Infant baptism

Many Evangelicals think "Separation from God" is a result of personal sin and therefore they believe that before the age of reason everyone is bound for heaven. Catholics believe that humanity's "Separation from God" is the result of "original sin" from Adam and Eve, our first parents. Catholics believe we are born into "original sin," we inherit it. If original sin is the source of our damnation then we are born with it. We don't think children should be without the grace of Jesus. That is why Catholics baptise babies "in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost." The Bible says:
Surely I was born sinful, a sinner when my mother conceived me. (Psm 51:5)


I see many Evangelical parents seem to intuitively understand that we are born into sin, and teach their children to surrender to Jesus, even before the children understand what that means. Catholics think the best way to protect the child spiritually is to baptise them.


Most Evangelicals think that Baptism is simply an outward sign of a profession of faith. They don't think anything supernatural occurs during baptism. So, given their beliefs, it makes sense that Evangelicals think that only adults, who consciously proclaim Christ should be baptized. They consider it simply a public witness to their ""born again" decision and since babies can't make that decision, they feel there is no reason for the "sign" of baptism until they can make such a decision.
Catholics don't believe Baptism is only a sign. We believe something very profound and tangible happens during Baptism. We believe the Bible when it says that Baptism washes away sin. (Acts 22:16) So for us, it is not as much about what we give during baptism (i.e., a profession of faith) but it is about what we get, which is salvation. We believe this salvation is for babies too. Jesus said "let the little children come to me." (Lk 18:16)

We didn't choose to be born into the sin of Adam, (caused by his disobedience), yet nevertheless we were born into it (original sin). In the same way, Catholics believe that as infants, we can receive the saving grace of Baptism that was won by Jesus' obedience, without consciously choosing it.


We don't ask a baby if it wants to eat. We just feed him or her. We don't ask a baby if it wants its diaper changed, we simply change the diaper. We don't ask a baby if it needs a bath, we simply give the baby a bath when it is dirty. We take these simple and logical actions to physically clean up a baby. Catholics think it is even more important to do the same thing spiritually, through baptism. We need to let our Lord wash away the "original sin" from the baby.
And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." (Acts 2:38-39)


Here we see that Baptism applies to children. Perhaps some Evangelicals might look at this text and say the kids in this passage are saved by the parent's Baptism, but then the sentence would not say that the promise is for "all who are far off." Surely, the adult Baptism does not save "all who are far off" also.
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God’ (Luke 18:15–16).
Here we see children being brought to Jesus before they were able to make a personal decision for Christ. In Greek it is Prosepheron de auto kai ta brepha. The Greek word brepha means "infants." The Lord did not require these infants to make a personal decision for Christ.

Under Jewish law, the 8 day old child didn't have to make a profession of faith. He was part of a household of faith and was thus called by God, and therefore circumcised. Thank God for that! I shudder at the thought of being circumcised as an adult ... OUCHHH!!!

If Jesus was baptised by John the baptist when he was thirty years and the Holy Spirit came then why is it that Catholics don't do the same.
Mary and Joseph followed Jewish law (Lk 2:22). They were still under the Old Covenant, and infant circumcision was its sign. So that's what they did. Mary wouldn't do something that would be bizarre in Jewish Law. She was a devout Jew. The New Covenant was not instituted until Jesus' ministry. So it was natural that Mary did not follow the New Covenant when performing the ritual on the infant Jesus. Jesus instituted Baptism during his ministry 30 years later.


Before John's ministry, Baptism was not practiced by Jews as such. Baptism was foreshadowed in Jewish law, (i.e., ritual washing when Gentiles became Jews and blood sprinklings to clean the altar). But John the Baptist was the first guy to actually make baptism a specific practice. That's where he got his name. John's role was that he was "preparing the way of the Lord." Naturally, that preparation would include a prefiguration of the way that Jesus would save souls, which Catholics believe is through Baptism. (Acts 2:38, 22:16, 1 Pt. 3:21, Mk 16:15-16 Acts 2:3 After Jesus was Baptised, He made baptism the doorway to salvation and He sent his disciples to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mark 28:19). We presume from Scripture and early Christian writings that that included infants.
It is quite logical that most of the baptisms in the Bible were on adults since Jesus had just instituted Baptism. If I was there I'd run into the water for a Baptism too.
Infant Baptisms predate the 2nd century
Infant Baptisms predate the 2nd century and it is quite possible that from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole "households" received Baptism, infants may also have been baptized. (Acts 16:15).

"Every soul that is born into flesh is soiled by the filth of wickedness and sin... In the Church, baptism is given for the remission of sins, and, according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants. If there were nothing in infants which required the remission of sins and nothing in them pertinent to forgiveness, the grace of baptism would seem superfluous."

Can the faith of the parents save the kids without Baptism?
Some Evangelicals believe that the children are covered by the faith of the parents and therefore don't need Baptism. This idea came from Calvin. I got an email from an Evangelical that said:
The bible teaches that a child is covered by God when parents are christians, and when that child is old enough to understand can then make that decision on their own.
She believes that the faith of the (Evangelical) parents cover the child, but at the same time she has a problem with the idea that Catholic parents, godparents and the community can stand in the gap for the children in Baptism. This seems counter intuitive.
Be that as it may, I think she was talking about this passage:
"The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife; and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband; otherwise your children should be unclean; but now they are holy." (1 Cor 7)
The surrounding text clearly shows that Paul is not speaking of regenerating or sanctifying grace, but answering questions by the Corinthians concerning the validity of marriages between heathens and believers. He is saying the validity of such marriages is proved from the fact that children born of them are legitimate, not illegitimate. The term "sanctified" in this context means To give social or moral sanction to (www.thefreedictionary.com/sanctified) I don't think any Evangelical denomination would say that a husband is saved by the faith of the wife.
So we don't believe that the faith of the parents saves the kids. However, we do not underestimate the contribution that a solid Christian home makes to the life of a baptised infant. In fact, we require it for Baptism. The Catechism says:
1255 For the grace of Baptism to unfold, the parents' help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother, who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized - child or adult on the road of Christian life.55 Their task is a truly ecclesial function (officium).56 The whole ecclesial community bears some responsibility for the development and safeguarding of the grace given at Baptism.

