Sixth, remembering that the Federal Vision is “all about the children,” I’d like to see F-V proponents critically engage the Commission’s report. For instance, would they condemn the Commission’s declaration that the absence of baptism these littles ones suffer is a central factor in the consideration of their eternal destiny?
My last preaching course was taught by a local pastor who is no longer in this presbytery. He’s a great guy and I think highly of him but we had a disagreement in class one day.
The last preaching course at Covenant Seminary pays attention to special events in a pastor’s life where he is called to give messages (at least it did so in 1997; I haven’t checked the curriculum since then). The day of our disagreement was about funerals, and the subject for awhile was how to do funerals for non-Christians.
This is how I remember it:
Instructor: “Has anyone done a funeral for a non-believer before?”
A couple of hands were raised. We had some “non-traditional” students who were already pastors even though they were only now going to seminary.
Instructor: “Well, I’ve done a memorial service for a stillborn child of Christians in my congregation, and that is basically the same thing.
He went on with his remarks which I did not hear because I was too busy picking my jaw off the floor.
So, then, as I remember our conversation in private afterwards (I have no recording to check so this is undoubtedly inaccurate as to some details), it went like this:
Me: “Why did you compare, or even equate, the funeral for an stillborn child, with that of an unbeliever?”
Instructor: “Because we don’t know that they are saved.”
Me: “Sure we do. God promises to be the god to us and our children. That’s the Reformed position: that our children are in covenant with God and are to be regarded as Christians.”
Instructor: (Shaking his head to make it clear he was offering a different account of the Reformed position than mine) “Well, Calvin said we have no reason to doubt the election of our children.”Me: (Shaking my head in confusion about how this was supposed to be an argument against me) “So why are you doubting it?”
Instructor: “We know that not all covenant children are elect. Some grow up to be unbelievers.”
Me: “We know that some professing adult believers later become unbelievers and so reveal they were never elect nor had true faith. That doesn’t mean that we should perform their funerals as the funerals of unbelievers. If God promises to be the god to our children we can’t change His words and say that he really meant to say that he will be god to only some of our children.”
Instructor: “But what about children who grow up to be nonchristians?”
Me: Just because some children grow up to show themselves reprobate does not mean that we should let that accusation hang over the heads of children who have died in the covenant.
OK, I’ll pull back from that reconstruction and make the observation that, as inaccurate as my memory may be, that conversation never mentioned baptism. The conversation was started by a reference to stillbirth. Baptism wasn’t in the picture.
Since that time, in the ministry, I’ve had the sad opportunity to minister to mothers who lose their babies in the womb. It has been gratifying to be able to reassure them of God’s covenant promise that they will see their children at resurrection glory. God’s promises are reliable.
Also, when I wrote my response to Greg Welty while I was in seminary, I made it clear that children’s salvific relationship to the Lord began before birth. Here are the salient paragraphs.
What does the Bible say about children? First, that they are sinners even as zygotes. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psa 51.5). In Adam, we all alike, no matter what our age, to the extent that we are able, spontaneously hate God and rebel against him.
But is Adam stronger than Christ? It is written: “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou has established strength” (Psa 8.2). And again: “For Thou art my hope; O lord God, Thou art my confidence from my youth. Upon Thee I have been supported from birth; Thou art He who took me from mother’s womb; my praise is continually in Thee . . . O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth” (Psa 71.5-6, 17). “Yet Thou art He who didst bring me forth from the womb; Thou didst make me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon Thee I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my God from my mother’s womb” (Psa 22.9-10). I have sung many hymns about adult conversion from unbelief yet I’m not aware of one Psalm which speaks of that subject. On the other hand, I don’t think I’ve ever sung a hymn that called for me to put myself in the place of one who was regenerated in the womb. Sad. These Psalms were sung in Israel’s public worship of God. The idea that their relationship began from the womb was not some sort of fantastic exception, but the general expectation.
The Bible says some great things about baptism. I don’t think these statements mean that unbaptized infants are excluded. As far as interacting with the Pope’s writing: Sorry, I’ve got my hands full between making a living, local ministry, and dealing with what ?resbyterians write on the internet.
The truth is, unless I have reason to believe a Roman Catholic theologian is rather exceptional and valuable, I don’t bother reading him. So far, the list is only Louis Bouyer, G. K. Chesteron, Gilson on Bonaventure, and perhaps a couple of others. No Pope or official Vatican document has made my list. Maybe I’m impoverished by my lack of exposure, but I really don’t have time to explore the issue.
But, in general, worrying about the salvation of the unbaptized infants of Christians has always struck me as way too mechanical and even superstitious. I am quite sure I am representative on this point of those to whom Tim is referring.
So there it is.