive the sign of the Covenant. Paul instructs a believing spouse to remain married to an unbeliever if the unbeliever is willing to stay in the marriage, and then says to the believing parent, "or your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy," (1 Cor. 7:14). Because of one believing parent the children are called "holy." Certainly this does not mean they are believers. This means they are under the sanctifying influence of a believing parent and are part of the New Covenant Community. The New Testament does not specifically instruct us to baptize children. It also does not instruct us to withhold baptism from them! All of the Apostles were Jews. They knew God's instructions regarding children and the Old Covenant. Without specific instructions to change this in the New Covenant, why would they do so? We are still under the fulfillment of God's Covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; Gal. 3:7-9).

Why does StoneBridge require parents to be members before presenting their children for baptism?

Part of baptism is identifying with the visible church. (It is necessary that one parent be a believer. It seems to make sense that one parent be a member of our church to have a child baptized here.) One of the questions during the baptism of an infant is addressed to the congregation. The congregation is asked if they will commit to stand with the parents as they seek to raise their child in the teaching and instruction of the Lord. There may be valid reasons that would bring a person or couple to present a child for baptism without being a member of our congregation. We do not want to discourage a child from being baptized. If there are extenuating circumstances regarding your situation, we would be happy to discuss your child's baptism with you.

Can a child be baptized again after receiving Christ and being converted?

Baptism is rightly administered once. A second baptism is not necessary. Just as circumcision was not repeated (and note females did not ever receive the sign of the Old Covenant!), neither is it necessary to repeat baptism. Faith is not in the sacrament but in Jesus Christ. It is important for a child to publicly affirm his or her faith in Jesus Christ. We offer a class for children Junior High aged and older to join the church and publicly confess their faith in Jesus Christ at that time. This class is called the Communicant’s Class. Upon reception by the Session and a public profession of Faith in Christ, a child should be baptized if he or she has not already received the sacrament.

Do you need to be baptized if you were not baptized as an infant?

Yes. The sacrament of baptism is the public identification with the Covenant Community and the Visible Church. It is an opportunity to publicly affirm your commitment to Christ. The evidence of salvation is not the sacrament of baptism, but the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer which is attested to by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

Is there a minimum or maximum age parents can present their children for baptism?

There is no minimum age. The sacrament is not a private ceremony and should be done in the context of a gathering of the church along with the preaching of the Word of God. Circumcision was to be done at eight days old or older (Gen. 17:12). A maximum age is a tougher question. Since we offer a class to allow Junior Highers and older the opportunity to join on their own, any child of one believing parent younger than Junior High age would be considered individually as to whether or not he or she should receive infant baptism or believer’s baptism.

What is the difference between baptism, dedication, and christening?

Christening means to take into the Christian church by baptism. Some churches refer to infant baptism as christening. We prefer to call it "baptism." Dedication is another matter. Part of infant baptism is recognizing the child is entrusted to the parents and dedicating the child to God. It also involves the parent(s) committing to raise the child in teaching and instruction of the Lord. Some churches that practice believer’s baptism only have a public dedication of infants. We do not have a public infant dedication in the worship service.
Does a child need to go through a special class to be baptized as a believer?

No. However, the child must have his or her profession of faith heard by a Pastor of the church. The child would need to go through the Communicant’s class to become a member of the church on his own. If a child has not been baptized as an infant he would be baptized as part of joining at the conclusion of the class. If your child was not baptized as an infant and comes to Christ younger than Junior High age, can he or she be baptized at that time? Yes. The child would need to meet with a pastor prior to the baptism. It may be best for the child to wait until he could go through the Communicant’s class to better understand what it means to be committed to Christ and be part of the church on his own.

If we want to have our baby baptized do we need to meet with a pastor?

It is not a requirement! A meeting would be preferable to rejoice with you and to answer any questions you may have about your child's baptism. Simply call the church office at 704-549-8272 to arrange an appointment.