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1 The New Covenant Churches of Christ WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella November 6, 2016 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, selfcontrolled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory (1 Tim ). Introduction The goal for this message is to complete our transition from the OT to Paul s epistle to the church at Rome. By this study, we will gain an important perspective for understanding the Book of Romans as a letter to the church of the new covenant that applies to all the churches from Paul s day to the present. A good way to do this will be to show how Scripture teaches that the new covenant churches of Christ (my title) are households of faith; and more specifically, are households of confessed faith. Biblical support comes from the teaching of Jesus, the Book of Acts, and the writings of Paul. I. The teaching of Jesus We begin with the teaching of Jesus as it fits naturally with our progression from the theme of the OT (the covenant) to the covenant people of the NT (the new Israel), and thus to our Lord s instructions about His church and the churches of the new covenant. To be sure, in the Gospels we have very little that is direct and explicit from our Lord about the church. However, in Matthew 16 and 18, He presents us with teaching about the church that is radically important to everything that happens in the time between His resurrection and return. In an ideal or universal sense, the church is the body of His elect down through the ages; and in a particular sense, the church is a local assembly of brothers and sisters. 1. Matthew 16 The first of only two uses of the word church by our Lord is in these well-known words to Peter that follows his confession of Christ (Mat ): He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. In the OT, the word church is used for an assembly of people; for example, the gathering at Sinai is an assembly or church (Deut 9.10; 10.4). Stephen (in Acts 7.38) calls the people of God in the wilderness the church. The word church stems from the word to call. Hence, it can be translated the called people, those called to assemble, a congregation of called out ones. You will remember that John, as the forerunner, came to prepare a people for the Lord. He was a voice crying in the wilderness

2 !2 to call into existence a new form of the children of Abraham. Accordingly, Israelites become the new Israel by repentance expressed in baptism, the doorway into the new Israel. Now, with John having passed off the scene, Jesus speaks of this new people as His church. That He will build it in the future does not eliminate the preparatory work by John. Nor does it deny that Jesus is already laying the foundation of the church in the twelve apostles to represent the new twelve tribes. Thus, confessing Christ along with Peter, all the apostles (the symbolic twelve) make up the rock on which Jesus builds His church. They are the church s foundation in their confession of Christ and their use of the keys of the kingdom to bind heaven s truth on earth by divine authority. Therefore, the hallmark of the church built on that foundation is confession. It comes into existence by confessing Christ and it continues to exist by confessing Christ. The church, we may comfortably say, is a household of confessed faith. 2. Matthew 18 The other use of the word church by our Lord gives us more about the coming church. In Matthew , He shows us that His church of the future consists of local churches. In the flow of thought, He speaks of His flock (12-13), little ones (14), and the family of brothers and sisters in times of conflict (15-20). If a brother in the household of faith sins, the family is to respond first individually: go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother (18.15). If that fails and if taking two or three witnesses fails, then Jesus says, tell it to the church (18.17a). As you know, if bringing the matter to the church fails, then this process of church discipline, already going on, is to culminate in excommunication: let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector (18.17b). Now to our point, Jesus gives the authority of binding and loosing to the local church (18.18, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven). The fact that this authority was given to the apostles (16.19) indicates that the local church has authority to discipline her members, but her authority derives from the apostolic authoritative foundation. This means that the local church s authority is governed by the word of the apostles in their testimony to Christ, which (to make a long story short) we now have in the NT. Even in discipline, it is necessary that she give voice to Peter s confession; the local church that Christ builds is a household of confessed faith. 1 Before leaving the teachings of Christ, the mention of the brother (18.15) reminds us of two more things about new covenant churches of Christ. a. First, the church has a new definition (or identification) In strong words, Jesus defined His new household of mother, brothers, and sisters not by natural ties of birth but by obedience to the will of God (Mk ): And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." Of course, Abraham s children were called to faith, but his household, as the visible covenant community, was identified by birth and therefore marked out by circumcision. In this light, and by contrast to nuclear family ties, it is fitting that the new household of God and the new people of God be identified by the obedience of faith, which is doing the will of God. 2 1 As Ridderbos puts it: here the church has a definite "address," i.e., the church formed at a particular place which can assert itself in a particular case and which can be represented (if he neglect to hear the church"). Anyone who also disobeys this church "shall be unto thee as an heathen man and publican." This is more specific than Mathew 16 for in 18 we have the activities of the local church. So, "binding" and "loosing" also certainly refer to disciplinary authority in connection with membership in the church" and denotes "expulsion from and reinstatement into the church" by discipline that has a judicial authority exercised on earth and confirmed in heaven (Coming of the Kingdom, ). Peter s authority applies to the church that came after him when and where the church follows the apostolic witness as its infallible foundation. Confession of faith in the risen Lord involves a pledge of good behavior (1 Pet 3.21); faith is not a matter of words 2 only but also of deeds.

