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Why there is no infant baptism inside the Iglesia ni Cristo.
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Infants should not be baptized


Letter to the Editor:
PASUGO, June 1995, p.2

I ATTENDED YOUR worship service with a friend and noticed that in one part of the service, the minister prayed for an infant brought in front of the congregation by its parents.

I asked my friend if what I saw was the counterpart of infant baptism. He answered me that it was not. Thus, it led me to write you to ask why there is no infant baptism inside the Iglesia ni Cristo.

Mario Duerte
Cebu, Philippines


Editor's reply:

The Lord Jesus Christ states that those who have been preached the gospel and believed in it will be baptized (cf. Mk. 16:15-16).  Infants cannot believe in the gospel because they do not yet have the capacity to understand. Faith or belief in the gospel is attained by listening to the message and believing in it. The message should be preached by messengers sent by God (cf. Rom. 10:17, 14-15). These elements (preaching of the gospel and listening to it) have to be present; thus, the listener should have the faculty to comprehend and believe in, which infants do not have. Hence, they should not be baptized. The Apostle Paul stated that, “Anyone who lives in milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness” (Heb. 5:13, New International Version).

Infants are offered to God through prayer and the laying on of hands as set by the example of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’.

 “When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” (Mt. 19:13-15, NIV)  

 

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Bible Study Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind. For the latest Worship Service Directory of Iglesia ni Cristo Locales and Congregations outside the Philippines, please visit www.iglesianicristoworshipservice.com or just click link at home page.

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