How Infant Baptism Changed Christianity

Brethren, I have a new topic for you. Even though it's been 16 years that I've had the privilege of being here, there's still so much in the Bible to cover. There's no way you can plumb the depth of the Bible, just like in the first message you have the Museum of the Bible, and it is a privilege to be able to examine God's Word in so many ways, and here's a subject that I haven't covered in all this time, and yet it's a very vital subject. I'll start with a question. How many here were baptized as infants? Let's see. See how many were baptized as infants? I would say more than half of the congregation. Upstairs? How many? Upstairs? A couple? Okay. Well, do you know that the great majority of Christians belong to churches that believe in infant baptism? Of course, the Roman Catholic Church was the first to do it, according to history. But then, quite a bit later, the Protestant churches also adopted infant baptism. That includes Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, Presbyterians, Methodists, and most evangelical churches, including Church of Christ. Now, there are a few churches that don't do it. The Baptist Church, the term means that they refuse to baptize infants. That's where the word Baptists come from. The Seventh-day Adventists don't baptize infants. Neither do Jehovah's Witnesses, and neither do we. But, it's good to remember that even though Baptists and other groups that I've mentioned, most of them baptize children under 10 years of age. So, they don't baptize infants, but they still baptize children under 10 years of age. Now, even our former association, where they had a falling away, only 23 years ago, this former association now believes in baptizing little children in the same way Baptists do. You can look it up in the website. I was looking at it, and they say that, well, yes, a child can be baptized. And so, just a short 23 years ago, from the organization that we knew, they're already baptizing little children. So, the question is, could you explain through the Scriptures why we don't baptize infants? And, is it that important? After all, probably 95% of all Christian churches do infant baptism. Brethren, I plan to give two sermons on this subject, on how infant baptism changed Christianity. It is a crucial issue. In fact, infant baptism was at the root of the rise of many heresies, and was a tidal shift in Christianity in the fourth century.

A lot of it had to do with the Emperor Constantine accepting the Roman Catholic Church as his church. But then, later, one of the church fathers at that time, Augustine, was the one that promoted infant baptism and really got it on the map. And by the time he was done with the subject and his influence, it became predominant, where it hadn't before.

And it led to the rise of Christianity becoming another type of an empire, what's called Christendom. It became a state in itself. It grew to basically cover most of that Roman world and beyond. And infant baptism was a key to the growth of that church. So it's vital for us to understand this subject and the damage it has done.

In his book, Samuel Bakiyoki, an Adventist church scholar, wrote in his book, Popular Beliefs, are they biblical? He touched on the subject.

And he showed how it wasn't a biblical doctrine. This is what he said, page 373 of this book. Central to the development of the Western theology of infant baptism is the belief in the immortality of the soul. Did you know that both go together? A host of unbiblical teachings popular today, such as life after death with an immortal soul, purgatory, hell, the intercession of the saints, the mediation of Mary, and prayer for the dead, all derive from the belief in the immortality of the soul.

Infant baptism is one of them. So that's something I plan to cover in part two of these sermons. Bakiyoki goes on to say in page 375, Looking back from the perspective of history, we can see the incalculable damage that the introduction of infant baptism has done to the Christian Church. Eventually, it radically changed the nature of the Church from a community of faith, independent of secular society, into a religio-political organization co-existent with society.

It became part of society afterwards. I'm not going to cover that historical part today. I'm going to cover what the New Testament says about baptism and some of the verses that advocates of infant baptism use and try to support their ideas. First of all, let's look at the New Testament and ask ourselves, do we see any mention of infant baptism there? What were the requirements for baptism in the New Testament?

Remember, this is a very minority view. This is not what is being taught out there. Probably 95% of all of Christianity already accepted infant baptism, or at least little children being baptized. How important is that? That's again a subject that we're going to cover later in the second part.

Let's look first of all in the New Testament and see what the Bible says. Let's go to Mark 1 with the beginning of baptism. Mark 1, verse 4, it says, John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Remission means forgiveness of sins. Then all the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

Do you think there were little children that were being baptized? No, because it says here that they had to be repentant of their sins as forgiveness, confessing that they were sinners. Now, little children, they're not aware of their human nature as such. They're too young at that time, innocent. And it's later on that you become fully aware of that carnal nature and the struggle that you have. So it says here that they confess their sins. Can a little infant confess their sins? No. So here God is guiding John to do a baptism with adults, with people that were aware of their sins.

