This was very interesting

And when she was baptized, and her household (Acts 16:15)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about whole house baptism in the New Testament. I determined to study the word house (οικος) in the Old Testament (especially the Septuagint) to see how it is used and to answer the question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? I finished and boy did I learn a lot!

It occurs quite often and is used in a variety of ways. The meaning of the word house (οικος) is a building and this is the primary use. I noticed a trend as I went through every occurrence of this word in the Old Testament - from 1 Chronicles on it is primarily used to refer to the temple, the house of God. The house of God is a very important concept in the Old Testament. House (οικος) is also used idiomatically. One of the most interesting is “house of bondage”, referring to Israel’s time in Egypt.

Let’s get back to my question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? The simple answer is, Yes. “House” is similar to “family” - sometimes it obviously includes children, but not always. This is interesting. Many times it is used to refer to the adults only, and often to adult males only. But, it is routinely used to refer to the entire family, men, women, and children.

Ezekiel 34.30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. This is a particularly tender passage and clearly refers to men, women, and children.

Psalm 114:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language… Again, clearly men, women, children

House of Israel occurs frequently, but there are other times house includes children

Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

Genesis 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

Then there are times when there is emphasis added to make it clear that everyone is included

Joshua 2:13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death. (Septuagint)
This is Rahab asking the spies to deliver her entire family.

1 Samuel 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. Elkanah had two wives, one had no children (yet) and one had children.

Then there are some really wonderful passages dealing with atonement

Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
When they put the blood on the door posts and lintel, everyone in the house was covered. Amen!

Leviticus 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

Leviticus 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

Isn’t this amazing? Aaron offered a sacrifice and made atonement for himself, for his house, and for all the congregation of Israel!

I also learned that house is generational. That is, I am part of my father’s house, along with my brothers and sisters, but they are not part of my house. My house is my wife and children. My father’s house is his wife and children (me). It always looks forward, never backward.

This brings us back to the New Testament. Paul wrote, And I baptized also the household (οικος) of Stephanas . . . Does this (and other occasions of whole house baptism) ipso facto mean children were included? As I learned from the use of house (οικος) in the Old Testament, the answer is, No, it does not necessarily mean children were included. But, it does not necessarily exclude children, either.

Ha! I seem to have gone nowhere! Well, that’s not completely true. My study did not settle the matter, but it did open the door a little. Baptism is primarily a response to the gospel, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” this is me coming into covenant with God. But there is a powerful truth I learned from the Old Testament, when Israel entered into covenant with God, the children were included: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. Is this not what Paul meant when he told the jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house?

I am still persuaded that believer’s baptism should be primary, but I’m beginning to think that including the children of said believers may have a more biblical foundation than I previously thought.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: 

for of such is the kingdom of heaven

pass the time of your sojourning here in fear

And since ye call on the Father, who judgeth without respect of persons, according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear  1 Peter 1:17 

So says St. Peter: Ye have through faith hereunto attained, that ye are the children of God, and He is your Father. And ye have obtained an incorruptible inheritance in heaven, (as has been already said.) Thus nothing more now remains, except that the veil be taken away, and that be uncovered which is now concealed, for which ye are still to wait until ye shall behold it. Though ye are now arrived at that state in which ye may joyfully call God your Father, yet is He so righteous that he will reward every man according to his works, and respect not persons. Wherefore thou art not to imagine, although thou hast that great name so that thou art called a Christian or a child of God, that He will therefore continue thine if thou livest without fear, and thinkest that it is enough that thou dost glory in such a name. The world indeed judges by the person, since it does not punish all alike, and respects those who are friendly, rich, reputable, learned, wise, and powerful. But God regards nothing of this kind; it is all alike to him, be the person as great as he may. Thus in Egypt he struck the son of King Pharaoh dead, as well as the son of the poor miller.

Therefore the Apostle would have us expect such judgment from God, and stand in fear, so that we do not glory in our title that we are Christian, and thereupon become negligent, as though he would for this reason pass us over more readily than others. For in this the Jews were formerly deceived, who boasted that they were Abraham's seed and God's people. Scripture makes no difference in respect to the flesh, but in respect to the spirit. It is true that Christ was to be born of Abraham's seed and that a holy people should spring from him, but it does not therefore follow that all who are born of Abraham are the children of God. He also promised that the Gentiles should be saved, but he has not said that he would save all the Gentiles.

