Skip to main content

Presumptive Regeneration & Infant Baptism

Today I received a very good e-mail from a dear pastor friend of mine. I must admit, I must have been in a lull or something regarding our paedobaptist friends and those of them that adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). I guess I assumed that many of our paedobaptist friends did not believe certain parts of the WCF that would amount in presumtive regeneration/grace. For example here it says: VI. The efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of this ordinancy the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost, to such (whether of age or infants) as that grace belongeth unto, according to the counsel of God's own will, in his appointed time." So I need to find out how many of my presbyterian brothers and sisters believe that baptizing infants does more than put them in the covenant family until they show that they are not of the elect and saved, but believe that such baptism is conferred by the Holy Ghost so as that they will be saved and evidence that they are of the elect (whew). Not just that, I need to find out how many of them believe this statement: "great sin to condemn or neglect this" regarding paedo(infant)baptism. May the Lord forgive me for assuming, and neglecting this important issue, and give me wisdom as I seek to find what out paedobaptist friends believe regarding this.

Comments

pilgrim said…
The proper view of the WCF is not presumptive in the sense we presume our children to be saved.

But we do treat them as part of the visible Church and the Covenant.

But if we fail to train our children properly and press upon them their need for Christ we have failed the Biblical standards for parents.
Fri Sep 16, 02:07:00 PM CDT
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Issues I Have Been Associated With Recently

The King James Only Controversy : I have been in 3 churches since the Lord was pleased to save me, the last 2 of them as a pastor. The first church was when I was not a pastor, but did teach Sunday School, and preached occasionally. It was a church that used the KJV of the bible, but neither I or the pastor was hardcore KJV Only. The second church was the first church I pastored. For the sake of some long time members in that small church, I used the King James version for sermons, but after I was there a year or two, I began using the NKJV for Scripture Readings. My third church, which is the one I'm pastoring now in Idaho, does not use the KJV. We offically use the NASB for our sermons, and the ESV many times when quoting other scriptures. I know some of my long time Christian friends from Maryland are KJV Only. I am not. I think it is an issue that we can agree to disagree on, but it seems there may be some that cannot. In the not so distant future, I'll post on the Blog why
12 comments
Read more

Christian Discussions and Chem-Trails

What a title, huh? I just didn't want to post these separately :-). This morning as we were sending off our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, there was a Chem-Trail right over us in the sky. Have you heard of Chem-Trails? They are chemicals being put in the sky to supposedly help with so called global warming  :-). Sadly, too many people still think this is a conspiracy theory. For those that do, I recommend you just put that in a search engine and see what comes up and just start reading. They come from the exhaust of commercial airliners, but they are not the same as "contrails." Contrails dissipate and follow the plane. Chem-trails stick around. They have certain chemicals in them (Aluminum and Barium are two of them if I recall correctly) and they just add to the list of toxins that our bodies absorb and endanger our health. If more people would pay attention and communicate with our elected officials at all levels perhaps, we could put a stop to this Lord will
Post a Comment
Read more

Are Arminian Baptists Legitimate Biblical Churches?

With all the discussion going on about whether Presbyterians are biblical churches because of infant baptism, I would like to ask if we believe that Arminian Baptist churches are legitimate churches? If a Baptist Church, regardless of their affiliation if any, believes in a universal, insufficient atonement by Christ, issuch Baptist Church really a biblical church? And if so, how can we say that it is when it involves the very heart of the gospel in the atonement. Further, how can we say that those Presbyterian churches that believe in a particular, sufficient atonement yet infant baptism are not biblical, yet those that believe in a universal, insufficient atonement yet believers baptism by immersion are biblical churches. Inquiring mind wants to know ;- ). Thanks..... P.S. Still Baptist and thank the Lord for it!
12 comments
Read more