Sooner or later we are going to be faced with the question which serves as the title for this editorial. It will show up especially in our interaction with what is popularly known as Evangelical Christianity. Evangelicalism is hard to define, as it is a mindset that transcends denominations. It is commonly understood that one of the four defining characteristics of Evangelicalism is conversionism.¹ While there is disagreement among those who see themselves as evangelical as to whether conversion is gradual or a distinct, datable event in one’s life, it is agreed that only upon conversion is one justified and only through conversion does a person become a Christian. ² You can well understand that if it is true that you only become a Christian upon conversion, then you cannot consider children born to believers as Christians. Simply put, infants cannot yet believe. Children must come to a certain age before one can expect them to consciously believe the gospel.

Justified by Faith⤒🔗

When you first hear this reasoning, it seems to make good sense. After all, does it not do justice to one of the cherished truths of the Reformation, namely, that we are justified by faith? Further, it seems to be supported by a passage like Ephesians 1:13, 14 where we read,

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...

One could even argue that our Reformed Confessions teach this, for example in Article 29 of the Belgic Confession, where it reads,

Those who are of the church may be recognized by the marks of Christians. They believe in Jesus Christ the only Saviour, flee from sin and pursue righteousness, love the true God and their neighbour without turning to the right or left, and crucify their flesh and its works. Although great weakness remains in them, they fight against it by the Spirit all the days of their life. They appeal constantly to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of Jesus Christ, in whom they have forgiveness of their sins through faith in Him.

It is obvious that infants and little children born to believers cannot do this. Therefore, it seems logical to conclude that children of believers cannot be called Christians.

Infant or Believer Baptism←⤒🔗

It is not surprising that this emphasis on conversion as the decisive moment for becoming a Christian has put the practice of baptizing infants of believers into question. The reasoning is that baptism is only for believers. Since children cannot believe, they should not be baptized. It did so in the Anglican Church in the nineteenth century, especially since the Anglican baptismal formula was open to being interpreted as promoting baptismal regeneration.

In the Reformed Churches in The Netherlands it played itself out in a different, yet fundamentally similar, way in the discussion that arose late in the nineteenth century about the basis for baptizing children. Abraham Kuyper saw a close connection between regeneration or conversion and baptism. He taught that children of believers were to be presumed regenerated. Based on presumed regeneration they should be baptized. If it became apparent later in life that they were not, it was concluded their baptism had not been a real baptism.

While there are many who consider themselves evangelical who will still practice infant baptism, it is clear that, logically, conversionism leads to believer baptism. From what has been said so far, it would seem that there is an irrefutable argument, supported by Scripture and even the Reformed confessions: children of believers may not be called Christians till there is evidence of conversion. As airtight as the argument may seem, however, there are two critical issues that must be considered. First, is it true that conversion is the decisive moment in becoming a Christian? Second, does Scripture say anything about the status of the children of believers?

Conversionism←⤒🔗

With respect to the first issue, the stress on conversion as being decisive has the effect of turning the church into a voluntary society. To be sure, talk of conversion will include talk of the prevenient grace of God. Yet, it is striking that conversionism flourishes best in the context of Arminian theology. With all the talk about prevenient grace, the stress on conversion and the pressure to convert has man in the centre. It should not be overlooked that within the context of conversion there developed various revival techniques which at times almost eliminated the need for the Spirit.³ All you needed was the right method. To this day, various evangelism programs are measured by their success rate, which amounts to applying a purely human measuring stick to the work of the Spirit.

Over against this talk of conversionism, with its inevitable man-centeredness, we must place the God-centered approach which speaks of God’s call. For a simple example, Abraham’s relationship with the Lord began not when he was converted but when God called him. We see a similar emphasis on God’s call in the opening of various New Testament letters (see Romans 1:6, 7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Jude 1:1). The readers are not addressed as the converted but as the called.⁴

Children of Believers←⤒🔗

With respect to the second issue, Scripture does speak specifically about the children of believers. There is the pivotal passage in Genesis 17 where the Lord established his covenant with Abraham and his descendants. He would be their God and they would be his people. David, in Psalm 22:10 sang,

From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

 In Ezekiel 16:21 we hear the Lord accuse Israel of sacrificing “my children.” David in his mother’s womb, and the children sacrificed, could not yet convert to God and confess his name yet they belonged to Him.

This pattern of including the children is continued in the New Testament. One explicit reference is 1 Corinthians 7:14. Paul wrote that in a marriage where only one of the parents was a believer, the children were still holy, that is, special to God. Another explicit reference is the way Paul addressed the children of the congregation in Ephesus, calling them to honour the command to honour their father and their mother (Ephesians 6:1-3). To be sure, the children are not specifically called Christians, but they are included as members of the church.

As the Scriptures can speak of being justified by faith and at the same time include the children of believers as belonging to God’s people and being Christians, the same holds true for the Reformed confessions. After all, the same confessions that speak of Christians as being those who believe in Jesus Christ also speak of the children of believers as belonging to God’s covenant and congregation (see BC 34 and HC 27:74). This is a recognition of the special status bestowed on the children of believers out of grace.

When we listen to the Scriptures, we can conclude that the children of believers are entitled to being called Christians. This is so despite the fact that they cannot convert to God due to their youth. We may call them Christians not because we presume they are, but because that is what they are by divine calling. It is the privilege and responsibility of parents to make their children aware of that calling and to pray for them that they may respond to that calling.