Infant Dedications - Answers for Church Members - August 20

Should churches that don’t baptize infants have “infant dedications”?

We would discourage it. Infant dedications have no Scriptural warrant. God nowhere commands Christians to have a public ceremony in which they dedicate their infants to him, nor is there any hint of such a practice in the New Testament.

Plus, there’s the danger that young Christians will interpret the event almost mystically, as if the child receives some type of special “coverage” or “force field” upon dedication.

The way Christians should “dedicate” their children to the Lord is not by inventing a public ceremony, but by raising them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, as God’s Word repeatedly commands (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6).

For more great resources from Mark Dever and 9Marks Ministries, visit www.9marks.org