Why should a child be baptized as an infant ?

Why should a child be baptized as an infant ?    

There are some who say Baptism should only be given to adults because we must first have repentance and faith. Earlier I was asked to comment on this subject and recently found the teaching of 

Elder Cleopa on this topic.

The Elder begins his explanation by pointing out the precursors to Baptism found in the Old Testament. He writes,

There in [the Old Testament] we read how God appeared to Abraham when he was ninety-nine years of age and, among things, told him to circumcise all the men and to circumcise all the male children who would be born from that time on on the eighth day after their birth. As for him who would not be circumcised , he would perish (Gen 17: 10-14). We see, then, that God did not say to Abraham that children and youth should be circumscribed when they became adults... Some say the Baptism of babies is meaningless since they don't understand anything when they are Baptized. But what did Issac, Abraham's child, understand on the eighth day? Undoubtedly he understood nothing. His parents, however, understood. This is how it is with Baptism as well, as it is practiced in the Orthodox Church, since it is well-known that circumcision symbolizes Baptism in the Old Testament.
He gives another example of the Exodus from Egypt and the passage through the Red Sea which is also seen by Church Fathers as prefiguring Baptism. This is affirmed by Paul who says, "Moreover brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor 10:1-2). Moses had told the pharaoh , "We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go." (Ex 10:9).
He then points out that on the day of Pentecost the Apostles received the Holy Spirit and preached to the people what the Spirit had tight them, telling them to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for "the promise is unto you, and to your children" (Acts 2:39). 
Elder Cleopa says, 

"For what promise? The promise of Baptism. Thus, the promise was for the children as well. When it is said that they were baptized, it does not say three thousand men and women were Baptized, but three sous and fouls, which means that among those baptized were children."He next presents examples of families who were baptized as recorded in the New Testament. Lydia with her whole family (Acts 16:14). The prisons guard who took Paul and Silias to his house who was Baptised with his whole family ( Acts 16:33). Then there was Crispus and his family (Acts 18:8), and Stephanos and his household (1 Cor 1:16).

He writes, 

Jesus Christ likewise, made it clear that little children ought to be Baptized, for when they brought Him some children to be blessed by Him, and His disciples obstructed them, the Lord scolded them, saying: "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven; And He laid His hands on them, and departed hence" (Matt 19: 13-15). Hence , if the Lord calls children unto salvation from a young age, why would we obstruct them from receiving Holy Baptism?But how about the question of faith. Is it possible for children to be saved without faith?
The Elder responds,

"It is true that children are not capable of believing at the young age of their Baptism, but neither are they able to doubt or deny Christ. He is not saved who only believes, but he who first of all is baptized... While children do not have faith, they have godparents. These sponsors are adults who accompany the infants to Baptism and make the required confession of faith in their stead. Godparents are the spiritual parents of the children whom they baptize and undertake to guide them into a new life in the Holy Spirit... The priest conducts the Baptism based on the faith of the parents, the sponsors, and the other witnesses present.It is written in Scripture that the faith of a few can save others. 

Here are examples given by Elder Cleopa,

"By faith the Roman centurion healed his servant (Matt 8:13). The servant did not believe, but on account of the faith of his master, Christ returned him to full health. Four people brought a paralytic tot he Savior: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the also, Son, thy sons be forgiven thee (Mark 2:3-5)... On the basis of the faith of Jarius the Lord raised his twelve-year-old daughter (Matt 9:18). On account of faith of others, the Lord healed a dumb, demon-possessed man (Matt 9:32). On account of the faith of the woman of Canaan, the Savior healed her daughter, casting out the demon that possessed her (Matt 15:21). Likewise on the account of faith of a father, the Lord healed his epileptic son (Matt 17:14). These and many other testimonies from Holy Scripture make clear to us that on account of the faith of parents, and others who stand as witnesses at Holy Baptism, the Lord grants sanctification and salvation to the baptized children."We also see this practice from the early days of the Church, The earliest explicit reference to child or infant baptism is in the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, about 215 A.D.: "Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them." (Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 21:15, c. 215 A.D.) 


