Best of 2020's - What Value is Baptism to Little Children?

What is the practical advantage to baptizing children of believers?  Christian baptism sets someone apart.  Baptism for infants, children or adults, means that the name of the Triune God (The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit), has been placed on them, and that they are part of the trinitarian faith.  It’s a powerful, countercultural declaration to the world that God is the one true God, and that we identify with Him and are trusting in Him for our salvation.   

About John

John Fonville is Pastor of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Paramount Church is part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). 

The Him We Proclaim Podcast features the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. John Fonville at Paramount Church. This resource aims to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. The gospel cannot be assumed. An assumed gospel will, in time, become a denied gospel. Thus, each generation must rediscover the paramount truths of the gospel and apply the gospel's implications to their own day and age. Him we proclaim (Col. 1:28)!

Subscribe to the Paramount Church Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ParamountChurch

Original sermons from this series by Dr. John Fonville

https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/series/little-ones-to-him-belong

How to Support Paramount Church

https://www.paramountchurch.com/give

Transcript

Hi, you're listening to the Him We Proclaim podcast with John Fonville. We're in season six called Little ones to Him belong. What is the practical advantage to baptizing children of believers? Christian baptism set someone apart. And baptism for infants, children or adults, means that the name of the Triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has been placed on them, and that they are part of the Trinitarian faith. It's a powerful countercultural declaration to the world, that God is the one true God, and that we identify with him and are trusting in Him for our salvation. Here's John,