3 !3 b. Second, the church has a new dynamic In the formation of His church, a sword will cut across the nuclear family: For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her motherin-law a person s enemies will be those of his own household (Mat ). In context, deep and serious divisions surface because of differences regarding love for Christ, willingness to bear His cross, finding life in Him, and receiving Him by faith. In summary, those who confess Him before men, He will confess before the Father and those who deny Him before men on earth, He will deny before the Father in heaven (Mat 10.32). Thus, the local churches of Christ are households that confess Him before men in the obedience of faith (taking the new definition and the new dynamic together). The backdrop of John indicates that the local church is a household of sinners who enter the church by confession of sin in baptism. Jesus adds to the meaning of their confession by telling us that they confess Christ, love to Him, and commitment to His authoritative word given by His apostles. Therefore, Christ s churches are households of confessed faith. Indeed, a different milieu from the OT! II. The Book of Acts The record of what Jesus continued to do and teach in the Book of Acts (1.1-2), reveals that members of nuclear households become members of the household of God by faith expressed in baptism (Acts , which builds on John s baptism). Notably, the emerging church at Jerusalem operates on the foundation of the apostles doctrine, that is what they confess in fellowship with one another (Acts 2.42). Interestingly, when the door into the church is definitively opened to the Gentiles, the Lord Jesus by the Spirit gives good news to a household, that of Cornelius (Acts 10-11). Previously, He told Cornelius that when Peter comes he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household (Acts 11.14). Thus, in 10.44, we read that while Peter was still saying these things [preaching salvation], the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. To those who opposed receiving the Gentiles, Peter said, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ ( ); in His name because He is Lord of all (10.36). This begins the local church at Caesarea cited later in Acts 18.22, a church whose membership, notably and remarkably, included Gentiles. It is a local expression of the new nation to whom kingdom salvation is given in the judgment of old Israel, the wicked vinegrowers of Matthew We should take care to note what the Lord promised to Cornelius, household salvation (11.14): he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household. Therefore, it is reasonable to hear Him say, by faith in this message you will be saved, and likewise by faith, your household will be saved. 3 God does not work with people merely as individuals. He is pleased to form households of faith by working in nuclear families, which in this case includes relatives, close friends, and servants (10.7, 24). This visible local church was created by Christ through the Spirit who gave Gentiles repentance unto life (Acts 11.18). 4 The 3 It is similar with the Philippian jailor (Acts 16.31): believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and your house; in other words, the gospel promise is offered to your household and each member who believes shall be saved. Certainly, the churches are the product of His efficacious call. A clear example of this fact is recorded in Acts where we are told that many of the Gentiles to whom Paul preached were converted because as many as were appointed to eternal life believed (Acts13.48). Also, consider the promise of the Lord to Paul regarding future converts at Corinth: And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people." 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them (Acts ). It is His call that brings sinners into fellowship with Him in His church (1 Cor ) and guarantees their safety to the day of Christ (1 Cor 1.7-9). Also notable is the fact that they are identified as those who call on the name of the Lord (1 Cor 1.2); they are the called who call on the Lord and confess that the Lord is their God.

