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“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
The Bible presents two requirements for baptism. The first is the inward acceptance of the salvation that was provided by the death of the world’s Redeemer; the second is the outward sign of an inward change of life (Rom. 6:3-6). Therefore, it is clear that those who contemplate baptism should be at the age where they can understand spiritual matters.
The Bible clearly states that the Lord calls on children to join the body of Christ but children should be old enough to understand spiritual matters and to be taught the meaning of a changed life and conversion. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:37-39).
The Bible gives examples of whole families accepting the truth and getting baptized at the same time “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” (Acts 16:32, 33).
So, the right age for children to get baptized is when they are old enough to understand what Jesus did for them and what they want to do in return for Him. This age may range from 8-12 depending on each child, his training, and his experience with the Lord. The Bible is clear that infants should not get baptized because they cannot understand, believe nor repent of their sins.
Check out our Bible Answers page for more information on a variety of topics.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
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