When our children were young they were baptized because that is the way things are done in the denomination we belonged to. Children were baptized as babies. Probably neither my husband nor I questioned it because it was what we had both experienced and were used to.
As we started to learn more about God, His Word and the Christian life, we thought if we’d had the time over we may not have had our children baptized. Instead we might have opted, as some couples have, for dedicating their baby to God.
It is a question you and your marriage partner need to think about and work through with each other and with the minister of your church. A good idea is also to talk it through with those who have opted for either baptism or dedication. It would be good to get them to explain why they made the choice they did.
A dedication service can be just as meaningful as a baptism. We attended one on Sunday and it was an extremely moving service. It was also the dedication four youngest granddaughter and our son- in- law and daughter shared a lot of their experience of God’s grace not just in the birth of their daughter but in God’s saving grace through the death of Jesus and how that affects their lives and choices in their marriage, as parents and in everyday living. It was also an opportunity to present the gospel and hopefully cause others to think about where they stand with God.
The denomination our daughter and son-in- law belong to usually opts for child baptism. However there is no hard and fast rule. The fact they opted not to, but to go with a dedication service instead, show us that we don’t have to do something just because the church says that’s the way it should be done. We need to put our brains into gear, to think and pray about it, to discuss it and work through the pros and cons as a couple before making any decisions regarding this issue.
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