They had the maturity to repent, which means to change their lifestyle from going against God and disobedience to one of yielding to God and obeying Him. A little child cannot make those decisions. So this has to be a conscious change in the part of an individual. He has to have the maturity of mind to make this conscious decision. Let's go to John 4, where we see Jesus Christ continuing with this same procedure.

John 4, verse 1, It says, then therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus himself did not baptize but His disciples, He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. It said that Jesus instructed His disciples to baptize. The word baptized means to dip into or submerge yourself underwater. It was a symbol of a watery burial underwater where you left your old life behind and you came up with a new life.

I compare it to having two volumes in your life. The first one before baptism. That's all the deeds a person did and all the sins. And once you are baptized and the hands are laid on you, that volume is closed and it is buried. It is destroyed. None of those sins are active. But then a new volume is open. The sheets are all brand new. They are all there, ready to be written on. And so you begin a new life. Can an infant make that type of a conscious decision? No. You see here that Christ instructed His disciples to follow the example of John the Baptist.

In fact, Jesus Christ submitted to the baptism of John the Baptist. He said, for the sake of all righteousness, as giving us a model and an example. He was not baptized as an infant. No, He gave us an example. It's a person that already has maturity and able to make that conscious decision.

Also, what were the requirements that Jesus demanded of a person who wanted to follow Him? In Luke chapter 14 and verse 26, there were a lot of people following Jesus. Of course, He was multiplying the bread. He was doing miracles, healing the sick. He was quite popular. But that did not mean that they could be His disciples, that they became converted and a follower of Him. Here He put the requirements. He said in verse 25, Now great multitudes went with Him, and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, in Matthew 10, which is parallel to this, it says, Love less. If you don't love less, your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. So it means you have to consciously put God first in your life. Have Jesus as your Lord and Master be under God the Father? So again, can an infant make that type of a decision? No, of course not. So He says here, He cannot be My disciple. He cannot be baptized until that happens. He says, verse 27, And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. So a person is willing to go through the sufferings of following this way of life. That's what it means. You're bearing this cross of suffering and, many times, misunderstanding and persecution that comes about.

So again, the point is that these are the conditions Jesus Christ set. Always it has to do with repentance. And He goes on to say, you have to count the cost. Notice what He says in verse 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether He has enough to finish it, lest after He has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock Him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. And so you have to count the cost, which means you have to examine.

This is a one-time commitment you are going to make. You're going to receive forgiveness. You are going to receive God's Spirit, but it is a responsibility and also an accountability. So a little child cannot be expected to be able to count the cost.

No child of 10 or 12 or 14 years old can do so. In the Church, generally the age is 18 to be able to be baptized. And I've had children in the Church who have asked me, can I baptize them? And I said, no, I really appreciate your desire. We're here to support you. Continue coming to Church. You're going to grow into this knowledge, but you have to be at least 18 years old to be baptized.

And of course, that might not be popular with the world, but we take it from the Scripture. You have to be willing to count the cost. You're willing to bear the cross of suffering. A child who is immature is not ready to make that decision. Notice in Matthew 28, verse 18. Matthew 28. This is the Great Commission that Jesus Christ gave His disciples. Matthew 28, verse 18. It says, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. So the only one that's over Him is God the Father.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Just like He said about being His disciples. So now this is an offer to the nations to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And again, that is a relational term, which has to do with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit that we receive. Teaching them. It talks about being a disciple. You're able to be taught to observe all these things that I have commanded you.

So God certainly here is showing that a person has to have a certain amount of maturity, of understanding to become a disciple. And He says, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. So He's going to be with His church. And He didn't say, go baptizing anybody that wants to. No, they have to become a disciple. And a disciple means you are willing to count the cost. So baptism is a very serious issue in the Bible, not something to be taken lightly. And the Apostle John, I mean, John the Baptist mentioned, you should bear fruits of repentance. You should show already that you are changing.

It's not just saying something. It's also walking in it. A lot of us, we basically had to persuade the minister to finally baptize us. He would put us off and put us off until finally we had to almost twist his arm, because at that time it was almost to the other extreme. Too much hesitation. But still, the point is that we want to become disciples.

We counted the cost. It's not something to be done lightly. It's not some magical formula that someone says some words and then puts you under water. And that's supposed to give you all of this power and forgiveness. No, it has to do with the person's commitment. We've said a lot of people have only taken baths instead of being baptized. They weren't ready for it. In their hearts, they were not fully committed to it.

Let's continue then in the book of Acts. After Christ ascended and the church started, what were their requisites for baptism? Notice in Acts 2, verse 38, the sermon given by Peter on Pentecost. It says, then Peter said to them when they say, what can we do? They were cut to the heart. Peter said, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission, again, forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our Lord, will call.