In a child Baptism, the parents and the Church intercede for the child (Evangelicals might call it "standing in the Gap"). The parents who are interceding for the Child promise to bring the child up in the faith so as to prepare the child for this future mature decision for Christ, to the best of their abilities. Catholics feel that Jesus' generosity and the parents/Church's intercession along with the expectation that the child will make a personal decision for Christ when they are capable of doing so (1st Communion or Confirmation), combined with God's Grace and love of children, make the Baptism valid and wins salvation for the child.
We do believe that God is a merciful God. The Catechism says:
"As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," allows us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism."
We don't believe this mercy would necessarily be contingent on the faith of the parents, but rather on the Lord's great mercy for, and love of children.
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/index2.htm

Infant Baptism is Biblical!

1. Infants are new to the world and the only sin they have against them is the Original Sin. An infant is not old enough to be able to sin against God for they have not even come close to the age of reason.
Genesis 7:1 "Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation." (Note in this instance that the word "you" is singular, referring to Noah only. Yet, by virtue of Noah's righteousness, his whole family is taken into the ark. Peter compares this event to Baptism in 1 Peter 3:20,21)
Genesis 12:17 "But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife."


Genesis 18:19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."
Deuteronomy 14:26 "And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household."
Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."


1 Samuel 25:6 "And thus you shall say to him who lives inprosperity: 'Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!"
There are dozens and dozens more. These passages speak of houses being blessed or condemned by virtue of the spiritual status of the head of that household. Joshua, cited above, even takes responsibility not only for his own serving the Lord, but for his family's as well.


And just as significant are those passages that mention the household but explicitly exclude children:
Genesis 50:7-8 "So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen."
1 Samuel 1:21,22 "Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, 'Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.'"


The exceptions prove the rule. In both of the above cases, when the biblical writer mentions the entire household, he feels the need to point out in this case that the children are not included. He would not point this out unless the term "house" presumed otherwise.
To get the full flavor of this truth, we ought to see the entire New Testament witness. Look at these verses one by one, remembering the normal meaning that any Jew or instructed Gentile would attach to the word "house" and let the cumulative force of these verses overwhelm you:


Matthew 10:12-14 "And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet."
Luke 19:9 "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham'"
John 4:53 "So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, 'Your son lives.' And he himself believed, and his whole household."


Acts 2:38-39 "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'"
Acts 10:2 "[Cornelius was] a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always."
Acts 11:14-18 "'[Peter] will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'"


Acts 16:14-15 "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' So she persuaded us."
Acts 16:31-34 "So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."
Acts 18:8 "Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." (Note well that Paul refers back to this event in 1 Corinthians 1:14 as the baptism of "Crispus." It is clear that in Paul's mind, to baptize "Crispus" is necessarily to baptize the members of his household under his headship as well.)


1 Corinthians 1:16 "Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other."
2 Timothy 1:16 "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain."
Hebrews 11:7,9 "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.... By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise."
The household language of the Bible is not the only evidence for infant baptism. But it is powerful. It is more than an argument from silence, that is, an argument claiming we should baptize infants because we aren't told not to. The above verses demonstrate that the baptism of infants is everywhere proclaimed by the New Testament witness—unless someone wants to claim that the word "house" is being used in a strange and unattested sense.


To get the full flavor of this truth, we ought to see the entire New Testament witness. Look at these verses one by one, remembering the normal meaning that any Jew or instructed Gentile would attach to the word "house" and let the cumulative force of these verses overwhelm you:
Matthew 10:12-14 "And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet."
Luke 19:9 "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham'"
John 4:53 "So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, 'Your son lives.' And he himself believed, and his whole household."


Acts 2:38-39 "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'"
Acts 10:2 "[Cornelius was] a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always."
Acts 11:14-18 "'[Peter] will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'"


Acts 16:14-15 "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' So she persuaded us."
Acts 16:31-34 "So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."


Acts 18:8 "Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." (Note well that Paul refers back to this event in 1 Corinthians 1:14 as the baptism of "Crispus." It is clear that in Paul's mind, to baptize "Crispus" is necessarily to baptize the members of his household under his headship as well.)
1 Corinthians 1:16 "Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other."
2 Timothy 1:16 "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain."


Hebrews 11:7,9 "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.... By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise."
The household language of the Bible is not the only evidence for infant baptism. But it is powerful. It is more than an argument from silence, that is, an argument claiming we should baptize infants because we aren't told not to. The above verses demonstrate that the baptism of infants is everywhere proclaimed by the New Testament witness—unless someone wants to claim that the word "house" is being used in a strange and unattested sense.
To get the full flavor of this truth, we ought to see the entire New Testament witness. Look at these verses one by one, remembering the normal meaning that any Jew or instructed Gentile would attach to the word "house" and let the cumulative force of these verses overwhelm you:


Matthew 10:12-14 "And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet."
Luke 19:9 "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham'"
John 4:53 "So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, 'Your son lives.' And he himself believed, and his whole household."


Acts 2:38-39 "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'"
Acts 10:2 "[Cornelius was] a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always."


Acts 11:14-18 "'[Peter] will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'"
Acts 16:14-15 "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' So she persuaded us."


Acts 16:31-34 "So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."
Acts 18:8 "Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." (Note well that Paul refers back to this event in 1 Corinthians 1:14 as the baptism of "Crispus." It is clear that in Paul's mind, to baptize "Crispus" is necessarily to baptize the members of his household under his headship as well.)


