ReformationUCC.org

The Congregationalists and the Evangelical and Reformed shared a common doctrine from their very origins - the doctrine of infant baptism.

In their respective confessions, both groups acknowledged the right of children born to Christian parents to be brought to the baptismal font thanks to their understanding of the sacrament.

This has lead to much misunderstanding by the crowds today whose doctrine of holy baptism begins in the Gospel of Matthew instead of the Book of Genesis! Sadly, many within the United Church of Christ have forgotten why we baptize infants as well! We are too ready to buy into what the Anabaptists of our own day have to say regarding this sacrament. As a result we tend to err on one of two sides - we assume all is well with our children’s souls because of a naive belief in their innate goodness or due to the presumption that their baptism somehow magically means they are spiritually “safe”. Or, at the other extreme, we leave off the practice of infant baptism assuming it has no meaning. Some seek to comfort their own consciences by provoking “quick decisions for Christ” and may do more harm than good to their children Dr. Beeke notes.

If we are to regain a uniquely Reformed and Biblical perspective on caring for the souls of our children and the benefits that result thereby, one useful resource will prove to be a free online “ebook”. It’s titled Bringing the Gospel to Covenant Children In Dependency on the Spirit by Rev. Dr. Joel Beeke.

In it, Dr. Joel Beeke

1. Defines what he means by “covenant children”

2. Examines the need for evangelizing them

3. Discusses the content of the evangelistic message

4. Discusses the proper methods for such evangelism

Beeke writes:

Some Reformed churches depreciate the covenant relation of children, not by rejecting infant baptism and the covenant relation altogether, but by reducing the sacrament to mere form and
custom without insisting on what it should mean for the lives both of the parents and their baptized children. In such circles, the church has no eye for the promises of God in baptism, no heart for pleading those promises in prayer, and no clear understanding of how God earnestly calls covenant children to a lifestyle consecrated to Himself and separated from the world….

Baptism affirms that the baptized child is placed under covenant privileges and responsibilities, but does not make the child a partaker of the saving, internal essence of the covenant. The external covenant relationship can be broken when a child grows to adulthood and abandons God’s Word and the corporate worship of His people. Baptized children must be linked to the internal, unbreakable essence of the covenant through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit ( John 3:3-7). Only then shall they be
given persevering grace for the rest of their lives….

Baptized children must be directed to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice as the only way of salvation. Christ’s cleansing blood, symbolized by the cleansing water of baptism, is the only way by which our children may be saved…

Baptism teaches that God, in and through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, is able and willing to be the Redeemer and Father of our children….

Knowing such things should encourage us more to evangelize our children and to plead for their salvation, never giving God rest until they are all brought safely into His fold. Then, too, we must teach our covenant children and young people to plead with our covenant God on the basis of His promises to baptize them with the Spirit of grace and to grant them regeneration, repentance, and faith.

Hopefully these brief quotes will provide a taste of the devotional quality of Dr. Beeke’s book and that we will be lead to renew our zeal for our children and grandchildren! They ARE the “heritage of the Lord” and His special possession.

As we seek to renew ourselves and renew our congregations in light of God’s Word, part of that renewal comes as we return to the Reformed doctrine of infant baptism and rescue it from our neglect of it’s proper understanding.