So it does require God calling a person. But again, here you have repentance for the forgiveness of sins. You have to be called and you have to choose to follow that way. God's not going to push you into it. He's going to open the door for you. You have to be willing to go through it. He's not going to push you through it. In Colossians chapter 2, we see the symbolism of what baptism means. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 11.

This is the baptism that we have now, not circumcision. Talking about Christ, it says, In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. In other words, not physical. By putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. So one of the terms for baptism, it's the circumcision of Christ. That's what substitutes the circumcision made by hands.

Buried with him in baptism. So again, it's not being sprinkled with water. It means being buried under this watery tomb, in which you also were raised with him when you rise out of those waters, through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead. And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncirconsision of your flesh. In other words, we were all guilty.

He has made alive. He has freed us from that charge. Together with him, having forgiven you, all trespasses. So again, is this something an infant can just go through? No. And actually, water baptism was the norm, was the practice for the first two centuries. Nothing is mentioned in church history about infant baptism until you get to the third century. And then, it's very hesitantly introduced. And basically, the sprinkling that they do has to do because you can't really submerge a baby underwater. It's very dangerous. The baby doesn't know how to hold his breath.

And so, instead of putting them underwater, they invented to just put some water on the forehead, and that's good enough. But that originated from the fact that infant baptism was introduced. And so, they had to change the baptismal procedure because of it. And then, we have the description of those who are baptized. Revelation 14, verse 12. Revelation 14, verse 12. It says, here is the patience, and it should say perseverance. Upamoni means more perseverance. Here's the perseverance of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. So, when a person is baptized and receives God's Spirit, he becomes a saint, which means somebody who has God's Spirit.

Now, can a baby receive God's Spirit? Is this the description of a saint in the Bible who keeps the commandments of God and has the faith of Jesus? Of course not! You have to do that when you're already a conscious and mature person that can make these decisions. So, again, we're not adding to the Scriptures, and we're not taking away from it.

This is not something that was established by some counsel or some men. This is God's Word. These are the requirements, and we have to honor them. And this is the church that keeps God's commandments, and one of them has to do with baptism and how to do it. We can't have men changing from submerging somebody to sprinkling water, and then they'd say, well, that's good enough. That's the equivalent. And doing it with a little infant or a little child. Brethren, the people have been deceived by Satan. They don't understand all of the abominations that that woman in Revelation says she has a cup full of abominable things.

It's talking about false teachings. And so we've seen this side of what baptism is about in the New Testament and also the requirements. But, hold on, those that have infant baptism, they say, well, we've got some scriptures that can show you it's okay to do so. So what are those scriptures?

So we're going to cover five scriptures that have to do with household baptisms because there are five cases of them in the New Testament where households were baptized. And some say, well, you see, that included these little children and little infants. But is this the case?

A good book on this subject, it's called The Biblical Critique of Infant Baptism by Matt Wehmeyer. W-A-Y-M-E-Y-E-R. So let's look at the five cases in the New Testament. The first one is in Acts chapter 10, verse 44. Here it's talking about the household of Cornelius.

So after Augustine made this infant baptism popular and required in the Catholic Church, he and others had to come up with justifications. And these are some of the scriptures they used. Acts chapter 10, verse 44.

It says, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard him speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked them to stay a few days. And so here, this is the first mention. And so those that support infant baptism say, Well, here's the case. It wasn't just Cornelius, but it was his household. And it says the Holy Spirit fell on all of them. Well, it could have had children there. But notice you don't read carefully the story. Let's go back to Acts chapter 10, verse 1 and 2, where it tells us who were the ones that were there with Cornelius. It says in verse 1, There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian regiment. This was a Roman regiment. A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. So here was a centurion who actually went to the synagogue. And he was one of Gentiles who was allowed because he followed the Jewish laws. And he was a respecter, but he was not circumcised. And so he was only called a God-fear. But it wasn't only him. It says here that he was a devout man who feared God with all his household. Now the word household comes from the Greek term, which means, is oikos, and it just means somebody that lives in the same house with you. Usually family. So it's used very heavily in the New Testament as meaning, just like we would say, the Wozner household. Well, who lives there? His family. We don't have to be saying everybody's name, his children and others. No, it's just this is the household. This was Cornelius' household. And Cornelius had some close friends as well. Notice what it says in verse 24 of this chapter. It says, And the following day they entered Caesarea this was the kind of the Roman capital of Israel at the time. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, Peter and the others, and had called together his relatives and close friends. These were the people that were the God-fearers. They were the ones that he confided, that were interested, that had been following already these practices. And then it goes on to say in verse 33, Cornelius speaking, So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore we are all present before God to hear all the things commanded you by God. Now these were people that were interested. It's not talking about little infants. So let's continue in verse 44. It says while Peter was still speaking these words, The Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. They were there. They were conscious of what was being said.