1 Corinthians 1:16 "Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other."
2 Timothy 1:16 "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain."
Hebrews 11:7,9 "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.... By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise."
The household language of the Bible is not the only evidence for infant baptism. But it is powerful. It is more than an argument from silence, that is, an argument claiming we should baptize infants because we aren't told not to. The above verses demonstrate that the baptism of infants is everywhere proclaimed by the New Testament witness—unless someone wants to claim that the word "house" is being used in a strange and unattested sense. Lastly, baptism is a seal of membership in the body of Christ. This we know from Jesus saying "of such is the Kingdom." Baptism is the sign of entry into that kingdom.


All baptized persons, including children, have a right to: 1)The preaching of the word.2) Worship. All baptized persons have a right and a duty to worship God. This is why we do not have "children's church" in which we send our children away from worship (or at least preaching). They have a right to know from their earliest years that this is the place where God's people meet to sing and pray to him, and I am one of those people
• 3) Training. All baptized persons have a right to be instructed in the faith. The child down the street doesn't have this right, but ours do. The parents have taken a vow to raise that child "in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord."
• Church Discipline. When a baptized person strays away, we don't just let them go. They have a right to be exhorted, admonished, censured, disfellowshiped, and excommunicated as a last attempt to restore them to the flock. We do not pursue the children of the world in this way. But our own children have a right to this.
• The Judgment of Charity. This means we are not left to our own discretion to decide, this one is really saved, and, that one is just faking it. No individual in the church has the "power of the keys" to admit into the church or send out from it. Only the elders, sitting together, have that authority. And they must admit to the church all children of professing Christians. And thus, you and I must treat all such as brothers in Christ.


For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. 30For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:29-32
But our children do have a right to be prepared to take that holy supper by being trained in the faith. And when they make their profession and come to the Table, we praise God that their baptism has done its work. It has called them successfully to faith in Christ.
Circumcision in the Old Testament was a sign of the Mosaic Covenant. Paul tells us in Romans 4:11 that circumcision was "a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith" when speaking of Abraham. What were Abraham's instructions for future circumcision? One might assume with an individualistic culture such as our own that Abraham would only then circumcise those who subsequently made a profession of faith. However, Abraham was to circumcise all of his descendants. Isaac was commanded to circumcise both Jacob and Esau, though we read in Romans 9 that God already had decreed the salvation of Jacob, and knew that Esau would fall away. The sign was to be applied to those of faith and their children.
Paul writes in Colossians 2:11,12 "In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Baptism is now the sign of initiation into the people of God. It has replaced circumcision.
Jesus himself says, "do not permit the children from coming to me" In Luke 15:16-17. The language here is similar to early baptismal language as Jesus says "do not hinder them". In early baptisms, one who had faith and was baptized was asked if anything hindered them from being baptized.


This idea that children of believers are separate from heathen children and therefore should be baptized is explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7. "For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." (7:14) The argument Paul is making here is not about the children. The issue he is dealing with is whether a Christian should stay married to a non Christian. He argues that since the child is holy with one Christian parent, the marriage is ok. The principle that the child is Holy Paul simply assumes that the Corinthians understand as he uses that principle to defend himself. He does not offer any defense for the principle of the holiness of children itself.


Jeremiah (Jer 1:5—“Before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee”) and John the Baptist (Luke 1:16—“He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb”) were filled with the Holy Spirit at or before their birth. These examples prove that God’s plan of salvation included infants as a possibility, because these were saved while infants, and did not die as infants.
God’s Two Covenants of Life Included Infants
God’s covenant of life with Adam was on condition of perfect obedience (“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”—Gen. 2:17; “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin”—Rom. 5:12).
Adam’s part was to obey; God’s part was to give life. Adam failed; the covenant was broken. This covenant included infants; the same death that befell Adam came to all (Rom. 5:12, “Death passed upon all men”).
The three household baptisms in the New Testament surely include children. They are:
“She [Lydia] was baptized and her household”—Acts 16:l5.
“He (the Philippian jailer)...was baptized, he and all his, straightway”—Acts 16:33.
“I baptized also the household of Stephanus”—I Cor 1:16.


A Dilemma for Immersionists
The record of two of these household baptisms indicates that small children were baptized. Acts 16:14 records only Lydia’s heart as being opened (“whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things...spoken of Paul”) yet “she was baptized and her household.” Either some adults were baptized without conversion, or some children too young to believe in the Savior were baptized on the faith of the mother.
Likewise, Acts 16:34 records only the jailer as “believing,” for the translated Greek word is singular. The verse reads: “He...rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” He “was baptized, he and all his, straightway.” (Moffatt expresses it: “got baptized instantly, he and his family.”) Since only the jailer’s faith is mentioned, either some adults were baptized without conversion, or some children too young to believe were baptized on the faith of the father.
Paul and Silas would not have baptized unsaved adults, so the other alternative must he true. There must have been children in these households who were baptized on the faith of their parents.
The second objection calls in question the wisdom of God who directed the circumcision of the 8-days-old baby. Could the baby know anything of the purpose of this act?


The infant knows nothing more of the purpose of his baptism than Isaac knew of the purpose of his circumcision, or than the brought infants knew of the touch (“the blessing,” Mark 10:16) of the Savior (“They brought unto Him also infants, that He would touch them”—Luke 18:15). But the parent can know of his covenant with God for his child, and God knows of His covenant with the parent to be a God to his seed.
If it is “silly,” as urged by immersionists, to baptize a baby, then it was worse than silly—it was brutal—to mutilate an 8-days-old baby by circumcision. However, God specifically commanded the latter (Gen. 17:12), and when He changed the covenant token to baptism, He never denied to children the new token.
Since God’s plan of salvation, God’s covenants of life, and God’s church always included infants, who among men would deny to helpless babies of believers their God-given right to the sign, seal, token (baptism) of their inheritance in the covenant of grace and in the church?



