Baptismal Discrimination?
Text: Galatians 3:5-9, 26-29 ONE
OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY INFANT BAPTISM WAS REJECTED BY SOME IN THE 16TH
CENTURY WAS BECAUSE OF THE CARNAL LIVING OF MANY BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS A. The first major group to reject infant baptism
were the Anabaptists (e.g. Mennonites, Amish). B. According to some historical accounts, a
Christian man living in the 1500’s that did not drink to excess, did not
curse, did not abuse his workmen or family could be suspected of being an Anabaptist! C. Menno Simons (1496–1561), the founder of the Mennonites noted the following: 1. Ungodly living, wife beating, adultery,
lying, stealing was common for baptized members of churches. 2. The church allowed known sinners who are
living in sin to partake of the Lord’s Supper (i.e. there was no church
discipline). 3. Protestant churches in Menno Simon’s
time allowed known sinners to remain members of the church even though it was
known that he is a hardened and godless heathen. D. The Anabaptists stressed holy living so
much that Martin Luther and many of his followers called the Anabaptists
“legalists” because of their emphasis on Christ-like living. E. Anabaptists were the first group of
Protestants to reintroduce the biblical practice of church discipline. “these unfortunate and ungrateful people have learned this teaching [church discipline] and some other correct views from us.” (John Calvin; quoted in Christian History: The Anabaptists. The irony is that Calvin was still a Catholic when Anabaptists started practicing church discipline.) F. Sadly, Anabaptist theology that the
children of believers do not belong to Christ allows some of their children
to live for the devil in their teens.
The Amish call time of choice between community and the world, Rumspringa
(running around). This is filmed
in the documentary, Devil’s Playground. BAPTISM
IS A SIGN OF DISCIPLESHIP AND ADDS (NOT SUBTRACTS) TO THE PARENTS’
RESPONSIBILITY TO TRAIN THEIR CHILDREN A. Baptism does not take away from the
necessity of faith. B. Baptism does not take away from the need
for children to publicly confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. DISCRIMINATION
IN THE MOSAIC LAW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH (Galatians 3; cf. Ephesians 4:4-6). A. The Judaizers were trying to reestablish
Mosaic boundaries and distinctions in the church between Jews and Gentiles
(e.g. food laws [Galatians 2:11-13], circumcision [Galatians 2:3-5; 5:2,6,11;
6:12-16], feast days [Galatians 4:9-10]).
B. Segregation (Jews/Gentiles) was a
problem in the churches of Paul’s day and is still a problem in the 21st
century. 1. If a Christian family withholds baptism
from their children are they introducing a new class of peoples into the
church? (cf. Galatians 2:18,19;Ephesians 2:14-22; Col.2:13-17) 2. Is the distinction between adult and
infant biblical? Has the Gospel
introduced two new “classes” of segregated peoples so that adult believers
are part of the church but their young children are not? C. The Mosaic Law was discriminatory. 1. The Mosaic Law discriminated between
clean and unclean food (Leviticus 11; 20:25; Deuteronomy 14:1-21; Acts
10:9-48). 2. The Mosaic Law discriminated between
circumcised and uncircumcised (Leviticus 20:24). Gentiles had their own special court in the
Temple. 3. The Mosaic Law contained laws that
discriminated between women and men (Leviticus 12:1-8; 15:19-33). a. According to tradition women were not
allowed to go as far into the Temple as men.
b. It is also possible that the Law
discriminated against women because only male believers received the sign of
the covenant. 4. The Old Covenant also contained laws
that discriminated between slaves and free men (Leviticus 25:39-46; cf. Joel
2:28-29). D. One thing the Old Covenant did not
discriminate between was adult believers and their children. E. Faith is not a new form of
discrimination introduced in the New Testament. Faith was just as important in the Old
Testament as it is in the New Testament.
