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John Calvin and Infant Baptism
CHHI525: History of Christianity II
December 10, 2022
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Thesis Statement
While infant baptism is controversial because the baby is not conscious of the decision and
choice of becoming baptized, it is heavily disputed among the various branches of Christianity.
John Calvin’s views of infant baptism prove that baptism for infants is enough to permit the act
because baptism is for the new covenant.
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Contents
Thesis Statement............................................................................................2
Introduction....................................................................................................4
Baptism..........................................................................................................5
Infant Baptism................................................................................................7
Infant Baptism Opposition..............................................................................8
Infant Baptism Opinions...............................................................................10
Views of John Calvin’s...................................................................................11
Circumcision vs. Baptism.............................................................................12
Infants the Holy Seed...................................................................................13
Conclusion....................................................................................................15
Bibliography.................................................................................................16
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Introduction
A baptism is a form of ceremonial cleansing that is distinctive in many religions throughout
time and location. In Christianity, it is a Christian ceremony of initiation and acceptance. When a
person enters the waters of baptism, they are proclaimed the gospel message that Jesus died for
our sins, was buried and lived again. John was branded “the Baptizer.” He was a prophet out in
the deserts of Judea, where he baptized people in the River of Jordan that was north of the Dead
Sea.
The Bible accounts that Jews were baptized by John as a sign of repentance for their sins.1
Jesus also instructed the disciples to baptize all in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
and to teach each person to obey everything he had taught them (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV). 2
One issue in doubt concerns those too young to understand what this means. Can infants be
obedient? This proposal will disclose that John Calvin’s understandings of infant baptism prove
that baptism for infants is sufficient to consider the performance. On the contrary, Calvin points
out that Christ commands that the children be brought to him in the book Matthew, “But Jesus
said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of
heaven." (v 19:14).
This research paper will review what the Word of God says concerning this topic. Then the
paper will measure those views contradicting concerning the baptism of infants. Then it will
observe the ideas that are for infant baptism. In conclusion, the research will look at John
Calvin’s view on the topic.
1 Larry E. Dyer. Baptism: The Believer's First Obedience, Kregel Publications, 2020.
2 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King James Version
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Baptism
Baptism speaks primarily of personal, public identification with Jesus Christ. This tells the
mind that one must renew himself or be born again, meaning that one has killed off the old self
and ascended as a new person. Paul states this in Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with
him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, we too may live a new life.”3
Christian baptism is an act of submission, just as Jesus was baptized in compliance as part
of the great commission. Jamieson states, “We need all this to understand what’s happening in
Matthew 28’s Great Commission. First, Jesus reminds us that he has all authority in heaven and
earth (v. 18). Next, he authorizes his disciples. to baptize and to make disciples in the name of
the Father, himself, and the Spirit (v. 19).”4 Obviously, in another part of the bible, Jesus
commands that believers must be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
However, baptism will not relieve a person from their sins; Christ’s blood does this for those
that believe. Jamieson also explains, “Through Christ, our sins are forgiven and cleansed;
baptism signifies both.”5 It has been stated that to be saved, you must acknowledge with your
mouth and believe in your heart. Armstrong says, “something important about baptism itself. His
baptism indicated for himself, like others, an entire consent of mind and heart to the truth”. 6 The
Bible also states if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that you believe in your
3 Ibid
4 Bobby Jamieson. Understanding Baptism, edited by Jonathan Leeman, B&H Publishing Group, 2016, 10.
5 Ibid, 12.
6 Tom Nettles, Richard L Pratt, John H. Armstrong, Understanding Four Views on Baptism, Zondervan,
2007, 24.
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heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you
believe and is justified, and with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans
10:9-10 NKJV).”7
Regarding infant baptism in today’s society, they are baptized based on the covenant with
Abraham and should receive the signs that the covenant has not been canceled. Furthermore, it
would be odd for children to be left out of the covenant when everything else moves in the
direction of inclusion from the Old to the New Covenant. The presence of baptisms in the
household shows that God also still handles the households as a unit and welcomes entire
families into the church, coming together under the headship of Christ as the lord. McKnight
states, “The Bible itself, shaped from the beginning by a rich covenant-based theology of family
as the focal center of covenant life, forces us to think, by using “household,” that the faith of the
initial believer renders the rest of the household fit for baptism.”8
The most critical issue at hand is how an infant can put away their old self or the sins they
have committed. McKnight “saw it as initiation, obedience, and identification with Jesus.”9 How
can you induct somebody into something without knowing or understanding what they are being
introduced to?
