Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Baptism IS for Children!

Moroni 8:8 [BOM]
“ 8 aListen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the bwhole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little cchildren are dwhole, for they are not capable of committing esin; wherefore the curse of fAdam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of gcircumcision is done away in me.”

Children are whole, not capable of committing sin? One wonders which children Moroni has been hanging out with. Of course this thought is not strange or particular to Mormonism, but is shared among many Baptists, and Baptist types. I think that is part of the problem with talking with Mormons though, so much of what they believe wrongly is shared by others who call themselves Christian and who tend to get a bit more slack from Christians. One seriously has to question how you can consider Baptist’s to be Christian while at the same time denying Mormons are. Typically the line is drawn at the teaching of the Triune God. I guess that is well enough, but have you seen what Baptists and reformed write concerning this lately?
It is farsicle to think that children don’t sin. It is the same as saying Children don’t die. It’s the exact same thing as saying children don’t die. Death and sin are inextricably linked to each other. Death is the result of Eve’s Sin. Death is the wages of sin. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. “(1 Cor. 15:56 (ESV)
Of course, this is also to say that sin is a result of sin. Everyone thinks this backwards these days, but the things we do that are sinful are really the result of sin that infects us like a disease. Promiscuity for instance is not only sinful, but it is the result of sin. So is cancer. That is the biblical teaching. And so yes even the littlest children are sinful, and are capable of sin. What parent honestly believes their children are fountains of innocence? How deluded would one have to be? I love little children, don’t get me wrong, but they sin, they can be very selfish, very belligerent, and have a tendency not to honor their parents. And they die all too often all too young.
This is why God instituted circumcision to be done at the eighth day in the Old Testament, and replaced that with baptism in Col. 2. So that parents would be certain of the forgiveness of their child’s sin when they had been baptized, it is why Peter tells the parents that the promise of the Holy Spirit in Baptism is for their children too in Acts 2:38-39. The only question after that is, when do your children start being your children?


1 comment:

Scottydog said...

You know, it's a funny thing when you read the PGP, Joseph Smith History 1:19, it has the little known words:

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

But previously of the people who he had been considering joining "Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist." JSH 1:5.

I don't know if that's important, but it makes one wonder.