In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

One of the most controversial topics in the Christian Church today is whether or not infants can actually have faith. Lots of people argue that it’s impossible for babies to believe in Jesus because they’ve not yet reached the state of development where they’re apparently capable of it. This has also led to the sad, but very common practice, of withholding God’s gift of Baptism from infants until they’re much, much older. In some cases, the churches that do that have even invented something called “dedication,” which is when a child is presented before the congregation after they’re and prayed for in the hopes that one day, he or she might become a Christian. Instead of simply doing what God commands us to do in the Bible, which is to make disciples by Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because of their faulty doctrine about infant faith, they’ve made up their own thing to replace it. But our God will not be mocked! And there is nothing that gets more to the heart of the Christian Faith, then the answer to whether or not babies can believe and be saved. 

So, on the basis of our Gospel lesson for today, where we get a divinely inspired account of infant faith, allow me to spend a few moments in this morning’s sermon defending how it’s possible, and why it matters. 

In Luke chapter 1, we read about what’s called “the Visitation.” That’s the story of when Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth while both of them were pregnant with John the Baptist and Jesus. There are a lot of amazing things that happened during that visit, but nothing more incredible than what we’re told in verse 41. There our text tells us that “when Elizbeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” It’s such a small detail, that if you’re not paying attention, you might almost miss it. But the significance of what that detail means is beyond measure. Again, here is a real-life instance given to us by the Word of God itself which demonstrates in clearest of terms that children actually can have faith in Christ. And not only any children, but pre-born children at that. What could it possibility mean that John the Baptist leaped for joy at the sound of Mary’s greeting, if he did not believe in Mary’s Son. What would even be the point of the Holy Spirit providing us with this information, if it wasn’t intended to show us anything at all?

Now, sometimes it gets argued that John leaping in the woman at the sound of Mary’s greeting, is not evidence of infant faith universally, but only a special case that applied specifically to him. “It’s not that all babies can believe,” some say,” but just John, because he was uniquely filled with the Holy Spirit.” And I suppose that if this were the only place in the Bible that made any references to babies believing, then that argument would hold some weight. But when we look at the rest of the Scriptures, we see that there are many other clear instances of the them talking about infant faith too.

Listen to what the Psalmist says in Psalm 22, verse 9. He writes, “You are He who took me from the womb; You made me trust You at my mother’s breasts.” Once again, we have not just an example of a baby believing, but a baby that’s so young that he’s still nursing. The Psalmist says that God caused him to trust in Him before he was even weaned. Or what about what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 11. There our Lord prays this: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will.” The word for “little children” in that passage is the same word for babies. Jesus is saying that God reveals Himself, and His plan for salvation, even to little babies. What would be the point of God doing that, if babies couldn’t even believe it?

Or here’s another example of the Bible talking about infant faith. What does Christ say in Matthew chapter 18? First, He tells us that “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of God.” Then He says one verse later, “Whoever receives one such child in my Name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Here Jesus not only tells us that adults need to become like children if they want to go to heaven, but that children can believe in Him, so we should be careful not lead them astray. 

Lots of times people talk as if infants believing in Jesus is the exception to the rule, and that adult faith is really more the norm. But God’s Word shows us that its actually the opposite. Its grown up’s that have a harder time coming to faith, not kids. It’s adults who struggle to believe the Gospel, not children. They’re the ones who put all kinds of obstacles in the way of the Holy Spirit, and have trouble setting aside their pre-conceived notions about how things should work. Have you ever heard a toddler argue with his parents about the theory of evolution? Have you heard a 2-year-old deny the historicity of the Bible, because of something that he read one time on the internet? Kids don’t do that. They might be little sinners, but they’re little sinners who bring a lot less baggage to the table.

Those who reject the possibility of infant faith are not doing so on the basis of anything that we read in the Scriptures. They aren’t making an argument from any particular passages that we find in God’s Word. They’re making an argument solely from human reason. Because it doesn’t make sense to them that babies can believe the Gospel, they assume that it’s impossible. But who knows better about whether or not a certain individual can come to faith? Who knows more about who can actually believe in Jesus? Is it the One who causes it to happen, or is it the person that it happens to?

