23. On Families 1

I think it is so neat how the Bible treats families. It doesn’t divide them up. When it is time for worship Scripture says, “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones….” When it comes to covenanting before the Lord the Scripture says, “Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation…” [What is God’s people? What is the congregation? Well, it says] “Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes…” And that has been the pattern throughout Scripture. God deals with us as families. And we are going to be baptizing the [family] twins this morning because God consistently applied the sign of the covenant to children. In Genesis 17 God called not only Abraham into covenant with Himself, but He said, “I will be a God to you and to your children”. And so the sign of the covenant was applied to them. In Joshua chapters 4 and 5 God not only covenants with the adults when they made profession of faith, but also with their children. And the sign of the covenant was applied to the children that day. In Acts 2 God not only made a covenant with believers, but also with the children of believers because the promise was to them and to their children and to all who are afar off. Christianity is multi-generational and familial. In Acts 3 Peter applies the Abrahamic promise to us and says, “And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Acts 3:25).

But one of the potential dangers is that we could interpret God’s welcome of children into the church as a sign that children don’t need to be converted, or to somehow think that baptism regenerates our children. It does not. And I thought I would have you turn to 1 Corinthians to look at a verse that is frequently used by Lutherans to teach baptismal regeneration.

And as you are turning there, I should hasten to say that in denying that baptism regenerates, I am not saying that God has no relationship to our children. He does. I think one of the most encouraging things that a parent can realize is that God claims our children as His own. He calls them “My children” in Ezekiel 16:21 and and “children whom they bore to Me” in Ezekiel 23:37. In Colossians 3 and Ephesians 6, Paul addresses children as belonging to His church. And to me that is encouraging. But what I want to do this morning is to assure our visitors and members that baptism does not save a baby, nor does baptism presume they are believers yet. I have had people come up to me after a baptism and quote two verses as to why they believe children are regenerated in baptism. This is one. But I think that confuses the whole subject. That is simply not true. Look at 1 Corinthians 7:14 and let me show you why that interpretation is not true.

“For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”

They say, “See? The child is clearly called holy. Only saved people are holy.” Well, in answer I would tell such a person to look at his Strong’s Concordance under the word “holy” and he would quickly see hundreds of times where the word holy is used of even such things as pots and pans and clothing; it is used of Jerusalem and the land; used of Israel, and used of people who aren’t saved. In fact, in this same verse, the same Greek word describes an unbeliever who is not saved. It says, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified…” That’s the same Greek word for “holy.” In fact, some versions translate that clause as, “For the unbelieving husband is made holy by the wife. In any case, continuing to read in this verse: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband.” That is clear proof that Paul is talking about an outward setting apart, not regeneration.

You see the word “holy” or “sanctified” or literally “set apart by God” can refer to an inward setting apart of our hearts in which case we are saved, or it can refer to an outward setting apart of a person, place or thing to God’s presence and influence. That is the most common usage. The closer you got to the presence of God, the more holy things were said to be. So in the Old Testament Jerusalem was the holy city because it was the place of the presence. And of all the hills in Jerusalem, the temple mount was called the holy hill or the holy mountain because it was the closest hill to God’s presence. And then in the temple you have the holy place and the most holy place because it was closest to God’s presence. What this passage is saying is that the presence of God is now in the home and these people are set aside to His special working.

And if you look at the context you will see that this is the way the word is being used. Why is the unbelieving husband set apart? Verse 16 tells us. It says, “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?” [Implying what? Even though he may be sanctified, he isn’t saved yet. Right? He goes on] “Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” His point was that though the person was not inwardly set apart yet, there was great hope of his future salvation because God had already outwardly set him apart and had thus begun to work in his life. God is outwardly orchestrating events in his life to move him to salvation. That’s the most common usage of sanctification. That’s a wonderful promise for those who have unbelieving spouses. But it is also a wonderful promise to those who have children. Though they may not be saved yet, God has set them apart and is orchestrating events in the children’s lives to lead them to salvation. So the context clearly indicates that Paul is talking about an outward sanctification; an outward setting apart; an outward working of the Spirit in the whole family.

But a person might object, “What about the word “unclean”? They could very rightly object that the word unclean normally is translated “unpurified.” To be unclean or unpurified means to be still in your sins and unsaved, and this verse denies that our children are unclean or unpurified. And they will also point out that you can’t get around this word because it is not used of the unbelieving spouse. The unbelieving spouse may be said to be sanctified, but he sure isn’t said to be clean. And that is true. There is something different about the child. But it is not that the child is necessarily saved. If you get our your concordance you will find that the word clean or purified can refer to an inward purification or an outward purification. For example, the same word is used to refer to the purifying of our hearts in Acts 15:9. And those who believe that this passage teaches that all our children are automatically saved in infancy will point to such verses - purification of the heart.

But again I would point out that there are numerous passages pointing to an outward purification. For example, Hebrews 9:13 speaks of the purifying of the flesh through the sprinkling of water. In fact, why don’t you turn to Hebrews. It’s Hebrews 10:22. It says, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” [that is inward purification; inward baptism of the Spirit; inward pouring out of the waters of the Spirit. But he goes on to say] “and” [in other words he is talking about two separate things] “and our bodies washed with the pure water.” That’s baptism. And that is the same Greek word for purified or clean that is used in 1 Corinthians 7:14. There is inward cleansing and outward cleansing. And what 1 Corinthians 7:14 is saying is not that our children are regenerated, but that they are baptized. “Otherwise your children would be unbaptized, but now they are holy.” It has no reference to salvation. Those are the only two alternatives - all the children of believers in Corinth were saved or all the children of believers were baptized. I don’t know any other Biblical usages of unclean.

We believe this passage teaches us about child baptism; not child regeneration. It’s a synonym for baptizo. This is the word that was used of John the Baptist’s baptisms. This is the word used of Christ’s disciples baptisms in John 3:25. It is used of Christian baptism in Ephesians 5:26. And there are other references to unbaptized people like Cornelius being called “unclean” and after being baptized being called clean.

The Jews were big on the baptism of their children and the baptisms of converts as being born into Israel. But Christ warns us that it is not enough to be born of water, we must also be born of the Spirit. Each one of us as parents needs to pray diligently for our children’s salvation and to claim the promises of salvation that God holds out to us in baptism. At this time I would like to invite [parents] forward and we will welcome the twins into the church and into the covenant.