Parents should remember that it was in reference to salvation that the Lord Jesus gave that wonderful revelation: “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible”—Mark 10:27. God was able to make good His word to Abraham: “and to thy seed“ (Gen. 17:7), and to the Philippian jailer: “and thy house” (Acts 16 :31). He is still able, and He awaits today the fulfillment by parents of their part of the covenant.


Immersion Is Not in the Bible
“Immerse” never occurs in any of its forms in the English Bible, in either the King James or the American Standard Version. This is not because the Hebrew and Greek languages lack the word, but because there was nothing in any of the Bible purifying rites which called for it. The fact that the English Bible nowhere uses “immerse” in any of its forms puts a heavy burden of proof upon those who contend that baptism means immersion. “Sprinkle” in various forms occurs 41 times in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and 6 times in Hebrews, besides many more times in other parts of the Bible.


The Three Baptisms of Matthew 3:11
In this verse (“I...baptize you with water. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire”) three baptisms are mentioned: with water, with the Holy Spirit, with fire. If baptism always and invariably means immersion, this verse speaks of an immersion in water an immersion in the Holy Spirit, and an immersion in fire.
How does the Bible describe these three baptisms? The only description of the baptism with fire is in Acts 2:3: “There appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire; and it sat upon each of them.” Accepting this language as a correct description (as we must), the baptism with fire could not have been an immersion in fire. “Sat upon” does not describe an immersion.
The 2nd chapter of Acts does not describe the mode of baptism with the Holy Spirit, but it is described in Acts 11:15: “The Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.” Every description of the baptism with the Holy Spirit represents Him as coming upon, being poured out, put in or within, sent upon, falling upon, descending upon, etc. Not one expression admits the idea of immersion in the Holy Spirit. How, then, can the claim be maintained that baptism is always and invariably immersion when two out of three baptisms of Matthew 3:11 cannot be immersion?


Baptisms with Water
Only one New Testament water baptism is described in sufficient detail to indicate its mode—that of Saul of Tarsus. Ananias told him to “arise and be baptized” (Acts 22:16), and he “arose and was baptized” (Acts 9:1. The one Greek word translated in one place “arise” and in the other “he arose” is a participle; a literal translation in both places would be “arising” or “having arisen,” or “standing up.” There is no suggestion of any change of garments or of travel to a place suitable for immersion. (Moffatt translates those passages in Acts: “Get up and be baptized” and “he got up and was baptized.”)


Paul had had no food nor water for three days (“he...three days...neither did eat nor drink” —Acts 9:9). He was baptized before taking food (“he...was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened”—Acts 9:18, 19). It would be unreasonable to read into the record that such an unbiblical thing as immersion was rushed upon him before giving him food.
If “much water” is necessary to valid baptism, as immersionists claim, they would have trouble finding “much water” for the baptism of the 3000 at Pentecost, for that of the eunuch on a road that Scripture says is “desert” (Acts 8:26), for that of Saul of Tarsus and for that of the Philippian jailer inside the jail at midnight.
Immersion has no foundation in the Old Testament. Immersion has no foundation in the New Testament. Take, for example, I Corinthians 10:1, 2: “Our fathers...were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” So far from immersing the Israelites, if it touched them at all, the cloud did so by descending upon them. But it “stood behind them” (Ex. 14:19). Nor did the sea touch them: “upon the dry ground” (Ex. 14:22). One company was immersed: the Egyptians, but the record does not say they were baptized.
Another instance is in I Peter 3:20, 21: “Eight souls were saved by water” (in Noah’s ark). “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” (the meaning of this passage has no bearing on this discussion). Please notice the difficulties of the passage for the immersionist. The eight that were saved were not immersed; the rest of the world were immersed, but the “like figure” of the word baptism was not applied to their cases.


Of course, water baptism in itself will not save a baby nor anybody else, but God graciously gives His people the privilege of binding Him by it as a token, in covenant with the parents, to save the little ones, if the parents will do their part (“to be a God unto thee and to thy seed”—Gen. 17:7

Will babies go to heaven or hell?

Verses Given For Why a Baby or Child Will Go To Heaven
A man is conceived and born in sin. That God elects who will be saved to enter heaven.
1."Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5
2. I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 1 John 2:12
3. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14
4. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. 1 Corinthians 7:14
5. For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls. Romans 9:11
6. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15
7. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psa 23:6
8.Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. Deuteronomy 1:39
9. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. Mark 10:15
10. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. (Isa 7.16)
11. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:39
12. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20
13. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2
14. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” Matthew 26:24
15. "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41)
16. "For he (John the Baptist) will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb." (Luke 1:15)
17. Even a child is known by his actions,by whether his conduct is pure and right. Pr 20:11
18. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace .Ephesians 1:4-7
19.But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first are filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. Mk 7:27
20. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:31)
21. ...will be saved..."and your household." seems to support Paul's thought in 1Cor7:14
22. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:3-7
23. "Because the Lord Himself shall come down from Heaven with a commanding shout of an archangel's voice, and with God's trumpet. And the dead in Christ will rise again first. Then we who remain alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to a meeting with the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. (1Th4:16-17)
24. The LORD hath called me from the womb...” (Isaiah 49:1).
25. As it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD
26. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
(2 Timothy 1:5
27. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.(2 Timothy 3:14-15)
28. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:14
29. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 2 Chronicles 34:1-3
30. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess Deuteronomy 31:12-13
31. And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.
(Deuteronomy 30:1-3)
32. Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren Deuteronomy 4:9
33. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(Deuteronomy 11:19)
34. Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38, 39
35. “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Acts 10:47-49
36. Acts 16:15 - Paul baptized Lydia and her entire household. The word "household" comes from the Greek word "oikos" which is a household that includes infants and children.
37.1 Cor. 7:14 – Paul says that children are sanctified by God through the belief of only one of their parents.
38. Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?’” Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. Joel 2:16-18
39. Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:37
40. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:16
41. Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 1 Corinthians 14:20