4 !4 fact that they received the Spirit and His gift of repentance (and faith, 11.17) is the ground that gave legitimacy to their baptism (10.47, so who can withhold water?). What then is the problem with baptizing Gentiles? It means that non-jews enter the new Israel by baptism and become the people of God! This is radical and difficult for the early church to absorb. Even Peter had argued that the Gentiles are unclean, but the Lord taught him in a vision to call no man unclean (Acts 10.28). The longstanding wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles was broken down by the working of the Spirit who gave a vision to Cornelius, a corresponding vision to Peter, and the gifts of repentance and tongue-speaking to these Gentiles. All was given as proof to underscore the point that the formation of the churches of the new covenant - to replace old Israel with new households of faith - is the work of Christ by the Spirit. This is one example of many in the Book of Acts that shows how Jesus fulfills His promise (rooted in God s covenant-promise to Him) to build His church on the rock of Peter s confession. III. In the writings of Paul 1. First: Ephesians, Galatians, and Corinthians In harmony with the teaching of our Lord, Paul identifies the saints as the household of faith (Gal 6.10) and members of the household of God (Eph 2.19), which is His church built on the foundation of the apostles (2.20). In Corinthians, the church consists of the called who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1.2; as Acts 10.48) and who confess that Jesus is the Lord (1 Cor 12.3, as Acts 10.36). 5 Put simply, when members of local churches acknowledge Christ, speak the truth in love (Eph 4), and extend effort to build up one another in the gospel (1 Cor 14), they do so on the foundation of Peter s confession. Thus, members of the household of God in local churches are members of households of confessed faith. 2. Second: Romans In the Book of Romans, Paul connects obedience, confession, and calling on the Lord with baptism. Believing the gospel involves obeying the gospel (Rom ). Moreover, obedience is bonded with confession ( ): if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved, and this obedient confession is bonded with calling on the name of the Lord (10.13). 6 To be saved, both the confession and the call to God in prayer must come from the heart. Then, in Romans 6, baptism is shown to be an expression of obedience to the gospel as an act of freedom from sin by union with Christ (6.2-7; 16-17). Finally, Paul opens his letter to the Romans by placing himself in a household, as a slave of Christ Jesus (1.1). So, briefly put, the combination of these passages shows that a sinner (Jew or Gentile) enters the new Israelite household (Rom 2-4 and 9-11) by a baptismal confession of faith in the risen Lord. His baptism thereby begins his walk in newness of life (Rom 6.4). We come into the church making confession and at the same time we commit to discipleship in order to grow in our confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Mat 28.19; 1 Cor 12.3, 13). Before leaving these thoughts about confession, we should emphasize that confession of faith in baptism is not pointing to the candidate s faith. It is not saying, look, I have faith; I believe. Instead, it is the confession that faith makes of belief in Christ. A confession of faith in 5 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours (1 Cor. 1:2). They too are the called who call on the name of the Lord. The Corinthians are addressed as brothers (or sisters, 1 Cor 7.15), called by God, 1 Cor Recall that called ones who call on the Lord also confess God is my Lord (Zech 13.9). Therefore, the church at Corinth is a household of confessed faith. As we developed in the last message on the new covenant people, in Peter s use of Joel 2.32 in Acts 2 (21, 39), the 6 called by the Lord through the preached word are those who call on the Lord. Thus they enter the new Israel through the door of baptism and thereby save themselves from the crooked old generation.

