In Household Baptism Who Was Baptized? -- By: Anonymous
Journal: Central Bible Quarterly
Volume: CENQ 07:1 (Spring 1964)
Article: In Household Baptism Who Was Baptized?
Author: Anonymous
In Household Baptism Who Was Baptized?
a. Cornelius is an instance in Acts 10; but if we compare verse 44 with verses 47 and 48, we learn that they “all heard the word”; “the Holy Ghost fell on all” and in referring to them Peter said, “Can any forbid… be baptized.” Every individual who heard, according to the text, received the truth, which would exclude infants.
b. Lydia, in Acts 16, is another instance of household baptism, in verses 14 and 15. A case study shows that the apostle preached “to the women” and among them was Lydia, a business woman, “A seller of purple, of Thyratira,” who had come all the way to Philippi. Were there children too young in Lydia’s household to believe? The term household may or may not include children. If we argue that Lydia’s household included children, we must presume that Lydia was married, that Lydia had children, that Lydia’s children were under the age of accountability, and that Lydia had brought these infants on her business trip on this long journey hundreds of miles by sea. Also in verse 40 we read the apostles went “into the house of Lydia” when he left the city and said farewell “to the brethren.”
c. The Philippian jailer, Acts 16:32–34, is a third instance of household baptism. The text tells us that he was “believing” with “all his house” and then he “was baptized, he and all his straightway.”
d. Crispus, in Acts 18:8, is a fourth instance of household baptism, and we read “and Crispus … believed on the Lord with all his house … baptized.”
e. Stephanas, I Corinthians 1:16, is a fifth instance of household baptism: “I baptized also the household of Stephanas.” Let us read I Corinthians 16:15 about the same household, and we will learn that they were all believers capable of discharging their duties as Christians. “The house of Stephanas … have addicted themselves to the ministry of saints.” The only obvious meaning is that they were all workers in the church. Illustration: If infants were baptized, it violates almost every principle of the New Testament local church:
(1) It violates the supreme authority of the Bible.
(2) It violates the regenerated church membership....
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