Who is a Proper Candidate for Baptism



          This week's lesson is on who is a proper candidate for baptism. 
God has made His known what His will is on this matter. "Not every one that 
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he 
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) So, who 
should and should not be baptized? First of all, babies and small children 
are not proper candidates for baptism. The reason is that babies and small 
children are not capable of understanding right and wrong. If a person has 
not the understanding of sin, they are not capable of sinning. If one is not 
capable of sinning, then they cannot repent of a sin. And since, as in last 
weeks posting, repentance is a necessary prerequisite to baptism, those who 
cannot repent should not be baptized. As an example of this, turn to Genesis 
2:16 through all of chapter 3. There we read of Adam and Eve and God's 
command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Everything 
was fine until Satan deceived them into eating of the tree. Adam and Eve 
knew no shame or sin until they ate and gained knowledge. Likewise, babies 
and small children have no conception of good and evil and therefore cannot 
sin.

          It would also be wrong to baptize someone who does not believe in 
God at all. Now I know that sounds obvious but there are some who think that 
baptism will cover sins for just anybody. Well meaning family members might 
pressure others in their family to be baptized because they are afraid of 
that other persons final destination. Again, God makes it clear that baptism 
alone does not help someone outside of faith. In Hebrews 11:6, we read this: 
". for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a 
rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Notice here that God says a 
person "must" believe. So believing is not an option, it is a command. This 
is another reason why babies should not be baptized; because they cannot 
believe.

          There are some other people who should not be baptized and because 
these have basically been mentioned within the context of previous postings, 
I'll only briefly list them here (and give a short reason for their 
ineligibility).

1)     Those who have not repented - see Acts 2:38 *repentance must come 
before

Baptism

2)  Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God - see 
Acts

      8:36-37  *the eunuch said he believed this and only then would Philip 
baptize him.

3)   Those who have not heard the gospel - see Romans 10:13-17  *Paul here 
tells the Roman brethren that a person cannot call upon God without hearing 
the word first.



          Being baptized is not something that any of us should take 
lightly. God is certainly a God of love but make no mistake about it, He 
also punishes those who disobey His will. Baptism is a command like any 
other command that God has given us and must be obeyed if we are to please 
Him and gain a place in heaven. Next weeks topic will cover the specific 
method of baptism and why only one way is acceptable to God. Also, if any of 
you have a specific topic you would like me to cover or want to study on a 
more individual basis just send me a note to fpccpreston@... and I 
will be more then happy to do what you might need me to do in covering Bible 
topics.



In Christ, Steve Preston





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