3. Stewardship

It is my privilege this morning to baptize [child] and to welcome her into the visible church. She is already in the arms of Jesus because Isaiah 40:11 says that Jesus was caring for [child] while in the womb. To those of you who are with child, that is a very comforting promise. But in baptism she is formally being acknowledged as part of the visible church. And I want to make a few comments on stewardship and its relationship to Baptism. Let me read five verses from Galatians 3 and 4, and then I am going to comment briefly on one verse. And these are verses tied directly to baptism. It says:

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child [ that word for child (napios) includes fetuses and newborn babies], does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards.
(Gal. 3:27-4:2)

We’ll stop right there. I want to comment on [child] being placed under guardians and stewards. [Parents] are the guardians and stewards of this little child. There are five glorious truths implied in that statement:

1. First, it implies that they have an awesome responsibility. Just as we elders are called stewards of the mysteries of God (stewards of His Scriptures), they are stewards of part of God’s kingdom as well. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, “It is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” This is their side of the covenant. They are held accountable by God to raise this child in the fear and nurture of the Lord. And when they take the sign of baptism, they are agreeing to do so. They are pledging to raise this child as stewards. But if [parents] aren’t the owners; if they are merely stewards, there is a second implication:
2. The second implication is that God owns [child]. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a stewardship trust. You cannot escape that implication. God has a claim upon her life. God is in covenant with this child. I cannot think of a more comforting thought than realizing that my children belong to God, and He is jealous of His property. And when Christians refuse to baptize their children, they are implying that children do not belong to God and we are not stewards; that we are owners who can make the decision ourselves. Baptism is a sign that our children belong to God and we are in stewardship of His property. That’s why Paul doesn’t just mention the categories that came into covenant with Abraham as being male, female, slave, free, Jew, and Gentile (most of Abraham’s slaves that came into covenant were Gentile), but it also mentions babies. Which makes sense if we are in the Abrahamic covenant. So parents are stewards; God is the owner.
3. The third implication is that we must be leading our children to Christ, their true owner. Using the analogy of the Old Testament law, Paul says that the function of a steward is to do just that. He says, “Therefore the law was our guardian to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” That’s the goal. A parent’s primary function with a child is to lead the child to faith in Christ so that everything the child learns, does, thinks, and values flows from Christ. Baptism is a promise that we won’t be humanistic tutors or guardians or stewards, but will be Christ-centered, constantly pointing our children to His grace.
4. The fourth thing that is explicitly stated in Galatians 4:1 is that the newborn child is an heir of all the promises to Abraham. And you start looking at the Abrahamic promises, and that is huge.
5. The last thing stated in Galatians 4:1 is that a child has no more choice in the matter than a slave — “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave… but is under guardians and stewards…” And this too is something that I am so grateful for — He chose us before we were even capable of choosing Him. He owned us before we even came to faith. Christ purchased everything for us before we were conscious of it. In fact, He purchased everything for our child long before our great-great-grandparents were born. Infant baptism assures us that our children’s salvation is not based on our seeking God but upon God’s seeking us. Every other religion in the world is about man seeking God; Christianity is about God seeking us, giving us life so that we would seek Him. God doesn’t wait for our children to love Him before He affirms His love for them. It’s God’s choice that is primary in our salvation and in our future blessing. All of this speaks of grace, sheer grace. He is sovereign as to when he regenerates [child’s] heart. She may have been regenerate from conception, or two months after conception, or God may choose to regenerate her in the future. But by faith we can bank on God’s promise to the Philippian jailer — “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved — you and your household.” This is covenant succession. The Philippian jailer believed God’s promise of salvation to his household and had his whole family baptized as a sign of that belief.

[Parents] are trusting God’s promise, not the baptism, as they dedicate their child to God. They are trusting the ancient promise — “I will be a God to you and to your children after you” (Gen. 17:7). Amen.

I am going to ask [parents], the stewards of [child], to come up and make their stewardship pledge before God and receive His assurance through this sign and seal of His covenant.