Are you considering attending a Presbyterian or Reformed church but struggling to understand the validity of infant baptism? If so, this post is for you. In Reformed theology, our belief in infant baptism isn’t based on isolated proof texts but emerges from viewing Scripture as a unified, organic whole. Here, I’ll present a concise and compelling case for Reformed infant baptism.
What is Christian Baptism?
First, what is Christian baptism? In paraphrasing the Belgic Confession (Article 29), baptism is a sign that marks us as belonging to God and His church (compare Exodus 12:48 with 1 Peter 2:9).
Baptism serves as God’s pledge to forever be our God and the God of our children (Genesis 17:7 with Galatians 3:17). It also serves in the place of circumcision as the sign and seal of the righteousness of faith (compare Romans 4:11 and Colossians 2:11).
Baptism signifies that, similar to the way water washes and cleans our bodies from dirt (1 Peter 3:21), the blood of Christ—by the power of the Holy Spirit—also internally cleanses the soul of sin, regenerates us, and makes us pure in His sight (Hebrews 9:14). The promise of the gospel, which is sealed by baptism, is for us and our children (Acts 2:39).
Reasons for Infant Baptism
With this understanding of baptism, what is the strongest case for infant baptism? It’s ultimately built on three foundational pillars:
1. The Children of Believers Are Members of the Covenant of Grace
The children of believers are members of the visible covenant community. God promised Abraham that He would be God to us and our children (Genesis 17:7). God’s promise was never canceled; it was fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 3:16). All those who have faith in Jesus Christ are the true sons of Abraham (Galatians 3:7).
2. Baptism Has Replaced Circumcision as the Sign and Seal of the Covenant
When Abraham believed God, God gave him the sign of circumcision as “a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith” (Romans 4:11). One must note that it was not related to Abraham being an ethnic Jew since Israel did not yet exist.
This is why Calvin could say:
“Christ…accomplishes in us spiritual circumcision, not through means of that ancient sign, which was in force under Moses, but by baptism. Baptism…is a sign of the thing that is presented to us, which…was prefigured by circumcision.”[1]
Berkhof also concurred, “The covenant made with Abraham was primarily a spiritual covenant.”[2] Baptism is the Christian equivalent to Jewish circumcision. Paul calls baptism the “circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11). This is why believers are no longer circumcised; baptism has replaced it as the covenant sign and seal of the covenant of grace.
3. The Covenant of Grace Is One Organic Whole
The Abrahamic promise (the beginning of the covenant of grace) is described as an “everlasting” covenant (Genesis 17:7). It is distinct from the Mosaic Law, which came 430 years later (Galatians 3:17). The Abrahamic covenant was never annulled and came to its fulfillment in Christ (Galatians 3:14).
Paul even calls the promise of the Abrahamic covenant “the gospel” (Galatians 3:8). Paul points Christians to Abraham as the paradigm of our faith, saying that Abraham is the father of us all (Romans 4:16).
Calvin writes:
“The covenant made with all the patriarchs is so much like ours in substance and reality that the two are actually one and the same. Yet they differ in the mode of dispensation.”[3]
The Westminster Confession describes this as “not…two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.”[4]
The Verdict
In conclusion, Reformed Christians baptize infants not because baptism regenerates, but because the children of believers belong to the covenant of grace and are entitled to its sign.
There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).
[1] John Calvin, Commentary on Colossians 2:8
[2] Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 632
[3] John Calvin, Institutes 2.10.2
[4] Westminster Confession of Faith 7.6
The Christian life is not only confessed in words, but lived through time. This covenantal vision shapes the work of Reformed Dogmatika and finds expression in resources such as our Reformed confessional calendar, designed to help believers and their households order the year around Christ, Scripture, and the faith of His church.