The main reason why so many people in our time reject the idea that babies can have faith is because of a misunderstanding about what faith really is. All too often you hear Christians equating faith with something like knowledge. And while it’s certainly true that knowledge can inform our faith, and that God uses knowledge to strengthen it and keep it growing, that doesn’t mean that faith is the same thing as knowledge altogether. You can have knowledge without having faith. You can know every single detail of the Bible and still not trust in Jesus as your Savior. I had professors when I studied at Cambridge who could rattle off almost any verse of the New Testament that you wanted them to, but if you asked them what they believed, hardly any of them would agree with the verses they had memorized. Many of them didn’t even think that Jesus actually rose from the dead. 

And just like you can have knowledge without having faith, you can have faith with a very limited knowledge too. You don’t need to be able to articulate every single teaching of the Bible perfectly in order to trust in Christ for your salvation. How much does a little baby need to know about his mother or father before he can trust in them? Not very much. In fact, sometimes babies show an even greater trust in their parents then their older siblings do. While the “big kids” will follow a stranger into a van just because he promised them candy, or give their address to some “wierdo” on the internet because he was nice to them, infants will scream bloody murder just because someone that they don’t recognize holds them. They know their mom and their dad. They have enough knowledge about who their parents are to look to them for help and rely on them for care. And if they can do that with their earthly parents, how much more so for their Father who is in heaven?

God’s Word shows us without a shadow of doubt that infants absolutely can have faith. No matter how small they are, even if they are still in the womb, it’s still possible for them to believe in Jesus. That’s what we see in the example of John the Baptist, and that’s what we see all throughout the Scriptures too.

So, why does any of this matter? What is the point of God showing us that infants are capable of having faith and that babies can trust in Christ too? Certainly, one of the reasons why God shows us this truth is so that we would not neglect our children. If you don’t think that infants can believe or understand anything about Jesus, then it doesn’t make much sense to even try and tell them about Him. And sadly, that’s what a lot of parents do. Instead of seeing early infancy, and pregnancy for that matter, as the most important time for their little one’s instruction, they see it as one of the least. Sometimes they don’t even make a habit of taking their newborns to church because they assume that through all the crying, no one is getting anything out of the service. Well, who says so? Maybe, you say so, but that’s not what Jesus says. In Matthew chapter 19, He says, “let the little children comes to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

We bring our babies to church and get them baptized in God’s Holy Name as soon as we possibly can because Christ our Lord tells us that they can be part of His family too. Just like they were able to receive their first birth from their earthly parents, apart from their own contributions and efforts, they can receive the new birth from above as God’s children apart from their own contributions and efforts too. They are the perfect candidates for being baptized, because they are perfect candidates for being saved.

In the end, the reason why it’s so important that we recognize that infants can have faith is because nothing highlights the grace of God and the cause of our salvation more. What’s the reason we have the hope of eternal life? How does a person actually get to heaven? Is it through something that we do? No! It’s is entirely the work of the Lord. It is a free gift that God gives to us out His own goodness and mercy.

Little kids can’t do anything on their own. Babies, in particular, have to rely on someone else for literally everything. If we left them alone even for just a couple of hours, there’s a good chance that they might even die. But that’s exactly how it is when it comes to our relationship with God. We can’t do anything on our own. As Jesus tells us in John chapter 15, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” If God left us by ourselves, and did not intervene with His love to save us, then all of us would without doubt perish eternally. If He had not sent His only begotten Son to die for all of our sins, then we would never be able to be forgiven for them. If He would not, even now, continue to provide us with His Holy Spirit, who works through the Word to call people to faith, then we not be able to believe in Him.

And when we realize that, it becomes easier to see how God can save babies, and why He gave give them the gift of saving faith too. That, right there, is the key that unlocks everything. Babies can believe the Gospel, because faith itself is a gift. It isn’t something that we figure out by ourselves. It isn’t something that we produce in ourselves through our own striving and efforts. It isn’t a decision that we come to after a long process of thinking it over. Even if we think that’s how it worked, like many people today do, that’s not how it really happened. It happened when the Holy Spirit gave us a new heart. It happened when God Himself intervened in our lives and brought us back from spiritual death by converting us and raising us up with Christ. It happened when Jesus visited us, like He did John the Baptist, and proclaimed to us the good news of our salvation.

So, may we cherish the gift of faith that we have received. And may we rejoice that God can give that gift to anyone He wants: to literal children, yes, but also to all those who become like children too. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.