They brought him to Jerusalem to present

Him to the Lord. Luke 2:22

This week we are going to consider a few things which have been brought along from the Old Testament economy, that do not apply to the church today and are not required in Scripture. Some people still observe baby (child) dedication in the local church. They often draw their support for this from the example of Joseph and Mary bringing Jesus and presenting Him to the Lord. If people would be consistent with the text in Luke 2:22-24, they should also bring “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” according to OT law.

They also point to Hannah bringing Samuel to be dedicated to the Lord, I Samuel 1:19-28. Both of these events took place under the OT economy, and baby (child) dedication is not commanded or taught in the NT, to the extent that it applies to the church today.

Now most people will argue that child dedication is a wonderful experience in which the entire church can be involved. I have been a witness to several child dedication services, but I have never seen the principle work out in everyday living. Many times, the parents think (feel) that child dedication (in some mystical way), helps to bring about the salvation of the child. The parents do not see the responsibility of raising the child as a command from God to be taken seriously. I have often watched the children grow up acting like uncontrolled animals.

In Proverbs 22:6 there is a general command or directive to the parents, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 29:15 says, “But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Parents are responsible for their children; they are God’s representatives to correct, nurture, and train their offspring. Child dedication does not apply to us today and is not commanded in the New Testament.

Another practice that has been brought into the church is the altar call. It is kind of a legalistic, works-oriented, emotional procedure. The altar is often mentioned in the OT, but there is no basis for the altar call in the NT, and it is not commanded in Scripture. It was used by Charles Finney and made popular by him in the 1800s. John Williamson Nevin had this to say on the subject, “Spurious revivals are common, and as the fruit of them, false conversions lamentably abound.” Billy Graham used the altar call as well and was condemned by many.

When we study the Scriptures, the gospel call was presented as a reasonable thing, not an emotional pep rally. God made man as a rational being, able to think, reason, and understand. God opened the heart of Lydia, He stopped Paul on the way to Damascus, and He spoke to the Ethiopian eunuch while he was riding in his chariot. He can speak to people while they are driving a skidder, tractor, log truck, or in a fox-hole fighting a war.

He can speak to you in the pew, chair, or wherever and whenever He wants to. God’s word is powerful; much more effective than the tricks, schemes, and legalistic procedures of men. When accompanied by the Holy Spirit, His call is irresistible (effectual). Paul simply asked, Lord, what would you have me to do? Is He calling you today? Is He opening your heart as He did with Lydia? Contact the author at: (thoughtsonword@gmail.com) if you have any comments or questions.

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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children’s book.