We live in an individualistic age, and because of this we have come to believe that it is not possible to have any of our loyalties assigned to us. We believe (somehow) that in order to obligated to anything, we need to have chosen it ourselves. This is true on some occasions, as when a couple falls in love and marries, but there are many areas of our lives where it is not true, not true at all. For example, God’s Word requires us to honor our father and mother, which means we must have a deep loyalty to them, as individuals, and yet we did not choose our parents. And we all understand that we are to be loyal to our nation, but we didn’t choose that either. In many important areas, our obligations are simply attached to us by a sovereign God.
What this baptism means is that a particular loyalty is being assigned to a small child. This constitutes a summons to be loyal to Christ by faith for life, in accordance with the terms of the covenant. He still knows nothing of it, but this doesn’t lessen the force of the obligation at all. Because he knows nothing of it, this is why Christian parents are required to supply covenant nurture, and not just simply nurture. They are to bring this child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.