The act of bringing the child for blessing does not bestow salvation, either actual or potential. The Scripture makes it clear that the requisites for that experience are repentance from sin and faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Then the calling on His Name. (Acts 2:38 and Romans 10:9,13). None of which are appropriate for a young child.
The traditional Dedication service in most of the Free Churches usually involves the following features. It incorporates thanksgiving for the safe deliverance of the mother in childbirth and also for the gift of the child. ("An heritage from the Lord" Psa. 127:3). This is followed by an exhortation to the parents asking them to promise to bring up the child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Then there is a prayer that the child might come to a personal knowledge of the Lord at an early age.
The bringing of the child should not be viewed lightly as just a mere ritual or ceremony. Our concept of it is very important and undertaken with sincerity and faith, it can be very meaningful to all concerned.
When the Old Testament patriarchs blessed their children, it was a very real experience. It was prophetic with definite results. Something happened! Should we not therefore expect something infinitely better to happen when a child is brought to the Greatest Friend of children, the Lord Jesus? We should expect a bestowal of grace which will become a powerful counter‑action to the Adamic nature in the infant soul, and a blessing, bringing a sense of God, pre‑disposing the child to make an early response to Divine grace. That surely will start life with a bonus.
Neither is there any reason why blessing should not be sought on the whole of the life of the child. We can pray that it may soon come to a knowledge of the Lord, but we should also pray that God will give the gifts necessary to take its place in life.
On one occasion when parents brought their child for blessing, they requested the Minister to pray that the child might receive the gift of music. It so happened that the Minister himself held a degree in music, and he happily complied with the request. The child later became a brilliant pianist, but never learned a note of music!