Readers of the BH blog will be interested in reading or listening to the presentations made a few days ago here in Dallas at the Colloquium on the Efficacy of the Sacraments. Will Barker, Rob Rayburn, Ligon Duncan, and Jeff Meyers (me) all made 30-minute presentations. You can find the links to the papers and the audio lectures here.
PCA GA Colloquium on the Efficacy of the Sacraments
June 11, 2008 by Jeff Meyers
Posted in Baptism, Jeff Meyers, Liturgy, Reformed Tradition, The Lord's Supper | 5 Comments
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I liked what “Lig” (makes him less ostentatious) said about taking the “infant” out of “Celebration of Infant Baptism.” My only follow up query to that is what is the difference between an adult’s baptism and an infant’s? Consider this.
CHAP. XXVIII. – Of Baptism.
1. Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church; but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. Which sacrament is, by Christ’s own appointment, to be continued in His Church until the end of the world.
2. The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the Gospel, lawfully called thereunto.
4. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.
Do you feel the implication? #4 puts both the professor and his child on the same level. Baptism means the same thing for both. And that at the time of administration.
Yes, all baptism is infant baptism. This is precisely the opposite of what is usually thought. Everyone comes to the font as an infant because everyone enters the Kingdom of God as a little child.
What seems to be the practice in the PCA, notwithstanding any cries to the contrary, is the adult baptism model for adults (confession of faith and baptism) and the same adult baptism model for infants with the difference that the full standing in the local church is not given to the infant with baptism until he/she fulfills the remaining portion of adult baptism, i.e. a confession of faith. The infant is not offered all of Christ in baptism and it becomes difficult (impossible in my estimation) to defend that infant baptism as practiced in the PCA is different than a dedication service.
But Christ is not divided. He – for all of God’s saving graces are ‘in Him’ – is offered in baptism.
Moreover, it does involve dedication of the infant, as well as a commitment by the parents to – with the Church – teach and instruct. This is also the case in adult baptism, for baptism is linked to teaching in the making of disciples.
Very good information. :) I like the way you write your article.