7 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King James Version
8 Scot McKnight. It Takes a Church to Baptize: What the Bible Says about Infant Baptism, Brazos Press,
2018. 45.
9 Ibid, 9
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Infant Baptism
The Bible does not express anything concerning infant baptism. Still, it only concerns the
baptism for those who have recognized Christ as their salvation and redeemer and decided to put
off the old to take on a new life, as the infant cannot make those decisions for themselves.
Countless Christians who exercise infant baptism do so because they recognize infant baptism as
the new covenant comparable to circumcision; this was between God and Abraham’s
descendants (Leviticus 12:3). McKnight states, “Right up front, I admit there is no text in the
New Testament that explicitly reveals the practice of infant baptism in the apostolic church.”10
Nevertheless, McKnight supports his idea by using the Bible concerning the issues of infant
baptism; he states, “There may be no explicit account of an infant being baptized, but infant
baptism is implicit in household baptisms that occurred in the context of early house churches.”11
Another point was made concerning infant baptism found in the New Testament when the
Apostle Paul talks about households with Christian parents being set apart for God. Wright states
this concerning Paul’s perspective:
“The most intriguing New Testament text is 1 Corinthians 7.14, popularly viewed as one
of its clearer warrants for infant baptism. The structure of Paul’s reasoning is widely
misunderstood. When Paul asserts, ‘Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it
is, they are holy’ (RSV, NIV), he is not basing the children’s s holiness on their having
two holy parents, one a believer and the other sanctified through the believer. Rather he is
adducing the same principle both in what he says about the unbelieving partner in a
mixed marriage and in what he says about the children of a mixed marriage. The holiness
of the believing spouse covers both the unbelieving partner and their children.”12
This discussion does not advocate infant baptism, but it speaks to the parents with children
and that they are responsible for setting an example. If one or both parents are to be sanctified, so
10 Ibid, 14
11 Ibid, 14
12 David F. Wright, Infant Baptism in Historical Perspective, Authentic Media, 2007. 14.
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should the child. Another critical issue is when the Apostle Peter states in the book of Acts,
“Repent, and let every one of you is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
Sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and your
children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39
NKJV). In the Apostle’s issues concerning infant baptism, Paul compares baptism to
circumcision, a covenant between Abraham and God, referenced in Col. 2:11–12, which was
done to infants. On the other hand, Peter did not command the children to be baptized, but he
acknowledged that the divine promise of salvation that accompanied the gift of the Spirit was
partly the children.
When a child reaches a certain age knowing the difference between good and evil, and at that
time, they will have the ability to choose, what will be good for them, but everyone will need to
have their sins washed away by the blood of Christ, sooner or later we all need to be baptized.
McKnight states, “Baptism, whether infant or adult, needs to be seen for what the Bible says it is:
The beginning of a journey that God initiates. Wisdom prompts us to treat infant baptism as a
seed planted in the heart of a child, but it is a seed in need of care, water, and sun.”13
Infant Baptism Opposition
According to some Fundamentalists, baptism is used only for believers who have
acknowledged Jesus Christ as their lord and that baptism is unsuitable for children until they
have reached a certain age of reasoning. One significant opinion that has already been briefly
discussed is that infant baptism is not scriptural. It becomes apparent that some believe that
infant baptism is not a consequence of the Bible’s strictures. As George states, “a group of
13 Scot McKnight,MIt Takes a Church to Baptize: What the Bible Says about Infant Baptism, Brazos Press,
2018, 10.
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Anabaptists issued the Schleitheim Confession, in which they declared baptism should be
administered only to those who have been taught repentance and a change of life and in truth
believe their sins to have been blotted out through Christ."14
One such group is the Mennonites, who think baptism is a unique and unrepeatable
experience that could be a good sentiment to those believers. Nevertheless, some have
rededicated their lives to Christ by being baptized again after they have drifted away from the
faith. This ideal only pushes the infant to is They cannot understand a change of life if they have
not lived such a life in the short time of their birth. Schreiner also stated, “Infant baptism
compromises that teaching by counting infants.
As church members, either via sacramental theology, the alleged faith of the infant,
presumptive regeneration, the religion of sponsors, or covenant theology. Sacramental theology
compromises the gospel since it teaches that infants enter God's kingdom by sacred action.”15
The following argument is that all baptized first must believe that Christ has sacrificed for
humanity and then comprehend what they are committing themselves to, which is something an
infant will not understand.
