Silly Rationalist, Faith is for Infants

The question of infant faith is one that is hotly discussed on occasion. On one side you have the more historic and traditional forms of Christianity and on the other you have newer expressions of the Christian faith. These newer expressions are commonly found in America, since the theology tends to fit with American ideals.

Anyhow, I digress slightly. The situation at hand is the topic of infant faith and the rationalistic stance that ends up contradicting Scripture.

Evangelicalism now days essentially accepts a definition of faith that involves knowledge, assent, and trust. This definition is more or less accepted across the board. Of course, they then proceed to reason that infants cannot have faith. To be more clear, infants are incapable of faith since they do not have the required cognitive ability to fulfill the knowledge and the assent parts in particular. This of course leads to the idea that infants are innocent before God simply because they are unable to have faith and thus get a free pass.

This, to be clear, is unbiblical and sloppy theology - despite having a grain of truth mixed in there.

First of all, we need to determine what faith is. After that, we will move on to address the capacity and ability for faith. Of course, the Scriptures will be informing our conclusions.

Faith is, first and foremost, a gift of God Himself, given by grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 is the classic text that teaches this. Thus, the first problem the rationalistic interpretation of faith runs into is that if faith is a gift of God, can't He give it to anybody? Would anybody include infants? Certainly it does.

The underlying problem here is that if we dig a little below the surface a little bit, we uncover the idea that God giving faith to an infant violates that infant's right to choose. In other words, the infant - and every other person - must be able to choose faith by an act of the will. Since infants are incapable of understanding and making an informed decision, they are therefore incapable of having faith.

A denial of infant faith strikes at God's ability to give a gift to whoever He will.

So, who has the ability to have faith? I suggest that the standard American Evangelical definition misses the point completely. In their view, the ability to have faith comes from understanding and proper discernment of Christ and His work for you. Biblically, the answer is far different. No one is able to have faith naturally because we are all sinners and universally hate God. However, God can give that gift of faith to everyone through the means that He has ordained; namely, Word and Sacrament. Faith depends on God's giving, not on man's cognitive ability. This is no small difference.

Bring Me your kids!

Finally, we have the witness of Holy Scripture. The Psalmist David trusted in Christ at his mother's breasts (Psalm 22). John the Baptizer lept in the womb for joy when Mary the Theotokos and Elizabeth, the mother of John, crossed paths.

This should convince a person that infant faith is at least possible. But this is not all. We have the numerous words of Christ recorded for us in the Gospel accounts.

St. Matthew 18:1-6: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  ⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ 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.

St. Matthew 19:13-15: Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, ¹⁴ but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵ And he laid his hands on them and went away.

St. Mark 10:13-16: And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

St. Luke 18:15-17: Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

2 Timothy 3:14-15:  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

I include the passage from 2 Timothy 3 here because the word used in the original language for "childhood" (child, KJV) is βρέφος (brephos). This word means an infant. It can mean an unborn child in the womb or a newborn. This word is used in Luke 1:41 when John leaps in the womb of Elizabeth. It's also used in the aforementioned St. Luke 18:15. The word for "infants" there is the same.

In St. Matthew 18:6, Jesus directly says that "little ones" (μικρός, mikros, "small, little") believe in Him. And causing these little ones to sin isn't exactly good.

In short, the American Evangelical has a pretty glaring contradiction. We can express it in a syllogism, if you will.

1. You must have faith like a child. (Scripture)
2. Children cannot have faith. (Evangelicalism)
Conclusion: You must be completely ignorant and have no faith, since "faith of a child" means "no faith." (Children cannot have faith, per them)

This would be a means of grace.

It's not a small problem. Scripture is clear. Faith is a gift of God that He gives by grace. If faith is a supernatural gift, knowledge and cognitive ability have nothing to do with who can receive it. Scripture is clear that infants do have faith in.

Not only can God give infants faith by His grace, but we as parents are obligated to bring our children to Him, and He promises to work in them.

The biblical conclusion is that infants have faith all the time, because God gives infants grace all the time via the means of grace that are administered by the Church. You know, because an Almighty God can do those sorts of things.

And stuff.