For and Against: Infant Baptism

Derek (for) and Andrew (against) debate infant baptism, and Matt moderates.

While Matt, Derek, and Andrew practice staying in-place, they decide to take up the topic of who the proper subjects of baptism are? Derek argues for the legitimacy of paedobaptism, Andrew argues for the credobaptist view, Matt moderates, and fun is had by all. Even amidst the pandemic that the world is experiencing, topics like the sacraments always remain salient for the church. And while it may be important for us to discuss and perhaps debate how to respond to our current public health crisis, it remains important to continue to discuss one of the things that only the church does and is marked by: baptism.

Verses quoted:

Andrew quotes/references Colossians 2:12-14: 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses …

Derek quotes/references Genesis 15 and 17, as well as Colossians 2:11: In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…

Derek also references the household baptisms in Acts (e.g., Ch. 16) and that the children of believing parents are called “holy” in 1 Corinthians 7:14

Timestamps

0:00
Intro + The guys give an update on how they’re doing in quarantine
1:52
What did it take for Derek to become persuaded by the paedobaptist view of baptism?
8:20
Similarly, what did it take for Andrew to be persuaded that it is not licit to baptize infants?
12:10
Question for Andrew: When we think about the faith that could be confirmed by the church and be expressed through our entrance in the church through baptism, 1) what is the nature of this faith that allows for entrance to occur, and 2) what do we do for people who have cognitive disabilities that would make it difficult for them to evaluate their own faith?
21:00
Question for Derek: Whose faith is being recognized in infant baptism? Is the parent’s faith vicariously recognized in the paedobaptist view?
32:15
Andrew responds to Derek’s claim that the burden of proof is on the baptist view that there is a discontinuity between the subjects of circumcision and baptism
36:26
Derek follows up
39:19
Andrew rebuts and claims that circumcision and baptism do not directly correspond
40:55
Final question: What is the correlation between baptism and regeneration? + Conclusion

Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Caleb Wait for keeping us organized. Special thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.

Baptism For & Against Reformed Theology Biblical Interpretation Biblical Theology
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