Having just become a Dad for the first time, I was wondering when should my son Jonah be baptised. He's only one month old at the moment but we (my wife and myself) have only been members of our Reformed Presbyterian church for about two months and as we have come from a Baptist background we're not sure at what age infants should be baptised at.

Oh as well could someone tell me how to change my signature?

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Stephen Spence

Member, Newtownards Reformed Presbyterian Church, N. Ireland

If you're members there, then I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to do it as soon as possible. There's no 'magic age' by any means. As you are members of a Reformed Presbyterian church, as your children, they should be marked with the sign and seal of the promise - and unless you expect NOT to do it, there's really no reason to delay.

for your signature, it can be changed by clicking on the "User CP Panel" button, and selecting "Edit your Signature" from the items in the left-hand column that will appear when you click the button.

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://inprincipiodeus.solideogloria.com
http://puritanwisdom.blogspot.com

"As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low."
John Flavel in Keeping the Heart



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Anna
Wife of Tim/Marrow Man
Louisville, KY
Member of Midlane Park Presbyterian (Associate Reformed Presbyterian)

The Reformed practice has always been to have the baby baptized as soon as practical. So, basically, if the parents and the baby can go to church the baby ought to be baptized.

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Wes Bredenhof
Pastor, Providence Canadian Reformed Church
Hamilton, Ontario
www.bredenhof.ca
Gospel Talk Radio Program

As soon as possible. To delay is a sin.

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Kevin Rogers
Sovereign Community Church, PCA
Moncton NB

I don't know you that well, so I'll have to ask...You're joking, right?

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Daniel
PCA
Memphis, TN

WCF Chap XXVIII

To delay is sinful in so far as such delay represents neglect, that is the confessional position and is certainly no joke.

Note to moderators: I believe that the confessional texts hosted on this site contain an error in this section where they say "contemn" instead of condemn. This appears to be a common error in the reproduced text.

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Mike
London City Presbyterian Church
London
England

"Surely, we wish to be orthodox, but we must first learn what real orthodoxy is. Surely, we wish to be progressive, but we must first have a basis to progress from."

THE WESTMINSTER
CONFESSION OF FAITH

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Of Baptism.

V. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.

Oops.... Hippo beat me to it...

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Brad
Member- Eagle Heights PCA
Winchester, VA

Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

My Free Presbyterian edition has "contemn" which would certainly be possible.

Chris Coldwell can weigh in on this. He's the expert.

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Fred Greco
Senior Pastor, Christ Church PCA (Katy, TX)
Christ Church Blog

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

That would explain the frequency with which this text is found, I assumed it was an error because my Logos version says condemn.

I love new words, time to lord it over my colleagues at work with my new found knowledge of the English languge.

But Delay does not equal Neglect. I'm fine with the way you phrased it, but I don't think it is accurate to plainly say that delay = sin. Delay can be a lot of things, so suggesting it is sin implies that the child needs to be baptized in the delivery room.

We delayed our first daughter's baptism so that my parents could be with us for the baptism. Were we in sin for doing so?

Thanks for the replies guys. It was Jonah's first day out at Church last Sunday, so I guess the answer would be as soon as possible.

This is an excellent article written by Vern Poythress who is a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary which is paedo baptist, as is Vern himself. ( he is ordained in the PCA)

However, this addresses the subject to people who are more credo baptist, or not sure which side they are on as they move towards Reformed doctrine, with an appeal to the fact that if you belive that baptism must await evidence of regeneration, children at a very young age can show that new heart and new spirit inside them, given by God. He appeals for Baptists to recognize the evidence for regeneration of children at certainly age 4-5 and even younger, as young as age 2.

Here is one snip:

What are the implications for small children? A profession of faith by a small child may be genuine, even though it does not show all the maturity that characterizes a profession by a spiritually mature adult. We must not impose rigoristic standards for a profession of faith, such as only a adult or teenager could meet. We must recognize that Christian faith is primarily personal trust in Christ rather than intellectual mastery or technical skill in verbal articulation of the truth. On the other hand, after a child has professed faith, we must avoid the indifferentist error. The child needs much instruction, much time, and much growth to come to maturity.

Baptism has a role to play. Baptism marks the inception of Christian living and the beginning of membership in the church. It ought not to be confined to those with some kind of mature or long-tested faith. We must avoid rigorism at this point if we are to practice genuine love toward children. Hence, we need to baptize small children who give a credible profession of faith. Leaders will find that as they adjust to the capabilities of children, and the congregation becomes used to instructing and exhorting children in an appropriate way at an early age, the age of baptismal candidates will decrease down to three or even two years.

