Baptism is for those who come to saving faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. That means the real question is, can teenagers come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ? If the answer is yes, then teens may be baptized. If the answer is no, then teens should wait until they do come to have saving faith in Christ.
Saving faith can be defined as a gift from God that allows a person to understand and to believe that God does in fact forgive, and that he gave his Son Jesus Christ in sacrifice for sins so that sinners can be forgiven and made right with God. The repentant sinner is one who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, committing his or her life to him in allegiance and obedience, accepting his sacrifice for sin and his resurrection for eternal life.
When a person has been given the gift of faith in Jesus, that person will usually seek to be baptized. When a pastor is approached by a believer seeking baptism, regardless of the person's age, the pastor should review the meaning of baptism with the individual and help the believer to prepare for the ceremony. Of course, the pastor should seek the involvement and the counsel of the parent or guardians of minors who are still living at home. After the believer is baptized, the pastor should offer him or her continuing discipleship training so that the new Christian may grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior.
As you can see, then, a certain degree of maturity is presupposed here. Yet, we should keep in mind that Scripture does not set forth adult maturity as a criterion for baptism. Apparently, Daniel, David and Samuel were among those God called into his service while they were still in their teen years. Polycarp, the disciple of John, was apparently baptized before he was a teen.
Some teenagers profess faith and then eventually fall away. Perhaps their original profession was not genuine. That happens with adults, too, no matter whether they are 20 years old or 60 years old. Age alone is not what guarantees sincerity.
Pastors should discuss the matter with each person to ensure that 1) the person understands that he or she is a sinner in need of salvation, 2) the person knows that Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin for him or her, 3) the person has repented of his or her sin, and 4) the person accepts Jesus Christ as his or her own Savior.
Dec. 17, 1996, Worldwide News, page 6
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