Timmay
Puritan Board Freshman
In Berkhoff’s Summary of Christian doctrine he says this regarding Baptism:
"Others take the position that they [infants] are baptized on the ground of the all-comprehensive covenant promise of God, which also includes the promise of regeneration. This view deserves preference. The covenant promise affords the only certain and objective ground for the baptism of infants. But if the question is raised, how infant baptism can function as a means of grace to strengthen spiritual life, the answer is that it can at the very moment of its administration strengthen the regenerate life, if already present in the child and can strengthen faith later on when the significance of baptism is more clearly understood. Its operation is not necessarily limited to the very moment of its administration.”
1. How can baptism strengthen the infant at the moment of administration? An infant can’t understand what’s going on. I’m a paedo so this isn’t a hidden argument for credo.
2. The operation of baptism is not limited to the moment of its administration. Is this the case also for the Lord’s Supper?
3. Could children in the OT partake of the Passover meal? If so, and the new covenant administration is open to more people, which is one of the arguments put forth to support infant baptism, why does Paul restrict the Lord’s Supper to those who can discern? Wouldn’t that be more restrictive (assuming children could partake in the Passover meal?) I’m not paedo-communion.
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"Others take the position that they [infants] are baptized on the ground of the all-comprehensive covenant promise of God, which also includes the promise of regeneration. This view deserves preference. The covenant promise affords the only certain and objective ground for the baptism of infants. But if the question is raised, how infant baptism can function as a means of grace to strengthen spiritual life, the answer is that it can at the very moment of its administration strengthen the regenerate life, if already present in the child and can strengthen faith later on when the significance of baptism is more clearly understood. Its operation is not necessarily limited to the very moment of its administration.”
1. How can baptism strengthen the infant at the moment of administration? An infant can’t understand what’s going on. I’m a paedo so this isn’t a hidden argument for credo.
2. The operation of baptism is not limited to the moment of its administration. Is this the case also for the Lord’s Supper?
3. Could children in the OT partake of the Passover meal? If so, and the new covenant administration is open to more people, which is one of the arguments put forth to support infant baptism, why does Paul restrict the Lord’s Supper to those who can discern? Wouldn’t that be more restrictive (assuming children could partake in the Passover meal?) I’m not paedo-communion.
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