A baptist, Justin Taylor (of John Piper's ministry) asks a question about infant baptism on the reformation21 blog (the date of the question is 1/29/06). Rick Phillips gives a very good response (dated 1/29/06). Here's a quote:
One reality this makes clear is that the difference between paedo- and craedo-baptists is not really about who should receive the sacrament. The difference is over what the sacrament is. Whereas Baptists believe (correct me if I am mistaken) that baptism is "an outward sign of an inward change", we believe that baptism is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace. Whereas Baptists believe that baptism signifies the new birth, we believe that it initiates entry into the covenant community of the visible church. This is the difference of opinion that produces our different views on the recipients of baptism. I think that realizing this will help us to communicate more effectively than has been our norm.Read the rest here and the followup discussion here.
(Link via Round Here)
