Baptism and Maturity

A Study of New Testament Teaching

by CLINTON MORRISON 1
The Church is most faithful to its tradition, and realizes its unity with
the Church of every age, when, linked but not tied by its past, it today
searches the Scriptures and orients its life by them as though this had
to happen today for the first time.2
IT IS a firm principle of our Reformed heritage that its teaching and
preaching be always directed and continually tested by the Scriptures,
"the only rule of faith and life.5'3 For this reason, it appears particularly
important that those whom the church has appointed especially to study
and interpret the Scripture should not neglect to address the church
with regard to its doctrine and practice. It is quite easy for biblical
scholars to become lost among the fascinating questions and intricasies of
antiquity. And some theologians wish they would stay lost and never
address themselves to current questions. Nevertheless, the church is com-
mitted to study the Scripture and submit to it, and if biblical scholars
cannot carry the whole responsibility alone, we can at least provoke
theologians into becoming better theologians, and that is no small
accomplishment.
In considering baptism and maturity in the New Testament, we have
no intention of covering both subjects in their wholeness, but mean only
to consider how baptism and maturity are mutually related in the earliest
period of the church. To put the matter less accurately but more simply,
what does the New Testament have to say about infant baptism?
Probing this question is hardly a novel undertaking; every parent who
brings a child to the church for baptism is instructed in its significance,
and the church has literally chewed on the question for centuries. The
reason for taking it up today is that it has become a live question for the
contemporary Protestant church since Professor Karl Barth in 1943 de-
livered what one of his opponents rightly called "the most serious chal-
lenge to infant baptism that has ever been offered.354
1. Inaugural address delivered at McGormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, 111., in Septem-
ber 1962, and reprinted by permission from the McCormick Quarterly, Vol. X V I (1962), No. 1.
2. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, 2/2 (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1957), p. 647.
3. Westminster Confession of Faith, i. 2.
4. O. Cullmann, Baptism in the New Testament (London: Student Christian Movement Press,
1950) j P· 8· Cf. Karl Barth, The Teaching of the Church Regarding Baptism (London: Student
Christian Movement Press, 1948 ).

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388 Interpretation

Since the publication of Barth's challenge there have been scores of

papers, pamphlets, books, and articles debating the question from every
side. From the viewpoint of New Testament scholarship, the common
conclusion is that "there is no historical support in the New Testament for
infant baptism; it must be 'concluded 5 theologically.555
Joachim Jeremías, who had been at work on the question before
Barth 5 s challenge, has probably provided the most complete summary
of the historical and exegetical evidence, which he believes indicates the
practice of infant baptism in the early church. 6
i. Paul and Luke (I Cor. ι : 16; Acts 16:15, 33, 18:8; compare 11:14) would not
have mentioned the baptism of "households" (oikos) if children had been
excluded.7
2. The terminology8 that Judaism applied to proselyte baptism, a practice antedat­
ing the church,9 reappears in early Christian baptism theology (Rom. 6:4; II
Cor. 5:17; Col. 3:1, 2:13f.; I Thess. 3:i3). 1 0 The concept of baptism as
"Christian circumcision" (Col. 2:11) "makes it very probable" that the church
baptized children together with their parents when the parents were converted.11
3. Form criticism indicates that Mark 10:13-16 was important as an authority
for the early church's practice of infant baptism.12
4. The baptism of infants is "one of few Church usages" that enjoys unanimous
and undisputed acceptance in the earliest period of the church.13

Jeremías is referring, of course, to unanimous and undisputed silence.

It is the common complaint of everyone who undertakes the study of
infant baptism that the few shreds of evidence available are primarily
5. E. Dinkier, "Taufe I I . Im Urchristentum," Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart,
(Tübingen: J. C. Β. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1962) 3rd ed., Vol. VI, p. 636. Cullmann (op. cit.,
p. 26; cf. p. 70) likewise: " I t can be defended only on the ground of New Testament doctrine:
Is infant baptism compatible with the New Testament conception of the essence and meaning
of baptism?" This, Cullmann notes (p. 2 7 ) , is the same approach as Karl Barth's. J. Jeremías,
Infant Baptism in the First Four Centuries (London: Student Christian Movement Press, i 9 6 0 ) ,
p . 44, notes: "There are unfortunately only three passages which might give us some grounds
for judging how the earliest age dealt with children born to Christian parents: I Cor. 1:14b,
Acts 21:21, and Mark 10:13-16, and par." Jeremías finds that the first permits no deduction;
the second suggests a conjecture (on the basis of Col. 2 : 1 1 ) ; and the third, after subjection for
form-criticism, shows traces of a baptismal formula (see note 15 below).
6. It is a testimony to the delicate balance in the historical evidence that Jeremías himself
changed his position on the question between the German and English publications of his study
(cf. op. cit., p. 4 7 ) .
7. Ibid., pp. 21 f.
8. Rebirth, new creation, resurrection from the dead, forgiveness of sins, attainment of holiness.
9. Jeremías, op. cit., pp. 28 f.
10. Ibid., p. 36.
11. Ibid., p. 40.
12. Ibid., p. 55. See note 15 below.
13. J&icL,p. 57.

