Household Baptism = Infant Baptism?

At Philippi, a woman named Lydia “and her household” were baptized into Christ (Acts 16:15). Also at Philippi, the jailer was baptized, “he and all his household” (Acts 16:33). And at Corinth, Paul baptized “the household of Stephanas” (1 Corinthians 1:16). Do these baptisms of entire households imply that Paul and other first-century preachers baptized infants?

Some people say yes. They reason that a “household” likely included at least one baby, therefore babies were among those baptized in these cases. For example, commentator Albert Barnes wrote that the case of Lydia “affords a strong presumptive proof that this was an instance of household or infant baptism.”

Can you see the problem with this reasoning? It’s simple: a household may contain infants, but it also may not. We simply can’t tell from the mere use of the word “household.” What is there to prove that Lydia, the jailer, or Stephanas had any infant children? What Barnes calls “presumptive proof” is really just presumption.

Proponents of infant baptism assume that “household” necessarily implies “infants.” But let’s look at some other passages and try that on for size. In each of the following verses, substitute “infant children” where the text has “household.”

● In the case of the Philippian jailer: “And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with his infant children” (Acts 16:32). “And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his infant children” (verse 34).

● In the city of Corinth, “Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his infant children” (Acts 18:8).

● “You know the infant children of Stephanas…that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15).

Does any of that make sense? One might answer, “Of course not; infants can’t listen to gospel preaching, believe, or devote themselves to service.” Right! Yet New Testament baptism always followed a person’s hearing the gospel, believing on Jesus, and repenting (see Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:35-38; 18:8). Since infants can do none of those things, they cannot be scripturally baptized. That is why it is impossible to conclude that infants were baptized at Philippi, Corinth, or anywhere else.