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Covenant Children Today: Physical or Spiritual?
This study is an attempt to advance some of the biblical support for a Reformed credobaptist view of "covenant children" in the New Covenant.
134 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 26, 2023
As someone who was once a baptist myself I can sympathize with many of the things written in this book. But I just couldn't get behind Pastor Conner's argument that New Covenant members can't fall away, because this is a point where Scripture is clear: apostasy happens in the New Covenant (cf. Rom. 11; Heb. 3, 4; 1 Cor. 10). I believe this is one of the greatest flaws in the baptist position and agree with Pastor Wilson's comment when he said that "the central mistake that our reformed baptist brothers make is this: it's the mistake of drawing contrasts between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant people of God at precisely the places where the New Testament draws parallels."
While I disagree with his thesis, I still nevertheless love and appreciate Pastor Conner. I pray that God would bless him and his family to a thousand generations.
While I disagree with his thesis, I still nevertheless love and appreciate Pastor Conner. I pray that God would bless him and his family to a thousand generations.
March 24, 2019
This is the first book I have read published by RBAP that I found something I actually disagree with. In chapter 2 the author uses the argument that Jesus is our "father" in a spiritual sense to defend the Credobaptist position. I really felt uncomfortable with this chapter as it seems to conflate the three persons and roles of the Trinity. The rest of the book was really good. Mr Conner brings up most of the sound argument for Credobaptism and does an honorable job of showing the deficiencies in the Paedobaptist position. I found the observations in the appendix extremely helpful.
September 5, 2015
Unrelenting in its emphasis of the newness of the new covenant.
March 22, 2020
Helpful information on the newness of the new covenant specifically the chapter on Jeremiah 31.
November 11, 2024
Summary of the main arguments of the book:
Argument 1: The New Covenant (NC) is substantially different from the Old Covenant (OC), particularly in its criteria of covenant membership.
Major: If covenant membership in the NC depends on faith, this is substantially different from a covenant whose membership relies on a genealogical principle.
Minor: The OC relies on a genealogical principle for membership
Conclusion: The NC is substantially different from the OC, particularly in its principle for membership
Arg. 2: The NC redefines covenant children
Major: Only Christ's children are considered part of the NC community.
Minor: Christ's children are spiritual exclusively
Conclusion: Only spiritual children are part of the NC community
Arg. 3: The NT excludes natural children from the NC community unless they profess faith and enter spiritually
Major: If the NT speaks of Christ's children as consisting only of one group, then all other groups are excluded
Minor: The NT only speaks of Christ's spiritual children.
Conclusion: The children of believers are excluded from the NC community
Arg. 4: Abraham's children are transformed by NC to be spiritual children
Major: If Christ's children in the NC are the seed of Abraham, then the children of the covenant are spiritual, not genealogical (Heb. 2:14-16).
Minor: Christ's children are the seed of Abraham
Conclusion: The children of the covenant are spiritual, not genealogical
Arg. 5: Lk. 8:19-21 proves that the covenant family and the natural family are based on different principles of membership, one spiritual and the other genealogical.
Arg. 6: Christ fulfills the hereditary principle in the Abrahamic covenant
Major: Once the fulfilling seed comes, the genealogical principle of the Abrahamic covenant is no longer relevant.
Minor: Christ, the fulfilling seed, has come (Gal. 3:16, 19)
Conclusion: The genealogical principle of the Abrahamic covenant is no longer relevant.
Arg. 7: Covenant members must all receive the promises of the covenant
Major: Only those to whom promises are directed are those to be considered in the covenant by right.
Minor: Christ, and those in him, have the promises of the covenant directed to them.
Conclusion: Only Christ and the elect are in the covenant
Arg. 8: The nature of the NC community
Major: If a covenant community is a spiritual nation, then its citizens must be spiritual.
Minor: The NC community is a spiritual nation (1 Pet. 2:9)
Conclusion: The NC community is composed of spiritual citizens.
Arg. 9: From other transitions
Major: If two covenants transition from physical to spiritual conditions in multiple aspects, then the entire new covenant should carry the same transitions in all aspects.
Minor: The NC transitions from the OC in terms of land (Heb. 11:6), nation (1 Pet. 2:9), circumcision (Col. 2:11), and seed (Gal. 3:7, 16, 29) from physical to spiritual.
Conclusion: Covenant membership should be spiritual as well.
Arg. 10: Removal of those of the flesh from the NC
Major: Those who are merely born of flesh should be kept out of the covenant community (Gal. 4:30)
Minor: Children of believers are merely born of flesh before they profess faith.