Verses why the Babies do not go heaven
1. Ezekiel 18:4 ; For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son--both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
2. The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.-- Psalm 58:3
3. Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalms 51:5
4. Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam [the son] of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness 2 Peter 2:14-15.
5. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2:3
6. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3
7. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
8. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10
9. Surely you did not hear, Surely you did not know; Surely from long ago your ear was not opened. For I knew that you would deal very treacherously, And were called a transgressor from the womb. -- Isaiah 48:8
10. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12
11. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. Romans 3:11
12. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20
13. "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin. (Deu 24:16)
14. I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry.Hosea 2:4
15. Except a man be born of water and (of) the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5).
16. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
(Exodus 20:5-6)
17. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16
18. When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. Job 8:4
19. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Revelation 2:23

A Biblical study in Infant Baptism

Infant Baptism: Baptism is a sign of new birth with Christ. Baptism symbolically enacts how a person’s life is transformed by Christ: they are cleansed of their sins, they die and rise again, there is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).


Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:13

In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. Romans 9:8
1. Baptism includes children:
Salvation is not given for parents only, but for the parents and also for their whole household.Where does it say in the Bible not to baptize infants? The children in a family are part of the father and mother. When people are saved, it is God's desire to save their family.

But Jesus has commanded infant baptism. In Matthew 28:19 He says, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 25:31-32 also uses the phrase "all nations" in this way. All nations are to be baptized, regardless of race, color, sex, age, class, or education. Jesus makes no exceptions. He doesn't say, "Baptize all nations except . . .."

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."Acts 2:38-39

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. John 8:31

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:5

2.Baptism is the new circumcision of Christ: Did the babies circumcised under Abraham and Moses understand what was happening to them? Of course not. How were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob saved? By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Col 2:11-12

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. 1 John 2:27-29

Every time Christians come to the Lord's table, they renew the covenant, receive the promise of the Gospel again, take up their oath of obedience to God and renew their baptism.

3.Baptism is the beginning of the faith: We including children’s are born again
as members of Christ's body and citizens of his Kingdom. Baptism is the beginning and not the end of the journey to salvation. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Baptism is not an end in itself. Rather, it is only the beginning of a life of faith and faithful discipleship in Jesus. Baptism is a sign of God's grace which includes adult converts or infant children of believers.

The Word of God says, "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22) and "not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only those who do the will of God who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Jesus said, "Unless you are born again of water and Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). No one by no fault of their own that is not baptized is condemned to hell.

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:37

4.Make disciples by "baptizing and teaching: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28: 19-20

5.All were baptized" through Moses' leadership in crossing over the Red Sea:
Moses did not leave the infants or children on the shores of Egypt to become prey to the angry armies of Pharaoh because they were not old enough to believe in the promise of the Old Covenant. Rather, entrusted to the arms of their parents' faith, they were carried through the "baptism of Moses."

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

6.Lord is with children:
Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:6-8

The saving of Noah's entire family by the ark can also be seen as a prefigurement of a baptism which includes infants. Why should we leave infants out of the ark of baptism?

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.1 Peter 2:2

7.House hold baptism: Infants are Baptized because they were born into the covenant family of Christ, in anticipation of the faith in which they would be raised.In the below scriptures, the head of the household, came to faith, the entire household was baptized.In the Bible most of those who bore some responsibility were the heads of households. The head of a family has the special responsibility before God for bringing his whole household to the Lord and to His service. You need to take your stand as the head of your family to declare that your household will believe in the Lord and that you will not tolerate anyone who will not believe. The head of the household can decide for his entire household. Even if the little children do not believe, you can still say that your household will believe in the Lord, because this household is yours and not your children's. You are responsible for your household, not your children. You can declare Joshua 24:15 before the Lord and before your whole family: "As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah." You have to acknowledge that your family is a believer's family. You need to declare this by faith, and you need to put your wife and children on this ground. Always lay hold of this fact: I am the head of my family, and my family will believe in God. My household will not believe in the devil. I have decided that this family will be a family that worships God. I have decided that this family will be a family that believes in the Lord. If you declare this with faith, and if you exercise your authority to take the lead, your children will go along.


I believe the head of every household should make the declaration of Joshua 24:15. You should gather your children and dependents together and tell them, "As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah." Then as long as you are in the household, your household will serve the Lord. The household is yours, and you have the power to decide whether this house will serve the Lord. When you take this stand, everyone who is under you will come to the Lord; they will have no other way to take.
Did Luke say "everyone in her household except infants"?Did Paul say "everyone except infants"?Aren't infants part of "all the people"?


Acts 11:14, of Peter: “He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.”

Acts 16:14-15, of Lydia: “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia. . . . And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us. . .”

Acts 16:33, of the Philippian jailor: “’Men, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ He was baptized at once, with all his family.”

1 Cor 1:16: “I did baptized also the household of Stephanas.”

There are several examples in the Bible where it shows that salvation is a matter of the whole household, not individuals.


1)Genesis 7:1 says, "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thous and all thy house into the ark," and 1 Peter 3:20 says, "A few, that is, eight souls, were brought safely through by water."

The ark was not for an individual; it was for the whole house. In Genesis 6 we see a man who was righteous before God -- Noah. The Bible does not say that the sons and daughters-in-law of Noah were righteous. The Bible only says that Noah was a righteous man before God. However, when God prepared a way of salvation for Noah, He commanded Noah's whole house to enter the ark. Therefore, the household, not an individual, entered the ark.

2)Genesis 17:12-13 says, "Every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."

