What is the difference between 

                    a Baby Baptism and Dedication?

The Catholic Church and some protestant churches offer infant baptism. Which is a sacrament that infers grace upon the child baptized. It’s a beautiful thing to see, the parents believing in God and saying they will raise their children in the faith. There is a problem, some people grow up believing their whole life that because they were baptized as a baby by their parents, now they are saved. We know we can only be saved by our own confession of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It’s a personal event we pray each of our children will make at some point in their lives, but it’s even more probable because of the commitment we are making today, to raise them to understand these things.

• Baby Dedication Service: For many churches, they dedicate infants and babies and older kids, more because of tradition rather than theology, and it’s OK because we want our families to have a Christian World View for their children. 
• We want them to see parenting as a divine responsibility: Scripture gives us plenty of Word on how to raise our children, that we need to impart to our children by living out our faith.
• As a Church we are committing: to stand with these parents in support and prayer.
• To live out our lives in a Godly manner: in front of their children as a testimony to God’s presents and power in all our lives.

Let’s look at a parenting scripture:

Deuteronomy 6:4-13                               New King James Version

4  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!

5   You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6  “ And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 

7   You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 

8   You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 

9   You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10  “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 

11  houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 

12   then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 

13  You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25                           New King James Version

20 “When your son/daughter asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 

21  then you shall say to your son/daughter: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 

Deuteronomy 6:20-25                           

22  and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 

23  Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 

24  And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 

25  Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’

Why Do We Believe It’s Important                                               to Dedicate Our Children?

While the Bible doesn’t explicitly outline a ritual called “baby dedication”, it does showcase examples of parents presenting their children to God for blessing and guidance. These examples, along with biblical verses emphasizing the importance of raising children in faith, form the basis for the practice of baby dedication in many Christian traditions. How Baby Dedication is Practiced Today:

• Many Protestant churches today practice baby dedication as a way for parents to publicly commit to raising their children in the Christian faith. This practice acknowledges God’s sovereignty over their child’s life and expresses the parents’ desire to partner with God in their child’s spiritual development. 
• It’s not a sacrament or a guarantee of salvation, but rather a public declaration of faith and a commitment to nurturing a child’s relationship with God and a Church participating and helping the parents in this. I can’t think of anything more important.

In the Old Testament, Hannah is best known as the mother of the prophet Samuel. She was one of Elkanah’s two wives, and despite being barren, she prayed fervently for a son and vowed to dedicate him to God’s service. 

God answered her prayer, and after Samuel was weaned, Hannah fulfilled her vow by taking him to the temple in Shiloh to be raised by the priest Eli. Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1-2 highlights themes of faith, prayer, and dedication to God.

1 Samuel 1:12-17                                       New King James Version

12   And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 

• Eli the old priest

13   Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. 

14   So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

15   But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 

16   Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

• God granted her prayer, gave her a son she named Samuel.

1 Samuel 1:24-28                                        New King James Version

24   Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 

25   Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. 

26   And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 

27   For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 

28   Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.

• When Hannah’s prayer was answered, she named her baby Samuel (heard of God or “Name of God.”), because he was from the LORD. When Samuel was weaned, she took him … to the house of the LORD and lent him to the LORD in a once-for-all act of dedication. From the outset the boy assisted the priests and ministered before the Lord. The last phrase in verse 28 includes Samuel: He was a worshipper, although very young, because his life was devoted to the service of the LORD.

Please don’t drop off your kids and ask me to raise them. But in this way Hanna trusted God, we are going to do the same and trusting God for the spiritual growth of our children. We are making a commitment with God to do our best to raise our children under the presents of God.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7                                       New King James Version

6    “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 

7   You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Psalm 127:3                                                 New King James Version

3   Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,                                                     The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Proverbs 22:6                                                 New King James Version

6   Train up a child in the way he should go,                                                              And when he is old he will not depart from it.

• Of course we have the story of Simeon getting to see the Salvation of the World in Baby Jesus.

Simeon was one of the godly remnants of Jews who was waiting for the coming of the Messiah. It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ or Anointed One. 

Luke 2:29-35                                              New King James Version

29   “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,                         According to Your word;

30   For my eyes have seen Your salvation

31   Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

32   A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,                                                         And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33   And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 

34   Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 

35   (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

After this initial outburst of praise to God for the Messiah, Simeon blessed the parents, then spoke prophetically to Mary. The prophecy consisted of four parts:

1. This Child was destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel. Those who were arrogant, unrepentant, and unbelieving would fall and be punished. Those who humbled themselves, repented of their sins, and received the Lord Jesus would rise and be blessed.
2. The Child was destined … for a sign which will be spoken against. There was a special significance connected with the Person of Christ. His very presence on earth proved a tremendous rebuke to sin and unholiness and thus brought out the bitter animosity of the human heart.
3. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also. Simeon was here predicting the grief which would flood Mary’s heart when she would witness the crucifixion of her Son (John 19:25).
4. That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. The way in which a person reacts to the Savior is a test of his inward motives and affections.

It’s a test for you. Waite Pastor, we came here to see a baby to be dedicated. Yes you did. I thank you for coming, supporting the parents in making their commitment to raise their child in the way they should go.

• But here’s the facts; right now it’s not about them. It’s about you. I’m speaking to the church, not just the guests who came here today to see this dedication.

Each one of us has to make a commitment on our own to believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. For most of us here, we’ve done this. Praise God your saved. Just because we’re saved does not give us permission to live outside the parameters that Jesus Himself set up for us in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

• Are you living your life to it’s fullest in serving Jesus Christ and taking the gospel to everyone you know?
• You may come to church every week, but does your life outside the church demonstrate all that you say you believe?
• Does it bother you when you willfully or unwillfully sin?

Good News: Yes, Jesus consistently invites us to return to Him when we fail. Through His parables, teachings, and personal interactions with disciples who stumbled, He showed that failure is not the end, but an invitation to come back and receive mercy.

• Peter: Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, but Jesus restored him gently by the Sea of Galilee, asking him to reaffirm his love and calling him back to follow Him.
• The Prodigal Son: In this famous story told by Jesus, a wayward child wastes everything and hits rock bottom, yet the father runs out to welcome him back with joy the moment he decides to return.
• No Condemnation: Jesus told people caught in sin that He did not condemn them, telling them to leave the sin behind and move forward.
• Restoration: Falling down does not mean you are permanently out; Jesus actively helps and restores those who turn back to Him.