Conclusion: Children of believers should be kept out of the covenant community before they profess faith.
Arg. 11: The newness of the covenant
Major: A new covenant cannot be a new administration of the older covenant (Heb. 12:24)
Minor: The NC is new
Conclusion: The NC is substantially different from the OC, not just a new administration
Arg. 12: The passing away of the OC
Major: That which belongs to the OC has passed away (Heb. 8:13)
Minor: The genealogical principle belongs to the OC
Conclusion: The genealogical principle of membership has passed away
Arg. 13: The inseparability of the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants
Major: Covenants which share promises cannot be separated
Minor: Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants share land and national promises
Conclusion: Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants cannot be separated. Since the NC contrasts primarily with the Mosaic covenant, it must also contrast with the Abrahamic covenant as well.
Arg. 14: The invincibility of NC members
Major: If you are a member of the NC, you cannot break the covenant (i.e., apostasize) (Jer. 31:32; cf. 32:39-46)
Minor: Children of believers may break the terms of the NC.
Conclusion: Children of believers are not members of the NC.
A similar argument can be run for having the law written on your heart and knowing God (Jer. 31:33-34; 2 Cor. 3:6). Also for getting a new heart (Ezek. 36:26-27).
Arg. 15: The everlasting nature of the covenant
Major: If one is a member of an everlasting covenant, you cannot fall out of it
Minor: Infants can reject or "fall out" of the covenant due to unbelief after baptism.
Conclusion: Infants are not members of the NC, an everlasting covenant (Jer. 32:40)
Arg. 16: The spiritual nature of the covenant
Major: Covenant membership should be based on the nature of the covenant
Minor: The NC is spiritual and based on faith
Conclusion: NC membership is spiritual and based on faith
Arg. 17: Continuing practice of circumcision
Major: If early Christian Jews practiced circumcision, then they could not base baptism on circumcision
Minor: Early Christian Jews continued to practice circumcision (Acts 21:20-21)
Conclusion: Infant baptism cannot carry over as an alteration of infant circumcision.
Arg. 18: Threat of legalism
Major: If the principle for determining the subjects of baptism is based on the same principle as that of circumcision, this brings the church back under Law and its weakness (i.e., legalism).
Minor: Paedobaptists do base their principle on the practice of OC circumcision.
Conclusion: Paedobaptists bring the church back under the Law and legalism
Arg. 19: The perfection of sanctification
Major: Those sanctified in the NC are perfected (Heb. 10:14)
Minor: Not all infants grow to perfection
Conclusion: Infants are not necessarily sanctified and shouldn't be baptized on the basis of 1 Cor. 7:14
Arg. 20: The improved sanctification of the NC
Major: If sanctification can be lost, then Christ is no better than the OC
Minor: Christ is better than the OC
Conclusion: Sanctification cannot be lost. But infants may not demonstrate any evidence of sanctification. Therefore, they do not have Christ in the NC.
Arg. 21: The superiority of Christ's high priestly office
Major: If Christ loses members of the NC, then he is not a superior high priest (Heb. 7:25)
Minor: Infants baptized "into" NC can apostatize.
Conclusion: Christ is not a superior high priest. This is absurd.
Arg. 22: Sanctification of unbelieving spouses
Major: Unbelieving spouses of believers are holy just as are their children, so they should receive the same blessings as their children (1 Cor. 7:14)
Minor: Infants receive baptism
Conclusion: Unbelieving spouses should be baptized. This is absurd.
Arg. 23: Infants not necessarily in "households"
Major: If there are some households in Scripture where infants are not included, then households which are baptized cannot necessarily be said to contain infants.
Minor: There are examples in Scripture of a household not containing infants (Mt. 10:36, Mk. 6:4)
Conclusion: One cannot necessarily say households include infants for baptism.
Arg. 24: One cannot remember the sign from infancy
Major: If you can't remember experiencing a sign and it leaves no lasting mark, then it is an inferior sign to circumcision.
Minor: Infants cannot remember their baptism into adulthood
Conclusion: Infant baptism is inferior to circumcision
Arg. 25: Ultimate salvation is linked with baptism
Major: All who are baptized are saved (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27)
Minor: Not all infants who are baptized have faith
Conclusion: Some are saved without faith, or other possible absurdities.