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 Baptism and Maturity 389

concerned with something else.14 So one must choose, apparently, either

conjectures compatible with New Testament doctrine, on the one hand,
or oblique deductions from the obscure and divination of silence, on the
other. One way is scarcely more certain than the other, and together
they are scarcely stronger than separately.
As we survey our problem, we note immediately abundant evidence
that the church practiced baptism from the first. Furthermore, the
handful of terms referring to children appear hundreds of times in the
New Testament. Is it possible that the absence of any reference to infant
baptism along with the presence of ample reference both to baptism and
children indicate no mere gap in tradition, but tell us something of early
Christian thought? Many have rightly observed that it does. Infant
baptism was obviously not yet a source of controversy; there is nothing
like controversy for breaking into print. It is more important to observe
that very likely it was not yet a distinct concept. That is, while the church
may have been baptizing children all along, it had not yet considered the
practice a special kind of baptism. This sort of refinement often has to
await controversy; but until then, the church did not merely avoid the
theme of infant baptism—there simply was no theme of infant baptism,
even if children were being baptized.
It is no wonder, then, that researchers on this subject despair. In any
traditional approach to the question they are not only faced with a com-
plete void in direct evidence, but they are very likely trying to document
an idea that the first Christians had never heard of, whether or not in-
fants were then baptized.
I hasten to say that I think it is important, as a matter of history, to
learn as much as we can about the earliest church; the careful evaluation
of all the evidence that can be found is a legitimate and constructive
work. Furthermore, I confess my admiration and wonder at the evidence
that has been gleaned and the careful deductions that have been made.
But I think it is essential to observe that as historical research pro-
gresses it is of utmost importance theologically to be sure we have under-
stood what the early church recorded unambiguously, that is, that we not
be so preoccupied with finding precedents and proof texts for contem-
porary liturgy and order that we fail to consider early Christian concepts
14. Gullmann {op. cit., p. 24) agrees: "It is in fact necessary to ask whether infant baptism
is attested by our primitive Church sources. Now the New Testament texts allow us to answer
this question with certainty neither one way nor the other, and we must simply accept this fact."
For this reason, Gullmann pursues the "theological definition of the essence and meaning of
baptism." Cf. note 4 above.

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390 Interpretation

which bear directly upon our concern, albeit from their point of view
and not ours.
Specifically, it seems to me that we have not at all finished our exegeti-
cal task when we note that there is no certain historical evidence regard-
ing infant baptism. We have yet to find out what the early church thought
about children. In fact, we ought first of all to set our own question so
far to the side that we ask who are the children of whom the New Testa-
ment speaks, and only then proceed to inquire into their relationship to
the church. The theological responsibility of exegesis is to subject the
modern controversy to what the New Testament is talking about. For
this reason we shall leave the traditional question of "infant baptism,55
and seek to discover the significance of baptism as it relates to the im-
mature in the New Testament.
Baptism and the Immature in the Synoptic Gospels
Inasmuch as there is an apparent disparity between the view of chil-
dren held in the Synoptic Gospels and the view of the rest of the New
Testament,15 it will be advantageous to consider first the Gospel usage
alone, then the rest.
We may begin by noting that the great bulk of the New Testament
usage falls into an important category that does not especially advance
our study. I refer to the frequent New Testament reference to the chil-
dren (sons and daughters) of Israel, Abraham, God, the Devil, and so
on. The reason this usage is marginal for us is that it is genealogical in
nature and does not deal with children in their childhood or childlikeness.
After all, everyone is the son or daughter of someone; the only observa-
tion of value to us here is the fact that children apparently grow up. This
category is eventually significant for us because it designates the people
of God to whom all the baptized belong. But that does not concern us
now.
The Gospels record a firm tradition that Jesus was particularly fond
of children. Surely one of his best known sayings is "Suffer the little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is the king-
dom of God55 (Mark io : 14) .16 He blessed them and healed the sons and
15. Cf. G. Bertram, Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament, G. Kittel, editor (Stutt-
gart: W. Kohlhammer), Vol. IV, (1942), p. 918 (19-33).
16. Cullmann has shown (op. cit., appendix) that an ancient baptismal formula can be de-
tected in the present form of Mark 10:14; t n e c l u e is t n e word "forbid" (köluö; cf. Acts 8:36,
10:47, 1 1 : 1 7 ; Matt. 3 : 1 4 ) . Jeremías (op.cit., pp. 48-55) has provided a detailed form-critical
analysis of this text, indicating not that Jesus himself taught the baptism of infants in this
passage, but that the Christian church early associated this story with baptism and "took it as
authority for the practice of infant baptism" (ibid., p. 5 5 ) .

