Why No Children?

Driving home: The question is whether the word of God gives us warrant to include minors in the visible community. And that very naturally leads us to articulate this second very vital principle that the biblical conditions for becomi…

Martin uses the analogy of co-terminous and non-co-terminous circles to explain that the visible church and the invisible church (the company of the saved) do not always occupy the same boundaries.

these sheets that I hold up before you are an exhaustive treatment of every single instance in the new testament where any word the six words in the minor or young adult family are found in the new testament and the classification of every single use in the new testament and that's the kind of study that went into the groundwork of wrestling with these issues among your elders and I just say that again for some who may not know that we are very cautious in making statements that assert such fundamentally vital issues without seeking to be thorough in our homework now before we move on to take ...

3:05 - 4:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second reason is the recognition of a child's nature and position, which precludes voluntary, intelligent, personal decision-making. Martin identifies key characteristics of…

Martin illustrates a child's 'humble trustfulness' or 'credulity' by describing a parent telling a child the moon is made of cottage cheese, and the child believing it without question.

But by and large, the characteristic of a child is humble trustfulness. You take your child out, a little two-year-old, a three-year-old, on a beautiful clear night in the full moon, and you say to him, now son or honey, look up at that moon. Do you know what that moon is made of? You see when mommy fixes cottage cheese and puts it on the thing?

18:35 - 18:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must enforce not only Christian standards but also attempt to place the language and disposition of grace in the mouths and hearts of their children through discipline and training.

Martin describes a scenario where parents discipline a child to say 'I'm sorry' and even to pray for forgiveness, demonstrating how parents enforce the 'language and disposition of grace' in their children.

The position of the child demands that parents enforce not only Christian standards, but even attempt to place, and follow me closely now, the language and the disposition of grace in the mouth and hearts of your children. Let me illustrate. You've got two young'uns, and they get into a fight. And after you've sorted out all of the issues, you realize that Johnny was wrong in taking Mary's doll.

23:13 - 23:43 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using analogies of marriage and warfare, Martin illustrates that while a child may express genuine feelings (love, patriotism), they are not yet mature enough to undertake the…

Martin uses the analogy of a 14-year-old wanting to get married, arguing that while the love might be real, the child is not mature enough for the responsibilities of marriage, just as a child is not ready for church membership.

And I hope you share that conviction with me. Intelligently and biblically. Let me close with this illustration, then we will have time for at least three or four minutes of questions. Take the analogy of marriage and of warfare.

43:42 - 43:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using analogies of marriage and warfare, Martin illustrates that while a child may express genuine feelings (love, patriotism), they are not yet mature enough to undertake the…

Martin uses the analogy of a 10-year-old boy wanting to join the Marines during WWII, illustrating that while patriotism might be real, the boy is not mature enough for the responsibilities of warfare, similar to a child's readiness for church membership.

I take the analogy of warfare. Some of us can remember this very vividly because we were little kids when we went to the Second World War. And everywhere you turned, patriotism was pumped into you. That was back in the day when you wept when you saw an American flag.

45:57 - 46:13 Read in full sermon