God called Abraham and made a covenant with him, saying, "I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee" (v.7). The sign of the covenant between God and Abraham was circumcision. All who were circumcised belonged to God, and all who were not circumcised were not of God. God also told Abraham that his whole household needed to be circumcised, including those who were born in his house and those who were bought with his money. Therefore, the promise of circumcision was not given to Abraham alone but to his whole household. Circumcision takes the household as a unit. God's promise came to Abraham's house, not to him alone.

3)Exodus 12:3-7 says, "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house...and they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."

The Passover lamb was clearly given to a household, not to an individual. Again we see the importance of a household before God. The Passover lamb had to do with a household, it was not an individual matter. A lamb was not prepared for each person, but for each household. The blood struck on the doorpost and side posts was to protect the whole household. The angel of destruction would pass over a whole household.

If one man eats the lamb, it means that only he is being saved. But if the whole household eats the lamb, it means that the whole household is being saved. Salvation is for the whole household. The whole household eats the lamb, and similarly the whole household strikes the blood. The whole household enjoys these things together.

4)God's promise of the priesthood was also for a whole house. It was not for one or two individuals. Numbers 18:1 says, "And Jehovah said to Aaron, You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary."

Verse 11 says, "This also is yours, the heave offering of their gift, all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due; every one who is clean in your house may eat of it." God gave all the sacrifices and offerings to the house of Aaron. The sacrifices were for the house of Aaron, not for Aaron alone. This is because God accepts the house as a whole. Please remember that the priesthood was for Aaron's house, not for Aaron alone. The priesthood took the household as a unit.

5)Joshua 2:19 says, "Anyone who goes forth from the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be upon his own head, and we will be innocent. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood will be upon our heads if a hand should come upon him." Joshua 6:17 says, "And the city shall be devoted to Jehovah for destruction, it and all that is in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the messengers we sent."

Here we see Rahab the harlot and her household being saved. What did she do? She received the spies. When she received the spies, God gave her a sign. She was to tie a line of scarlet thread in the window. All who were in the house which had the scarlet thread were spared, while the rest of the inhabitants of Jericho were killed. The scarlet thread signifies salvation. The scarlet-thread salvation saved Rahab's household; it did not save just her.

We need to be very clear about the scope of salvation. Chapter two of Joshua gives the promise, and chapter six gives the actual execution. Both the promise in chapter two and the execution in chapter six show us that Rahab's whole household was saved. All who were in the house which had the scarlet thread were saved. God's salvation is for the whole household, not for individuals.

6. Second Samuel 6:11 says, "And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his household."

Rahab was not the head of her house; she had a father. But Rahab held to God, and her household was blessed and saved. It is very good if you are the head of your household because you can speak for your household. But even if you are not the head of your household, you can still speak in faith as Rahab, saying, "Lord, turn my household to You to receive Your graceand blessing."

7)Deuteronomy 12:7 says, "There you shall eat before Jehovah your God, and you and your households shall rejoice in all your undertakings, in which Jehovah your God has blessed you." You and your household receive the blessing of God and rejoice therein.

Deuteronomy 14:26 says, "You shall exchange the money for anything that your soul desires, for oxen, for sheep, for wine, for strong drink, or for anything that your soul would like; and you and your household shall eat there before Jehovah your God and rejoice."
Have you seen this? God promised the Israelites that they would eat, drink and rejoice before God on that day household by household. In other words, blessing is for the household, not for the individual.


1. The House of Zaccheus
Luke 19:9 says, "Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house." This is wonderful. The New Testament declares the same principle. I am afraid that many people have been preaching for over twenty years about personal salvation only. However, the Lord tells us that "salvation has come to this house."

When you preach the gospel, you must pay attention to household salvation. You must not look merely for individual salvation. If you truly believe and expect this, your work will undergo a great change. This depends entirely on your faith and expectation. If you expect others to come to the Lord one by one, they will come one by one. If you believe that they will come household by household, they will come household by household. The scope of God's salvation is the household. You must not make this scope smaller than it should be.

2. The Household of a Nobleman
John 4:53 says, "Then the father knew that it was in that hour in which Jesus said to him, Your son lives; and he believed, he and his whole house." Here only one person was healed -- the son. However, the Bible says that "he believed, he and his whole household." You can lay hold of this fact before the Lord. Although the son was the one who directly received His grace, the whole household turned and believed. Our hope and expectation is that we would bear fruit in such a prevailing way.
3. The Household of Cornelius
Acts 10:2 says that Cornelius was "devout and one who feared God with all his household, giving many alms to the people and beseeching God continually," and 11:14 says, "...who will speak words to you by which you shall be saved, you and all your house."

Cornelius's entire household was saved; it was not just one person who was saved. Cornelius invited his relatives and close friends to hear the worlds of Peter. While Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were in Cornelius's house, and all of them received salvation.

4. The Household of Lydia

Acts 16:15 says, "She was baptized, as well as her household." The apostle preached the gospel to Lydia's household, and the whole household believed and was baptized.

5. The Household of the Jailer
Acts 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." This is one of the most outstanding verses in Christianity. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household. God's Word does not say that if you believe on the Lord Jesus, you and your household shall receive eternal life. It says that if you believe on the Lord Jesus, you and your household will be saved.

Throughout the entire Old Testament, God dealt with man by households. Likewise in the New Testament, He deals with man by households. This is the smallest unit; one cannot reduce it to a smaller one. If anyone believes in the Lord Jesus, his whole household shall be saved. This is indeed a wonderful thing. I do not know why this is so, but the Lord's Word says it is so. The Old Testament and the New Testament are consistent; both recognize the same unit.

The church in Philippi started with a jailer. Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." Verse 34 says, "And he brought them up into his house and set a table before them; and he exulted because he had believed in God with all his household." Here we see a wonderful picture. In the beginning the promise was given to the jailer; no one else heard it. "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." Later, the jailer brought his household to Paul. After Paul spoke to them, they were baptized. Then the jailer brought them into his house and set a table before them; and he exulted, having believed in God. "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household' -- this is not something difficult to achieve. The apostle gave the jailer a promise, and his whole household was saved. Everyone listened, everyone was baptized, and everyone exulted.

