Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
Not the verse I have in mind.
But notice in Acts 16.30-33 Paul does not make conditions. Whether foreign born slaves or underage children. He said the entire household without interogating him. Paul assumes a standard oikos and the jailer being the head of his oikos.
Yes, and all believed. How did Paul know they believed? Did he simply take it for granted? Did he think for a minute that babies were capable of believing anything?
He tells the jailer, believe in Christ and you will be saved. You and your oikos. (He could have omitted 'and your oikos') and just go on with the narrative. Up until recently these verses would have universally been understood to include children (and servants). No one in the Levant or Greece or Egypt especially 1800 years ago would ever suppose Paul only meant a household full of adults. The Oikos was managed by the master of the house and internally managed by the wife cooperatively, and all other fell in line. The modern day interpretation of Mark 16:31 as consisting of only adult children would never pass muster in Paul's day. Paul's whole intent is to show the oikos is included. this is no different than Abraham who was required to circimcise ALL males of his household regardless:
Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17)
Now one of the biggest fallacies of those who claim sola scripture is the non-bibilical belief that children cannot believe in Christ. Where in the bible does it teach this? On the contrary scripture teaches children are naturally inclined believers in Christ:
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matt 18:5-6)
15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? (Matt 21)
Your intentions do not make baptism valid. The word and promises of God make baptism valid.I'll have to disagree with that. I was baptized around 13, it meant absolutely nothing to me. I had a reason for doing so, but it had nothing to do with a personal decision to follow Christ. I was rebaptized when came back to Christ.
Your intentions do not make baptism valid. The word and promises of God make baptism valid.
Your intentions do not make baptism valid. The word and promises of God make baptism valid.
Reductio ad absurdum much?Interesting assertion here - that an infant is capable of mental activity without supplying the slightest evidence of it. I am equally convinced that my pet goldfish is a Christian. Actually, he is more of a Christian than most because he continually is swimming in the water of his baptism. Now, it is up to you to make the case that my goldfish is not a Christian.
Pretty scandalous isn't it? To look to God's promises made to us in our baptism and not to our good works for our assurance of salvation. Radical Gospel can be very offensive to our old man.The difficulty here is that one might conclude that, having been baptized, an individual is completely assured of his eternal salvation and that nothing further can, or needs, to happen.
Yes, it's God's gift of faith working in us which receives and clings to God's word and promises.If not, then God's word and promise is, at best, conditioned upon something else.
Our baptism should mean everything to us. In Holy Baptism God made me his dear child and heir, washed away my sins, and united me in the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.Sorry----A baptism that is not from the heart, will end in "Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." If it means nothing tl you, it means nothing to God.
Our baptism should mean everything to us. In Holy Baptism God made me his dear child and heir, washed away my sins, and united me in the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?