| General Theology The forum for general theological discussions about issues that do not fit in any other forum, eg. Angelology |
|
View Poll Results: Are infants and young children members of the Church ? | |
Yes
|     | 30 | 83.33% | |
No
|    | 6 | 16.67% |
 | | 
19th August 2004, 12:39 PM
| | Member
28    
| | Join Date: 19th August 2004 Location: Louisville,KY,USA
Posts: 75
Blessings: 34,320
Reps: 15 (power: 0) | | | i voted 'yes' based on that preconception that they were talking about members as in part of God's family |
19th August 2004, 12:48 PM
|  | Legend
61   
 | | Join Date: 3rd August 2004
Posts: 37,292
Blessings: 10,206 My Mood 
Reps: 6,432,582,382,008,649 (power: 6,432,582,382,051) | | | The question is a little vague. If you mean the local church, then the answer of course depends on the particular church. If you mean the church as the Bride of Christ, then yes, of course they are.
Rich
__________________
Man fixes everything with duct tape--God used nails.
|
19th August 2004, 12:56 PM
|  | Regular Member
| | Join Date: 1st March 2004
Posts: 139
Blessings: 34,820
Reps: 30 (power: 0) | | Well, this question presupposes that there is only one aspect of the Church to be considered, namely, the visible Church. However, we Reformed, see that there is the visible Church and the invisible Church.
To answer this question, we must ask ourselves this question: what should be the necessary requirements for membership of a church?
1) A credible profession of faith
2) Commitment to the doctrines of the Gospel of Christ
If an infant or a child can meet these requirements, they should be allowed to become members of a visible church.
This leads me to my next point: which is this,
The invisible church is the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head ( Eph. 1:20, 22-23; John 10:16, 11:52). Only those who possess true saving faith are admitted into the Invisible Church, and this is the gift of God's Sovereign grace. The church is the community of all true believers for all time. This definition understands the church to be made of all those who are truly saved. Paul says, "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Eph 2:25). Here the term "the church" is used to apply to all those whom Christ died to redeem, all those who are saved by the death of Christ. But that must include all true believers for all time, both believers in the New Testament age and believers in the Old Testament age as well. (Grudem)
So, unless one has true saving faith, they are not members of the Church. They might be on the registry of a local assembly, but untill they actually do profess and confess and possess true saving faith, they simply fill the pews. So, to answer the question, "Are infants and children members of the Church?", they are, only if they possess true saving faith in Christ's finished work, like any of the rest of us. Acts 4: 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
dir="ltr"> For who even of the slight intelligence does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in a measure to “lisp” in speaking to us? Thus such forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like as accommodate the knowledge of Him to our slight capacity. To do this He must descend far beneath His loftiness. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Ed. By John T. McNeill (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1960) I:13:1, p. 121. |
19th August 2004, 12:56 PM
|  | Creed or Chaos
50    
| | Join Date: 24th June 2003 Location: Georgia - USA
Posts: 23,498
Blessings: 191,739
Reps: 47,556 (power: 77) | | Little children are unable to repent and have nothing to repent from.
Sorta like Anabaptist limbo
/me flees 
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
From the CF Dictionary:
Tradition of men: Biblical doctrine that I disagree with.
Word of God: My personal opinion.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
19th August 2004, 01:00 PM
| | Regular Member
| | Join Date: 1st March 2004
Posts: 139
Blessings: 34,820
Reps: 30 (power: 0) | | Little children are unable to repent and have nothing to repent from.
Who said this?
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
dir="ltr"> For who even of the slight intelligence does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in a measure to “lisp” in speaking to us? Thus such forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like as accommodate the knowledge of Him to our slight capacity. To do this He must descend far beneath His loftiness. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Ed. By John T. McNeill (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1960) I:13:1, p. 121. |
19th August 2004, 01:04 PM
| | Creed or Chaos
50
| | Join Date: 24th June 2003 Location: Georgia - USA
Posts: 23,498
Blessings: 191,739
Reps: 47,556 (power: 77) | | they are, only if they possess true saving faith in Christ's finished work, like any of the rest of us.
How do they receive this faith, and does being an infant/child preclude the reception of it ?
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
From the CF Dictionary:
Tradition of men: Biblical doctrine that I disagree with.
Word of God: My personal opinion.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
19th August 2004, 01:07 PM
| | Regular Member
| | Join Date: 1st March 2004
Posts: 139
Blessings: 34,820
Reps: 30 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by Oblio How do they receive this faith, and does being an infant/child preclude the reception of it ?
How do they receive this faith? Just like the rest of us: by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ.
Does being an infant or child preclude the reception of it? No.
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
dir="ltr"> For who even of the slight intelligence does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in a measure to “lisp” in speaking to us? Thus such forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like as accommodate the knowledge of Him to our slight capacity. To do this He must descend far beneath His loftiness. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Ed. By John T. McNeill (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1960) I:13:1, p. 121. |
19th August 2004, 01:16 PM
| | Creed or Chaos
50
| | Join Date: 24th June 2003 Location: Georgia - USA
Posts: 23,498
Blessings: 191,739
Reps: 47,556 (power: 77) | | Originally Posted by agenes How do they receive this faith? Just like the rest of us: by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ.
Does being an infant or child preclude the reception of it? No. 
Thanks
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
From the CF Dictionary:
Tradition of men: Biblical doctrine that I disagree with.
Word of God: My personal opinion.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
19th August 2004, 01:20 PM
| | Regular Member
| | Join Date: 1st March 2004
Posts: 139
Blessings: 34,820
Reps: 30 (power: 0) | | | You are welcome.
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
dir="ltr"> For who even of the slight intelligence does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in a measure to “lisp” in speaking to us? Thus such forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like as accommodate the knowledge of Him to our slight capacity. To do this He must descend far beneath His loftiness. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Ed. By John T. McNeill (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1960) I:13:1, p. 121. |
19th August 2004, 01:26 PM
| | Contributor
| | Join Date: 18th July 2004
Posts: 6,953
Blessings: 41,256
Reps: 3,107,876 (power: 3,119) | | | I had to vote no because the church is made up of believers and so if an infant has not asked for forgiveness then they cannot be saved and so cannot be apart of the church.
__________________ "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths."
Psalm 24:1, 2
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
| | |
| Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |
| | |