F. On the Day of Pentecost 3,000 Jews
believed in Jesus. Are we to think
that the children of believers were also excommunicated from the church? Q.166 of the Westminster Larger Catechism Unto whom is baptism
to be administered? Baptism is not to be
administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from
the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and
obedience to him, (Acts 8:36–37, Acts 2:38) but infants descending from
parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and
obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be
baptized. (Gen. 17:7,9, Gal. 3:9, Col. 2:11–12, Acts 2:38–39, Rom. 4:11–12, 1
Cor. 7:14, Matt. 28:19, Luke 18:15–16, Rom. 11:16) G. Household/family baptisms. 1. Lydia’s household/family was baptized
(Acts 16:15) 2. The Philippian jailer and his
household/family were baptized (Acts 16:33) 3. Crispus and his household/family were
baptized (Acts 18:8) 4. The household/family of Stephanus were baptized
(1 Cor.1:16) a. The burden of proof does not rest upon
us (paedobaptists) to prove that there were infants in these
households/families. b. The burden of proof is upon those who
say that the Gospel has changed the Old Testament understanding of household/family. i. The burden of proof is to demonstrate
that the Gospel now introduces a new discrimination within families and
within the church. ii. The burden of proof is to show that the
promises of God are now only for individual believers and no longer for their
children. “In general, the New Covenant is more inclusive
than the Old Covenant. Yet those who dispute the validity of infant baptism
make it less inclusive with respect to children, despite the absence of any
biblical prohibition against infant baptism” (R.C. Sproul, Essential truth of the Christian Faith). “How does the coming of
Christ, as the mediator of a new and better covenant (Hebrews 7:22; 8:13),
demonstrate that the children of believers, who were included under the
covenant of promise made with Abraham, were now excluded under a new and
better covenant with Jesus as the promised mediator? This is especially
problematic when we stop and simply take a look at how our Lord himself
regarded children (see Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke
18:15-17)” (Kim Riddlebarger,
Lecture 3A – The Biblical Case for Infant Baptism”). HISTORICALLY,
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT AROSE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
IS THAT CIRCUMCISION AND BAPTISM BECAME “RUBBER STAMPS.” A. The Pharisees were circumcised as infants and yet they still needed to exercise faith in the promises of the Gospel. Their circumcision did not save them, but ended up condemning them (John 8:31-59). B. Many in the church today have put their faith in the sign of baptism instead of Jesus Christ. 1. Baptism has been wrongly identified with the work of regeneration. 2. Baptism has erroneously been identified with the washing away of original sin and all other sins previously committed. QUESTIONS FOR
SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION Take what you
have learned this morning and make it into a prayer. Give thanks to God for
His covenant faithfulness to us in Christ.
Praise Him that His promises extend to our children, even to the
thousandth generation. Who were the
Anabaptists? What did the
Anabaptists see in the lives of Christians that was inconsistent with
holiness? What is a
paedobaptist? Does baptism
take away from the necessity of faith? Was faith any less important in the Old
Testament than in the New Testament? Were Old Testament saints saved in a way
different than New Testament saints? In what ways
was the Mosaic Law discriminatory against different people? What are some of the problems that have
arisen historically with the practice of infant circumcision and infant
baptism? After explaining that baptism is for
believers and their children the Westminster Confession of faith says that to
neglect or condemn baptism is “a great sin” (WCF 28:4-5). How does the neglect of infant baptism go
against the grain of Galatians and the emphasis that the laws of
discrimination have been done away with in Christ? Chapter 28 of the Westminster Confession
of Faith 4. Not only those
that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, (Mark 16:15–16,
Acts 8:37–38) but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to
be baptized. (Gen. 17:7–8, Gal. 3:9,14, Col. 2:11–12, Acts 2:38–39, Rom.
4:11–12, 1 Cor. 7:14, Matt. 28:19, Mark 10:13–16, Luke 18:15) 5. Although it be
a great sin to condemn or neglect his ordinance, (Luke 7:30, Exod. 4:24–26)
yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no
person can be regenerated, or saved, without it: (Rom. 4:11, Acts
10:2,4,22,31,45,47) or, that all that are baptized are undoubtedly
regenerated. (Acts 8:13,23) |
