Introductory Approach to the Subject

Driving home: The danger is that you're going to be more concerned to win the argument than to get at the truth. And we're very good at that, because we are inherently self-justifying, inherently determined to prove ourselves right, a…

Martin uses the common experience of marital arguments to illustrate the dangers of controversy, specifically the tendency to prioritize winning over seeking truth, misrepresenting the other's position, and imputing uncharitable motives.

And why do I say there's dangers? Well, those of you who are married, I'm going to use an illustration that comes from marriage. What happens when you have an argument in your marriage? Now, I assume now that most of you who are married know what an argument is.

4:51 - 5:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Approach the subject in a spirit of love to those brethren in the paedobaptist camp with whom we have special ties at the present.

Martin shares that he keeps a picture of a dear paedobaptist friend and his baby on his desk to remind himself to speak with love and charity, as if that friend were present, preventing him from succumbing to the dangers of controversy.

David Jessely in the church down there in Mississippi where Pastor Martin has gone on several occasions, the work that started up on Long Island, Pastor Shishko, and of course, our dear brother Andrew Young from New Zealand. So, I have endeavored in my heart before God to determine that I would not say anything in this place on this subject that I would not say face to face to any of those brothers were they to be sitting here and in our presence. And you may think this is foolish, sentimental, saccharine, you can call it whatever you like, but Andy and Nola sent us this picture of themselves ...

14:55 - 16:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Prevent overreaction to extreme positions in an effort to refute the paedobaptist position, avoiding 'nasty Baptists' and landmarkism.

Martin uses the image of a vampire cringing from a cross to describe how some Baptists react with fear to the word 'Covenant!' when spoken by a paedobaptist, illustrating a common overreaction and misunderstanding of covenant theology among some Baptists.

Now, we don't want anybody going into that idea. And it is the desire of our hearts that you would learn from the scriptures the biblical rationale for believers' baptism and the theological inconsistencies and the unscripturalness of infant baptism so that you will not be susceptible to strange views with respect to the subject. Again, dispensationalism claims to be the only potential alternative to covenant theology. In the idea, in the minds of some, and this is not necessarily simply in the minds of paedobaptists, but in the minds of some, the minute you begin to see the significance of th...

25:57 - 27:24 Read in full sermon