Why Believer’s Baptism Is So Important
Body
“Baptism is a rite, a symbol, an ordinance of the church. Its power is not in the physical act but in the truth it conveys.” - P&D
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Baptism is a rite, a symbol, an ordinance of the church. Its power is not in the physical act but in the truth it conveys.” - P&D
“This video is going to be a history of infant baptism in the early church. It will have four sections. First, a summary of the argument. Second, I’ll explain the goal of this video. Third, we’ll look at the New Testament. Fourth, we’ll look at the early church data century by century.” - Gavin Ortlund
“Reading James R. Coggins well-researched monograph, John Smyth’s Congregation: English Separatism, Mennonite Influence, and the Elect Nation …provides a window through which to understand the origins of English Baptists out of the Puritan Separatist movement of the early seventeenth century.” - London Lyceum
“…when Dunster withheld his fourth child from baptism at Cambridge Church in the winter of 1653, it made news.” - Desiring God
“With the help of William Buell Sprague’s Annals of the American Baptist Pulpit, I can examine the accounts of 45 baptisms from 1700 to 1840. Hopefully, this will provide useful insights into how children relate to the church and, perhaps more to the point, when they should be put forward for baptism.” - 9 Marks
“The church is a mysterious monolith in the desert of this world. Its crisp edges are unmistakable, distinct, and visible to anyone with eyes to see. Baptism is no small part of that. In fact, as the sign of the new covenant, we could say that baptism makes the church visible. Baptism is the shape of the church.” - 9 Marks
“To baptize infants is to misunderstand more than the sign, but the nature of the new covenant and the people it creates. Circumcision and baptism are both covenant signs, but baptism is the sign of a new and better covenant.” - 9 Marks
“In this article I offer a further objection to the Reformed paedobaptist argument. It is situated within the Barth-Jewett “similar but not identical” tradition of argumentation, agreeing with them that baptism and circumcision, while “standing in a similar place,” should nonetheless not be strictly equated.” - Themelios
Some of my best friends and my most admired heroes of the Christian faith believe in the practice of baptizing infants and bringing them into the membership of the church apart from any profession of faith. My love and respect for these dear brothers and venerable men of God has on more than one occasion inclined me to reconsider whether they’ve got it right and I’ve got it wrong.
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