A Michigan reader reports that in a discussion group, the subject of infant baptism came up because they had just witnessed that sacrament in their church. Some wondered whether the wording of the form was too strong, since it seems to “imply that baptized children are saved at any age, since God does not negate […]
ABRAHAM KUYPER: a biography, by Frank Vanden Berg. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada: Paideia Press, 1978; 282 pp. $4.95, paper. Reviewed by Rev. Jerome Julien, Pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church, Pella, Iowa. Some men really stand out in the Reformed tradition. One of these is Abraham Kuyper. But as great as be was and […]
In the Old Testament circumcision was the sacrament of initiation and reception into the covenant community. Circumcision defined the covenant community; it was the sign and seal of covenant membership. In this article, I will argue that baptism has replaced circumcision as the sacrament of initiation and reception into the covenant community. Just like circumcision […]
Dear Readers, Some years ago, a friend suggested I write a letter to the children I baptize, to be read some years later when they have grown up. The thought was that the child should know something of the commitment of the church at the time of their infancy, something of the prayers that the […]
One of the reasons why baptism is such a difficult issue has to doe with the fact that there is a debate behind the debate. Often baptism is discussed without a proper understanding of this debate behind the debate. The issue of baptism is more about what is the proper reading of the Scriptures than […]
If you want to understand what the Bible teaches about baptism or any other subject, you should begin the process in the Old Testament. This represents a major difference between Baptists and paedobaptists. Reformed people read the Bible as one book from the perspective of promise and fulfillment. In regards to baptism, if you begin […]
In its most basic sense, baptism has to do with washing by water. The washing by water signifies an internal washing by the blood and the Spirit of Christ. There is in baptism a double washing: an external washing with water, and an internal washing with the blood and Spirit of Christ. Jesus added His […]
On its face, the Reformed understanding of our Lord’s command to make disciples and to baptize them and their children (Matt 28:81–20; Acts 2:39) seems clear enough. However, judging by modern discussions in the confessional Reformed and Presbyterian churches, things are more complicated than one might expect. Over the last thirty years, considerable disagreement has […]
Scriptural Teaching In Genesis 17:10–14 the Lord restated His covenant promise to Abraham. To that gracious covenant He attached a sign and seal of initiation, circumcision. Those adult males who first entered the covenant assembly had to profess faith and receive the sign and seal of covenant initiation. Contrary to what the Baptist view might […]
Confessional Teaching It should not surprise us to find that the same distinction that made by Calvin and the Reformed theologians appears in our confessional documents. In Q. 20 the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) asks, “Are all men, then, saved by Christ as they have perished in Adam?” The answer is, “No, only those who by […]