But here now a question arises: When we say that God saves us alone by faith, without regard to works, why does St. Peter say that He judges not according to the person, but according to works? Answer. What we have taught as to faith alone justifying before God, is true beyond doubt, since it is so clear from Scripture that it cannot be denied. That which the Apostle here says, that God judges according to the works, is also true; but we must certainly hold, therefore, that where there is no faith, there can be no good work; and on the other hand, that there is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore join together faith and good works, since it is in both that the sum of the whole christian life consists. As you now live, so will it be with you, for thereafter God will judge you. Therefore, although God judges us according to our works, still it remains true that works are only the fruits of faith, by which we perceive when there is faith or unbelief; therefore God will sentence you from your works and convict you, either that you have or have not believed. So it is that no one can convict and judge a liar, except from his words. Yet it is evident that he is not made a liar by the word, but became a liar before he spoke the lie, for the lie must come from the heart into the mouth. Therefore, understand this passage thus, in the plainest way: that works are fruits and signs of faith, and that God judges men according to such fruits which must certainly follow it, so that it shall be openly seen whether there is faith or unbelief in the heart. God will not judge by this whether you are called a Christian, or have been baptized, but will ask you, "Art thou a Christian? then tell me where are the fruits by which you can evidence your faith."

Therefore St. Peter goes on to say: Since ye have such a Father, who judges not after the person, pass the time of your pilgrimage in fear; that is, stand in fear before the Father, not of pain and punishment,--as the Christless, and even the devil, is afraid,--but lest He forsake you and withdraw His hand; just as a dutiful child is afraid lest he provoke his father, and do something that might not please him. Such a fear would God have within us, that we guard ourselves against sin, and serve our neighbor, while we live here upon the earth.

A Christian, if he truly believes, possesses all the good things of God, and is God's child, as we have heard. But the time which he yet lives is only a pilgrimage: for the spirit is already in heaven by faith, through which he becomes Lord over all things. But to this end God permits him yet to live in the flesh, and his body to remain on earth, that he may help others and bring them also to heaven. Therefore we are to use all things on earth as a guest, who goes on wearily and arrives at an inn where he must tarry over night, and can receive nothing from it but food and lodging; yet does not say that the property of the inn is his. So must we also proceed in regard to our temporal possessions, as though they were not ours, and we enjoyed only so much of them as is needful to sustain the body, and with the rest we are to help our neighbor. Thus the christian life is only a night's sojourning; for we have here no abiding city, but must find it, where our Father is, in heaven. Therefore we should not here live in wantonness, but stand in fear, says St. Peter.


The Epistles Of  St. Peter And St. Jude Preached And Explained
By Martin Luther.
Wittemberg, 1523-4.
Translated By E. H. Gillett.

Whole House Baptism

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach in the morning Bible study (read Sunday school). We were in Acts chapter 16 and I covered Timothy and Lydia. When we got to Lydia I had to say something about a whole house being baptized, since Luke said that's what happened. And just a little bit later on in Chapter 16 there is the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. So we took a look at it and I said it looks like there is at least the possibility that their children were included. I mean little ones.

I still have a lot of questions about this matter of whole house baptism, but I am being persuaded that what is meant by whole house baptism is just that, the adults believed and they were baptized, as was everyone else in the house. I wasn't dogmatic but I did present it as a possibility. We are a church that practices believers baptism so I knew this would be different and something to think about. But I figured our goal is to teach, believe, and practice what the Bible says.

This morning the pastor was still in chapter 16 and he took up the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. I determined not to say anything more, but I felt like there was some "correction" being presented, emphasizing that only professing believers are in view in this case of the Philippian jailer's house being baptized. On the way home, Mary and I talked about this and she brought up something very interesting: in Egypt, when the Israelites applied the blood to their door post and lintel, everyone in the house was covered by the blood, even the littlest ones. Very interesting.

I have read comments on Acts 16 that said house or household occurs frequently in the Old Testament and nearly always includes children and gives us the framework for understanding its usage in the New Testament. You know what this means, don't you? I need to go through the Old Testament and look at this matter of "house" and see just what it says. I think I'm going to be busy!