The Covenants and Infant Baptism

Driving home: Now, the first thing that you need to recognize is that the covenant, the idea of covenant is a broad, overarching issue, which is vital to be grasped if we are to understand the structure of the revelation that God has …

The division of the Bible into Old and New Testaments is used as an obvious, undeniable illustration of the centrality of the covenant concept in God's revelation.

Now, the first thing that you need to recognize is that the covenant, the idea of covenant is a broad, overarching issue, which is vital to be grasped if we are to understand the structure of the revelation that God has given to us. In other words, you cannot help, but open up your Bible and come to grips with the subject of covenant. Why? Because your Bible is divided into two parts.

5:40 - 6:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And it is this, a covenant involves the combination of promise and oath. A covenant involves the combination of a promise and an oath. In other words, it is a sworn covenant.

Martin uses the shared experience of confusion when reading theological literature on covenants to reassure listeners that the topic is genuinely complex and often vaguely defined, making his own attempt at clarity more necessary.

Now, don't feel bad if you read much of the literature on this subject and say, I must be stupid. I read all this stuff, and after I'm all done reading it, I don't have a clue as to what a covenant is. And in particular, I don't have a clue as to what the covenant of grace is. Now, don't feel stupid.

26:46 - 27:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Rest upon the certainty that God himself has sworn his fidelity to those who trust in Christ.

The flood, the ark, Noah, and the redemption from Egypt are presented as examples of the 'awful lot of trouble' God went to throughout history to encourage His people and assure them of His determination to save.

He does it for our sake, that we may be assured of the certainty and the immutability of his determination to save our souls. Now, having said that, it's interesting, isn't it, that God thought we needed that? And God went to an awful lot of trouble. He went to an awful lot of trouble to encourage his people, didn't he?

38:40 - 39:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Be gracious to brethren who practice infant baptism, not accusing them of acting in bad conscience, but recognizing they act in faith according to their understanding.

The analogy of DPT shots for children is used to explain that the detailed teaching on covenants serves as an 'inoculation' for Baptists, preparing them to confidently respond to paedobaptist arguments and avoid feeling embarrassed or threatened by their position.

All right? And I hope you'll understand that and not be unstrung. See, much of what you've been getting has been inoculatory, if there is such a word. We've been giving you inoculations.

56:10 - 56:20 Read in full sermon