5 !5 baptism confesses that Jesus is risen Lord. Accent is not on the faith by which we believe but on that which is believed. In other words, it is a confession regarding everything about Christ in His person and work, fine print and all, yet to be learned. A sinner enters the household of faith by confession and he continues in the household by growing in his confession. 3. Finally: 1 Timothy In 1 Timothy 3.15, Paul presents a distinct perspective on the church as the pillar and foundation of the truth while in Ephesians 2.20, he says that the household (with Gentiles in its membership) is built on the foundation of the apostles. The pictures stand in definite contrast. Different things are being emphasized in each passage by the building imagery. The truth that the church holds up (under its pillars) reveals the meaning of the contrast. It holds up the mystery of godliness (1 Tim. 3.16), which at its core refers to the shift of the gospel from Israel to the nations secured by Christ s coming in the flesh (we know this from Rom ; Eph 3.6; Acts 2.39, Acts 10-11). This mystery is the truth that is pillared by the church; in a fundamental sense, it includes the new covenant household. Therefore, on one hand, the church is founded on these truths in that God s word brings the church into existence and guides her steps (that's Eph 2.20 and Mat 16.18). On the other hand, the church is the foundation for these truths in that the church holds them up to neighbors and nations in witness and confession (that's 1 Tim 3.15; 6.13). Concluding application will highlight confession, reexamination, discipleship, and mission 1) Confession Our Lord Jesus and His apostles remind us that we have a job to do as a local church, namely, to confess the faith summarized now in the apostolic testimony of the NT. The mystery of Christ is great (1 Tim 3.16) yet we are to follow our Lord s example before Pilate where He confessed a good confession. Because of the command to strive for likemindedness, we are to make every effort to clarify and refine our confession of faith (Phil 1.27: let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel; 1 Cor 1.10). This is done in a special way in local churches because every local church is a confessing church, a household of confessed faith. Every local manifestation of Christ s church is under His headship to function by His rules for proper conduct in His household (1 Tim 3.15). It is important to remember that there is a dynamic to the life of the church that affects how we guard the gospel together in a process over time. We must recognize the Spirit s working in the church over the centuries; for church life is not static. So, to avoid the practice of reinventing the wheel in every generation, it is wise to adopt the historic confessions of the faith (to adopt them in their fundamentals and to adopt them as teaching guides). 2) Reexamination So, the prayer has to be that the Lord will help us continually examine and reexamine the confessions and our confession (at one time and another, in this and that) to move forward in truth and not backward into error. 7 We must always subordinate our fallible confession to the An example of doing this in our recent history (2012) is the reexamination of the traditional reformed view of the 7 requirements for partaking of communion. The spiritual leaders of the church discussed and sometimes debated the subject. In the end, WRC reaffirmed the three standard requirements after much searching of the Scriptures. Our findings are not cast in stone and can be reexamined again at any time the church deems it necessary. However, in good conscience, we confess the Lordship of Christ and understand that in the directives of His word, by good and necessary consequence, He lays down the three requirements of faith, baptism, and membership in good standing in a gospel preaching local church. We also confess and seek to obey His directive that we not try to police the table; instead, we seek to fence the table by appealing to the conscience with calls to study the word of God on the matter. Charity must reign in the application of these requirements by giving due place to members in transition who are invited to the table while they seek to resolve the matter of a covenant of membership with a local household of confessed faith.

6 !6 infallible apostolic confession, now in the NT added to the OT. Granted, desire for reform can lead the church away from the faith. 8 We must be vigilant, cautious, engaged, and prayerful. In this context, I have argued that the polarization over baptism between brothers and sisters since the Reformation is regrettable and unnecessary. It is regrettable because baptism is a sign of Christian love and unity. More effort should therefore be spent toward the goal of mutual acceptance. This polarization is unnecessary, in my judgment, because our formulations can be revised to grant validity to the opposing baptismal practice (whether Paedobaptist or Baptist). After all, as John Murray put it, Theology never attains definitive finality (for more on validity, see the addendum below). Therefore, three principles of validity merit more discussion among us and between the churches. 1) First, we all need to do justice to the objectivity of the sacrament; to acknowledge the voice of God in sign and seal. 2) Second, we need to incorporate into our thinking the fact of ritual simplicity in the NT and the corresponding fact that no sanctions are expressed in the NT for irregularities of ritual practice. This contrasts greatly to the ritual sanctions of the OT. 3) Third, we should recognize the dynamic nature of the household of confessed faith, which means that the irregularities iron themselves out. Eventually confession of faith on the part of children is added to baptism in orthodox infant Baptist practice, and baptism is eventually added to the nurture of children unto confession in Baptist practice. When we couple patient longsuffering and love with the pursuit of unity, we can wholeheartedly acknowledge validity to those ritual practices we deem irregular at a particular moment that lasts for only a short season. 