The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Covenant in Christ's blood

I think that this is part of the difficulty that you and William are having at present. It would appear that the differences are due to contrasts in "experience". What I'm saying is that I do understand your objective apologetic argument and I agree. However, I do think that you are not recognizing the fact that the overwhelming majority of Baptists are not "Reformed", but rather they are of the "fundamentalist-Baptist" camp. In my own experience, dealing with the typical Baptist, they DO base their argument of "believer's baptism" on the idea that infants and very young children cannot believe and therefore they are not proper subjects to be baptized. They insist that the Bible teaches "BELIEVER'S baptism" only, which therefore prohibits infants from the sacrament ummm ordinance. Therefore, although it may not be "ideal" to dispute their argument by showing them their inconsistency, i.e., that no one can infallibly discern if someone actually possesses true saving faith; they will admit that not all who are baptized have faith, which seems to have no effect upon them and they never seem to catch the incongruity of their position.

And lastly, I agree, one of the better arguments is to deal with the biblical understanding of what new means, in regard to Jer 31. The typical Baptist, fundamentalist and Reformed types, bring in an unwarranted discontinuity, which some of us recognize as akin to the Dispensational hermeneutic, which radically bifurcates Israel and the Church. However, from what I understand from the Hebrew, the new doesn't mean totally new, i.e., radically different from that which precedes it, but rather a fulfilling of that which precedes it, i.e., the Old covenant. The New Covenant is the bringing to pass which was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant. I think this interpretation of Jer 31 is most faithful to the original language, etc......... 'nough said, although I must say that I have used another approach which I have found most effective in helping Baptists of all flavors to at least see a major problem in their present position.

In His Grace,