Infant Baptism Opinions
When it comes to supporting infant baptism, the bible in the book of John states, “Jesus
answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of
14 Timothy George, “The Reformed Doctrine of Believers’ Baptism.” Interpretation 47, no. 3 (1993): 242–
254.
15 Thomas R. Schreiner, and Wright, Shawn, eds. Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ.
Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2007. Accessed December 6, 2022.
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water and the Spirit. (v3:5)”16 The choice made by the parents to bring infants to God’s baptismal
covenant brings the child to God’s family and marks them as God’s children. Wright states,
“Ferguson linked the emergency baptism of children observed in the inscriptions to the influence
of John 3.5, ‘the favorite baptismal text of the second century which was thought to deny heaven
to the unbaptized.”17 It is also debuted that infants do not understand what they are going
through, but countering that thought, it stated that an infant does not know about consuming food
for nutrition but desires it. Another argument concerning infants is that their sins are not held
against them until they reach a certain age. Wright states, “we baptize little children, even.
though they have no sins, they may receive gifts such as righteousness and adoption and
become members of Christ and the abode of the Spirit.” However, the Bible does not instruct
who can or cannot be baptized based on age, maturity, or mental capacity. Also, before the
Protestant Reformation, there was no issue concerning infant baptism. Spierling states, “Like any
birth ritual, baptism marks the entrance of a newborn child into a community. Birth rituals
commonly involve purification, cleansing the child of otherworldly spirits it might have
encountered before its birth.”18 It comes down to doing what Jesus commanded: Go, therefore,
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit, (Matt 28:19).”19
Views of John Calvin’s
When it comes to the most critical issue within the church that centers around the sacrament
16 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King James Version
17 David F. Wright, Infant Baptism in Historical Perspective, Authentic Media, 2007, 14.
18 Karen E. Spierling, Infant Baptism in Reformation Geneva: The Shaping of a Community, 1536-1564.
London: Routledge, 2005, 27.
19 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King James Version
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of baptism have perhaps been the discussion over whether it is valid to baptize infants with his
famous work at the Institutes of Christian Religion. John Calvin was a recognized reformist, an
energetic theologian, and a biblical scholar; he also was known to be fluent in French and Latin.
John Calvin strives to demonstrate that infant baptism is a divine institution. Spierling states that
“Calvin attempted to address this concern by insisting that baptism was meant to comfort parents
as a sign of God’s promise to accept their children as Christians.20 Thomas states that Calvin
defines baptism as “baptism was given to us by God “first to serve our faith before him;
secondly, to help our confession before men. in connection with the first purpose, there are three
things baptism does to serve our faith. before God, three promises given in the visible word of
baptism.”21 This description shows that all inclusion is related to man; this would also
take in infants because they are God’s children.
Calvin defends his dispute on a thoughtful relationship between the old and new covenants.
Thomas states, “Calvin based his argument on a particular understanding of the relationship
between the old and new covenants. As Hughes Oliphant Old explains, “It is the argument from
covenant theology which forms the basis of Calvin’s position. The covenant, Calvin argues,
“applies no less today to the children of Christians than under the Old Testament; it pertained to
the infants of the Jews.”22 Proclaiming that Scripture affirms that baptism is for the Christians
what circumcision was earlier for the children of a Jewish parent, to which they were considered
a holy seed. He believes that infants naturally share the covenant status with their parents.
20 Karen E. Spierling, "Baptism." In John Calvin in Context, edited by R. Ward Holder, 232-39. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2019, 232.
21 Derek Thomas, and John W. Tweeddale. John Calvin (Afterword by R. C. Sproul) : For a New
Reformation. Wheaton: Crossway, 2019, 581.
22 Ibid, 584
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Spierling states, “Calvin asserted that God intended the sacrament of infant baptism to comfort
parents as a visible sign of God’s grace and promise to their child.”23 The obligation of infant
baptism of Christian parents has become apparent from the second the child is born, that it shares
its parents’ covenant status.