9 We can affirm either position, we ought to baptize infants or we ought to only baptize children on confession of faith, at the same time that we acknowledge that the other view fulfills God s command, yes, yes eventually though in some irregular way. 10 3) Discipleship It goes without saying then that this teaching about the new covenant churches of Christ (for the time between His comings) reveals the importance not only of the local church under the headship of Christ, but also of our baptismal covenant of discipleship. According to the Great 8 For example, many reformed churches know nothing of the doctrines of grace, or if they are aware of them, they marginalize them. They are reformed in name only. 9 I have also argued that the practice of preaching communion remembrances grows naturally from reformed sacramental theology and that this practice of remembering is anything but a bare memorial when we remember along the lines of the Holy Spirit s reminding, as we have it especially (but not exclusively) in the Gospels. Discussion is welcome on this and the other ways that we are trying to refine our (local) confession as it relates to the Confessions and most importantly as it all relates to the final authority of Scripture. 10 Discussion today raised the important need to clarify what is meant by fulfills God s command. In this context, it refers to fulfilling God s command to baptize yes, but to baptize children growing up in the church. Baptizing adults who believe is clear to all; it is the place of children in relationship to baptism and the church that is not so clear and about which different claims to good and necessary inference are made. Connection with the church helps grapple with the idea of fulfilling God s command. All parties typically agree that baptism is the means of entry into the visible church and it should be agreeable to all that ultimately this means entry into communicant membership in the church (leaving arguments for paedocommunion aside). Therefore, all should agree that fulfilling God s command to baptize children growing up in the church means that they enter the church by confession of faith through baptism, by confession of faith and baptism. On this explanation, both infant baptized and believer baptized children enter the church in the full sense of communicant membership by confession of faith and baptism. Either of these paths to membership may be deemed irregular and determining that irregularity is a subordinate level of argument that can be healthy and rewarding. Such debate seeks to settle the specific practice of a local church; these thoughts about validity are not intended to leave the choice in the hands of parents; these thoughts do not argue that every path to membership is equally scriptural (though some may try to make that case on other grounds). The point here is that there is a regular (best, more complete, can we say more scriptural? ) way to bring children of the church into full communicant membership and that being true, the principles of validity converge to enable churches to demonstrate mutual love by bending over backwards to grant validity to baptismal practice that is different from their own. In the end (over time in a process of the self-regulation of their baptism), children growing up in the church become communicant members of the local visible church by confession of faith; thus, they are identified as members of the household of confessed faith and are welcomed to the Table.

7 !7 Commission, the Lord makes disciples from all nations and by baptism they come under the authority of the triune God to learn all that Jesus taught and commanded (Mat ). So, discipleship is critically important to fulfill our task of pillaring the truth. You should notice that this task belongs to all of us, not just to pastors. By being prayerful and earnest as learners, we grow in ability to confess a good confession and to thus honor the apostle 11 and high priest of our confession as a local manifestation of His church. Pursuing likemindedness is surely our reasonable service however big the challenges may be. It should always be our first foot forward in love for Christ and one another. 4) Mission In turn, this teaching causes us to tweak our understanding of the mission of the church, which is to be disciples for holiness to the glory of God. Now we can add the importance of confessing Christ as Lord. Thus, the mission of the church is to be disciples for holiness unto the glory of God by confessing a good confession that is well-grounded, growing, and developing in a context of cooperation and mutual love. Confessing Christ implies commitment to Him in the fullness of His person and work. All the fine print in Scripture about Him is acknowledged implicitly when we submit ourselves to His Lordship. This study gives me renewed perspective on the value and importance of my work of feeding the lambs and sheep of Christ, of teaching disciples, of being an instrument in your perfection in holiness as saints (Eph 4.12). So together, as we approach the book of Romans, let us dedicate ourselves anew to hear and receive the whole counsel of God. Surely, then, these reflections call for renewal of your commitment to learn from Christ as Head of the church, to confess Him before men, to confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart that He is the risen Lord. Therefore, commit yourself to willingly, individually, and corporately deepen your confession that Jesus is Lord in all His fullness to the glory of God the Father. May we fall down before the majesty of Jesus Christ the apostle and high priest of our confession who is given to the church as risen Lord and head of all things; may the Holy Spirit enable us to confess a good confession before men like Jesus did before Pilate; may He cause us to grow in our love for one another as brothers and sisters in the household of confessed faith; to the glory of the triune God, now in His church, and forever, amen. Addendum on Three Principles of Valid Baptism For a fuller treatment see the study on Baptist Theology that Grants Validity to Infant Baptism under studies on the WRC web site Despite the challenges of many disagreements among the people of God, surely, we must affirm that confession is 11 a primary task the rests on all our shoulders. Hebrews 3.1 shows this in its directive to meditate on our Lord: consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. Jesus became incarnate as an apostle, a sent one. The Father sent Jesus into the sinful world and Jesus willingly came. This is covenant language that reveals that Jesus is the missionary par excellence. He is the Sower sowing seed who gathers in the sure harvest (Mat. 13). As an apostle, God sent Him with a prophetic message and that is why He is the apostle of our confession. What we confess in a subjective sense comes from the confession that Jesus gave us in an objective sense: the confession as a body of prophetic truth that He gave us as our Apostle through the apostles. Because He is our apostle-prophet, God the Father tells us to listen to Him (Mat. 17.5). He is the prophet like Moses that was to come and to whom the people of God are to listen (Deut ). What a privilege is ours to listen to Him together as His very household. Hence, the goal of attaining likemindedness (Phil 1.27; 1 Cor 1.10) is our reasonable service.

