Baby Dedication or Infant Baptism? What’s the Difference?

The core difference between evangelical baby dedication and Reformed baby baptism is that dedication is an act of the parent(s) promising to raise a child in a Christian way, while baptism is the act of God (gospel) promising to include a child in his covenant community.

What is a Baby Dedication?

Baby dedication is a prevalent practice among evangelicals today that is described as an important milestone in a parent’s and child’s life, in which parents profess to provide a biblical home environment for their child and it’s described as committing to raising a child in God’s ways and not your own. It’s said to differ from baptism because it’s implied that all who baptize children believe it “gives” salvation.

Perhaps you agree and think baby dedication is a more biblical practice.

It’s an interesting observation that churches that dedicate babies often cite the exact same verses Reformed churches cite for children being covenant children, and therefore proper recipients of baptism. There is a mutual affirmation among many Christians that their children are different from those of unbelieving parents and therefore something ought to be done to show that.

Although there are direct biblical examples of babies being dedicated in both the Old and New Testaments, nevertheless, they are never said to be a normative, ongoing pattern for Israelite or Christian children:

• Hannah dedicated Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11, 24–28) to do a priestly service in the Lord’s house as a Nazirite (cf. Num. 6:1–21);

• Samson and John’s parents dedicated them to the Lord, who had set them apart for specific redemptive purposes as judge and prophet (Judg. 13:3–5; Luke 1:13–17);

• Jesus was circumcised then dedicated in the temple (Luke 2:22–24) as a part of Mary’s ritual purification.

Christian dedication services use these verses, but don’t follow their practice.

Another reason infant dedication falls short of the purpose for which we baptize our children is the biblical doctrine of original sin. Dedication is about overcoming the problem of raising our children in a Christian way in the world; baptism is about sin and salvation, testifying that our children were born in sin and need grace (Ps. 51:5).

Infant baptism, then, is a testimony to God’s grace, in which he loved us before we loved him (1 John 4:10). Dedication, on the other hand, is a testimony that the parents will raise a child. In baptism we see that God always initiates grace! He comes to us before we are even able to believe in him, even as helpless children, making a promise of grace to us.

Dedication services, then, focus attention on the action of the parents. Infant baptism, on the other hand, focuses our attention and our hearts upon God’s action, which we receive through faith alone. The baptism of children teaches that our children are sinful and that they, along with the congregation, need to trust Christ alone for cleansing from their sins in order to be justified. Whereas dedication looks back and says, “We gave you to the Lord,” baptism looks back and says, “The Lord gave himself to you in the promise of washing away your sins.” Whereas dedication says, “We will raise you to trust the Lord,” baptism says, “The Holy Spirit will raise you up from death to life to serve the Lord.” The baptism of covenant children is the best dedication service possible, because God promises to dedicate himself to our children.

What is Infant Baptism?

Baptism is the visible initiation into the church of Jesus Christ by means of the outward sign of water like circumcision was in the old covenant. As I tell my congregation, we have the best of both worlds in a Reformed church: we initiate into the covenant community by baptizing those who profess faith and their children.

Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 66 says:

The Sacraments are visible, holy signs and seals. They were instituted by God so that by our use of them, he might make us understand more clearly the promise of the gospel, and seal that promise. And this is God’s gospel promise: he grants us forgiveness of sins and eternal life by grace because of Christ’s one sacrifice accomplished on the cross

What’s the Difference

Why Don’t All Churches Baptize Babies?

You may reason, the Bible never uses the words “infant baptism,” but it does use “dedication.” Or you may think, “Infants can’t believe in Jesus, so they shouldn’t be baptized.”

Infant baptism is a biblical doctrine not only because of the example of Israelite children being baptized in the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10) and indirectly in households (Acts 16), it’s also a “good and necessary consequence” of the entirety of scriptural teaching.

It’s not for us to speak uncharitably of Christians who belong to churches that don’t.

Why Do Reformed Churches Baptize the Children of Believers?

Our Heidelberg Catechism answers this in Q&A 74:

Should infants also be baptized?

Infants as well as adults are included in God’s covenant and people, and they, no less than adults, are promised deliverance from sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who works faith. Therefore, by baptism, the sign of the covenant, they too should be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers. This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.

Baptism replaces circumcision; thus, the children of believers are to be baptized in the New Covenant just as they were to be circumcised in the Old.

We read of the magnificent promise of the Lord’s grace at the beginning of the new covenant in Acts 2:39: “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The New Testament records eleven baptisms. Of these, five are of entire households (oikos). Therefore we can say that household baptism is the rule, not the exception!

Read more about the theology behind our practice in Covenant Theology 101.

Does Baptism Save My Child?

Again, the Heidelberg Catechism makes a clear distinction in Q&A 72:

Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins?

No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins.

Infant baptism, like adult baptism, doesn’t itself wash away sins or justify a person. These ceremonial signs don’t save in themselves but teach us to cling to the grace of God as found in Jesus Christ.

A long period of time may pass between the time a child receives baptism and the time God brings that child to a saving knowledge of the truth of which baptism is a picture. Whom God saves and when we leave to him.

Baptizing Your Child at Oceanside URC

We baptize the infant and children of households with at least one believing parent who promise to raise their families in this faith. We don’t baptize infants of non-Christian parents.

Baptism isn’t the end of the story, but the beginning, for both you and your children, as a lifetime of discipleship begins: “baptism is profitable not only when the water is on us and when we receive it but throughout our entire lives” (Belgic Confession, art. 34).

For the steps to baptism at Oceanside URC, see Baptism. To become a member, see Join Our Family. To see how children worship with us, see Children.

Common Questions

Go Deeper

We encourage you to get a copy of my little book Jesus Loves the Little Children: Why We Baptize Children. In fact, we’ll give you a free copy when you visit OURC and I’d love to talk through your questions over coffee.

You can also read about baptism on our next steps page, whether you’ve been baptized or not and have kids or not.

And as mentioned above, I have a series of blog posts and ebook entitled Covenant Theology 101.