John Fonville  00:37

this is the question we've been looking at is why do we baptize children of believers? Because basically, you have to think about it like this. It's like an iceberg. You see 10% of the iceberg on top of the water. And that's what you see today. You see children, babies and small children being baptized. But 90% of iceberg is under the water that you never see and may not be aware that it's there, but it's there. And it's the 90%. That is the reason for the 10%. Let me just quickly rehearse for you what we've looked at, and I want us to look at something specific this morning. Why do we baptize children on believers one, because Abraham is the pattern. God has made promises to believers in their children. And so he repeats that promise throughout all of redemptive history. He promises to be a God to us and to our children. And that promise is at every epic and redemptive history, all the way to the consummation of the new heavens and the new earth and Revelation 21. Second, Jesus Institute's baptism within the context of the Abrahamic covenant, and the Great Commission, which is given to the visible church, Jesus commands his visible church make disciples of all the nations. And we looked at this phrase to all the nations which comes from the Abrahamic covenant, Genesis, chapter 22, verse 18. In that passage, listen to what the Lord promises Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant, he says, in your offspring, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. And so what is the Great Commission? What is the new covenant we looked at this? It is simply that new administration of the Abrahamic covenant. The third reason we looked at last week is because infant baptism is not a child dedication, service. Baptism is a divine ordinance of God which God has ordained in the words of institution in Matthew 28. This is why we do not practice a man made ceremony in the church. Child dedication, baby dedication we looked at as a human invention is an innovation it's misguided and it's not authorized in the church. What do we say that infant child dedication does is that child baby dedications focuses our attention on the promises and actions of the parents. But that is him first and foremost focuses our attention on God's actions and his promises to us. What is baptism baptism is not my public sign of my promise. It is first and foremost a sign and seal of God's promise to be a God to us and to our children. It signs and seals God's promise. Baptism, whether it be infant household baptism, or adult believer baptism is a testimony to the sovereignty of God's grace in which He loved us before we loved him. So baptism, what is it it is a joyful sign, visible sign of the gospel, it is a visible gospel. And this is why baptism is such a wonderful picture of the gospel, you have the helplessness of a little baby, be marked out by God's people through no power of their own. And that's a far better picture of God's gracious sovereign work of salvation than a parent's Well, meaning it isn't well meaning, but imperfect and unreliable promise. You see, baptism signifies and seals God's promises which are not like mine as a parent, which is imperfect and half hearted. God's promises His faithfulness, to always fulfill his promises. He's filled with steadfast love that is he's made a promise and he keeps it. This is what baptism signifies in sales. And so that's what we looked at last week. Here's the fourth point, why don't we baptize children and believers? This is in the form of a question. What does infant baptism do? Right? What advantage does the baptized child have? Let me tell you first what baptism doesn't do. Okay? Baptism doesn't regenerate. It doesn't grant new life. Baptism is not the instrument of new life. Baptism is the outward visible sign and seal of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's gracious work of giving new life by which one becomes part of the new creation. What was the Holy Spirit doing had Pentecost he was poured out by God the Father, God, the Son, the Ascended Christ on his church, to reverse Babel. Once you had it at Pentecost, for all these languages, that nobody understood all of a sudden understanding the gospel and their languages before it was the reversal of Babel. It was the fulfillment of God's promise with Abrahamic covenant, for the see the offspring of Abraham to be a blessing to the world. Titus chapter three, verses four through seven. Listen to how Paul describes God the Father, He says, When the kindness not amazing, when the kindness and love of God our Savior, the father, toward man appeared, how did God the Father appear? He says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom God the Father poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Look, then having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. And Paul says, this is a faithful a trustworthy saying. This passage that I just read to you as an early Trinitarian creedal confession of the Church, which is quite amazing in the first century, you already have this creed in the Bible for us. But in verse five, this Washington has an implied reference to baptism in the pouring house, this rich pouring out that Paul says, he says, is an echo of Pentecost. at Pentecost, the church was baptized with the Holy Spirit. God, the Father, Paul says, Did not restrain himself and pouring out the spirit on the church abundantly How do you do it through Jesus Christ, our Savior, just as the prophet Joe promised. So baptism, Paul says is a sacramental counterpart to the lavish outpouring of the Holy Spirit who brings about a new creation of any man be in Christ. He's what is the new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things that have come now that you are in Christ, you are now part of the age to come to New Creation, to come. So baptism, who is the outward counterpart to that it is the visible sign and seal of that but it is not magic. Baptism is not magic is not sprinkle some water on the baby or the child and presto, voila, we we have a new creation. It doesn't work like that. baptism does not work. Look, X opera opera, Otto by the working does work by doing it, it's magic. It's not how it works. baptism does not unite us to Christ. baptism does not forgive our sins, original sins, all personal sins, as well as punishment for sin. And righteousness does not come to us incrementally through baptism. It is faith alone, that unites me to Christ. And that faith is a gift given to me by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. So in brief, what I'm saying to you is this is a baptism doesn't save as Christ does. So as baptism doesn't save the individual, adult or child, who what is the practical advantage of being baptized? It's particularly an infant. What does infant baptism do? Why do we baptize children of believers? And we'll give you two reasons. First. Infant baptism says to the world, this child is not a Muslim. It says to the world, this child is not a non Christian Jew. This child is not an atheist. This child is not a pagan. You see, baptism serves as a marker by which the church is discerned from all various sects, which exist in the world. And so those who received into the church by this public sacrament is a badge by this badge and as it received into Christ visible church. They are distinguished from the rest of mankind. Our child is not a pagan our child is a Christian, received into the church. And so what is Christian baptism Christian baptism is a naming ceremony. Listen to the words of institution by Jesus. He commands his visible church, he says, make disciples of all the nations by means of and here's the first way you make a disciple by means of baptizing. make disciples of all the nations by means of baptizing and how baptizing them in the name of and here it is, of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Christian baptism is a naming ceremony. The baptized person has given the name of the Triune God, the in baptism, the child or the adult believer, the sign of the name of the triune, God is placed upon them. And so this, this, this Trinitarian emphasis and belief is highlighted in the baptismal vows that parents take, or the baptism a candidate says adults make. And you'll hear this in just a minute. This is what they're asked, Do you believe in trust in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? And the answer is we