by Ron Halbrook
Synopsis: In homes where children are raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, the question often arises, "When am I ready to be baptized?" Ron helps godly parents provide an appropriate answer.
One of the most difficult yet rewarding challenges parents face is helping our children find the answer to the question, "When am I ready to be baptized?" There is no more important question and no more important decision in a lifetime. Philip the evangelist taught the Ethiopian treasurer in such a way as to provoke the question, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (Acts 8:36) Parents must teach their children in a manner which enlightens their mind and awakens their conscience, leading them to desire to submit to Christ in water baptism for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).
No one of any age is ready for baptism until he understand the seriousness of sin. Paul came to an age and stage of life when he grasped the reality of sin in his own conscience from the study of God's Word. "Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died" (Rom. 7:9, NIV). He died spiritually when his relationship with God was destroyed by his sins. Paul learned that he violated God's law by sins both of commission and of omission (Rom. 7:15). In godly sorrow he cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom. 7:24).
Regular Bible study in the home will lead a young person to know he has sinned when his mind and conscience can grasp the reality and the seriousness of sin in his own life. There is a vital difference between leading a child to examine his own conscience and pushing a child to be baptized. A wise parent will ask his inquiring child to explain what sin is and what it means. In order to make some assessment of the child's understanding, we might even ask, "What sins have you committed?" When the answer is something like, "I was bad because I was not careful and I spilled my milk during supper," we know the child has a tender conscience, but he does not yet grasp the moral dimension of sin. That is a good time to say, "Let's continue to think and study about it." His answer is a clear signal he is not ready.
Another question which helps us and helps the child is, "If you died tonight, would you go to heaven or to hell?" For the moment, we are bypassing the hadean world and thinking about our final destiny. Whatever answer the young person gives will help us gauge his understanding. It is good to follow up with the question, "Why do you think that is where you will go?" Especially if the child says he will go to heaven, it is a sign that he has not yet sinned and tasted the pain and shame of sin's guilt. He is not ready to be baptized and a wise parent will suggest, "Let's continue to study another time."
We must lead our children to understand the basis or foundation of God forgiving sin. Above all, our hearts must know how much God loves us as Jesus explained in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Having the young person memorize and recite this passage will be a good step. Family devotions, sermons, and Bible classes will acquaint the child's mind with the perfect work of Jesus Christ for our salvation including his death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and present rule at the Father's right hand. All that Christ has done and continues to do proclaims God's love for us.
Above all, the young person will not be ready for baptism until his mind and conscience wrestles with the issue of why Jesus Christ had to die. It will help to study Romans 3:23-26 with the child. After explaining that "all have sinned," Paul shows that God made our salvation possible through the propitiation or perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Verse 26 paves the way to explain that in Christ's death God proves Himself "just" by punishing sin.
The young person will begin to understand the meaning of God's justice as he learns to think about the necessity of punishing disobedience. "What would happen if traffic laws were not enforced or if the criminals were not arrested and punished?" "What would happen if your father and mother did not punish you when you disobey?" "What would happen in our world if people thought God does not punish sin?"
Since our children hear about school shootings, it might be well to explain why one teenager said he took a gun to school to kill students. An officer in the sheriff's department reported the teenager "said he was an atheist and that his life had no purpose and other people's lives also had no purpose."1 There is no moral justice in the world if such criminals are not punished. They will simply go on committing more and worse crimes. The concept of God's moral justice is established by His punishment of sin.
Verse 26 also shows God is "the justifier" who forgives sin based on the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Thus, the death of Christ serves dual purposes: proving God punishes sin, and providing the perfect sacrifice which is the basis for God to forgive the sins of people who are willing to receive this gift. Christ was not punished because he sinned but because we sinned--but he offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Children can begin to grasp these concepts if we speak to them on their level.
God does not force anyone to receive His gift of forgiveness. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Parents can easily explain the difference between a gift given without conditions and a gift provided with conditions. For instance, a child might become sick or injured and his parent will take him to the doctor without any conditions. Or, a parent might tell his child, "I will give you $1.00 if you will put it in a safe place to learn how to save money, but I will not give it if you will only spend it immediately." The $1.00 is a gift, but the child must submit to the parent's condition in order to receive it. Salvation is the gift of God which we can never earn, but we must submit to God's conditions in order to receive it.
As a result of studies with the young person, a parent can gauge his progress by letting him name and explain each of the conditions. Read passages such as Mark 16:15 and Romans 10:17 to discuss the importance of opening our hearts to hear the gospel of Christ. Ask simple questions like, "What should be the result if we hear and understand God's Word?" Let the child explain what he understands about the word "faith" or "believe" in connection with Mark 16:16 and John 3:16. Be sure he gets the point that total trust in Christ requires obedient faith.
Can the child explain repentance as based on godly sorrow, involving a change of heart leading to a change of conduct? Passages like Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, and 2 Corinthians 7:10 will help. Talk with the young person about the implications of confessing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God (Rom. 10:8-10; Acts 8:37). This confession commits us to believe and obey everything he teaches.
The young person should be able to explain baptism as immersion and the purpose as a final condition in order to receive God's forgiveness of our sins based on the perfect sacrifice of Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). If the parent must explain all of this every time the subject is discussed, the young person is not ready to be baptized. We need to wait until the child himself can express these things.
Discussions are needed about baptism representing a commitment to the Lord first above everything and everyone else (Matt. 6:33; 10:34-39). We want to be sure the young person is making a conscious decision to serve God for the rest of his life (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). It is important to know that lukewarm, half-hearted Christians are disgusting to Christ (Rev. 3:15-16). As Christ gave his life to die for us on the cross, we give our lives to love, serve, follow, and obey him all the days of our life.
We are anxious to see our children obey the gospel, but we must do everything in our power to be sure they do it by their own volition, from their own heart, as Paul expressed it in Romans 6:17, "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." A person is ready to be baptized when he knows the seriousness of his sins, the basis of salvation, the conditions of pardon, and the total commitment necessary to follow Christ.
1 Gabe Parker entered the Marshall County High School in Benton, KY on January 23, 2018 and shot 16 students, two of whom died. For more information, see the following article: Sayers, Justin, and Andrew Wolfson. "Gabe Parker Saw Marshall County School Shooting as an Experiment, Officer Says." The Courier-Journal. March 08, 2018. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2018/03/07/marshall-county-school-shooting-gabe-parker-experiment-motive/403035002/.
Author Bio: Ron Halbrook has shared preaching duties at the Hebron Lane church of Christ in Shepherdsville, KY since August of 1997. David Dann and Ron have worked together there since April of 2016. Ron has made 70 trips to the Philippines. The church website is hebronlane.com. He can be reached at ronhalbrook@gmail.com.