Your Questions Please
QUESTION: 
Baptism is the believer's witness that he has been delivered from the heredity of Satan and filled with the presence of Christ. Once a person has achieved this experience, he is qualified to give the witness of baptism and should do so as soon as possible. Now that we have learned that children can have this blessing from their earliest moments, should not the little children be baptized once we are satisfied that they are truly born again?
ANSWER:
 The conclusion drawn by the questioner is a very natural and logical one and it must be acknowledged that there seems to be a good case for infant baptism. It has been a question which quite a number of believers have proposed as they have considered the message on child salvation.
Before devoting time and space to discussing the question it is important that all share a common definition of the expression "Infant Baptism". This is essential, for these words are used in the Protestant and Catholic churches to describe their practice of sprinkling water over very young babies. By this means they are said to be christened, and the procedure is called "Infant Baptism".
To us that is not baptism. Total immersion as a signification of burial is. This alone accords with the example set in the Scriptures when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Therefore, any plan to introduce infant baptism into the church of God today, would involve the infants' being completely submerged under water.
However, there are good reasons to believe that it is not God's will to establish this procedure in His church today. The first consideration in support of this position is that there is no Bible instruction or example for it. Every person who was baptized was immersed in the water as an adult, Jesus Christ Himself being the best example. Therefore, if we were to baptize the children, we would not have a "Thus saith the Lord" to authorize our actions.
There is an obvious reason why adults in the Bible were not baptized before they came to maturity. They were not converted till then and so did not qualify, but this is not so in the case of Christ. From His very conception, He was free from the cursed presence of indwelling sin and filled with the divine life. Therefore, He was born qualified for baptism, yet, as our example, He waited till He was thirty before He fulfilled this rite. This would indicate that children who have experienced salvation likewise should wait till they become adults before giving this witness. We do not believe that 30 is an arbitrary age for which all must wait. The emphasis rather is on reaching that age when a very responsible personal witness can be given by the born again Christian himself.
The second consideration is that baptism is the individual's personal declaration of deliverance from the old man, his reception of Christ's divine life, and his commitment to dedicated service to God and His children for time and eternity.
The decision by which a child achieves release from the power of sin is made by his parents. Parents are required to do this and the decisions they make in true faith and with correct procedures are acceptable to God. Joseph and Mary in having the baby Jesus circumcised pledged His obedience to the law of God. "He had already been subjected to the rite of circumcision, as a pledge of His obedience to the law." The Desire of Ages, 50.
Such a pledge of obedience cannot be carried out unless the law is written on the heart and mind as it certainly was in the case of the infant Jesus. Now, if that wonderful child had been baptized on the basis of pledges made on His behalf by Joseph and Mary, there would have been lacking the personal commitment that can only be given when the person has come to the age level when he can make a totally independent decision to continue in the way his parents had previously chosen for him. That is the way in which the Saviour acted and He is the perfect example.
So, this means that, in addition to certifying that a person is truly born again and alive in Christ, everyone involved in a believer's proposed baptism should be satisfied that the candidate has reached a level of maturity where he can make a trustworthy decision entirely on his own. No matter how converted a child or youth may be in themselves, they should wait until that capacity for personal commitment has been reached.
Thus there is a clear case against infant or child baptism in the church of God today. The Lord will give us further light on the matter as time goes by. This will confirm the truths already revealed on the subject and correct any misconceptions under which we may be presently laboring.