do and together right after that affirmation, the baptismal candidates are the parents on behalf of their children with all the church affirms this Trinitarian faith, and to which we are the church is baptized in the words of the apostles, in the words of the apostles creed, by which when some people in the fourth century, can made this public confession, and were baptized, that were then martyred for it, is that powerful declaration of faith, these are not empty words. And so a naming ceremony baptism is a powerful countercultural declaration to the whole world, that the Triune God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He is the One True God with whom we identify and with whom we are trusting and for our salvation. That's the first thing that baptism does for that child. Second, infant baptism initiates our children into the visible covenant community called the church. The Baptism is the outward visible sign and seal of initiation or entrance into the visible covenant community called the church. So perhaps you're thinking what advantage is thereby being brought into the visible church? Well, we could ask it like this, what advantage is the external administration of the covenant of grace? This is what the Apostle Paul talks about in Romans chapter three. And he answers this very question in verses one through four. Listen to what he says about the external administration of the covenant of grace for the Jews and the Old Testament of the Mosaic Covenant. He says, What advantage has the Jew he says, what is the value of circumcision? Listen much in every way. To begin with the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. Well, what are some of the Jews are unfaithful? Does their faithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means? Let God be true, though everyone a liar, as it is written that you may be justified in your words and prevail when you're judged. And so Paul is answering this question, What did vow what value is circumcision? What value is it to receive the external administration of the covenant of grace and mist of God's people? What value is baptism? Paul's answer is much in every way. Listen carefully, because this is very different, please your allergy from what you may have grown up with. There is a great advantage of being part of the sphere of the outward administration of the covenant of grace that is coming to the visible church. God has promised to work in and through the means that he has instituted in the context of the visible church. Jesus highly values the visible church in Matthew chapter 16, verses 18 through 19. Listen to how much he values the visible church. He says I also say to you that you're a Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. He says, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on her shall be bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on her, she'll be loosed in heaven. The visible church is the only institution on earth which Christ has given the keys of his kingdom to this can be said of no other institution on Earth. That's why baptisms that are committed by schools, baptisms that are done in camps and parachurch organizations. We call those in the Reformed faith, the irregular because they have not been instituted in those institutions. Christ told the church, his visible church, he has given the keys to the kingdom to his visible church. And so what are the keys of the kingdom? It is the ministry of God's word, it is the preaching of the lawn gospel, it is the sacraments, which are visible gospels, and it is church discipline. These are the ministries of the keys of Christ's kingdom. And so what is the visible church? What is this place where we come in is the place where a covenant children come to faith, and then for a lifetime, are nurtured in that faith. And that's where they flourish. Let me say like this, my bear to say like this, the visible church is like an air for the bird, or water for the fish. The visible church is like asking these questions, what is the value of a ship on the open sea? What is the value of an airplane when you're 35,000 feet in the air? As the Apostle Paul says, much in every way. This is what separates the church father, he would have had he who would have God for his father must have the church as his mother. And this is what all the reformed confessions agree to Belgic confession article 28, a part of the confession of our church. Listen to what it says it says, We believe that since this holy assembly, the visible gathered church and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved, he said and there is no salvation apart from it. No one ought to withdraw from it and no one should be content to be left to himself. This is why the Lutheran theologian James V. He's written a beautiful, fabulous book called God at work. It's a book on the doctrine of vocation which was recovered in the Reformation. Listen to what he says about the value of the local visible church. He says minimizing the the ordinary local church is a great mistake. Minimizing the ordinary local church is a great mistake. Christ is hidden in His Church on earth. And he always has been just because he has not seen just because there are no spectacular spiritual effects, or because those who worship Him in church are not religious superheroes. I'm not right, does not mean the Christ is not present. Christ is present where he has promised to be. Where has he promised to being He is present in the Word of God, the law and especially the gospel. He is present in the sacraments and indiscipline where he gives these chilling words in Matthew 1820, where two or three are gathered together and my name, I am there in the midst of them. So having been initiated into Christ visible Church, the child now is eligible for catechesis instruction catechism class to be instructed in the Christian faith. This is why in just a moment and the baptismal liturgy, the parents are going to make vows to do all they can to teach their children and listen carefully and to have their children taught in this Christian Church, the doctrine of salvation, the Christian faith. And so parents in the context of the visible church, what do we do we, we pray for our child, we, we nourish and nurture our children. We raise our children as Christians. We don't treat our children as little reprobates, right? Rather we treat our child or our children as covenant children, as heirs and proper recipients of this outward administration of the covenant of grace And so this is why we administer baptism. We do not administer baptism on the basis of speculation. Now they're, they're saved. We don't administer baptism on the basis of a personal profession, because baptism doesn't signify your promise. It signifies God's promise. We don't administer baptism on the presumption of regeneration. We administer baptism on the foundation of God's promise to Abraham, which is also to us. Genesis 17, seven, I will be a God to you and to your children after you. And Peter, because this is Pentecost Sunday, he repeats that promise of the Abrahamic Covenant at the Feast of Pentecost. And he says to all those Jewish families who were standing there on that day, he says, For the promise, this Abrahamic promise, this promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off the Gentiles. Genesis 12, verse three Galatians, three, eight were Paul calls, Genesis 12, three the gospel beforehand the gospel and promised the Abrahamic covenant is the gospel. Peter says, it is always it has always been the beginning, the Abrahamic Covenant has always included the Gentiles. And so he says, For this promises to you and to your children, and to all the Gentiles who are a far off as many as the Lord our God will call. What a wonderful promise we have. And so that's why we administer baptism. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your promise. We thank you for your promise to Abraham that you have promised that you will be a God to us and to our children after us. And so we come to you today trusting the Triune God Father, Son and Holy Spirit by whom are marked forever trusting in you have to do for us but we cannot do for ourselves nor can we do for our children. And we pray that you will take this visible sign and seal and confirmed to the whole church that a the promises of your gospel and we pray you will do this through the power of your Holy Spirit in Jesus name.