A.        In the Old Testament, the firstborn male of every ceremonially clean animal and the firstborn male child in a family were automatically "dedicated" to the LORD. It was necessary to redeem the firstborn male children by redeeming them with the appropriate offering or sacrifice as described by God. God's people in the Old Testament were instructed: "In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons'" (Exodus 13: 14,15). Since another instruction was given by God simultaneously to redeem every firstborn human male, it really was not a sacrifice of those sons in the usual sense of the word "sacrifice." Rather it was considered a "dedication," which, in the sense of the Hebrew word, usually meant completely devoting something to God. God later instructed the Israelites that He would set aside the Levites as His very own in place of redeeming every male of the herds, flocks and humans (Numbers 3:45). However, since there were more male firstborn sons than there were Levites, 273 firstborn Israelite sons still needed to be redeemed with the prescribed redemption price given to the Levites (Numbers 3: 46-51).

In the Old Testament the firstborn male in a family would have spiritual responsibilities for the family. God has also designated in both Old Testament and New Testament eras that a woman should not exercise authority over a man (Genesis 2, I Timothy 2:12). God was not valuing males more than females by requiring that only the firstborn male children be redeemed. He was simply being consistent with the roles He had given men and women, and being consistent with His own action of redeeming the firstborn male Israelites with the Levites, who served as religious leaders for the nation.

Today, the word "dedication" is used among Christians in a very different sense. These different uses of terminology can be confusing for us. When Christians today talk about dedicating someone to God, it is usually in terms of "dedicating" babies to God in lieu of actually baptizing them. But this kind of "dedication" has no command or precedent from God. If anything, when a "baby dedication" is used as a substitute for baptism, it minimizes the will of God who wants us to "make disciples of all nations [by] baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 19:28). We can see in Jesus' words that there is no gender-based restriction to baptize only males, let alone firstborn males. "All nations" are to be made disciples by either baptizing or teaching.

What it comes down to, finally, is that male firstborn children were "dedicated" (devoted entirely to God) in the Old Testament because that is what God wanted and commanded for His people. Since the time Jesus gave His "great commission" we now bring boys and girls, whether firstborn or later, to God in faith through baptism. Again, we do this because that is what God wanted and commanded, and because Jesus has fulfilled for us, once and for all, Old Testament ceremonial laws (like redeeming the firstborn from "dedication"). Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).

It is more important to remember that baptism, as commanded by Christ, is an action of God's grace toward sinners (gospel). Christians who practice baby dedications in lieu of baptism are engaged in their own act of piety and obedience toward God (law). God's Word promises that the gospel creates faith and gives the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Dedications, however, can do none of these.

So the issue is not one of our being more civilized or of interpreting Scripture differently. The answer is found in Jesus, who fulfilled the Old Testament ceremonial laws and commanded that all nations be baptized. We also need to recognize how words can be used differently so that we use them as Scripture does.