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grace2U said:

Just to be quite clear for the umpteenth time; baptism <span style="background-color:#FFFF00">is indeed </span>the outward sign of an inward reality. If there is no inward reality, then the baptism is<span style="background-color:#FFFF00"> effectively void</span> (Acts 8:21).
How can something be is indeed and then effectively void, if the initial cause was that which you claim already is (an inward reality)? If it already is then in Calvinism it can never be effectively void, and if it isn't then you should not baptize. The definition is lacking?

Your definition is based upon man's word that he is not lying and not on the Covenant promise of God, who cannot lie. Baptism is a declaration of God's promise to save all who believe. As Pilgrim said, "the meaning of baptism is not dependent upon the recipient as it is grounded in the immutable promise of God to save all who believe. Just as the Gospel doesn't vary according to the one who hears, the meaning of baptism is always the same regardless of who is baptized." Baptism is an outward sign of God's covenant promise.

Reformed and Always Reforming,