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 Baptism and Maturity 391

daughters of many who sought him out. His patience and kindliness
toward children were apparently striking for one engaged in an under-
taking as urgent as his. But the consideration he showed children was not
an isolated eccentricity. Jesus was noted, in fact, for his exceptional
associations ; he befriended the afflicted, outcast, diseased, destitute, and
lawless; why not children too? It is significant, however, that the motley
lot who heard him gladly, believed what he said, and followed him about
were designated by Jesus himself 'little ones.55 It was for later theologians
to comprehend Christians as "saints55 or "justified sinners55; Jesus thought
of them as children. According to the Gospels, Jesus never addressed
anyone as "disciple55 ; in fact, he rarely used the word at all.17 He referred
to his followers more frequently and characteristically as "little ones.5518
It is important for us to ascertain, if possible, what Jesus meant by this
practice. It was not customary in his day for teachers to address their
disciples as "little ones,55 but when one did speak of a student as little it
was to indicate a callow inadequacy.19 Derogation of this sort was alien
to Jesus5 usage, however. Like much of his practice that clashed with
Judaism, naming his followers "little ones55 may have an Old Testament
foundation, particularly in the theme of election. For in the calling of
Israel, God chose not only the least among the peoples (Deut. 7:6-8) but
a stubborn and rebellious nation at that (Deut. g:6ff.). And for their
leaders he often chose some of the least likely.20
But this does not yet strike at the positive significance of Jesus' usage.
In his teaching it is clear that "littleness55 is not just human inferiority
and sinfulness. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom to all who gathered to
17. Gf. Matt. i o : 2 4 f . par; Mark 14:14 par; Luke i 4 : 2 6 f . But Matt. 10:42 and Luke 14:33
are very likely editorial explanations and summation. Cf. Theologisches Wörterbuch, op. cit.,
Ρ· 654 ( i 5 ) . Cf. T. W. Manson, Teaching of Jesus (Cambridge: The University Press, 1931),
pp. 237 ff., on the possible terminological distinction made by Jesus, distinguishing his disciples
from those of the Pharisees.
18. Manson (ibid., pp. 295 f., note 1) suggests that "'children' was the regular word which
Jesus used in speaking of his disciples" (cf. Mark 10:24, John 13:33, 2 1 : 5 ) , and that this usage
influenced the later writers in the New Testament. Inasmuch as the rabbis apparently addressed
their students as "my children''—for to teach the Torah to another is to beget him (cf. I Cor.
4 : i 4 f . and Strack-Billerbeck, Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch
(München: Beck, Vol. II, 1924, p. 559; Vol. I l l , 1926, pp. 340f.)—this designation, which is
rarely reported in Jesus' mouth, is not especially characteristic. "Little ones" is not only more
common but more characteristic, for it embodies certain distinct views of Jesus in contrast to
Judaism. The identification of the "little ones" with "little children" in the Gospels (cf. Matt
18 ) does not distort Jesus' meaning, however. Cf. Manson in note 17 above.
19. Cf. Strack-Billerbeck, op. cit., Vol. I (1922), p. 592; Michel, Theologisches Wörterbuch,
op. cit., p. 652.
20. Moses (Exod. 3:11 ff.; 6:30; cf. Isa. 6 : 5 ) ; Gideon (Judg. 6 : 1 5 ! : " Tray, Lord, how
can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my
family.' And the LORD said to him, 'But I will be with y o u . . . ' " ) ; Saul (I Sam. 1 5 : 1 7 ) ;
Solomon (I Kings 3 : 7 ) ; Jeremiah (Jer. 1:6).