8 !8 We have made the point that loving and godly parents ought to opt for a reformed diet on the promises of the new covenant, even if that means attending a church that has a different baptismal practice (in either direction regarding infant versus credo baptism). Parents promote healthy spiritual growth for themselves and their children in this way with a good conscience if they give due place to an inclusive view of a valid baptism. 1A. Stating the question of validity Valid refers to what the church is to accept as an actual baptism, not in need of repeating. More generally, it also refers to baptismal practice as acceptable without church discipline (because you are sinning if you do not baptize your infant children or you are sinning if you do). We are speaking here of the visible church with fallible administrators. Therefore, we should apply baptismal practice with reasonable charity, and with awareness that baptism is a sign of Christian unity (Eph. 4:1-6). In this light, it is not an overstatement to say that it is deplorable and shameful that baptism is one of the great divides in the history of the Christian church. By contrast, we must ask, "to promote unity, how can we argue that both sides of this debate can hold to their view as an ought while acknowledging validity to the opposing view?" 12 2A. Principles Grounding the Validity of Baptism 1B. The objectivity of the sacraments This point, much neglected outside of the reformed tradition, is extremely important regarding the issue of validity. It means that the sacraments are not only testimonies that the participants give, but they are also testimonies that God gives. As God-appointed signs, they point to what God is saying in the gospel. They reiterate the word of Scripture in prophetic enactments. When the church speaks in a ritual, God speaks; when the church baptizes, God baptizes through the church. We must also emphasize the fact that NT rituals are not bare reminders like a heap of stones left as a testimony of someone no longer present. God is present with His family in a special way in the observance of the sacraments. Furthermore, signs are seals (Rom. 4:11), which means that God not only speaks in the visual aids, but He also confirms the promises to the ears of the hearers. They are means by which God encourages His people along the way on their spiritual journey. This is not to deny the subjectivity of the sacraments. The church gives its confession, but the church's voice is in response to the words and acts of God. Given that the words and acts of God ought to have priority in our understanding of baptism, and given the fact that the administration of baptism is performed by God-appointed, though fallible hands, then it is safe to say that those who hold to believer baptism ought to admit the validity of infant baptism. This is simply saying that if we major on what has priority in the sacraments, the sign and seal that God gives, if we concentrate on God's voice in sign and seal and not on the fallibility that attaches to the practice of the church, then we will acknowledge that voice by admitting validity. To reject the validity of the church's action in the sacraments is to relativize or obscure the action of God 12 One answer comes from the principle of self-regulation, the third point below. Both baptismal practices do fulfill the command of Christ that is, eventually in the dynamic nature of the church over time. So, each could think that the other does fulfill the command of God, even if in an irregular way. Thus, both sides preserve their sense of ought to the correct and regular requirement at the same time that they show love by granting that the opposing view is not a sin but an irregularity. Healthy debate can and should continue in an attempt to reach likemindedness regarding which position is regular and what that means for the practice of a given local church. It can do so in a less charged atmosphere and the hope is that this will enable better listening to others, more sharing of good insights, and progress in creative thinking to avoid the ruts of polarization.

