The New Testament Testimony, Part 2

The point: Encourage minors who believe God has saved them in avenues of obedience to the word of God.

Martin references Pastor Nichols' 31-lesson series on baptism, which concluded with how the church regards children, setting the stage for the current study on minor church membership.

Now those of you who have been attending this class regularly will have some sense of where we are in our present consideration after Pastor Nichols completed a series of some 31 lessons on the subject of baptism with particular emphasis upon giving on the one hand a positive biblical teaching of the doctrine of baptism and on the other hand exposing what we regard to be the fundamental errors of those who practice the sprinkling or even the immersion of infants. He concluded that series with a positive study on how we who do not baptize our children regard our children and how we are to relat...

0:15 - 1:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin briefly reviews the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus, noting the absence of minors being included in the community gathered around them or called disciples, despite…

The lad who came forward with loaves and fishes is used as an example of minors feeling comfortable in Jesus' presence, contrasting with the lack of minors called disciples.

And so what we have done in seeking to address ourselves to this question is to go to the scriptures and to examine the descriptions given of the new covenant community. Now, last week I simply mentioned that that community begins to be identified and defined, particularly in the ministry of John the Baptist. And if you study the passages where you have a concentration of the word of God, a concentration of John's ministry in Matthew chapter 3, Mark chapter 1, and in Luke chapter 3, you will find no indication that infants or minors were included in that community, which was being gathered aro...

4:05 - 5:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin briefly reviews the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus, noting the absence of minors being included in the community gathered around them or called disciples, despite…

Jesus summoning a little child to sit on his knee as an illustration of kingdom qualities is used to show children were present and comfortable with Jesus, but not identified as disciples.

And so what we have done in seeking to address ourselves to this question is to go to the scriptures and to examine the descriptions given of the new covenant community. Now, last week I simply mentioned that that community begins to be identified and defined, particularly in the ministry of John the Baptist. And if you study the passages where you have a concentration of the word of God, a concentration of John's ministry in Matthew chapter 3, Mark chapter 1, and in Luke chapter 3, you will find no indication that infants or minors were included in that community, which was being gathered aro...

4:05 - 5:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Examining Acts 1, Martin details the composition of the upper room community as exclusively adults. He then analyzes Peter's sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2, arguing that Joel's…

Peter standing up in the midst of the brethren to select Judas's replacement is presented as a congregational meeting, implying adult participation in church business.

and it's in this section, then beginning with verse 12, that we have a description of the group, who with the apostles constitute the community, to whom the Spirit came. Then returned they to Jerusalem, from the mount called Olivet, which is near to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey off. And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding, both Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one accord, continued steadfastly in prayer, with the women,...

9:00 - 10:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin notes that early church expansion descriptions in Acts 2-5 initially mention only men, then women. He reiterates that general descriptions of households believing (like…

Paul's persecution of the church, specifically dragging 'men and women' from homes, is highlighted as a specific description of adult members, using technical Greek terms.

Then we began in Acts 2, and we noted, that right on through until Acts 5, every expansion of the church, is described in terms of just men. But then in Acts 5, we find women. And then we started to go right through the accession passages, noting that some of them are general, some of them are very specific. And the one that I would simply underscore, by way of reminder and review, that when Paul is persecuting the church, it is very specific, that he went into homes and dragged men and women.

12:42 - 13:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin notes that early church expansion descriptions in Acts 2-5 initially mention only men, then women. He reiterates that general descriptions of households believing (like…

The argument that assuming infants or minors in Cornelius's household would concede the case to paedobaptists is used to emphasize the need for explicit biblical warrant for minor inclusion.

And the technical words for adult males and females, are the words chosen, by the Holy Spirit. Now then, we got through chapter, up to chapter 11, in one of these general descriptions last week. The household of Cornelius, unless we're prepared to give the case to the paedobaptist, and say that the Holy Spirit fell upon little infants, and that little infants were baptized, and that little infants had their hearts cleansed by faith, as we read in Acts 11, in the account of this, then, just as we do not give the case over to the paedobaptist, there is nothing to indicate that minors were presen...

13:20 - 14:29 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin highlights Luke's meticulous historical detail by examining the mention of Rhoda, a 'maid' in Acts 12, and the demon-possessed servant girl in Acts 16. He argues that…

The account of Rhoda, a 'maid' or 'servant girl,' answering the door for Peter in Acts 12, is used to demonstrate Luke's attention to historical detail and specific descriptions of individuals, even if not church members.

And he comes to the house, or the door of the house, where the people of God are praying. And we read in Acts 12, 13, these words, or back to verse 12. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gate, now notice, he doesn't simply say, a woman, he says, a maid, came to answer, named Rhoda.

