Quote:
Originally Posted by seekerman
Interesting views, thanks for posting them. It's certainly a difficult topic for it seems that the bible isn't totally clear on the matter. I wouldn't disagree that it's a Conventional relationship in the process, but wouldn't that have an element of Calvinism in that particular view? I'm not suggesting that's a bad thing, but may be something to be considered.
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Ha, I knew somebody was going to bring that up sooner or later! lol
Actually, I am not talking about the Calvinist view of covenant, ie the covenant of Works vs the Covenant of grace, etc. I am not sure that approach is even biblical.
By covenantal I meant the following:
1. Noah found grace in the eyes of God, so He saved Noah
and his family.
2. God called Abraham, made a covenant with him,
which included Abraham's family.
3. Ditto with Isaac and Jacob.
4. God called the extended family-nation of Jacob, then numbering in the millions, to Sinai and made a covenant with them.
This covenant included their families, their children.
5. When Jesus met with Zacchaeus the Lord said 'salvation is come
to this house', not just 'to this man'.
6. Paul and Silas told a gentile 'believe on the Lord and you will be saved,
and your whole house'.
7. Paul taught
'but now your children are holy'.
All this seems to indicate the Old Testament pattern of 'household salvation' is continued in the NT, that is to say, God's covenant is not just with individuals, but with families, households. The Covenant is that God will have a people, which includes their families.
Now, it's true many Reformed people see much of the same thing, and therefore conclude (erroneously, in my opinion) that paedobaptism is the way to go, but I am not really looking at it from a Reformed position, just what I see in the bible about God's covenantal dealings with people (and their families).
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