It admits then into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that he has established to spread in the world.

Thus the Westminster Divines acknowledged that baptism is for “the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church” (WCF, ch 28, p 1), which “is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (WCF, ch 25, p 1).

There has been a lot of discussion about what baptism does for those chosen by God to reach eternal life. Such discussion may be helpful but it can also be confusing to apply since we don’t know who such people are apart from a life of faith and repentance. So I’ve tended to focus on what is true as opposed to what might be true. Every baby we baptize is, in the act, admitted into God’s kingdom.

Of course, as I’ve pointed out repeatedly, the children of believers are already the recipients of a promise, just as Abraham was already promised Land (Genesis 12.1-3) and was already a justified believer before the events in Genesis 15 wherein he was constituted as a covenanted nation by the sign of circumcision. But being subjected to the symbolic border was nevertheless a real transition. Likewise, believers who are baptized are already promised the kingdom and are right with God. Nevertheless, baptism is still a true solemn admission into the kingdom.