Suppose the apostle told the jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved." If this was the case, we would have to wait a few days after a person was saved, teach him something, and hope that he would understand. Then he might gradually testify to his family, and his family might eventually believe and be saved. If this had been the case, how long would it have taken for the jailer's household to be saved? The apostle did not preach the gospel this way. He did not deal with individuals one by one, instead, he addressed the whole household. He said, "You and your household" shall be saved. You need to see this: The salvation of a household is no different and certainly no more difficult than the salvation of one person. You should never forfeit the privilege of saving the whole household. If you bring the whole household along, the whole household will be saved.

I hope that when the church preaches the gospel five or ten years form now, household after household will be turning to the Lord. From now on, the goal of our workers in evangelism should be whole households. If our goal is a household, we will gain a household. If our goal is only an individual, we will gain only an individual. God does things according to our faith.

If we are clear about God's way with men, we will not suffer unnecessary loss. God takes a household as a unit. If God gains a person, He should gain his whole family as well, regardless of how many persons there are in that family. I hope you will tell the brothers to rise up household by house hold. Those who are the head of a family have the ground to bring their whole household to the Lord, and they should help their families be saved.

Household salvation means household rejoicing. This is a great matter! If we see that God's dealing with man is by households, we will experience much blessing. We must learn to lay hold of this promise of God.

6. The Household of Crispus

Acts 18:8 says, "Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with his whole household...and were baptized."

In the Bible there are individuals who believed in the Lord and there are households which believed in the Lord. Notice how easy it is for God's grace to come to a household. The whole household of Crispus believed and was baptized.

7. The Promise of Pentecost Being Given to You and Your Children

Let us consider the condition at Pentecost. Acts 2:39 says, "For to you is the promise and to your children, and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself."

The promise of Pentecost includes the forgiveness of sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. It was given "to you" and "to your children"; it was not merely given "to you." Those who are heads of the family in particular should lay hold of this promise and say, "Lord, Your promise is for me and also for my children. It cannot be mine without my children also being included. I want it for myself, and I want it also for my children."

8. Peace to a House

Luke 10:5-6 says, "Into whatever house you enter, first say, Peace to this house. And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall return upon you."

The Lord says that when a person sets out to preach the gospel, he should say as he enters into a house, "Peace to this house." It is not just given to individuals, but to households. If anyone is worthy of peace n a house, peace will come to his entire household. This verse is clear enough. God deals with man by households Thank God, peace comes to man household by household.

9. The Household of Stephanas

First Corinthians 1:16 says, "I did baptize the household of Stephanas also." Here Paul said that he baptized every member of the household of Stephanas. Like the jailer and the house of Lydia, Stephanas's whole household believed and was baptized.

10. The Household of Onesiphorus
Second Timothy 4:19 says, "Greet Prisca and Aquila and the house of Onesiphorus," and 1:16 says, "May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain." Here was a family that took care of Paul, a household that was not ashamed of his chain. Notice again that it was not an individual matter but something to do with a household.

These numerous cases provide ample proof in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that God deals with man by households. This is particularly true in the case of salvation; God takes the household as a unit.

We also wee that THE HOUSEHOLD BEING ALSO THE UNIT OF GOD'S PUNISHMENT

We need to see some verses which show that the unit of God's punishment is also the household. When man rebelled against God, God was provoked and He judged man. In judging man He took the household as a unit. God's judgment comes through one man to the entire household, just as God's blessing comes through one man to the netire household. Once we see this, we will take a stand for our household and declare that our household is for the Lord.
A. Pharaoh and His House
Genesis 12:17 says, "The Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues, because of Sarai, Abram's wife." The sin of Pharaoh brought God's plague to his whole household. God punished his whole household. If God's judgment comes to a household, we should expect that His blessing also will come to a household. We are not those under condemnation but those under His blessing.

B. The House of Abimelech
Genesis 20:18 says, "For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife." God closed up all the wombs of the women of the house of Abimelech. His whole household was punished, not just one or two men.

C. The House of David
Second Samuel 12:10-11 says, "Now therefore the sword will not depart from your house forever because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says Jehovah, I will now raise up trouble against you from within your house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and will give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun."

After David sinned, God did not rebuke and punish him individually. He said, "Now therefore the sword will not depart from your house." This is very clear. David sinned individually, but the result was that his whole household was judged by God. In God's eyes the people of this world are divided into households, not individuals. We need to come to God household by household.

D. The House of Jeroboam
First Kings 13:34 says, "This matter became a sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as even to cut it off and destroy it from the face of the earth." Jeroboam was the one who set up the idols, but God judged his house and destroyed it from the face of the earth.

First Kings 14:14 says, "Jehovah will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and even now." Jeroboam worshiped idols, but God cut off his house. I do not know why God did this. I can only say that in God's eyes a household is a unit. This is too clear. Unless we purposely ignore this fact, we have no choice but to acknowledge it.
E. The House of Baasha

First Kings 16:3 says, "I am now sweeping up after Baasha and after his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat." Because of the sin of one man, Baasha, God took away the posterity of Baasha and his house, in the same way that he cut off the house of Jeroboam. God deals with man by households.

F. The House of Ahab

I think one of the most well-known houses in the book of 1 Kings is the house of Ahab. First Kings 211:22 says, "I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son Ahijam because of the provocation by which you have provoked Me to anger and caused Israel to sin." Why did God deal with the house of Ahab? Because Ahab provoked God. Ahab was an evil king in the Old Testament. God said that He would deal with his house as He dealt with the house of Jeroboam and the house of Baasha. The entire house would be cut off. The unit of God's dealing is the household. This is more than clear and obvious.

