Whether with an aged believer or a child, baptism enacts the enveloping love of God — the God who comes to us in Jesus Christ, who comes to us in the power of the Holy Spirit, a love that will not let us go. That is the story of Scripture, and that is the story of baptism, whether an infant in arms or a saint who is finally at rest.

 

Baptism is all about grace. God’s grace extended to us in Jesus Christ calls forth our own response of faith. Our relationship with God depends primarily on what God has done and only secondarily on what we may or may not do. Baptism is a powerful sacramental enactment of this truth. And because God’s gracious call precedes and evokes the human response of faith, it follows that Christian parents who are active church members may choose to present their children for baptism as infants or very young children.

 

When we speak of baptism as a covenant, we emphasize the multiple commitments involved –

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God’s commitment to us

The commitments the community of faith makes to us

The commitments we make to God, to our children, and to the church.

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