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39* Interpretation

hear him, rich as well as poor, learned as well as simple, pious as well
as scoundrels. But the "little ones55 were those who took what he said to
to heart. Jesus5 followers were "children55 not by nature but by reason of
response to him (compare Matt. i8:6a). The Fourth Gospel expounds
the oldest tradition faithfully : "To all who received him, who believed
in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God55
( i : 12f.; compare Matt. i 6 : i 6 f . ) .
More of Jesus5 sayings and actions are of a polemical nature than we
customarily think,21 and the designation of his followers as "little ones55
was among his polemical acts. For him to declare that the group of re-
ligious exiles whom he called "little ones55 were the true heirs of the
kingdom of God stood squarely in contradiction to the faith of his con-
temporaries, for "the striving to be 'great5 permeated the whole Palestin-
ian piety.5522 It was only natural that the question of "greatness55 should
arise among his disciples, and we must imagine how it charged the at-
mosphere when Jesus placed a child in their midst and said, "Truly, I
say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven55 (Matt. 18:3). Sayings of Jesus on this theme are
so plentiful in the Gospels because they are strikingly characteristic of his
teaching on the one hand, and they are so radically contrary to Judaism
on the other. "He who is least among you all is the one who is great55
(Luke 9:48b). 23 From another perspective, "Everyone who exalts him-
self will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted55
(Luke 14:11 ; compare Matt. 23:12; Luke 18:14, 18-30).24 The theme
finally runs down into the form of a much repeated proverb : "The last
will be first and the first last55 (Matt. 20:16, compare 19:30; Mark
10:31; Luke 13:30; Markg:35).
But greatness and littleness, humility and exaltation are fluid and rela-
tive concepts. Whether one is thought to be first or last depends a great
21. The apologetic-polemic aspect of Jesus' teaching is particularly evident in the parables.
Cf., for instance, the Parables of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14), the Prodigal
Son (Luke 15:11-32), the Good Employer (Matt. 2 0 : 1 - 1 5 ) ; and Jeremías, The Parables of
Jesus (London: Student Christian Movement Press, 1954), pp. 99 ff.
22. Adolf Schlatter, Der Evangelist Matthaeus (Stuttgart: Calwer Verlag, 1957), p. 543.
Schlatter also notes: "By leading the disciples away from this tradition, Jesus gave his com-
munity a wholly new form." Cf. Michel, Theologisches Wörterbuch, op. cit., p. 657 (18-21),
and note 33.
23. Cf. Luke 22:26 for the obvious overlapping in tradition; the greatest is not contrasted witn
the least but with the youngest, and it relates to calling and service; cf. Matt. 20-.26 f.; Mark
ι o : 43 f. par. T h e paradox of least/greatest is used by Jesus in a number of ways in reference
to the coming of the Kingdom; cf. Mark 4:3-8, 26-29, 30-32.
24. Cf. Matt. 18:4 for further refinement : "Whoever humbles himself like this child... /*

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 Baptism and Maturity 393

deal on how you look at things. For this reason it is all the more signifi­
cant that Jesus took up a child in his arms and said clearly, "Of such is
the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14). And as for the adults, the great
and the proud and the righteous, what did this mean but that they must
'Hum and become like children" (Matt. 18:3) or they would never enter
the kingdom of God?
This teaching of Jesus clearly reflects the integral place of the preach­
ing of repentance in his gospel of the kingdom. It is in relation to the
5
crucial theme of repentance that Jesus concept of the "little ones" and
his teaching regarding humility find their relationship to baptism in the
Gospels.
It is unmistakable that our Christian practice of baptism is largely
defined by the work of John the Baptist. Although John did not invent
the practice, he established its central significance. His baptism was pre­
eminently a "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark
1:4). He did not address a class or a group but a whole "generation of
vipers" (Luke 3 : 7 ^ ) . As far as he was concerned, everyone needed to
repent and bring forth the fruits of a changed life. It was in the context
of John's addressing the whole people that Jesus himself was baptized.
Jesus carried out a ministry independent of John's, but in conscious
25
succession to it (Luke 5:32; compare 13:1-9, 15.Ί-10). The sign he
offered (the "sign of Jonah") was the preaching of repentance (Matt.
12:38-41; Luke 11:32), and his disciples followed his example (Mark
26
6:12; Luke 24:47). Jesus found his best audience among those whom
John had baptized, and his natural enemies were those who had resisted
John as well (Matt. 21:32; Luke 7:29f.). Mark characterizes Jesus'
gospel in these words : "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" (1:15). Nothing so distressed
him as the fact that relatively few responded to his words (Matt. 11:20 f. ;
Luke 10:13). And among them there was no one of prominence. But
with characteristic faith he understood this as God's purpose and wisdom;
he prayed, " I thank thee, Father, LORD of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed
them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will" (Matt.
27
n:25f·)·
25. I n one of the oldest traditions, " t h e gospel of Jesus Christ" began with the story of John
the Baptist : Mark ι : ι ff.
26. O n the continuity between Jesus and John, cf. also Mark 6:14-16.
27. Careful analysis of Mark 4 : 1 1 f. (cf. Jeremías, Parables, op. cit., pp. 11-16) indicates
not that parables were meant to obscure Jesus' teaching, but rather that his teachings as a whole