And they were baptized. And so the requirements that Jesus Christ established, people had to count the cost. These were people that God was bringing in, the first Gentiles. These are the ones that God called, and they received God's Spirit. Notice in chapter 11, one last verse, to clinch the argument in verse 17. Acts 11, verse 17, Peter says, If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? So he says it was the same situation. Yes, they had accepted the truth. They accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord. And so Peter says, just like we did. So this isn't talking about any infants there. An infant would not be able to repent and hear the word and accept Christ as His Lord. So let's go to the second household mentioned in Acts. Acts 16, verse 30.

Here, in this case, it was a lady with his and her in torridge. Acts 16, verse 13, it says, And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made, and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Remember, there was a rule that you had to have ten male Jews in order to build a synagogue in cities and towns where there weren't that many. Usually they would go to the river and gather together, read scriptures, and worship God on the Sabbath day. And so Paul went to that place. Verse 14, it says, So this was a woman that was dedicated, understood the scriptures, and the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Again, the calling, the opening of the mind, just like God did with us, He did with Lydia.

And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. So she persuaded us. She became a disciple of Jesus Christ. Those that were there with her also believed and were baptized. Notice it doesn't mention anything about her husband. It looks like either she was a widow or she had never been married. She was a businesswoman. She traveled a lot. She had this small group of people around her. But again, you'd think if there were any children that would have been baptized, they would have said, and her children. But no, it's just the household. You can have a household without children, especially if it's a woman that's traveling on her own with no husband and just has a couple of coworkers with her. Let's go to the third case. It's on the same chapter. Chapter 16, verse 30 through 34. The household of the jailer. So let's pick it up in verse 30. Paul and Silas were in jail. God intervened. It was a miracle. The chains cut loose, and the jailer thought everybody had escaped. But Paul said, don't do yourself harm, because if a jailer let the prisoners escape, he was going to be tortured to death. So he was going to commit suicide. And Paul said, hold on, no, we're all here. Then he called for light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them, and he rejoiced, having believed in God, with all his household. So these are household baptisms. They are conversions of a family. Here in Garden Grove, I've had the honor of having a family being baptized. They all came into the faith and the knowledge and the Aguilar family. There was about ten of them that were baptized. Why? Because they all believed, they all followed God, they all committed to it. And so it does happen. It's a wonderful occasion. But nothing is said about little infants. How can they rejoice in God's word and of accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord? So again, the same requirements. John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and his disciples preached and taught to the others. Those are the same ones that Paul's carrying out here. I had a chance, again, when I started in my ministry back in 1976, that they asked me to do a baptismal or a baptizing tour through Mexico. And we had about 110 people that had asked for visits all over the Mexican Republic. I'd never been into Mexico except to go to a fisight about twice, but never been through the country. And they gave us a car here in Pasadena, a map, and all these letters. And so ministerial assistant and myself, we took off and we covered all of these visits. And there were times where people had been waiting for years, others, months. And we had to go through the repentance and the remission of sins and whether they had counted the cost. And there were several occasions where the husband and wife were baptized together. Or maybe the husband and wife and one of their older children that were already adults. So you can say that was the household. But we're not talking about baptizing children. There's no evidence, there is no example of a child being baptized. Because again, the requirements demand a person to have calculated and counted the costs. So let's go now to the fourth case, which was the household of Crispus. Acts 18, verse 8.

Let's start in verse 7. It says about Paul, and he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justice, one who worshiped God, whose house was near next door to the synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, he was the one that was in charge there, believed on the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized. And so here, again, people that had Jewish background, they knew the Scriptures, they were called by God, accepted Jesus Christ, accepted the repentance of sins, and they were baptized. But notice that the household, they all believed. This wasn't some forced baptism at all. These were people that consciously made that decision, as well as many of the Corinthians. It doesn't say anything about infants being baptized here at all. And let's go to the final case in 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 16. Here we have the household of Stephanus. The household of Stephanus. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 16. Paul says, yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made no effect. And the point he's making here is that he didn't want people to say, oh, I was baptized by Paul. Notice what it says here in verse 13. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Thank God that I baptized none of you except Christmas and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. And so then he talks about Stephanus as well and his household. So again, it's talking about family. In those days, people didn't have all the distractions we have in modern society. Families were very close to each other. If you had the head of your household teaching and following this, everybody learned. Everybody was involved. It wasn't like today that fragmented society that we have. And notice, again, the clincher is in chapter 16, verse 15.