9 !9 in the sacraments. A broadminded posture on validity emerges from serious attention to the voice of God in sign and seal. Objectivity comports with the following basic requirements of a valid baptism: that the church carry it out to obey the commission of Christ, by a duly authorized minister of the gospel, and in the name of the triune God. These basics emerge from the fact that the Lord's commission is a command given to the corporate church (not individuals) to mark discipleship commitment under the authority of the trinity. 2B. The Simplicity of New Covenant Rituals A significant hurdle in accepting the validity of all Christian baptisms performed in the name of the triune God is the thought that some (those who hold the other view) are in breech of the command of God. If we ought to baptize children in the way of the obedience of faith, then this question arises, "how can we look lightly at the breech of a divine ought and accept infant baptism?" Likewise, some ask, if we ought to baptize infants by divine command, then how can the church fail to sanction or discipline those parents who break God's covenant? The objectivity of the sacraments gives us a foundation on which to build an answer to these concerns. Is it not reasonable to conclude that since God's presence in the sacraments is a blessing despite human failure in general, then it is a blessing despite human failure in particular breeches regarding ritual detail (either way, no matter which view you think is incorrect)? The fact that new covenant ritual observance is much simpler than old covenant ritual observance gives meaningful support to this line of thought. There is simplicity to new covenant rituals with respect to both their number and the rigor of their practice. In the new order brought by Christ, there is no longer a long list of ritual requirements specifying amounts of water, proper mixtures, detailed procedures, and extreme sanctions. This last fact of extreme sanctions is most important to our discussion. It is remarkable that the NT lacks what the OT possessed to an unusual extent: extreme penalties and sanctions for breeches of the smallest ritual detail. For example, touching the ark brought death even to those who grabbed it to keep it from falling to the ground (2 Sam. 6:6-7; 1 Sam. 6:19-20). However, there are absolutely no sanctions whatever attached to baptismal practice in the NT, and those attached to communion concern personal faith and interpersonal fellowship, not divinely stipulated details of observance. Eating too much food and getting drunk are not violations of divine stipulations regarding the Lord's Table ritual; they are violations of faith and obedience among those who profess attachment to one loaf and family with one Father and one baptism. Therefore, additional to the foundation supplied by objectivity, the simplicity of new covenant rituals leads us reasonably to conclude that breeches of ritual detail regarding the proper subjects ought not to have strong sanctions. This is especially so when they sever fellowship between one family member and another who are one loaf incorporated into Christ by one baptism! If we accent the voice of God and de-accent sanctioning failures of the church on ritual detail, then acknowledging validity to baptismal practice we view as irregular is both reasonable and prudent. We should give preeminence to the objectivity of the sacraments and to their NT simplicity in the context of the one body and one loaf symbolized by baptism and communion. 3B. The Dynamic Nature of the Christian Family Dynamic refers to the opposite of static; it means that the family cannot be viewed as somehow frozen in space and time as it hears the commands and promises of God regarding the sacraments. In this light, another consideration supports the acknowledgment of the validity of both infant baptism and believer baptism. It enables tolerance and latitude if we embrace the reality that over time the irregularities iron themselves out. Eventually confession of faith on the part of children is added to baptism in orthodox infant Baptist practice, and baptism is eventually

10 !10 added to the nurture of children in Baptist practice. When we couple patient longsuffering with the pursuit of unity in the bond of peace, then we can wholeheartedly acknowledge validity to those ritual practices we deem irregular at a particular moment and for a short season. They not only express the voice of God in a context of ritual simplicity and church unity, but they also regularize themselves in the unfolding process of family and church life. Prioritizing in relation to the subjects of baptism The validity of baptism (per the 3 principles) reveals the priority of godly nurture (ideally on a reformed diet) in relation to searching for answers to the question of the subjects of baptism. It also serves to promote the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If members grant validity in this way coupled with heartfelt submission to the church and her eldership, then they can subordinate their personal views of ritual detail regarding the subjects of baptism to local church practice. They ought to take up the best means available to them for instruction in the whole counsel of God. Per the validity of baptism, they can do so in good conscience with the great goal of nurturing their children under the umbrella of the NT covenant family.