G. The Households of Dathan and Abiram

We will consider one last portion which illustrates our point quite clearly. Deuteronomy 11:6 says, "And what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up and their households and their tents and all their substance that went with them, from the midst of all Israel." When Dathan and Abiram sinned, God opened the earth and swallowed not only Dathan and Abiram, but also their households.

In the Bible, both on the positive side and on the negative side and both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, all records show clearly that God deals with man by households. Brothers, we need to take care of how we live before God, because what we do individually can affect our whole household.

One of the greatest failures of the Protestants is that they are too loose with their next generation; they allow their next generation to have the freedom to choose their own faith. The Catholics do not have to preach the gospel. Their increase through natural birth alone is greater than the increase the Protestants have in a lifetime; Have you seen Catholics preaching the gospel on street corners like the Salvation Army? No. They just propagate through natural birth, generation after generation. Two become four, and four become eight. Every Roman Catholic child automatically becomes a Roman Catholic. The Catholics do not pay much attention to increase from the outside. As long as a person is born into Catholicism, he is dragged into the religion whether or not he eventually becomes a true believer. It is no wonder that the Catholic population exceeds the Protestant population by more than three times. Do not be nonchalant in this matter, and do not allow your own children to drift away.

Let me repeat: A new believer needs to declare right from the start that his household belongs to the Lord. Not only must he be the Lord's individually; he also must declare that his household is the Lord's. Take full control of this matter, and it will be done for you.



8.Babies never heard of preaching:

Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you. So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. Galatians 3:7-9

And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ Acts 22:16

9.Ministry of John and his Baptism of Repentance:
"As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Matt. 3:11

For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 1:5

10.Jesus Christ Baptizes with the Holy Spirit: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:9).

, "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 11:16

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Luke 10:21

11.The Lord himself Teaches: All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. Isaiah 54:13

"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD. Isaiah 59:21

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Psalm 34:11

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.Ephesians 5:1

12.Infants Can Believe and know God: Luke 18 tells us that certain parents were bringing infants (Greek - brephe) to Jesus, that He might bless them. The disciples rebuked those who brought the babies. Jesus' response is well known: "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it" (Luke 18:15-17). Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to baptize all nations, has declared that everyone who dies without faith is damned, and has taught us that infants can believe by God's grace working through baptism.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." Jeremiah 1:5

Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. Psalm 22:9

"And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea." (Mark 9:42)

"For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears [Elizabeth], the baby [John the Baptist] leaped in my womb for joy." (Luke 1:44)

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord.Ephesians 5:8-10

So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe Philippians 2:15

13.Infants are capable of glorifying God:
From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Psalms 8:2

And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 1 John 5:6

Are young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. Psalms 148:12-13

And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

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.” Mathew 19:13-14.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4

The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. 1 Samuel 3:19

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Luke 1:80

But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,” 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise' Matthew 21:15-16

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation– if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.1 Peter 2:2-3

"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. 1John 3:7-10

It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 2 John 1:4

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Luke 2:40

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:16-17

14. Children Responsible for the Sins of Parents:
Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:5-6

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known." Deuteronomy 11:26-28

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. Hosea 4:6

15.we can see several instances where people confessed and repented from sins of their ancestry. Here are some examples:

King Asa repented from his father's sin by destroying the idols in the land and serving the Lord (1 Kings 15:11-14).

King Josiah humbled himself and mourned his forefathers' sin before the Lord. God spared him of the disaster He was bringing on Judah because of the earlier generations' sin (2 Kings 22:11,13,19-20).

Nehemiah confessed fathers' and Israel's sin (Nehemiah 1:5-7)

Ezra confessed forefathers' sin (Ezra 9:5-15; 10:1)

The Israelites with Nehemiah confessed their fathers' sin (Nehemiah 9:1-37)

Daniel confessed forefathers' sin (Daniel 9:4-19)

Using scripture's precedent, we can take our place in Christ and confess our ancestors' sins. We can then receive God's forgiveness and healing from the effects of any generational curses that may have been over us.

16.Parents are responsible to train their children in "the way of the Lord:
But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. 1 Timothy 2:15

Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 12:28 .

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 11:19

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1 Corinthians 7:14

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." Genesis 18:19

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.2 Timothy 1:5

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matt 5:6

Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 32:46

17.We should tell the children that one of the purposes for which God gave the Bible is that we might teach it to the little ones:
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. Psalm 78:4-7.

18.WHEN SHOULD CHILD TRAINING BEGIN?
When should we begin? Hannah gives us a good example, in 1 Sam. 1:24, "And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young. Samuel was still very young to be surrendered by his mother to live in the house of the Lord!

19.Children SHOULD BE Brought to Christ: People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:14

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 1 Timothy 5:4

20.Children are Brought early to the house of God: After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.

All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.2 Chronicles 20:13

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Joel 2:15,16

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27

21.Children’s should be Instructed in the ways of God: Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." Deuteronomy 31:12-13

And when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today Deuteronomy 30:2

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

So the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Psalm 78:6

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

22.Children are the Partake of the promises of God: The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:39

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Psalm 37:26

The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him. Proverbs 20:7

23.Wicked children are astray:
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."(Here all includes children too) Isaiah 53:6

Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies. Psalm 58:3

And I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols. Ezekiel 20:18

"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. 1John 3:7-10

"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." 1John 2:19

When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. Job 8:4

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right. Proverbs 20:11

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. Ephesians 2:3

Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Isaiah 1:4

These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction. Isaiah 30:9

" 'But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws—although the man who obeys them will live by them—and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the desert. Ezekiel 20:21

I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery. Hosea 2:4

"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others. Matthew 11:16

24.No one deceive you with empty words: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them .Ephesians 5:6-7

"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. 1John 3:7-10

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truthbecause of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever2 John 1:1,2

25.Divisions are condemned:

My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:11-13

For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1:16

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. Acts 20:30

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Timothy 4:1

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:13