Paedo-Baptism Answers One Resource to Rule Them All

John The Baptist

John The Baptist

Puritan Board Sophomore
Hello my child-baptizing brothers and sisters,
DV, I will be looking seriously at paedobaptism and covenant theology in the next year or so. This has been increasingly weighing on me the last few days, so I would like to get the ball rolling.

Some context:
I was raised Wesleyan (church of the Nazarene) and introduced to 'Reformed' theology through the likes of Piper and McArthur (and gotquestions.org, believe it or not). It was not until I settled into historic and catholic beliefs (especially the doctrine of God and Chirst, along with justification by faith) that I felt confident in the Reformed expression of the Christian faith. Part of this process inevitably requires me to examine my beliefs concerning covenant theology and paedobaptism, but I had to ensure I had a solid foundation before I bit off more than I could chew. I currently subscribe to the 1689 by default, for I am thoroughly convinced of Reformed theology in general, with exception to baptism.

And this is where you all come in. I cannot (in honesty) say I have examined both sides of the issue fairly. I am comfortable in my baptist beliefs, but I am not confident in my baptist beliefs. That is not to say they're not true or indefensible, but I just have not done the hard work yet.

So, with that context in mind, here is my request to you:

Would you please provide one (and only one) resource for learning about/being convinced of paedobaptism. The reason I limit to one is simply out of practicality. I will likely not get to everything anyway and I surely won't if 20 people put 5 things each. If you see a resource you approve of already mentioned you may 'second' it as a good resource and then provide your own. Please do not provide more than one.

Resources I am looking for include:

Books (or sections of books) entirely devoted to the issue
Systematics
Commentaries
Sermons
Videos
Etc.

Please insure that your resource is centralized around CT, not just baptism. My view of Reformed CT (of the non-baptist stripe) is seriously lacking, so those resources would be great. I will find the case for paedobaptism much more convincing if it is centralized around CT.

Thank you my friends for your willingness to support a brother in this way. Looking forward to hearing from you.
 
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This might not be anything near what you are looking for, and I won't really mention a resource as there are many smarter people on this board in regards to this issue who can point you in the best direction, but I'll share the one thing that probably means the most to me.

As a father of three younger children, it has always been super important for me to have a good understanding of how to view my children in relationship to God and His Church. I am convinced that from birth, they are real and true disciples of Jesus (they are following him, obeying him, and learning from him), and therefore ought to be treated as such, and ought to be received into the Church as such. It's more of a practicality, but very important to me.

I hope this helps.
 
This is an excellent online course on Covenant Theology written by an esteemed member of the PB. He quotes an amazing number of theologians- Puritans, Dutch theologians and modern Covenant theologians. Personally I found it very helpful. You asked for one resource. I purchased this as a print book. It comes to 400 pages. Full of great Theology :)

www.ruinandredemption.com

RUIN & REDEMPTION | The Gospel of Jesus in the Covenants of Scripture

RuinandRedemption.com is devoted to providing an in-depth study of the Covenant of Grace (the biblical covenants).
www.ruinandredemption.com www.ruinandredemption.com
 
As a former Reformed Baptist it is hard for me to recommend a single source, but I would like to make myself available as a source of you would like to bounce off primary questions you have.
 
Just one?
I’m sure you’ll get the usual suggestions (I’d say what they are, but that would be more than one ;) )
Here’s a sermon I very much enjoyed recently on the topic, very covenantal from what I remember.
 
As a former baptist, I found R Scott Clark's series of lectures very helpful - https://heidelblog.net/2018/08/heidelcast-series-i-will-be-a-god-to-you-and-to-your-children/

I know Doug Wilson gets a bad rap on this board, but his little book "To a Thousand Generations - Covenant Mercy for the People of God" is excellent.

Also the chapter on baptism from J.C. Ryle's "Knots Untied"

I wish you much wisdom and blessing in your study! Approach it with humility, knowing that God's will is always our sanctification and the breaking down of our pride. In my own experience, coming from a very convinced Reformed Baptist position to a very convinced Paedobaptist position was a breathtaking journey full of twists and turns, causing a lot of pain in human relationships, but at the same time becoming lost in wonder at the goodness and mercy of God. I feel that for myself, the curtains have been drawn back to see a new and greater vision of God and His works and ways. And seeing my firstborn baptised last year was such a glorious and overwhelming occasion, I could say with David “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?"

Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions!
 
You'll find helpful these sermons that were preached during worship as covenant children were baptized. They capture both the blessing and cursing of the sacraments and how God carries his people through.
 
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Were you raised to believe in infant baptism of the Wesleyan stripe and came to Baptist convictions later? I know ordinarily the Church of the Nazarene holds to infant baptism, though it's not identical to the Reformed view of course.

Most non-Reformed folks that come to our church come from a Baptist or Methodist background, and I find the latter have different assumptions to address than the former.
 
Jake said:
Were you raised to believe in infant baptism of the Wesleyan stripe and came to Baptist convictions later? I know ordinarily the Church of the Nazarene holds to infant baptism, though it's not identical to the Reformed view of course.

Most non-Reformed folks that come to our church come from a Baptist or Methodist background, and I find the latter have different assumptions to address than the former.
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I was not raised around infant baptism. In fact, it was only within the last couple years (I still have many relational ties to Nazarenes) that I learned the Nazarene Church practices infant baptism.

