Baptism was not simply a symbolic form but testimony of a conclusive compact with God which required mature decision making (Acts 2:38). This has to do with the concept of capacity, necessary for the New Covenant but not part of nor necessary for the Old Covenant. A two year old child does not have the the mental and emotional capability to to understand the terms and conditions of the New Covenant. The child lacks the capacity to enter into it.
Repentance and belief in Jesus of Nazareth as one�s personal savior required the capacity of a mature responsible adult. Being a party to the new covenant required sufficient maturity of mind, or competency, to freely and voluntarily enter such an agreement. One had to know and to understand the nature and effect of the agreement as prerequisite to entering into it. This ability, generally understood as the result of age, experience, knowledge, and maturity, formed capacity and compelled adult status. As a result, the individual with the requisite capacity could enter a new covenant relationship with God and be irrevocably held to it. A true "meeting of minds" is highly unlikely, if not impossible, if a party lacks such capacity.
An infant, or a small child, could not have sufficient competency for the mature decision making needed to enter into the new agreement with God. Therefore, infant baptism was not practiced by the church. Rather, baptism by complete immersion in water was the practice, and an adult matter. Repentance and belief in Jesus of Nazareth as one�s personal savior required such capacity. For baptism, the individual first had to repent (Acts 2:38) and believe (Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31, 16:33). An infant could do neither, nor could a mental incompetent.
There was a level of mental impairment wherein a person could not be held accountable for sufficient maturity to enter into the new covenant. This capacity, which consisted of sufficient mental powers to understand the nature and effect of the agreement, was not necessarily the same as that required for today�s legal contracts. Insanity also precluded sufficient capacity to enter into the new covenant. This was not an issue in the early church as the teachings of the first-century Church of God included the concept of a general resurrection wherein such mentally disabled individuals would have their chance for salvation.
Thus the new covenant comprised a binding agreement between God and individual Christians with the capacity of fulfilling their part. As parties to the new covenant, forming the community of the church, Christians received "the right" to become children of God (John 1:12). Under its terms each individual Christian had to repent of sin and accept Jesus Christ as his or her personal savior, God, and king. The Old Covenant with its successes and failures as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures illustrated the need for the holy righteous character of God to be inscribed on the hearts and minds of the people of God. Through the new covenant God provided the means for humans to do so.
Page last edited: 01/26/06 07:12 PM
|
starting web/internet resource by the