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394 Interpretation

Repentance means "turning," and Jesus defined it when he said "unless

you turn and become [turn so that you become] like little children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). The gospel of
the kingdom always required repentance, and those who turned were
called "little ones" (compare Matt. 18:6: "little ones who believe").
The Gospel of John caught the full force of Jesus' perspective in the
Nicodemus discourse : "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew,
he cannot see the kingdom of God" (3:3). The unspoken corollary is
plain; what John described as being "born anew" requires one to die
and leave all that he has ( Mark 3:31-35; Matt, ι o : 34-39 ).
It is crucial for our problem that we understand the central significance
of repentance for both Jesus' practice of addressing his followers as chil­
dren and the oldest tradition of Christian baptism.
Before pursuing our question into the rest of the New Testament, we
should observe that Jesus' teachings and actions regarding the "little
ones" were not wholly academic or objective. In his receiving John's
baptism of repentance, he humbled himself and identified himself with
28
the little ones. This identity is most obvious where Jesus declares that
whoever receives them, hears them, and deals kindly with them does so
to him as well, and will receive God's blessing ( Matt. 25:40, 18:5, ι o : 40,
42; Mark 9:41; Luke 10:16; John 13:20). But whoever rejects or ill
treats them does so to him as well, and will be severely punished (Matt.
25:45-46; Mark 9:32 and parallels, 14:21 and parallels). But this
identification is also profound. In Jesus' teaching on humility and lowli­
ness there appears frequently, in contrast to the great men of the world
who exercise authority and rule, the figure of the servant (Matt. 20:26,
23:11 ; Mark 9:35 ; Luke 22:26 f.). Jesus understood himself to be one
of the little ones, very likely the least, for he was among them as one who
served (compare John 13:1-20; Luke 22:27).
It now becomes apparent that to turn and become like a child one must
do more than simply renounce his foolish ways. To become least is not
to assume a condition so much as a service. Jesus' baptism was at once a
humiliation and a reduction to servitude. But it was not a servitude of a
are intelligible only to those who turn. Jeremías (ibid., p. 15) translates: "To you has God
given the secret of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are without, everything is obscure,
in order that they (as it is written) may 'see and yet not see, may hear and not understand
unless they turn and God will forgive them' " (italics mine).
28. The suggestion of Franz Dibelius is now increasingly accepted as the proper elucidation
of the puzzling Matt. 11: l i b : "'He who is less [Jesus]'"—as one baptized by John—"'is
greater than he [John the Baptist] in the kingdom of heaven.' " Cf. Cullmann, The Early Church
(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956), p. 180.

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 Baptism and Maturity 395
class; it was servitude as a calling and purpose. The baptism with which
he was baptized is inseparable from a work that he had to accomplish
(Mark 10:38-45; compare Luke 13:32, 18:31). To be a little one with
him is to share not only in lowliness, but in a work, in one special redemp-
tive service of God. It is especially in this sense that the rejection of the
little ones is a rejection of Christ, or their acceptance the acceptance of
him.
Thus the encouragement he spoke to the little ones was nothing other
than the faith that also sustained him in his ministry as the servant of the
Lord. Because it was not the will of his Father who is in heaven that one
of these little ones should perish (Matt. 18:14), he comforted his "little
flock" (Luke 12:32): and as one whose service led to Jerusalem and the
cross, he was confident that as the humble shall be exalted and the serv-
ant shall be made to rule, so surely will the one who dies for them all be
raised from the dead.

Baptism and the Immature in the Rest of the New Testament

What is the meaning of baptism as it relates to immaturity in the rest
of the New Testament? We shall begin with the theme of immaturity in
order to avoid a maze of intricacies concerning baptism that are of no
immediate significance to us.
First of all, we must observe that baptized Christians are still referred
to as (little) children (Gal. 4:19; Heb. 5:12f.; I John 2:1 and often).
This usage is apparently no mere accommodation to Jewish or Hellenistic-
Roman practice, but it is integral to an apostolic understanding of the
church. Paul's usage is particularly clear in I Corinthians 4:14 f. :
I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved
children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many
fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Here we find a striking continuity with the Gospel tradition; those who
respond to the apostolic preaching are accounted children, and the
evangelist is their father "in Christ."29
The very existence of the literature we are examining testifies to an
29. T h e Greek gennaö is ambiguous as to sex, while English distinguishes "begetting" and
"bearing." It is not proper here to press the figure, but it may be noted that in Gal. 4 : 1 9 (see
note 39 below) Paul's role is as a mother, the one who labors and gives birth (cf. Phil. 1 0 ) ;
but in II Cor. 11:2, he is the father of the bride. T h a t Paul addresses his congregation as his
children raises no problem. He does not mean to detract from God's work in Christ (I Cor.
1:13-15, 3 : 5 - 8 ) , but to guarantee a responsible leadership and harmony for the churches (cf.
I Cor. 9:1 f.; I I Cor. 3:1-3, 12:11 f.).