I grew up around baby dedications. My understanding was that it is more about the parents’ promise to raise the baby unto the Lord. Unfortunately, most of the time it was some older couples in the church’s children who would show up, dedicate their baby, and never be seen again.

Growing up, I was taught the standard “baptism is an outward sign of an inward change.” This kind of belief led me to be baptized a second time at the age of 16, for I was not really converted until then (I was initially baptized at 9). Regardless of my view on baptism, I currently regret that decision.

My current view, though more covenantal (1689), is basically the same.

Hope that helps!
 
I have held to paedobaptism for many years, but was really helped last year by a little book by JJ Lim, “Covenant Theology, A Primer.” It helped fill in some gaps in my understanding. The beauty of it is in its no-frills, helpful connecting of so many dots.
Covenant Theology: A Primer: 2nd Edition https://a.co/d/2e5mhWd

(The line below about Amazon associates is just part of the link, nothing to do with me!)
 
You need to get a good handle on how Presbyterians see covenant theology before paedo-baptism will even begin to sound plausible. The Fesko book is excellent for this. But you aren't going to get a full grasp on covenant theology with only one resource. I know you want to limit our recommendations to just one, but I don't think you are going to wind up giving Presbyterianism a fair shake by doing that. You really need to read 4-5 books on covenant theology before you even tackle the sacramental questions. To this end, read Jonty Rhodes's primer on covenant theology (Covenants Made Simple), as well as Stephen Myers's God to Us; the volume Ruin and Redemption by our own Jon Bonker, and John Colquhoun's two volumes on the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, published by our own Dr. Don Kistler. Then read the other resources on sacraments after you have had a good dose of covenantal theology. The issue here is a different paradigm of reading Scripture, an entirely different hermeneutic when it comes to covenant theology, especially regarding the degree of continuity between OT and NT.
 
greenbaggins said:
You need to get a good handle on how Presbyterians see covenant theology before paedo-baptism will even begin to sound plausible. The Fesko book is excellent for this. But you aren't going to get a full grasp on covenant theology with only one resource. I know you want to limit our recommendations to just one, but I don't think you are going to wind up giving Presbyterianism a fair shake by doing that. You really need to read 4-5 books on covenant theology before you even tackle the sacramental questions. To this end, read Jonty Rhodes's primer on covenant theology (Covenants Made Simple), as well as Stephen Myers's God to Us; the volume Ruin and Redemption by our own Jon Bonker, and John Colquhoun's two volumes on the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, published by our own Dr. Don Kistler. Then read the other resources on sacraments after you have had a good dose of covenantal theology. The issue here is a different paradigm of reading Scripture, an entirely different hermeneutic when it comes to covenant theology, especially regarding the degree of continuity between OT and NT.
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Sorry for my lack of clarity. I mean to read many books, I merely wanted everyone’s best recommendation, not multiples from each person (though I appreciate your recommendations). That way I figured I would get diversity while limiting the recommendations to the very best.

Edit: also see this in my OP:

John The Baptist said:
Please insure that your resource is centralized around CT, not just baptism. My view of Reformed CT (of the non-baptist stripe) is seriously lacking, so those resources would be great
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I recognize both that the question of baptism is wrapped up in CT and that my understanding of Presbyterian CT is very deficient. Towards that end, I am thankful for your recommendations which look at the whole picture.
 
Let me put it this way/clarify:

I am putting together a list of books to buy/gather in order to explore the issue and truly understand both sides and make an informed decision. Toward that end, I ask everyone to provide their #1 resource recommendation, so as not to overwhelm and so I can have a diversity of angles on what people found helpful concerning the subject.
 
If your new to reformed CT I suggest the below:

For my own journey the RTS Lecture was critical for me by Ligon Duncan: https://archive.org/details/rtscovenanttheologyduncan

Excellent and convincing. As a former baptist Ligon’s series opened the Bible more broadly for me. Then the gaps were filled in by the resource linked by @Stephen L Smith . Lastly the already referenced R. Scott Clark (A God to you and your children) series was the straw that broke the camels back and was beneficial after Ligon laid the ground work! So my single addition is Ligon’s lecture series.
 
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Grant said:
If your new to reformed CT I suggest the below:

For my own journey the RTS Lecture was critical for me by Ligon Duncan: https://www.monergism.com/lecture-series-covenant-theology

Excellent and convincing. As a former baptist Ligon’s series opened the Bible more broadly for me. Then the gaps were filled in by the resource linked by @Stephen L Smith . Lastly the already referenced R. Scott Clark (A God to you and your children) series was the straw that broke the camels back and was beneficial after Ligon laid the ground work! So my single addition is Ligon’s lecture series.
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Seems those links don’t work… is it just me?
 
God to Us is an excellent modern treatment of CT. Once you have a biblical understanding of CT, paedobaptism is pretty clear and naturally follows. Hence why Peter didn't give a thorough explanation, or really any explanation, of infant baptism on the day of Pentecost when he told them that the promise was unto them, and to their children because his audience was familiar with the OT and understood CT.
 
I like your question...but I'm laughing because the wording evokes imagery from the lord of the rings...One resource to rule them all!
 
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