Baptism and Faith

I've had several discussions about baptism lately. Water baptism should be an outward demonstration of a person's faith and their understanding of the truths contained in Romans, chapter 6. That particular passage explains what water baptism represents, specifically what happens when we are joined together with Jesus by the baptizing power of the Holy Spirit.

An infant child cannot understand these truths, and it is impossible to be assured that an infant baptism will cause a child to one day respond to Christ by faith. I can't think of a single example of infant baptism in Scripture, nor can I see any New Testament commandment or applicable illustration of it. I do see a good example in 1st Samuel of the way a parent can prayerfully dedicate their children to the Lord, and I recommend it as a way of confirming and giving direction to one's responsibility to raise godly children.

In Acts 16, the Philippian jailer is a wonderful example of the need of conscious personal faith for salvation. The jailer brings his prisoners out of the jail after the earthquake, and asks them, "What must I do to be saved?" Their response is simply, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." The phrase, "and your household," doesn't mean that the jailer's house would be saved the instant he believed, but that they must also believe, each and every one, to be saved.