While this book does a good job laying out many credobaptist arguments and attempted refutations of paedobaptist arguments, much of its force is weakened by special pleading. Its strained reading of the NC bears too much weight in this argument, especially as it has many instances of special pleading for multiple words ("kingdom", "sanctification", etc.) having multiple possible usages, but covenant membership can only be those who truly enjoy the substance of the covenant promises, thus collapsing the visible and invisible church. Most of these arguments can be used against baptists as well, since they apply baptism to those who ultimately apostatize. What you end up getting is only a probabilistic covenant community, since you can't guarantee anyone's membership until they die, and even then you cannot be entirely sure they did not apostatize in the end on their view. There is no clear and definite NC community because everyone believer is a potential apostate and thus never part of the community at all. Distinguishing between the visible and invisible church alleviates this problem. In addition, Conner fails to provide any discussion relating to the corporate dimensions of the NC passages (and others). What may be true of the corporate body does not necessarily have to hold for each visible member. My greatest disappointment is that the discussion of raising children under credobaptist convictions was so abbreviated and superficial. I think this is the hardest thing, and still believe that credobaptist parents are better than their principles on this point.
Argument 1: The New Covenant (NC) is substantially different from the Old Covenant (OC), particularly in its criteria of covenant membership.
Major: If covenant membership in the NC depends on faith, this is substantially different from a covenant whose membership relies on a genealogical principle.
Minor: The OC relies on a genealogical principle for membership
Conclusion: The NC is substantially different from the OC, particularly in its principle for membership
Arg. 2: The NC redefines covenant children
Major: Only Christ's children are considered part of the NC community.
Minor: Christ's children are spiritual exclusively
Conclusion: Only spiritual children are part of the NC community
Arg. 3: The NT excludes natural children from the NC community unless they profess faith and enter spiritually
Major: If the NT speaks of Christ's children as consisting only of one group, then all other groups are excluded
Minor: The NT only speaks of Christ's spiritual children.
Conclusion: The children of believers are excluded from the NC community
Arg. 4: Abraham's children are transformed by NC to be spiritual children
Major: If Christ's children in the NC are the seed of Abraham, then the children of the covenant are spiritual, not genealogical (Heb. 2:14-16).
Minor: Christ's children are the seed of Abraham
Conclusion: The children of the covenant are spiritual, not genealogical
Arg. 5: Lk. 8:19-21 proves that the covenant family and the natural family are based on different principles of membership, one spiritual and the other genealogical.
Arg. 6: Christ fulfills the hereditary principle in the Abrahamic covenant
Major: Once the fulfilling seed comes, the genealogical principle of the Abrahamic covenant is no longer relevant.
Minor: Christ, the fulfilling seed, has come (Gal. 3:16, 19)
Conclusion: The genealogical principle of the Abrahamic covenant is no longer relevant.
Arg. 7: Covenant members must all receive the promises of the covenant
Major: Only those to whom promises are directed are those to be considered in the covenant by right.
Minor: Christ, and those in him, have the promises of the covenant directed to them.
Conclusion: Only Christ and the elect are in the covenant
Arg. 8: The nature of the NC community
Major: If a covenant community is a spiritual nation, then its citizens must be spiritual.
Minor: The NC community is a spiritual nation (1 Pet. 2:9)
Conclusion: The NC community is composed of spiritual citizens.
Arg. 9: From other transitions
Major: If two covenants transition from physical to spiritual conditions in multiple aspects, then the entire new covenant should carry the same transitions in all aspects.
Minor: The NC transitions from the OC in terms of land (Heb. 11:6), nation (1 Pet. 2:9), circumcision (Col. 2:11), and seed (Gal. 3:7, 16, 29) from physical to spiritual.
Conclusion: Covenant membership should be spiritual as well.
Arg. 10: Removal of those of the flesh from the NC
Major: Those who are merely born of flesh should be kept out of the covenant community (Gal. 4:30)
Minor: Children of believers are merely born of flesh before they profess faith.
Conclusion: Children of believers should be kept out of the covenant community before they profess faith.
Arg. 11: The newness of the covenant
Major: A new covenant cannot be a new administration of the older covenant (Heb. 12:24)
Minor: The NC is new
Conclusion: The NC is substantially different from the OC, not just a new administration
Arg. 12: The passing away of the OC
Major: That which belongs to the OC has passed away (Heb. 8:13)
Minor: The genealogical principle belongs to the OC
Conclusion: The genealogical principle of membership has passed away
Arg. 13: The inseparability of the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants
Major: Covenants which share promises cannot be separated
Minor: Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants share land and national promises
Conclusion: Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants cannot be separated. Since the NC contrasts primarily with the Mosaic covenant, it must also contrast with the Abrahamic covenant as well.