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396 Interpretation

apostolic responsibility not only to found but to care for congregations

( I I Cor. 11:28), especially in their formative years. To the Thessalonians
Paul writes, "We were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her
children" (I Thess. 2 : 7 ) , and shortly he adds, "For you know how, like
a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged
you and charged you to lead a life worthy of God . . . " (2:11 f. ; compare
I I Cor. 6:11 f.).
The reason we considered first the Gospels alone is that there are a
number of instances of apostolic usage that suggest that the designation
"children" was used in a derogatory sense.30 While Jesus offered children
as a standard for repentance, Paul appears to lament now and again that
certain Christians are not yet grown up. Their childishness indicates that
they are "still of the flesh" and not yet "spiritual men." The expression
"babes in Christ" appears synonymous with "men of the flesh" (I Cor.
3:1-3). Paul would rather that they were men in Christ and babes as
regards the flesh (compare I Cor. 14:20; I I Pet. 2 : 1 4 ) .
It seems to me, in the light of certain obvious continuity with the
Gospel tradition, that much apparently different usage in the Epistles is
due not to a different understanding of children so much as to a different
situation and a different responsibility. For example, the terminology
for repentance, which was elemental to Jesus' preaching and crucial to
his concept of the little ones, is almost absent from Paul's writings. 31 It
would be a colossal error, however, to assume that repentance was a
marginal matter with Paul (compare Phil. 3:3-4, 13). Rather, the
preaching and teaching of repentance belongs to a previous stage in the
lives of Paul's children. 32 It was by turning to Christ ( I I Cor. 3:16) from
idols (I Thess. 1:9) and elemental spirits (Gal. 4 : 9 ) that they came to be
baptized and members of the church.
The crucial place of repentance in the relationship between baptism
and children in the Gospels is occupied by the Spirit in the Epistles.
Before Christians became like children and were baptized, the issue was
repentance; after their baptism and being born anew, the dominant
reality was the Spirit ( I I Cor. 3:16-18). "Repent and believe" belongs to
30. Cf. Jesus' own reference to the children in the marketplace: Matt. 11:16; Luke 7:32.
31. Paul apparently understood metano-terms to mean "returning," and thus not appropriate
to Gentiles, who were never part of Israel and the Covenant (Eph. 2:11 f.; Rom. 11:17fr.).
However, Gentiles could "turn" (II Cor. 3 : 1 6 ; Gal. 4 : 9 ; I Thess. 1:9). Nevertheless, even this
terminology is very slight in Paul. Note rather the idea of adoption in Rom. 8:15-17, 23; Gal.
4:5 fr.; Eph. 1:5; cf. Gal. 3:7, 26-29; Rom. 4-16.
32. Cf. Hebrew 6:1, where it is classed with elementary doctrine. This, of course, does not
refer to the Christian's regular confession of sins (I John 1:8-10).

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 Baptism and Maturity 397
the Christian's past; for the present, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also
walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25, compare vs. 16; Rom. 8 ) .
T h e Epistles no less than the Gospels look upon the convert as a new
( I I Cor. 5:17, 20) and immature creation (I Pet. 1:23—2:3). And
babies are among the new occasions that teach new duties.
One of the principal themes in the New Testament view of the church
is that of growing up and maturing. The responsibility of the ministry to
nourish the church clearly presupposes the concept of Christians as im-
mature. Peter exhorts his readers: "Like newborn babes, long for the
pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have
tasted the kindness of the Lord" (I Pet. 2:2f.; compare Heb. 5 : 1 2 f . ) .
In describing his ministry, Paul writes: "We proclaim [Christ], warning
every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present
every man mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28, compare Jas. 1:4). Again, to
the Ephesians (in Chap. 4) :
[Christ's] gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evange-
lists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for building up the body of Christ (compare II Cor. 10:8, 12:19,
13:10), until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son
of God (compare II Pet. 3:18), 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
(compare I Cor. 8:1) 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 (4:11-16; compare Col. 2:19; Jas. 1:4).

The work of the ministry is to help children to become men.

With the figures of growth and maturing Paul intermixed concepts
from the building trade, in which he likens himself to an architect (I Cor.
3:10-17J, 33 and other concepts from agriculture, in which he takes the
role of a farmer (I Cor. 3 : 5 ) . The church appears as a field or building
(I Cor. 3:9, 17; Eph. 2:20-22). T h e Epistles can speak of the Christian
congregation as a growing building (Eph. 2:21 f.) with living stones
(I Pet. 2 : 5 ) . When faced with a problem in the church or a question of
procedure, Paul made edification the norm for decision (I Cor. 10:23-
11:1 ) . This norm has been decisive in the conduct of Christian worship
33. Paul is preeminently the layer of foundations, as in this passage: cf. Rom. 15:20. But the
figure of the foundation is not a constant: cf. I Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20.

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398 Interpretation

(I Cor. 14) : "Let all things be done for edification" (I Cor. 14:26b).
But edification was hardly confined to the professional ministry; it was
the norm of Christian behavior and the responsibility of all Christians
toward one another (I Thess. 5:11 ff.; Rom. 14:19,15:1-6; Eph. 4:29 f.).
Lest we should think that the theme of growth applies only to the
weaker members of the church, we should consider Paul's reflection upon
his own condition:
What ever gain I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.... that I may
know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becom-
ing like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the
dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect [mature] ; but
I press on to make it my own, because Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I
do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what
lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are
mature be thus minded (Phil. 3:7, 10-15a).