Circumcision vs. Baptism
Calvin’s foremost evidence in his line of reasoning in favor of infant baptism is that baptism
is similar to circumcision as Thomas states concerning Calvin remarks is that “Because the
children of Christians belong to the covenant community; they are to receive the covenant sign
of baptism, just as male children in the old covenant community received the sign of
circumcision.”24
When associating circumcision with baptism, Calvin proclaims that we must conscientiously
consider what is mutual to both and what separates us. Thomas states that Calvin remarks, “The
analogic relationship between circumcision and baptism, therefore, becomes central to Calvin’s
argument for the practice. Both circumcision and baptism, according to Calvin, signify the same
reality: the promise of forgiveness of sins and the mortification of the flesh. They differ in
externals only.”25 Balserak quoted Calvin concerning the function of circumcision that would be
replaced for us by baptism:
“It’s the comparison between circumcision and New Testament baptism that is an
important example. Here, Calvin clearly indicates that God can alter the ordinances of the
present order of redemption when he sees fit to do so. Thus, again, a Scotistic conception
23 Karen E. Spierling, "Baptism." In John Calvin in Context, edited by R. Ward Holder, 232-39. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2019, 234.
24 Derek Thomas, and John W. Tweeddale. John Calvin (Afterword by R. C. Sproul) : For a New
Reformation. Wheaton: Crossway, 2019, 584.
25 Ibid, 584
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of God’s power seems to be implied. Calvin essentially says that although “God's sign”
has changed (circumcision to baptism), the promise remains the same.”26
Consequently, any effort to attack infant baptism must be viewed as an attack on the directive
of circumcision. McKim states, “While Anabaptists could accept typological readings of the Old
Testament, they rejected any analogy between circumcision and infant baptism. Calvin embraced
both.”27 Calvin contends that since we are born as sinners, baptism is given to forgive sins, and
even though the bible does not state that infants should be baptized, it is braced by the
Bible author, when it was called for families to be baptized in the book Acts, “ 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. (v 16:15).”28
Infants the Holy Seed
The circumstance for baptizing infants focuses primarily on the claim of the shift from the old
to the new form of God’s covenant. McKim states, “it was appropriate for the Christian
interpreter to see analogies between the Old Testament and the New – such as the analogy
between circumcision and infant baptism – and to find typological correspondences between
events in the Old Testament and events in the New.”29 This is just an intricate way of expressing
the Old Testament promise, as it states in the book of Exodus, “butMshowing mercy to thousands,
to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exo 20:6)”30 Wright also states, “If the
26 Jon Balserak, Divinity Compromised: A Study of Divine Accommodation in the Thought of John Calvin,
Springer Netherlands, 2006, 149.
27 Donald K. McKim, Cambridge University Press, 2006, 287.
28 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King James Version
29 Ibid, 287.
30 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King James Version
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covenant promises applied equally to the children of the faithful, they must rightly be marked
with the sign of membership of God’s covenant people.”31 In Calvin Institutes, he reminds us
that:
“Wherefore, both the children of the Jews, because, when made heirs of that covenant,
they were separated from the heathen, were called a holy seed, and for the same reason
the children of Christians, or those who have only one believing parent, are called holy,
and, by the testimony of the apostle, differ from the impure seed of idolaters.”32
It is evident that if infants share the covenant standing as their parents have, Packer states, “it is
fitting “to give them a sign of that status and their place in the covenant community.”33 This
qualification is established because of the sign of covenant status with community inclusion
when circumcision is performed. God commanded it explicitly in the book of Genesis, “And God
said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you
throughout their generations. (v 17:9)”
Conclusion
In Conclusion, the issue concerning the baptism of an infant is due to the reasons
that the infant is not of age to form a coherent thought. Therefore, with new concepts
and values, the opposition would disagree with the ideal. John Calvin is relatively
comprehensive in defending infant baptism against the overabundance of opposition
31 David Wright, Infant Baptism in Historical Perspective, Authentic Media, 2007, 173.
32 Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2002.
33 J.I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs, Tyndale House Publishers, 2001,
229.
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put into view by the Anabaptists. The most significant debate on the sacrament of baptism is
whether it is valid to baptize infants. Moreover, McGrath states:
“The early church argued that just as circumcision was a covenantal sign, that
demonstrated that someone belonged to the people of Israel, so baptism was a sign of
belonging to the covenant community of the church. Since Israel circumcised infant boys,
why should the church not baptize infants?”34
Calvin lectures about every imaginable dispute in contradiction of infant baptism; that
was reasonable and passionate, demonstrating his yearning to declare the fact.
This paper is a vital tool for any Christian to understand the meaning of infant baptism.
Supporters likewise appreciate that believers in baptism would help them capture their view
coherently but also can reason from Scripture. Calvin's treatment of the doctrine of infant
baptism is detailed, enlightening, and, most significantly, to the Word of God.
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