Arg. 14: The invincibility of NC members
Major: If you are a member of the NC, you cannot break the covenant (i.e., apostasize) (Jer. 31:32; cf. 32:39-46)
Minor: Children of believers may break the terms of the NC.
Conclusion: Children of believers are not members of the NC.
A similar argument can be run for having the law written on your heart and knowing God (Jer. 31:33-34; 2 Cor. 3:6). Also for getting a new heart (Ezek. 36:26-27).
Arg. 15: The everlasting nature of the covenant
Major: If one is a member of an everlasting covenant, you cannot fall out of it
Minor: Infants can reject or "fall out" of the covenant due to unbelief after baptism.
Conclusion: Infants are not members of the NC, an everlasting covenant (Jer. 32:40)
Arg. 16: The spiritual nature of the covenant
Major: Covenant membership should be based on the nature of the covenant
Minor: The NC is spiritual and based on faith
Conclusion: NC membership is spiritual and based on faith
Arg. 17: Continuing practice of circumcision
Major: If early Christian Jews practiced circumcision, then they could not base baptism on circumcision
Minor: Early Christian Jews continued to practice circumcision (Acts 21:20-21)
Conclusion: Infant baptism cannot carry over as an alteration of infant circumcision.
Arg. 18: Threat of legalism
Major: If the principle for determining the subjects of baptism is based on the same principle as that of circumcision, this brings the church back under Law and its weakness (i.e., legalism).
Minor: Paedobaptists do base their principle on the practice of OC circumcision.
Conclusion: Paedobaptists bring the church back under the Law and legalism
Arg. 19: The perfection of sanctification
Major: Those sanctified in the NC are perfected (Heb. 10:14)
Minor: Not all infants grow to perfection
Conclusion: Infants are not necessarily sanctified and shouldn't be baptized on the basis of 1 Cor. 7:14
Arg. 20: The improved sanctification of the NC
Major: If sanctification can be lost, then Christ is no better than the OC
Minor: Christ is better than the OC
Conclusion: Sanctification cannot be lost. But infants may not demonstrate any evidence of sanctification. Therefore, they do not have Christ in the NC.
Arg. 21: The superiority of Christ's high priestly office
Major: If Christ loses members of the NC, then he is not a superior high priest (Heb. 7:25)
Minor: Infants baptized "into" NC can apostatize.
Conclusion: Christ is not a superior high priest. This is absurd.
Arg. 22: Sanctification of unbelieving spouses
Major: Unbelieving spouses of believers are holy just as are their children, so they should receive the same blessings as their children (1 Cor. 7:14)
Minor: Infants receive baptism
Conclusion: Unbelieving spouses should be baptized. This is absurd.
Arg. 23: Infants not necessarily in "households"
Major: If there are some households in Scripture where infants are not included, then households which are baptized cannot necessarily be said to contain infants.
Minor: There are examples in Scripture of a household not containing infants (Mt. 10:36, Mk. 6:4)
Conclusion: One cannot necessarily say households include infants for baptism.
Arg. 24: One cannot remember the sign from infancy
Major: If you can't remember experiencing a sign and it leaves no lasting mark, then it is an inferior sign to circumcision.
Minor: Infants cannot remember their baptism into adulthood
Conclusion: Infant baptism is inferior to circumcision
Arg. 25: Ultimate salvation is linked with baptism
Major: All who are baptized are saved (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27)
Minor: Not all infants who are baptized have faith
Conclusion: Some are saved without faith, or other possible absurdities.
While this book does a good job laying out many credobaptist arguments and attempted refutations of paedobaptist arguments, much of its force is weakened by special pleading. Its strained reading of the NC bears too much weight in this argument, especially as it has many instances of special pleading for multiple words ("kingdom", "sanctification", etc.) having multiple possible usages, but covenant membership can only be those who truly enjoy the substance of the covenant promises, thus collapsing the visible and invisible church. Most of these arguments can be used against baptists as well, since they apply baptism to those who ultimately apostatize. What you end up getting is only a probabilistic covenant community, since you can't guarantee anyone's membership until they die, and even then you cannot be entirely sure they did not apostatize in the end on their view. There is no clear and definite NC community because everyone believer is a potential apostate and thus never part of the community at all. Distinguishing between the visible and invisible church alleviates this problem. In addition, Conner fails to provide any discussion relating to the corporate dimensions of the NC passages (and others). What may be true of the corporate body does not necessarily have to hold for each visible member. My greatest disappointment is that the discussion of raising children under credobaptist convictions was so abbreviated and superficial. I think this is the hardest thing, and still believe that credobaptist parents are better than their principles on this point.
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