Thus while Paul addresses his converts as children and does not hesitate
to admonish and correct them, he is also aware of his own need to grow
(compare I Cor. 2:6fï. ; Col. 4:12; Heb. 5:14). Furthermore, like Jesus,
he assumes the role of servant : "For what we preach is not ourselves, but
Jesus Christ as LORD, with ourselves as your servants [slaves] for Jesus'
sake" (II Cor. 4:5, compare I2:i4f. 5 4:8-15; I Cor. 4:5-13, 9:19-23).
Likewise, the servitude of Paul was no mere condition but the faithful
fulfillment of his calling to be an apostle; his sufferings (II Cor. 4:8-15;
I Cor. 4:8-13) were of one piece with the death of Christ (Col. 1:24)—
whose humiliation was clearly Paul's pattern for life—and he offered it as
a model to his children (I Cor. 11 : i , 4:i6f.; Phil. 2:5-11, 3:7-17). 34
To summarize at this point, we must see that in the Epistles as well as
the Gospels, Christians are, in various degrees, immature (compare I
John 2:12-14). They entered the church by becoming babes, turning
from the sophistication and maturity they had gained. ("Let no one de-
ceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let
him become a fool that he may become wise"—I Cor. 3:18; compare vss.
19 f., 1:18-20; Rom. 1:22.) We know of no other mode of entering the
church in any part of the New Testament than that prescribed by Jesus :
34. If Paul was like Jesus in becoming a little one and serving his children, was Jesus then in
need of maturity as was Paul? One New Testament tradition says yes: "Although Jesus was
a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect [mature] he
became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him" (Heb. 5:8f.; cf. 2:5-18).

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 Baptism and Maturity 399

"Turn and become like children.55 We know of no one in the New

Testament, certainly not Paul, who brought maturity with him into the
church. Christian maturity is something which must begin with babes
in Christ; there is no other foundation for Christian maturity than that.35
We may now relate, with no complications, the exposition of baptism
in the Epistles to the theme of immaturity. The sacrament's indissoluble
association with repentance in all parts of the New Testament means that
it was consciously administered by the church to those it considered little
children, who had counted as a loss all things in order to gain Christ,
and whom the church would care for as a nurse or father, nourishing and
building up to maturity, to the likeness of Christ. The theological ex-
position of baptism in the New Testament (compare Rom. 6, especially
vss. 1-4; Col. 2:12; I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5) is nothing other
than one aspect of this edifying work of the church. Far from a descrip-
tion of something ex opere operato, the New Testament epistles show
this sacrament in its true nature, an integral aspect of the word of God.36
In baptism this word is declared visibly not only to the one being baptized
but to all Christians. The idea that baptism is a sacrament administered
in the church only once is not the whole truth; it is administered in the
church, by the church, for the church again and again and again. And
what it declares to all present of God5s gracious work in Christ is actually
edifying for all. In fact, it is very likely at that moment more edifying
to the older members of the church than to the one being baptized. For
after all, he is only a child—or if not yet a child, then he does not under-
stand it at all (I Cor. 2:14—3:1 ). The sacrament of baptism is a church
sacrament, portraying the work of God in Christ. To all who receive
him, who believe in his name, he gives power to become children of God,
children who are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God (John 1:12 f. ).
35. The immaturity of the Christian is not merely a personal matter, but it is also an eschato-
logical one: cf. I Cor. 13:9-12. Knowledge "in part" indicates that the period of childhood is
not yet terminated: cf. Col. 3:3 f.; Rom. 8:19-25; Gal. 5 : 5 ; Heb. 12:23. Baptism is commonly
the occasion for the Christian's entering the new age (Rom. 6 : 4 ; Col. 2 : 1 2 ) , and being "born
anew" by the Spirit is the evidence and possibility of a new hope and new obedience (I Pet.
1:3 f. ; Rom. 8:1 f. ; II Cor. 1:22).
36. The uniqueness of the Christian ethic lies not in its idea of what a good work is, but in its
foundation upon a new possibility, born and nourished by the word and Spirit. The celebration
and exposition of the sacraments are basic to the New Testament imperative. The exposition of
baptism is commonly followed by an imperative to mature behavior in moral life (Rom. 6:1-14;
I Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 4 : 3 0 ; cf. Col. 2:6 f.), mutual respect and harmony in the church (I Cor.
12:12 f.; cf. Eph. 4 : I - 7 ) Í steadfastness (Heb. 10:19-25; I Pet. 3 : 1 3 — 4 : 2 ; I John 2:18-29), the
relation between Jew and Gentile (Gal. 3:27-29), and reliance on Christ alone by renouncing
superstitions (Col. 2 : 8 — 3 : 1 7 ) . Paul also appeals to it to confirm the integrity of apostles to
the churches (II Cor. 1:21 f.).

