Several people really enjoyed this sermon. One friend commented that it was one of the clearest gospel presentations she had heard. That was encouraging. The point is pretty simple: only the blood of Jesus can cleanse our conscience, the inner man. Or to put it negatively, our works cannot make us acceptable to God.
Daily Archives: July 4, 2016
John Calvin on the Benefits of Baptizing Infants
Here is the closing paragraph of Calvin’s defense of infant baptism. (I split it into two paragraphs for easier reading.) I love these two paragraphs. They breathe pastoral warmth and gratitude to God. They bring us to the objective grace of God shown to us in adopting our children via baptism. They glorify God as our Heavenly Father. Here also we see a theme which runs through Calvin’s writings: Seeing our Father’s kindness and grace leads to thankfulness which then leads to practical holiness/obedience. Therefore to obscure God’s grace inevitably leads to ingratitude which will lead to either legalism (man’s laws obeyed in the flesh) or antinomianism (rejection of obedience all together). The fire which burns underneath all our obedience is gratitude to God for his grace. The fuel which burns in us to teach our children about God and his ways is the kindness our Father has shown by bringing them into the church.
Now I think no sober person will be in doubt how rashly they stir up Christ’s church with their altercations and contentions over infant baptism. But it behooves us to note what Satan is attempting with this great subtlety of his. He is trying to take away from us the singular fruit of assurance and spiritual joy which is to be gathered from it, and also to diminish somewhat the glory of the divine goodness. For how sweet it is to godly minds to be assured, not only by word, but by sight, that they obtain so much favor with the Heavenly Father that their offspring are within his care? For here we can see how he takes on toward us the role of a most provident Father, who even after our death maintains his care for us, providing for and looking after our children. Should we not, following David’s example, rejoice with all our heart in thanksgiving, that his name may be hallowed by such an example of his goodness [Psalm 48:10]?
It is precisely this which Satan is attempting in assailing infant baptism with such an army: that, once this testimony of God’s grace is taken away from us, the promise which, through it, is put before our eyes may vanish little by little. From this would grow up not only impious ungratefulness toward God’s mercy but a certain negligence about instructing our children in piety. For when we consider that immediately from birth God takes and acknowledges them as his children, we feel a strong stimulus to instruct them in an earnest fear of God and observance of the law. Accordingly, unless we wish spitefully to obscure God’s goodness, let us offer our infants to him for he gives them a place among those of his family and household, that is, the members of the church.
Singing & Slaying 