On the other baptism thread (RIP), Jack and Charlie mentioned parties outside of the mere recipient of baptism as relevant.
I.e., the faith of the parents matter. And also, the affirmation of the wider Church matters.
Jack stated this:
And Charlie stated this:
It appears that all parties agree that faith is linked to baptism, but how does this Third Party faith impact the infant who is baptized? Or if no impact is made, how does Third Party faith make baptism appropriate for one who does not yet have faith?
Example: If Child A has parents who are true Christians who are baptist and train them but do not baptize them until a profession and Child B has true Christian parents who are Presbyterian and who sprinkle them as an infant, what advantage does Child B have over Child A? What is the real difference between these two cases?
I.e., the faith of the parents matter. And also, the affirmation of the wider Church matters.
Jack stated this:
A Reformed paedobaptist who's faithful to the confessions and to his heritage will absolutely NOT administer baptism without faith. Faith must be present on the part of the parent, and confessed by the parent.
And Charlie stated this:
Thus, Presbyterian baptism is a sacramental statement by God about the gospel mediated through the Church to the person. Baptist baptism is ultimately about the person, and in some cases, is by the person, about the person,to the Church.
It appears that all parties agree that faith is linked to baptism, but how does this Third Party faith impact the infant who is baptized? Or if no impact is made, how does Third Party faith make baptism appropriate for one who does not yet have faith?
Example: If Child A has parents who are true Christians who are baptist and train them but do not baptize them until a profession and Child B has true Christian parents who are Presbyterian and who sprinkle them as an infant, what advantage does Child B have over Child A? What is the real difference between these two cases?