Change in this area is not optional: it is an implication of practicing biblical love towards children.



Indifferentism and Rigorism

Indifferentism and Rigorism in the Church:
With Implications for Baptizing Small Children

by Vern Sheridan Poythress


Westminster Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 27009
Philadelphia, PA 19118-0009


[Published in Westminster Theological Journal 59/1 (1997) 13-29. Used with permission.]
************

I do hope you will read this. If your credo conscience will not allow you to baptize your baby, perhaps it will help you avoid thinking that your child must be 14 or 16 or so and have their systematic theology all figured out before they can get baptized. Perhaps you find a middle ground of baptizing with evidence of regeneration, but realizing that can be seen at a very early age.

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Lynnie

PCA

Central NJ

IMO, no. To make a vow before God witnesses are required. I could think of no witness (on earth) that is to be prefered above family.

-----Added 1/19/2009 at 10:25:16 EST-----

No.

I am convinced that that we should baptise our children as soon as practical. In a past age that meant within a few days of birth. In our age that may mean waiting until the family can assemble, or for several weeks.

To wait until "spring" or until "I convince my parents that I am not RC", or until "my buddy from seminary can do it" seems (to me) to rise to the level of a "neglect". For that reason I say that to delay is (or perhaps better stated, 'may be') a sin.

Just saw this. People often think contemn is a mispelling for condemn, but in context this is not condemn, but contemn, and that is the original text, and while I don't have a collation on errors I suspect printed editions of standards are generally correct while the error may be found in more recent citations who mistyped or miscorrected the text.

Condemn means “to judge harshly, to bring judgment against, to convict.” Contemn means “to treat with contempt, to scorn or despise.” It is infrequent and often considered a “literary” word, and it is sometimes mistaken for a misspelling of condemn. Let context help your readers recognize contemn: The neighbors contemned our failure to maintain our property. condemn, contemn. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993

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Chris Coldwell, Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Dallas, Texas.
• Naphtali Press: Presbyterian & Reformed Books
• Westminster Letter Press
• The Confessional Presbyterian Journal
• The Blue Banner Archive

The Regulative Principle: The Scriptures are the “only infallible rule of faith and practice, no rite or ceremony ought to have a place in the public worship of God, which is not warranted in Scripture, either by direct precept or example, or by good and sufficient inference” (Samuel Miller).

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Quick note: if there were medical reasons then I think it is understandable to wait a bit. A child in a congregation I knew of was born premature and had to stay in the hospital weeks after birth so I thought waiting a few weeks after the release from the hospital was an acceptable decision by the elders.

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J. P. Grigoletti II * Lay-man * Église Réformée du Québec
Québec, Québec Canada * Member: Église Reformée St. Marc
http://Grigoletti.blogspot.com - blog
<<There are three things necessary for thee to know, that thou, enjoying this comfort, mayest live and die happily: the first, how great your sins and miseries are; the second, how thou may be delivered from all thy sins and miseries; the third, how thou shall express thy gratitude to God for such deliverance.>>

Why wouldn't it be as close to the 8th day as reasonable?

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DonP

asap

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sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

Stephen,

Greetings! I'd encourage you to talk to one of the members of session this week and see what barriers there are to having the covenant sign applied to your covenant child this Lord's day. If not this one, then next! Don't let your newness to the congregation be an obstacle to you asking your session/pastor questions like this either - I am confident it would warm their hearts for you to seek their counsel.

For Christ's crown and Covenant,
Matt

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Matthew Glover
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Australia

I think the right question must be, how soon can I baptize my son?

and as stated above, right away, why would one even want to wait?

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Martin - Reformed
Husband to the most godly, honorable and loyal wife Line
Searching for a Church
Webpage www.5solas.dk
Free Online Reformed Seminary - http://www.tnars.net
Soli Deo Gloria

My copy of the WCF says "contem" as well.

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Joseph F Scibbe
Chaplain Assistant
Chapel of Wings Ft Rucker Al
Ephesians 1:4-7, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Romans 12:1-2
Titus 2:2 - But you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

http://twitter.com/just_joe_scibbe

Because he is not a Jew born under the Law.

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Jon Peters
Member, Reformation Fellowship (OPC) (Roseville, CA)
Folsom, CA