Does “Households” In The Book of Acts Include Infants?
Some falsely assert “households” in Acts includes infants and the need to sprinkle them (Acts 10:2,7; 11:14; 16:15,31,34).
First, we do not know whether there were infants in those households or not.
Second, there are some prerequisites to understanding and obeying the gospel. Becoming saved by the grace of God involves hearing, believing, repenting of sins, confessing the name of Jesus Christ, and being immersed for the remission of sins (Acts 18:8; 8:37; 3:19).
Hearing - Can an infant hear the word of God (Romans 10:17)? Can an infant understand and process the word of God? (Luke 9:44)
Believing – Can an infant believe on Jesus Christ? If he/she can't hear the word of God, which gives faith, then how is the infant going to believe that Jesus Christ can save him/her from his sins (of course, an infant does not have sins, James 1:13-15)?
Repenting – Infants have not reached the “age of accountability” (Romans 7:12) and cannot understand the distinction between right and wrong (Deuteronomy 1:39). Infants do not understand that sin separates an accountable person from a holy and righteous God when they themselves break the law of God (Isaiah 59:1,2; 1 John 3:4). Therefore, an infant has nothing of which to repent.
Confessing – An infant cannot confess Jesus as Lord with his/her mouth. An infant cannot make a commitment to the Lord (Romans 10:9,10).
Immersion – Since for the infant there are no sins to be washed away via water baptism (which is the righteous fruit of an obedient faith – Romans 6:17-18), why would anyone want to sprinkle an infant who is sinless? Furthermore, baptism is a burial in much water, not a sprinkling (Colossians 2:11,12; Romans 6:3,4; John 3:23).
The households of Cornelius, Lydia, and the Philippian jailer had to undergo these prerequisite acts of obedient faith in order to for their sins to be washed away by the blood of Jesus.
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