14:29 - 14:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin highlights Luke's meticulous historical detail by examining the mention of Rhoda, a 'maid' in Acts 12, and the demon-possessed servant girl in Acts 16. He argues that…

The servant girl who saw Peter on the eve of Christ's crucifixion is referenced as another instance of the same Greek word for 'maid' being used, reinforcing Luke's specific terminology.

And this word, for a maid, is the word that means, a servant girl, or a female slave. And it's the same word used in the Gospel records, in Matthew, and I think again in Luke, where it speaks of the servant girl, who saw Peter on the eve of our Lord's crucifixion, and she spoke to him. Same word used there. It's the word used in Acts 16.

14:59 - 15:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin highlights Luke's meticulous historical detail by examining the mention of Rhoda, a 'maid' in Acts 12, and the demon-possessed servant girl in Acts 16. He argues that…

The demon-possessed servant girl in Acts 16 is cited as another example of Luke's specific description of a 'maid,' noting the text's silence on her conversion or church membership.

Of that woman, who was that young woman, who was the possession of these people, who made a living by her divination. Acts chapter 16, verses 16 and 19. It came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a certain maid, having a spirit of divination, met us, who brought her masters much gain by her soothsaying. And then again, in verse 19 of the same chapter.

15:25 - 15:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin continues through Acts, noting general descriptions of believers in Iconium, but emphasizing the specific adult composition of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. He then…

The argument that assuming minors in Crispus's household would concede the case to 'toddler baptists' is used to reinforce the principle that general descriptions must be regulated by specific ones, which never mention minor baptism.

And again, unless we're prepared to give the case to the paedobaptist, and say there must have been infants, we have no right to say there must have been minors. We have no right to put in what is not explicit, when explicit descriptions are given. When general descriptions are given, we assume, they take the flavor of the specific. Then, of course, you have the whole incident of the conversion of the Philippian jailer, and his household.

21:43 - 22:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And Luke's description here includes children, but he never uses that term when he says believers were the more... added, men, women, and... you'll never find it.

The touching scene of Paul's departure from Tyre, where 'they all with wives and children' accompanied him to the beach, is used to show that Luke explicitly mentions children when they are present in a social context, making their absence from church membership descriptions significant.

on our way till we were out of the city, and kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and bade each other farewell, and we went on board the ship, but they returned home again. When Luke saw kids, he didn't ignore them. He didn't have the attitude out of just kids, why even put them in the description? Here's this touching scene of Paul's departure, and in this social gathering on the shore, where the whole family was involved, he describes the whole family.

29:45 - 30:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses questions from the class regarding specific passages (Acts 20, 1 Corinthians 16, Acts 4, Acts 9, 2 Timothy 3, Acts 2) and the interpretation of 'children' in Acts…

Pastor Clark's comment about old men calling each other 'boys' is used to illustrate how English translation can be misleading and why the more specific Greek term for Eutychus's age is important.

Well, here's something that's, you know, being glossed over. Pastor Clark, were you going to say something? Old men call each other boys sometimes. Sure.

37:55 - 38:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses questions from the class regarding specific passages (Acts 20, 1 Corinthians 16, Acts 4, Acts 9, 2 Timothy 3, Acts 2) and the interpretation of 'children' in Acts…

The household of Stephanas, described as having 'addicted themselves to minister unto the saints,' is used to argue that if infants were part of this baptized household, it would imply infants ministering, which is illogical.

But then you turn over to chapter 16 and verse 15. Now, I beseech you, brethren, will the house of Stephanas, and it is the first house of Chia, that they have set themselves to minister unto the saints, so that if the household of Stephanas included infants, then we find infants ministering to the saints. That's right. That's right.

38:38 - 39:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses questions from the class regarding specific passages (Acts 20, 1 Corinthians 16, Acts 4, Acts 9, 2 Timothy 3, Acts 2) and the interpretation of 'children' in Acts…

The reference to Jesus as 'thy holy servant, or thy holy child' in Acts 4:27 is used to show that 'child' or 'lad' can refer to an adult, further clarifying the interpretation of age-related terms.

Thy holy lad, Jesus. And obviously, it's referring to the adult Christ in the days of his flesh. For who were they gathered against? Not the baby Jesus, but Herod and Pontius Pilate, and the Gentiles were gathered together against a male adult, age 33.

39:55 - 40:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Instruct our children in the Scriptures from infancy.

Martin shares that 'many of us can say of ourselves' that we knew the Scriptures from a babe and were made wise unto salvation in early years, connecting Timothy's experience to a common Christian testimony.

Why? Because from your infancy, truth has been the instrument of your own salvation and sanctification. And all he is doing is saying what, thank God, many of us can say of ourselves. From a babe we've known the holy Scriptures which have in God's time made us wise unto salvation.

42:41 - 43:02 Read in full sermon