To whom is membership in the Covenant community granted? Do the promises of God apply to believers and their children? Those who affirm that children are included in the Covenant are usually known as Paedobaptists, which describes a facet of our view (baptism of infants). Those who exclude children from the Covenant are usually known as Credobaptists (baptism of those who actually verbally profess faith).
In my recent exchange with a Credobaptist, I wrote so much that I cannot reproduce the discussion for this weblog, but I would like to include a portion of the exchange here so that you can have a further glimpse into my understanding of the Word of God.
You can note that the four questions posed by the Credobaptist were stated in declarative form for points in his sermon two weeks ago (prior to this discussion). Here, he asked me to interact with his points, and I did so very briefly:
CREDO: Do not all the clear commands of Christ speak of the baptism of disciples?
PAEDO: First, you can’t divorce the command of Christ from the context in which it was given. Baptism was new and many of the faithful at that time had not yet been baptized. It was necessary to command believers to receive the sign because Jews and Gentiles alike were marked by or being granted faith and repentance but had not taken on the new sign and seal of the covenant. If you extract the red letters of the New Testament from the context of the whole Bible, I can see how you might reason (apart from any grasp of God’s covenantal dealing with His people) that baptism is not for the children of believers. But this reasoning would be absent the faithful exegesis of the Scriptures.
CREDO: Do not all the clear examples of baptisms in the book of Acts (including a careful reading of the household passages) demonstrate that this is how the Apostles understood the command of Jesus?
PAEDO: The clear examples of baptisms demonstrate that the Apostles understood Jesus, yes. But again, Gentiles being grafted in and Jews receiving the new sign severely hinder any attempt to establish the exclusion of infants based on the examples of baptisms during the period covered by Acts, especially considering a careful reading of the household passages. There were some disciples with Jesus who mistakenly jumped to a faulty understanding; they attempted to keep infants from being brought to Jesus at all; Jesus rebuked them (Luke 18:15-17). Peter had a good opportunity to explain how children are now to be viewed as heathens in Acts 2:38-39, but instead he shows the continuity between the covenants by using the same language used in the Old Covenant – “For the promise is to you, and to your children…”
CREDO: Does not the symbolism of baptism--union with Christ, walking in newness of life, being cleansed from sin, etc,--speak of one actually saved by grace through faith? And does not the context show that this is an actual present possession and not an event of anticipation?
PAEDO: On this, we agree.
CREDO: Does not Jer. 31 demonstrate the differences between the two communities--one in which unbelievers were incorporated and one in which they are not?
PAEDO: To understand Jeremiah 31 to teach that one of the two communities will not contain tares among the wheat would force some twisting on other relevant passages and portrays a failure to distinguish between the “already/not yet” of our present age and the ultimate consummation of the Kingdom of God. Similarly, to claim a stark divide between the visible and invisible which concludes that apostates were never real and objective members of the community also forces inordinate twisting on other important Scriptures.
May God bless all who love Him. May His countenance shine upon those who endeavor to understand His Word and obey Him in all things.
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