Dan Baynes - 24 July 2008 10:36 PM

Wasn’t there an article in the Briefing many years ago that suggested that children of Christian parents didn’t really need baptism at any point?

I don’t know about a briefing article but I’ve posted what’s below before and I think it would be used by those who would suggest that maybe there is no need to baptize children of Christian parents.

Edersheim – Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah
Appendix XII.THE BAPTISM OF PROSELYTES (See vol.i. BookII. ch.xi. p.273.)

• all the children were admitted to membership on the faith of their parents
• all the males - children and adults - were circumcised
• the whole family – men, women and children– were baptized

• Unborn children of proselytes did not require to be baptized, because they were born ‘in holiness’ (Yebam. 78 a).

Neither Jews nor the children of proselytes were baptised because they were considered as born into the covenant and therefore had no need of baptism which was used only as an introductory rite.

Is this speaking of Jewish baptisms, or Christian baptism? If circumcision was required, it looks like proselytes to Judaism, which makes it an entirely different animal! Circumcision was the sign of that Covenant. See my comments above on why Christian baptism is for the mature, and for both males and females.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Old Covenant concerned a physical nation. If you were born into it, or ‘converted’ and joined it, you were in regardless of the absence of faith. Jesus comments on Jewish proselytes being twice the children of Gehenna! The New Covenant people is a spiritual nation. You can’t be born into this Covenant, only born again into it, which requires deliberate faith. Hence, the sign of the Covenant is only for those who exercise this faith.

Michael, its talking about Gentile converts to Judaism. Its relevance is to understanding how people may have thought about baptism in the first century. It is primarily of interest not meant to suggest we should do as they did regarding circumcision etc.

- When the NT says ‘the church at [city]’ it has a very particular group of saints in mind. There is a membership roll.

Can you explain this point of Piper’s more for me please? (Or link to somewhere where he has)

No worries. Worth a read - or you can download and listen. I found them helpful.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2008/2989_How_Important_Is_Church_Membership/

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2008/3037_What_Is_Baptism_and_How_Important_Is_It/