QUOTE]
Quote:
|
Mr Daniels is not accurate in his assessment "Almost all Reformed theologians take this as a pronouncement that all dying infants are elect."[/
|
QUOTE]
toddpedlar
PB Evil Scientist...Boo
Quote:
|
Your evidence, though, is only a couple Reformed theologians of the past.
|
Perhaps we can clarify for those following this thread.
The Westminster Confession of Faith X 3. says...
“
Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how He pleaseth. So are also other elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.”
Mr Daniels says in comment on WCF X 3:
Quote:
|
Some non-Calvinist critics read this and feel that it insinuates that there are some non-elect infants, but the Confession does not say that. Almost all Reformed theologians take this as a pronouncement that all dying infants are elect.
|
Mr Daniels is explaining the Confession on this point says there are no non-elect (unsaved) infants and, besides "almost every Reformed theologian" believes that.
Mr Daniels is mistaken.
I pointed out:
1) The Westminster Confession of Faith X 3.
does not say all dying infants are
elect. It specifically does not say how many or how few are elect because the Westminster Divines were divided on this point.
2) Dr Twiss, a leading Westminster Divine, did not believe what Mr Daniels asserts (about what Dr Twiss helped write).
3) Not only does the Westminster Confession text not say what Mr Daniels asserts, not only does Dr Twiss who helped write it not believe what Mr Daniels asserts, but a significant body of Reformed opinion, reflected by the popularly used Westminster Confession Study Guide by Mr Williamson does not believe what Mr Daniels asserts either.
The Westminster Divines, very wisely, did not say that all dying infants are elect. They mainly agreed that while there is some basis to believe this, Scripture is not clear on this point so they worded the WCF in this way to reflect that.
Reformed Denominations and their theologians are divided on this to this day- but it has never been the case that "almost all Reformed theologians" believe all dying infants are elect and it is not what the Westminster Confession teaches, either.