A Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by R. C. Sproul

Author:R. C. Sproul
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub, pdf
Tags: Reformed Church - Liturgy, Protestant, Public Worship - Reformed Church, Christian Rituals & Practice, Institutions & Organizations, Worship - Biblical Teaching, Christianity, Religion, Worship & Liturgy, Reformed Church - Doctrines, Public Worship, Reformed Church, General, Worship
ISBN: 9781567690767
Publisher: Reformation Trust Pub.
Published: 2006-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

To You and Your Children

THERE ARE FEW, IF ANY, ISSUES IN the life of the church about which Christians are more divided than the question of whether infants should be baptized. There is a host of churches that practice infant baptism and there are many others that practice what is called "believers' baptism," restricting the sacrament to those who are old enough to make a profession of faith prior to receiving baptism. Between these groups, there is much agreement about the nature of baptism, although there are also some elements of disagreement that go across denominational lines. But the major issue of contention concerns who is to receive this sacrament.

We need to understand that both positions are motivated by a desire to do what is biblical and what is pleasing to God. Churches that practice infant baptism believe that it is their duty to baptize infants, and in failing to do so they would be derelict in a responsibility. Those that refrain from infant baptism do so out of a concern and motivation not to insert something into the life of the church that is not sanctioned by Scripture. So both sides are motivated by a desire to do what is pleasing to God, and we should grant that up front.

It's important to remember that there is nothing in the New Testament that explicitly teaches or commands the practice of infant baptism. The New Testament nowhere says, "Thou shalt baptize infants." Neither is there an explicit example of infant baptism in the New Testament, a narrative that gives a clear indication that an infant was baptized in the early church. The other side of the coin is that there is nothing in the New Testament that explicitly forbids the baptism of infants or explicitly teaches that a profession of faith is a necessary prerequisite for receiving the sacrament. There are passages that may seem to teach these things by way of inference and implication, but both sides agree that these teachings are not explicit. Therefore, in any discussions about this highly controversial issue, there should be an extra measure of forbearance among the brothers and the sisters of the Lord, recognizing that we're dealing with a debate that rests ultimately on inferences and implications drawn from Scripture, not on explicit teachings. Since we have no explicit command or prohibition, we have to be a little more gentle with each other.

That's not to say that both sides on this issue are correct. That clearly cannot be the case. Unless you are a blatant relativist, you understand that the practice of infant baptism is either something God wants us to do or something He doesn't want us to do. God may be pleased with both sides' motives, but that doesn't mean that He's pleased with the actual positions of both sides. So it is important for us to grapple with this issue and come to an understanding and a conviction as to what the Bible teaches.

As a seminary professor, I encourage my students to wrestle with this issue.

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