Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Honorary Paedobaptists

"Baptist parents who bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord are honorary paedobaptists - however much they dislike the accolade (Rom 2:26).  They are like the son in the parable who says he will not go, and then he does (Matt 21:28-31).  Paedobaptists who bring up their children in the kind of serenity that only high presumption can provide are the other son.  And, as it turns out, that other son, the one with the big talk, has an uncircumcised and unbaptized heart." - Wilson, Against the Church, p31.

It is funny when I think about it.  I grew up, early in my Christian walk, around those kind of baptists, the ones who were believing the promises of God for their children, treating them like covenant members (although keeping them dry for the time being), nurturing them, admonishing them, and so on.  Glory be, so many of those children growing up professed faith early in their childhood, were often baptized quite young, and walked faithfully.  They were doing everything the faithful paedobaptist is supposed to be doing and believing.  Over time, these baptists led me to a paedobaptist belief - it was just a matter of putting the sign of belief in God's promises declared on the one I believed He had said those promises about.

The only thing keeping me away from becoming a paedobaptist, experientially, were all of the high-presumptive paedos I knew.  The little bit of church life in my early years was in a church just like that.  Infants baptized by parents who did not know or obey the Lord but went to some liberal presby church.

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