To Baptize or Not to Baptize....That is the question.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to write about this but this is something that is very important to me that I feel I need to explain. I will say this first that there have been opinions from many people and many different churches. This is not of the opinion of one church or one person. I am not writing this to speak poorly of any one person or of any church.  I just want to simply give my opinion, thoughts and feelings on the subject.

I have prayed and thought about having Skylar baptized for a very long time. I have never brought it up nor have I ever asked anyone until recently. I was ignorant in my thinking that everyone would be on board and they would be so happy to see her be baptized. I never thought that there would be a difference of opinion. I don’t fault them for their reasons and I don’t disagree with them in regards to what the Bible says. However, the majority do not feel the same way. This is my thoughts and feelings on the subject.

Christ came to save everyone and his mercy and justice and love is for everyone, not just what society deems mentally well or fit. Christ is the Good Physician, He came for everyone and had Skylar been alive when Jesus was on earth I have no doubt that he would have healed her and baptized her. However, in 2014 it’s not possible and I have the mindset that if Jesus were here in this day and time and Skylar was the same little girl that she is now that Jesus would not deny her to be baptized because she is unable to verbally say that she believes in him. How God deals with individuals such as Skylar is not revealed to us in the Bible. We do know that God is love and that He is merciful and gracious. If His love is limited only to those who, for no other reason, are incapable of receiving that rite, then it strikes me that salvation becomes a matter of works and not faith and grace, as such, is manifestly unjust.

Baptism is a work of God, not of man, so God is not dependent on the mental faculties of the person. Think of the centurian’s servant who is healed because of the faith of the centurian, or the paralytic who was healed and forgiven because of the faith of his friends. Or the Canaanite woman who interceded for her daughter, healed by Jesus through the faith of the mother. God accepts the faithful intercession of another person on behalf of the one who is unable.

I know without a doubt that Skylar is perfectly ready to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for her by Christ. As Skylar’s mom, I can see the love that Jesus has for her and for our family. It is not a requirement for Skylar to be baptized but as her mom this is something that I’ve always wanted for her. She was not given the ability to confess her love for Christ or the ability to ever reach the age of accountability so because of that she is saved. “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded to you.”  The church mandate is to reach every child for the kingdom of God. We are the seed planters. We can depend on the Holy Spirit to know and reveal a child’s spiritual capacity. We need to prayfully teach the Good News, children will believe God’s promises and share their faith story as they are able. All children are capable of experiencing God’s love in amazing ways, even if they are severely disabled. We don’t need to know each child’s accountability in order to be able to introduce him/her to Jesus. God sees every heart and he is faithful to bring forth spiritual fruit from the seeds that we have planted through our teaching and or love for each child with special needs. Children with special needs model the values of the kingdom of heaven, in which the innocent and pure hearted are treasured and their weakness reveals God’s strength.