So, when does the child begin to benefit from having the Gospel preached to them in a sign they don't remember? When they are later told and can understand that they were baptized? Not trying to be sarcastic here, though it might read that way. Just trying to understand.
As for household baptisms, why did you drag those into this? You know how those discussions go between baptists and Presbyterians:
Presbyterian: Household baptism!
Baptist: Prove from the Scriptures that there were infants in those households
Presbyterians: (silence)
The household baptism schtick goes nowhere--you're better off trying to show that the Old Covenant is exactly the same in every way as the New so that the sign should mean the exact same thing and be applied in exactly the same way. Which is also doomed to failure, but is a lot more entertaining.
Grace and peace to you, brother. I hope none of this sounds mean--I'm simply at a loss how to communicate better.
No defect in your communication brother. I don't think I misunderstand your position at all, as two years ago I was a well-convinced Baptist for all the reasons you cited before, even thinking that the paedo view necessitates some kind of automatic efficacy in the subject which I hold as anti-Gospel. Your arguments for your position and against mine are clear and familiar to me, though I disagree that the Scriptures necessitate them. Your skit doesn't strike me as accurate, but I believe your representation of yourself that you intend no bullying. I trust that I can say the same, even if I write strongly too.
As for efficacy, it's almost like asking when I expect the Spirit of the wind to blow. He does that on His own, making the ordinances efficacious as a means to implant or confirm faith at the time He chooses, but never as obligated to because the sacrament was given. In the normal course, it will be efficacious as the child comes to understand what baptism means, and in the prayers and discipleship of the congregation as they grasp its significance and apply it accordingly.
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Does faith always come when the Word is preached? Not always. When it comes, is it always in the moment when the Word is preached? By experience, no.
Classic example: John Flavel preaches a sermon in Europe, a young man hears the preaching. 80 years later in America, reflecting on the sermon, that man is converted. I oftentimes benefit from a sermon
after I've heard it, sometimes getting more out of the reflection than I do the listening (not unusual with small children). Some old sermons which I've heard previously still bear fruit even now. During Communion Season some of the greatest benefits have come before and after the worship service, and not during the partaking itself (though sometimes yes, during the partaking). January 14, 1855 on another continent, Spurgeon preaches on the hideousness of unbelief, and it convicts me 160 years later. Gerald Bilkes preaches in the Puritan Seminary chapel about Paul's undauntedness and composure in shaking the snake from his hand, I hear about it from a student and not firsthand, I still seek to apply that principle. I'm likely benefiting from sermons that I've forgotten have been preached.
Yet the reason that baptism may continue to be an efficacious means of grace is because it is a sign: it points to Christ, tells us to put faith in Him, thus it is a Gospel messenger. It is a seal because it authenticates the promise, and assures that God fully means to stand by His promise to deliver righteousness upon believing, like the bull in Genesis 15, like the Lord's Supper sealing the promise of life in His body and blood, like the ring sealing a man's promise to marry and confirming the woman's faith in his word. So long as baptism is a sign and seal of Christ's righteousness, life, death, it will preach to all who witness it, and most dearly and personally to the one to whom God directly gives it. For that reason, its efficacy
cannot be tied to one time and place, and
cannot be tied to the recipient's memory.
Back to the original comment that sparked this: did God promise salvation by faith to all who believe, whether inside or outside the church? Yes. Does he preach the Gospel and confirm the same promise of salvation by faith in Christ to the baptized in a way beyond the way he has preached it to the unbaptized? Absolutely yes. That's true whether the sign is given to infants or not.
HH baptisms got brought in for your comment that we think we have warrant to bring in unbelievers (big time straw man). So let's be fair that I'm not the first to introduce side topics in our dialogue. To be clear: we don't g0 searching the Scriptures in hopes of finding a way to admit people into the church who we know to be unbelievers--we go to the New Testament, find out who is baptized, and build our doctrine accordingly. We see households baptized, therefore we baptize households whether or not that household has any infants on it. And as a matter of due diligence we search out the immediate context and the whole Biblical context to confirm we have understood the nature and recipients correctly. There's only so much ado about infants because the main difference between us is that the Baptist position necessitates an intelligent profession in the case of absolutely everyone who is baptized, and thus infants are by default at the center of controversy. We simply disagree--those under care of a household head are to be baptized. Even the term "paedobaptist" is a straw man that's gotten grandfathered into our theological vocabulary on both sides. Per Romans 4, the spiritual nature of baptism and the intelligent profession of adults mentioned in the New Testament is no reason to preclude the infant members of households than the spiritual nature of circumcision and the profession of faith by Abraham was warrant to preclude infant males.
But then again, we've come full circle because that's where we disagree. And I've written copiously already on circumcision, Abraham's profession, so this'll get redundant. I speak strongly I know, but I trust that's more out of earnest and not out of any felt antagonism. God bless you too.