Quiz on infants, baptism and the Church

Test yourself and others. The answers below. You can choose more than one. Good luck and enjoy! 

1. According to God’s Word children of Christians are:

a) small pagans

b) small disciples of Christ

c) spiritually homeless

d) atheists

e) Muslims

f) we-don’t-know-who

g) children are children, we shouldn’t ask such questions, I’m a little nervous when I hear such kind of questions

h) it’s a good question, it comes back to me very often, especially since I have my kids

2. According to the Bible children in the Church are:

a) guests

b) households

c) friends of Jesus’ family

d) intruders

e) our Brothers in Christ

f) for “invitation Jesus to their heart” in future

g) a small problem

h) Sunday School disciples

i) a little bit too loud

3. God in the Scripture calls them:

a) unbelievers

b) unbelievers with huge potential to be Christians

c) believers

d) pagans

e) participants of God’s Kingdom

f) participants of Kingdom of Darkness

g) Saints

h) neutral

i) God’s seed

j) God’s people

k) not God’s people

l) well-wishers of God’s Kingdom

m) His enemies

n) we don’t know, the Bible says nothing about that

4. God communicates with them, strengthens and ensures by:

a) Gospel music

b) Organ music

c) His Word and Sacraments

d) exorcisms

e) holy water

f) loudspeakers

g) God doesn’t communicate with somebody who can’t speak

h) just parents can speak to infants, God understands it doesn’t make sense

i) latin mass

5. According to Jesus’s words:

a) such is the kingdom of God

b) to such maybe will be Kingdom of God

c) whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it

d) whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as an adult will by no means enter it

e) we should make public ritual of dedication once in their life

6. God:

a) waits for conversion of children from Christian families at a Camp or Church evangelism

b) out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants has ordained strength

c) doesn’t understand anything from infants’ mouths

d) thinks kids disturb Him focus

e) treats words and songs of Christian kids as insincere

f) doesn’t treat small kids’ faith seriously

g) treats faith of Christian kids as example for adults

h) lets into His Kingdom only people in “conscious age”

7. In the New Testament we have description:

a) baptism of adults who were never baptized (in the name of Triune God) before 

b) baptism of adults who were baptized before as infants

c) rebaptism

d) baptism only regenerated and saved people

e) baptism of households

f) baptism of a child from Christian family on confession of his faith

g) telling testimony of conversion as a condition of baptism

h) voting of members of the Church before baptism

8. According to Lord Jesus’ words we should make disciples by:

a) leading our interlocutor to “pray of sinner”

b) street evangelism

c) baptism and teaching obedience of Jesus’ commandments

d) teaching obedience of Jesus’ commandments and baptism

e) raising up hand

f) participation in Christian meetings

g) reading theological books

9. Membership in the Church is:

a) permitted from the age of 12

b) permitted from the age of 7

c) just for conscious people

d) just for adult believers and teenagers

e) for adult believers and their household

f) not for infants and disabled people

g) for anybody who wants

h) engrafting to God’s family, body of Christ

i) engrafting to childless God’s family

j) signing up to the club of Jesus’ fans

Answers:

ad. 1.
b) small disciples of Christ - Mt 28:18-20, Lk 18:16, Eph 6:1, Col 3:20, Gal 3:27
h) it’s a good question, it comes back to me very often, especially since I have my kids

ad. 2. 
b) households – Eph 1:1; Eph 6:1  
e) our Brothers in Christ - Col 1:1-2; Col 3:20

ad. 3. 
c) believers - Eph 1:1,
e) participants of God’s Kingdom - Mk 10:14
g) Saints – 1 Cor 7:14  
i) God’s seed - Mal 2:15  

j) God’s people -  Lev 26:13

ad. 4. 
c) His Word and Sacraments – Mt 28:18-20; Acts 16:30-31, Gal 3:27-29;

ad. 5. 
a) such is the kingdom of God - Mk 10:14
c) whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it - Lk 18:17, Mk 10:15

ad. 6. 
b) out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants has ordained strength – Ps 8:2
g) treats faith of Christian kids as example for adults - Lk 18:16-17

ad. 7.
a) baptism of adults who were never baptized before in the name of Triune God - Acts 8:12; Acts 8:38
e) baptism of households - Acts 16:15

ad. 8.
c) baptism and teaching obedience of Jesus’ commandments - Mt 28:19-20

ad.9. 
e) for adult believers and their household - Gen 17:7, Acts 2:38-39; Eph 6:1-4

h) engrafting to God’s family, body of Christ – 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27-29; Eph 6:1-4

Pawel Bartosik

Three Baptisms

On our Church profile on Facebook you can see the pictures from joyful event which we had last Sunday: three baptisms and membership Magda's household. If you don't have account on Facebook, please click HERE.

What is our view on sacraments?

Sometimes people ask me about our view on sacraments, including the modes and recipients. Here is my response.

We believe in 2 sacraments: Baptism and Lord’s Supper. Baptism is rite which replaced circumcision as a sign of initiation in Covenant. Lord’s Supper replaced Passover as the sign of continuation in Covenant.

Both sacraments are more than only signs. They are God’s gifts, blessings and benefits for His People, the Church. Baptism marks baptized person as the disciple of Christ, it unites us (in covenantal meaning) with Christ in His death (Rom 6:3, Gal 3:27). All baptized people (in the name of the Father, and Son and Holy Spirit) are members of New Covenant, baptized in One Body (1 Kor 12:13) and are under obligations of faith and life for the Lord Jesus. We don’t believe that we should hold any special mode. We don’t believe that only one “sanctified” form of baptism is for example immersion. We usually pour the water over head of the baptized person and we baptize in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit – which marks this person as participant of the Covenant, Body of Christ. Because God’s promises are for us and our seed – we baptize infants. Christ showed the faith of little ones as the pattern for adults (not inversely).

Lord’s Supper is feast of God with is people (Church). It is feats of joy because God assurances us in His promises and gives us bread and wine. During the eating of the bread and drinking wine we sit because Jesus is active during Lord’s Supper. He serves us with good gifts. HE gives us sacraments.

Our children participate with us in Lord’s Table because sacraments are not only for adults and mature Christians. It is not a reward for conscious and intelligent faith. It is food for all who need God’s encouragement. It is fellowship of Christ’s Body with Jesus. Baptized children are part of the Church and they have right and privilege (the same as adults) to participate in communion. All who are in Christ can participate in Lord’s Table. Christ died for his body – the church - including our children. We practice padeocommunion and we practice communion each Sunday (weekly). It is not just adding to our Service but necessary and main meal during the week. Because we eat this with God and body of Christ. He gives us Himself in Sacraments.

More or less blessings?

"The coming of Christ makes us not less certain of the salvation of the infant children of the covenant, but more so. Christ's attitude to little children is cited as evidence of this truth, for He commanded that children be brought to Him, saying, "for of such is the kingdom of heaven" and embraced them in His arms. "If it be just for infants to be brought to Christ", Calvin contends, "why is it not allowable to admit them to baptism, the symbol of our communion and association with Christ? If theirs is the kingdom of Heaven, why shall the sign be denied them by which, as it were, an entrance into the church is opened that, being received into it, they may be enrolled among the heirs of the heavenly kingdom: How unjust shall we be, if we drive away from Christ those whom he invites to him; if we deprise them of the gifts with which he adorns them; if we exlude those whom he graciously admits?"


The Presbyterian Doctrine of Children in the Covenant, Lewis Bevens Schenck, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, Phillipsburg 2003, p. 10.