When Should my Children be Baptized?

Good Question!! When our youngest asked Jesus Christ into his life at 8 years old, we were excited and willing to help him to grow as a christian, but we honestly were a little apprehensive when he asked to be baptized. I guess we should not have been surprised since we raised him to know the Word of God and to live it. "Don't be just a hearer of the Word, but a Doer", we said! 

My husband and I needed to re-research the Word on this. In Matthew's gospel, it is clear that making disciples includes baptizing them and teaching them to observe all things that Jesus commands (Matthew 28). Well...the Bible also mentions children reaching the age of accountability when they can answer for themselves before God, but how old is that exactly? (Isaiah 7:15, Ezekiel 18:2-20, Matthew 18:3, Romans 14:10,12). 



The Bible also mentions to "forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:14). We are not Catholic, so they had never been sprinkled or dunked or submerged in any water unless they were taking a bath or in a local pool or something. This was much more serious. As parents, God will hold us responsible for the actions of our children until they did so for themselves. This is similar to the warning about taking the Lord's Supper unworthily. We would not be good parents if we did not instruct our children to not take part of the Lord's table unless they were right before God. The Bible says that many are sick or even dead because they do not take the warning seriously! We certainly were not going to risk it in any church ordinance. We decided instead to allow the boys to take the four required classes necessary to "prove" their knowledge about these ordinances of The Lord's Supper and Baptism. We would only deny them until they did the work.

We would not say No to baptism, but we could not say Yes until they proved their accountability.

They did it!! They finished every class and explained the entire process to the Deacons in charge of preparations. They were even quizzed and passed with flying colors. Our confidence in our sons and in our church was now established. I am proud of our church for being thorough (because it is really the parent's job to ensure that the Church is teaching their children correctly). They were ready and anxious to let everyone know that they were obedient to Christ and willing to be associated with Jesus as His disciples. 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:4






Proud is not a great enough adjective to describe our emotions at that moment! I thank God for allowing me to see this day and for my children to stand as witnesses to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ as His disciples! *tear*


Comments

  1. annies homeSeptember 20, 2016 at 6:18 PM

    I can remember accountability classes that I went through and my children did so after they asked for forgiveness. No sprinkling and yes baptism very important

    coming by from annies home http://shopannies.blogspot.com come see us if you find a chance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walking TogetherSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:31 AM

      It is such an important thing for anyone to be baptized, whether young or older. Thanks for your comment Angie!

      Delete
  2. kittynecessitySeptember 21, 2016 at 2:00 AM

    I was born a Catholic so I was 'sprinkled' lol However, I grew up as a Christian and was baptized (submerged in water) when I was 12. It was life-changing. You are doing so magnificent raising your children and I am sure God guided you and your husband through it all.

    www.KatrinaJeanCarter.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walking TogetherSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:34 AM

      Thanks so much Katrina!! That means a lot. Appreciate your comment :)

      Delete
  3. Reinventing JulieSeptember 21, 2016 at 4:15 AM

    So much scripture that is interpreted differently. You have to listen to God's will in your life. Hear Him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walking TogetherSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:37 AM

      Yes. He definitely speaks through His Word. That is sure! Thanks for reading.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:22 AM

    I wish you all the best, seems like you have a beautiful family! :)
    Personally, I'm not religious but consider myself spiritual. Still, I see how this means so much to you!

    https://inspirationellablog.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walking TogetherSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:42 AM

      It means so much to us Dina! Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

      Delete
  5. UnknownSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:24 AM

    It's so nice that you blog about something you are so passionate about. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LauraSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:27 AM

    I think it is responsible to go through all of these checks to make sure your child understands what they are committing to. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walking TogetherSeptember 21, 2016 at 9:43 AM

      We are doing our best with God's help! Thanks for reading Laura!

      Delete
  7. UnknownSeptember 21, 2016 at 12:24 PM

    What a great milestone! You sure did dig in and make them work for it! Congratulations and you sound like a great family that is parenting great!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Middle-aged Diva (Carol)September 21, 2016 at 2:52 PM

    I am not a Christian, but I do believe every child should have a spiritual practice. Always wise to be sure they "get it."

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gwendolyn M. September 21, 2016 at 7:46 PM

    What an amazing milestone in their life. Congratulations and I know how great it feels when are children are "Saved." Baptism is very serious and I think it is great you made them show their accountability. It is very important to make sure they understand what they are doing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. baby'smomSeptember 21, 2016 at 10:16 PM

    every parent needs to decide what is right for them. It is so exciting when children reach this milestone!

