Christians may bring their children to Christ for his blessing today, and they may do so in public as these parents did. An infant dedication service in a local church to present children before the Lord and to pray for God’s blessing on them is a natural outcome of what the parents did on this occasion.
We receive the kingdom of heaven as a free gift. Forgiveness is free; we pay nothing for it. Christ has paid everything on our behalf, and what he has paid for us is beyond our ability to conceive. He has become our surety and his atonement secures all for us. We have received justification, a new nature, eternal life, and the Holy Spirit. We hope for the removal of our old nature, the resurrection of the body and a home in heaven, and all these things come to us through Christ.
How careful those who are given office in the church, or responsibilities that distinguish them, need to be; how careful they should be to hold on to a childlike humility. The child is brought forth by the Lord as the standard by which the adult should measure himself. We must not feel we have ever outgrown that humble simplicity, but rather see more and more as time goes on that the child defines our true status before God.