We must also keep in mind that baptism marks the beginning of our Christian life, each of us who are baptized must continue daily to persevere in our faith until the end of our earthly life. As St. Paul says: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect... I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do... I press on toward the goal to win the prize..." (Philippians 3:12-14)

 Written by Elder Cleopa  

Prophecies concerning the baptism of Christ 

Just as with the other events of Jesus Christ’s
life, the prophets also spoke about His baptism in
the Jordan River. The Holy Scriptures foretold
the following:

Baptism would bestow forgiveness:
And he brought me out by the way of the northern gate, and he led me round by the way outside to the gate of the court that looks eastward;
and, behold, water came down from the right side,
as the coming forth of a man; and there was a measuring line in his hand, and he measured a thousand cubits with the measure.
And he went into the water, the water of for
giveness(Eze. 47:2-3).
 
Christ would sanctify the waters:
And he said to me:
This is the water that goes forth to Galilee that lies eastward, and it is gone down to Arabia, and has reached as far as to the sea to the outlet of the water; and it shall sanctify the waters.
And it shall come to pass, that every animal of
living and moving creatures, all on which the river shall come, shall live:
and there shall be there very many fish; for this water shall go thither, and it shall sanctify, and everything on which the river shall come shall live
(Eze. 47:8-9).

Christ would come out from the Jordan with glory:
Behold, he shall come up as a lion from Jordan (Jer. 27:44).
The Jordan would turn back when it saw Christ:
The sea beheld and fled, Jordan turned back. The mountains leaped like rams, and the hills like lambs of flocks. Why did you flee, O sea? And why did you turn back, O Jordan?
Why did you leap like rams, O mountains, and like lambs of flocks, O hills? From the face of the Lord the earth was shaken, from the presence of the God of Jacob (Ps. 113:2-7).
The waters saw Thee, O God. The waters saw Thee and became afraid; the abysses were troubled ... In the sea are Thy ways, and Thy paths in many waters; and Thy footsteps shall not be known
(Ps. 76:17-20).

Christ would crush the head of the devil in the water:
Thou didst establish the sea by Thy might. Thou didst break the heads of the dragons in the water. Thou didst crush the head of the dragons, Thou gavest him as food to the Ethiopian peoples
(Ps. 73:13-14).

The voice of God would bear witness as Christ is baptized:
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory hath thundered, the Lord is upon the many waters (Ps. 28:3).

The desert of Jordan would spring forth water of life:
Be glad, thou thirsty desert: let the wilderness exult, and flower as the lily.
And the desert places of Jordan shall blossom and rejoice; the glory of Libanus has been  given to it, and the honor of Carmel; and my people shall see the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of God ...

for water has burst forth in the desert, and a channel of water in a thirsty land.
And the dry land shall become pools, and a fountain of water shall be poured into the thirsty land; there shall there be a joy of birds, ready habitations and marshes.
There shall be there a pure way, and it shall be called a holy way; and there shall not pass by there any unclean person, neither shall there be there an unclean way; but the dispersed shall walk on i
t, and they shall not go as tray ... but the redeemed and gathered on the Lord's behalf, shall walk in it, and shall return, and come to Zion with joy, and everlasting joy shall be over their head; for on their head shall be praise and exultation, and joy shall take possession of them:sorrow and pain, and groaning have fled away (Isa. 35:1-10).

St. John the Forerunner would appear before Christ:
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plains.
And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all
flesh shall see the salvation of God: for the Lord has spoken it(Isa. 40:3-5).
Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey the way before Me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come into his temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom ye take pleasure in. Behold, he is coming, saith the Lord Almighty (Mal. 3:1). 

And, behold, I will send to you Elias the Thesbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes, who shall turn again the heart of the
father to the son, and the heart of a man to his
neighbor, lest I come and smite the earth grievously (Mal. 4:5-6). 

Desert Frji