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400 Interpretation

Baptism and Maturity

Now what we have been talking about will not solve the problem of
infant baptism in its traditional formulation. And I am glad. For it
seems to me that if the church "today searches the Scriptures and orients
its life by them, as though this had to happen today for the first time,55 it
will find that the Bible has much to say about baptism and children that
is far from our thought but needs once more to be brought to mind.
The danger today is not so much that the church will think of the in-
fants it baptizes as already mature men; we are not yet that blind or
foolish. The danger is that we assume that the adult who confesses his
faith in Christ is not an "infant55—one who turned to become like a
child. In fact, the danger is even more that we assume that there is a
certain kind of "maturity55 men must bring with them in their believing
so that we proceed in a manner the precise reverse of the New Testa-
ment. Rather than saying, "Turn and become like little children,55 shall
we ask, "Are you yet old enough?55 Rather than requiring the wise man
to "become a fool that he may become wise,55 shall we forbid the little
ones to come until they are strong and reflective?37
Professor Barth is faced with a church situation on the continent of
Europe that is almost unimaginable to Protestant Americans, and his in-
quiry into baptism was a theologian's way of trying to do something about
it. In this way Barth follows surely in PauFs footsteps. My purpose is not
to solve Barth5s problem; it is simply to show that the question he pursues
is not yet a New Testament question, and that indeed it neglects much
that the New Testament is clearly concerned with.38
It is a very real temptation for a church, nearly smothered with nominal
and cultural Christianity, to long for a membership that is alert, believ-
ing, and mature. How nice that would be; but it is not for this world.
There never has been a church like that, and there never will be. For
when teaching and edification are no longer necessary in the church, the
kingdom will be here ( Jer. 31:33 f. ; Ezek. 11:19 f. ; I Cor. 13:12).
I think, further, that it is unhealthy for the church to think of such an
ideal situation as normative, for it then misunderstands itself and its mis-
sion. The church is precisely the place where one has to do with children.
The church is precisely the community concerned with edification, in
37. "Another gospel would have arisen, not that of Jesus, and another Church, not his, had
the children been kept away from him and Christianity become a matter only for men" (A.
Schlatter, Erläuterungen zum Neuen Testament (Stuttgart: Vereinsbuchhandlung), Vol. I
(1902), p. 383.
38. An ultimately more effective approach to the continental problem may perhaps be found
in the current reconsideration of the theology and practices of church finance.

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 Baptism and Maturity 401

which the mature are those who know that they have not yet attained, but
who press on toward the mark. The church above all institutions is pre-
cisely the one that must be contemptuous of sophistication, and it must
delight in those who turn and become like children. For it knows that
of such is the kingdom of God, and that whoever receives a "little one55
and nourishes him in faith and encourages him in obedience has never
been so close to the kingdom of God.
Finally, it is unhealthy for the church member, especially the one join-
ing the church on confession of faith, to think of himself as anything
other than a newborn baby,39 the object of the church's love and concern.
I should think it would be a liturgical benefit if, in the administration of
the sacrament of baptism, the adults and children should stand together,
indeed intermixed, that no one should have the mistaken impression that
there are two baptisms, one of adults and one of infants. For according
to the New Testament there is only one baptism, the baptism of little
children. And if there were no babies to be baptized on an occasion when
someone was joining the church by confession of faith, I should think it of
sacramental significance—of near equality with water itself—for the
pastor, ministering in the name of Christ, to call to him a little child and
put him in the midst of those to be baptized and say, "Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the king-
dom of heaven.55 "Let the children come . . . and forbid them not, for of
such is the kingdom of heaven.5540
39. The Christian confession must always, but especially on joining the church, be: "I believe;
help my unbelief!" (Mark 9 : 2 4 ) . For, as R. H. Lightfoot wisely observed, "a conversion usually
begins, to some extent, with a misunderstanding" (St. John's Gospel, London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1935, p. 4 7 ) .
40. An appended note on Gal. 4:19. Normally, we do not think that one can live if he does not
breathe, nor do we think of men as Christians if they do not believe and have the Spirit. The
analogy of Paul in Gal. 4:19 presents a striking exception to both instances in an analogy to
pregnancy. There is in the womb of the mother one who is effectually a member of the family,
thought about, planned for, and prayed for. The fact that the embryo does not breathe is no
excuse to abuse it or fail to prepare for its birth. Paul normally thinks of Christians not as
embryos, but as children who believe and have the Spirit. But he knows also of a condition in
which some actually within the church have so "regressed" that they must in fact be reborn as
"little children." He does not, however, deny that they are part of the church, but recognizes
that they do not breathe and that he must yet labor until Christ be born in them and they re-
ceive the breath/Spirit of life. The children born to church members are physically a part of the
Christian community, but as concerns belief and the Spirit, they do not yet breathe. But the
church cannot pretend that they are not a part of its body, nor can it neglect to pray and plan
for them. In due time the child will be born. The church's plan and hope is that the child will
be born alive and healthy. But in the church, as in the world, there are some children born who
never breathe. The church will lament this, and will take every concern to discover any failure
of its own. But it will never draw the easy conclusion that it has no responsibility toward the
not-yet-believing in its body, or that they do not yet exist; nor will it fail to care for them and
provide environmental nourishment to the end that they may be born breathing, wanting to be fed
what the Epistles repeatedly allude to as the spiritual milk of the gospel.

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