Infant Faith in Scripture: John the Baptist, David, and the Spirit’s Mystery

🕊Article 10 – What About Infant Faith? The Waters That Remember

John the Baptist, Psalm Babies, and Grace Before Words

(Part III – The Biblical Pattern)

> “You made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.”

—Psalm 22:9

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Before They Could Speak, He Spoke for Them

It’s one of the most common—and honest—objections to paedobaptism:

“How can we baptize someone who can’t even believe yet?”

The question often comes with sincere concern. We want to honor faith. We know that baptism, in its fullness, is tied to union with Christ. We know that without faith, the sign can become an empty shell. And so we hesitate.

But what if our hesitation is shaped more by modern assumptions than biblical examples?

What if the same God who knit our children together in the womb is also capable of working grace in that same hidden place?

What if Scripture gives us more reasons for wonder than we imagined?

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1. The Bible Testifies to Pre-Verbal Faith

Start here: John the Baptist leapt.

In Luke 1, the unborn John, still nestled in Elizabeth’s womb, hears the voice of Mary—who carries Christ within her—and leaps for joy. And it’s not just a kick or coincidence. Luke tells us the child was “filled with the Holy Spirit” from the womb (Luke 1:15, 41).

This is not a metaphor.

This is not poetry.

This is theology.

The Spirit of God filled a child in the womb—and that child, though speechless, responded in joy at the presence of Christ.

And then there’s David.

In Psalm 22, the same psalm Christ quoted from the cross, David confesses, “You made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you I was cast from my birth.” (Ps. 22:9–10). He does not say he began to trust God at an age of reason. He says he trusted God as a nursing infant.

Again: not poetry. Confession.

Add to this the calling of Jeremiah in the womb (Jer. 1:5), the hope David places in reuniting with his departed child (2 Sam. 12:23), and the inclusion of infants in Christ’s blessings (Luke 18:15–17), and we find a pattern:

God is not limited by our milestones.

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2. Faith is a Gift—Not a Performance

If faith is something we generate—through knowledge, effort, or age—then of course, babies should wait.

But if faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8), then it is His to give.

And Scripture is clear: salvation is by grace, not by cognition.

We do not baptize infants because we assume they have faith. That would be presumption. But neither do we dismiss the possibility that the Spirit may already be at work.

In truth, baptism is not given because of the child’s faith—but because of God’s promise.

Yet still… we make room for awe. We bow before the God who often acts before understanding. Who speaks into darkness. Who forms light where we least expect it.

The same God who parted the sea for Israel’s infants and toddlers…

…can also part the veil of the soul for the youngest of His covenant children.

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3. Infant Faith Is Not the Basis—But It Is a Biblical Possibility

Let this be clear: we do not baptize babies because we believe they are already converted.

We baptize them because God’s covenant includes them—and we trust His Spirit to bring them to faith in due time.

And yet, Scripture challenges us not to scoff at the idea that the Spirit may be at work even earlier than we expect.

We disciple children from the womb. We sing psalms to them in infancy. We teach them to pray before they know the alphabet. Why?

Because we believe that God’s Spirit can move before our children move toward Him.

Baptism, then, is not a declaration of what the child has done, but of what God has promised to do.

And sometimes, gloriously, God begins even now.

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4. Grace Often Runs Ahead of Understanding

We tend to assume grace follows comprehension.

But Scripture flips the order.

God chose Jacob before he was born.

God called Samuel when he was still a child.

Christ received infants before they could speak.

The Spirit filled John before his lungs filled with air.

God’s grace is not late.

And His promises are not held hostage by developmental charts or educational assessments.

Baptism isn’t about what the child knows. It’s about who knows the child.

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Pastoral Appeals

To Parents:

Don’t wait for clarity before you trust God’s covenant grace. Baptism is not a gamble—it’s a gift. It’s not a bet on your child’s response; it’s a confession of God’s promise.

To Pastors:

Teach your flock to marvel, not measure. Don’t burden parents with the weight of waiting. Teach them to bring their children—not when they can explain the gospel, but when they are still carried in arms.

To Skeptics:

Your concern for meaningful faith is right—but don’t let modern definitions obscure ancient truths. Scripture presents faith as a mystery, a mercy, and a miracle—sometimes long before we imagine.

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Wonder: The Right Response

Picture this:

A woman enters the home of her cousin, pregnant and poor.

The sound of her voice echoes down the hall.

In another womb, a baby leaps. Not out of coincidence. Not out of instinct. But out of joy. Because Jesus has entered the room.

This is what it means to say: “To such belongs the kingdom.”

Infants don’t need to be wise to be loved.

Why should they need to be wise to be baptized?

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Final Reflection

We don’t baptize infants because we believe they have already exercised faith.

But we do baptize them in faith—faith in a God who keeps promises.

And Scripture, again and again, gives us reason to trust that sometimes, just sometimes…

He’s already begun.