Chapter 16, verse 15, he goes back to Stephanus and he says, in verse 15, he says, I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanus, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints that you also submit to such and to everyone who works and labors with us. I am glad about the coming of Stephanus, for to Nantus and Achaecus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied, for they refreshed my spirit and yours, therefore acknowledge such men. So again, it was a household. It was a family group. But children, they had to wait their turn. They had to become older. Like I said in the first two centuries, there's no such writing of anybody being baptized as an infant or even a child. That happened later, as we'll cover in the second part of this message. And so let's go over again what we have covered, that this subject of infant baptism is one that we have to be very aware of because Satan has used this as a very powerful tool to deceive the world. I myself was baptized when I was an infant. I don't remember anything. I didn't choose it. I didn't dedicate myself to it. It was done. But I was considered a member and that I already had God's Spirit. And that, through that little sprinkling of water, I had had the original sin that was all the way back from Adam that I had been born with that, supposedly, and that through baptism it wiped away that original sin and also the sins that I would carry out because I become a member of the church with God's Spirit. And so this is the crazy world we live in. How people were forced into this belief. And believe me, at the time of Augustine, there was a fierce persecution to impose infant baptism upon the whole Roman world. And they succeeded. And guess what? From a church where it was based on conviction, it became a church based on population. You just had to be there and you automatically became a member of the church through infant baptism. And so brethren, as it says in Revelation chapter 18, Revelation chapter 18, this is part of the religious Babylon that we live in the midst of. Revelation 18 verse 4, and it says, But she has mixed double for her, and the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure, gave her torment and sorrow. For she says in her heart, I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow. Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord who judges her. The kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and lament for her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour your judgment has come, and the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore. And so what started out as a Roman empire and a woman riding that beast, it has happened in the past, and it's going to happen again in the future. And brethren, we have to stay firm. We have to stay strong. We have to be the salt of the earth. We cannot compromise on these precious truths. One last scripture. In Psalms 119, I was struck by this scripture this morning. I want to share it with you.

This is the inspiration for when James talks about the perfect law of liberty. In Psalms 119, in verse 142, David says, Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth. Yes, God's laws are truth. The doctrine of baptism is part of God's laws, and we should honor it because, as I say, Satan is always going to be after us. Changing doctrine, watering it down as it has happened in the past. I've got time for one more scripture. Let's go to Hebrews 6, and with that, we'll end. Still got plenty of time here to finish and have fellowship together. Hebrews 6, verse 1, talking about the six foundational doctrines of the Church. He says, Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection. Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. To become a Christian, you have to repent from your former sins, the dead works that caused our condemnation, repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. We need to have that faith in Christ's sacrifice, in His help, in His grace, and as Him being our mediator between God the Father and us. And then it goes on to say, and of the doctrine of baptisms. It's plural, because there are three baptisms mentioned in the Bible. The first one is the baptism of John. He was the one that established it. So the baptism of water that we go through, that Christ then continued, but now it would be done in His name. And then the baptism of receiving God's Spirit. So that's the one that we have in the church. Baptism, and of course it goes on to say the laying on of hands, which is part of that ceremony. They go together, but that is the one where you receive God's Spirit. And then the third one is baptism of fire. That's the one you want to avoid. Being immersed in the lake of fire, because we didn't make it. We weren't faithful. We didn't persevere to the end. We let something trip us up in this journey toward the kingdom of God. And so we need to have this doctrine firmly clear. Now, next week we have Sabbath in the park, and some of the adults will be over there. They won't make it here. So I'm planning to give another sermon here at 2.30 next Sabbath, God willing. But then afterwards I'll give you the second part, which has to do with the history from the first century all the way up to this 21st century. The history of how infant baptism crept into the teachings. Who were the ones responsible for that? When did it happen? How did it happen? All of the major actors along the way from Catholic Church all the way into Protestantism. What did Luther and Calvin and Swingley, the Protestant reformers, what did they say about infant baptism? And the decisions they made, and what were those decisions based on? So there are historical documents that show why they adopted the decisions that they did about baptism. And then, of course, all the way into this present century, and what's going to happen in the future. So looking forward to giving you that part two, God willing, in two weeks. And with that, the message is over.