Me Died Blue
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
Ryan,
I would say the simple answer is that while all paedo confessions view a credo practice of baptism as being sinful, they do not in fact view it as being outside the bounds of orthodoxy. From the paedo view, the Westminster Confession is clear on that:
Furthermore, since there are different degrees of sin, Presbyterian ecclesiology does not view excommunication as the ultimate outcome for every one of them, even in some cases of unrepentance. In the recent thread that inspired the creation of this one, I just quoted a post of Fred Greco's from a few months back, but I'll quote it again here since it is dealing exactly with the issue you mention of a paedo or credo layman being able to fellowship in a church confessing his view on baptism to be sinful:
I would say the simple answer is that while all paedo confessions view a credo practice of baptism as being sinful, they do not in fact view it as being outside the bounds of orthodoxy. From the paedo view, the Westminster Confession is clear on that:
Although it be a great sin to condemn or neglect his 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. (28.5)
Furthermore, since there are different degrees of sin, Presbyterian ecclesiology does not view excommunication as the ultimate outcome for every one of them, even in some cases of unrepentance. In the recent thread that inspired the creation of this one, I just quoted a post of Fred Greco's from a few months back, but I'll quote it again here since it is dealing exactly with the issue you mention of a paedo or credo layman being able to fellowship in a church confessing his view on baptism to be sinful:
Now back to the matter of "discipline". Discipline takes all sorts of forms, the problem is what many think of discipline, they only think of trials and excommunications. But actually pastoral counsel, admonition and rebuke are just as much discipline as charges and trials. The difference is one of degree not of kind. So I would in fact discipline a member of my church who failed to baptize his children, but for me, that would take the form of admonition and rebuke not charges and trials. Why? You might ask. Is because I view it to be a more serious sin not to join and be a member of the church and to fail to baptize one's children. To be very honest with you I would be more except with my session if they permitted a person to be a "visitor" for two years and then if they allowed a Baptist to join the church. I would encourage the Baptist to join the church, with the knowledge that he was going to be subject to preaching, teaching, and encouragement that would continually and directly contradict his beliefs on baptism.