Baptism

child in the way of the Lord. In the former you do not take any responsibility
of disciplining or teaching the child and leave it to your child entirely. The
child will remain an alien to the church community until he is baptized. The
choice is totally yours. You can use baptizm as an initiation or as an
intensification rite. This decides the age of baptism. In both cases the actual
mode and form and wording are of no real consequence. Thes symbols gets
their meaning from association and has no meaning in themselves. It may
even vary from culture to culture.
In all these external rituals – including going to church and going through the
ceremonies – we ask this question. Does this edify? Does this cause growth
in Christian life? All these external rituals of the church will remain
meaningless unless it can create an environment whereby we can bring our
children into faith.
Rom 15:1-2 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the
weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for
his good, to edify him.
Eph 4:12-16 equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the
body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children,
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking
the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head,
into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by
every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly,
makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.
Eph 4:22 -24 Put off your old nature which belongs to your former
manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in
the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the
likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
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