    ReplyDelete
  11. jillconyersSeptember 22, 2016 at 1:26 AM

    Best wishes to your beautiful family.

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownSeptember 22, 2016 at 1:49 AM

    My daughters are 5 and 4 and have yet to be done. I am thinking maybe after my son is born all three of them get done together!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Eliz FrankSeptember 22, 2016 at 5:37 AM

    It definitely depends on you on when you'd like to have your kids baptized. I think it's nice that you and your husband did the research and talked about it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. UnknownSeptember 22, 2016 at 9:27 AM

    Oh, baptism in our church has a different practice. My sister who is a Baptist, told me about this kind of baptism.

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownSeptember 22, 2016 at 9:39 AM

    This is a good read. I am not familiar with how kids are baptized in a Christian church. In ours, its a different one.

    ReplyDelete
  16. EileenSeptember 22, 2016 at 3:33 PM

    I was born and raised a Catholic so myself, the hubs and all our kids were sprinkled :) at a very early age. We get confirmed when we are in our early teens and that seems to be the same time for your family to choose to Baptism. It is good for the young people to be able to choose to be Baptized.Congratulations and many Blessings to you all!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kari AnnSeptember 22, 2016 at 4:41 PM

    Thanks for sharing your story.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lisa RIosSeptember 24, 2016 at 3:24 AM

    This is just amazing to hear that you are doing your best to make sure your child understands what & where they are getting in to. Best wishes for your family and thanks for sharing your wonderful story!

    ReplyDelete
  19. LushFabGlamSeptember 25, 2016 at 7:15 PM

    Happy to see that you were not apprehensive about their decision, children are clever and know/nunderstand more than we as parents give them credit for. It is also wonderful to see that they are eager to have a relationship with God.
    XO, MJ
    http://www.lush-fab-glam.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lil Maurice Rated PG

Image
Praise God! When I was a little tike, of about five years of age (1975). I guess I thought I was some kind of explorer or zoologist or something, because I used to go around searching for Moby Dick (the fictional whale). I can't remember hearing the story, and I know I didn't read the long novel. But I was obsessed with finding this creature. Which is kind of embarrassing when I think back on it. Somehow I got the idea that Moby Dick lived down in the sewer system, under the manhole covers. One summer day a friend and I, with our big afro's and bell-bottom pants, were playing at my house. My mother (RIP 1/8/50- 5/19/86) decided to take me and my friend with her so she could see her friend, who lived in another part of the hood. When we got there we sat on the front porch. The nice lady offered my friend and I some watermelon. After eating that, my friend and I went around to the back of the house, as my mother and her friend sat on the front porch talking. While...
Read more

Spousal Support in Bereavement - Missing Daddy

Image
We have been silent on this blog. We have been quietly holding each other up. This is why. Just a few years into our marriage, we lost Maurice's dad and on February 23rd my dad passed from earth to eternity. Some would say that we are now fatherless, but we beg to differ. My father - Arnold Lee Harden gave his life to Jesus Christ as a teenager and served in his local church. He then married, had three girls and became a deacon in his latter years. We know that life begins when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, so my dad is living his BEST life right now! I got that full revelation on Easter Sunday weekend. I was tempted to deeply mourn during the holidays, but then, I remembered that this year was my dad's first Easter with Jesus Himself - how glorious! All couples deal with death differently. When your spouse is hurting, how do you support them? Here are a few things that Maurice did for me. Letting Me Cry I do not think I have ever cried so much on my life. I c...
Read more

Becoming a Mother

Image
There was a time that I wondered if I would ever be a mother at all. After we got married in 2001, we waited for a few years and then we were pregnant with our first child in the spring of 2005. We were elated because we had finally saved enough to move out of our 1 bedroom apartment and become real homeowners!  Our happiness quickly took a turn for the worse just a few short months later when I began to have periods of cramping, then spotting. I had been working full-time throughout my pregnancy in rehab. It was heavy work, but I thought nothing of it. I was also very ignorant about heavy lifting while pregnant and monitoring my out-of-control mood swings. I took a lot of my frustration out on my husband. We had told our families and then we lost the baby to a miscarriage. Incompatible genes they told us. Incompatible?? Bind the Devil!! Now, I was no midwife or OB/GYN nurse, but I figured two healthy people could have a healthy baby together without complications. It's b...
Read more