Covenant baptism and the local church

⛪️⛲️Article 17 – Paedobaptism and the Church: Recovering Joy and Unity in the Waters

The Waters That Remember

Part V – Theonomic Implications & Cultural Dominion

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> “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

—1 Corinthians 12:13

> “Those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

—Acts 2:41

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The Font Is a Door, Not a Fence

Baptism is not a mere moment of sentiment. It is not a private gesture or an optional accessory to the Christian life. It is a covenantal act of kingdom entrance—a visible declaration that someone now belongs not only to Christ but to His visible body: the Church. And in the case of paedobaptism, it is a triumphal proclamation that a child—helpless, dependent, unable to recite a creed—is still fully embraced by Christ through His covenant promises, and that the Church receives them with joy.

Yet far too often, we have reduced baptism to a personalized symbol, a mere “testimony” of our feelings. Some treat it like a photo op. Others whisper it away into private rooms, hidden from the life of the church. In both, the communal heart of baptism is eclipsed.

But the Reformed vision of paedobaptism is bigger than that. Bolder. Older. And more beautiful.

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1. Baptism Brings Us Into the Church, Not Just the Faith

In paedobaptism, the child is not baptized into potential membership, but real inclusion. They are not placed into a vague idea of “Christianity,” but into a people—a body—a kingdom. As Paul says, we are baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13), and that body is not invisible or theoretical. It is the gathered Church, visible in space and time.

That means the baptized child is not an outsider to be evangelized later, nor a tagalong in need of proving themselves. They are family. They are home. The water is not a wish—it is a welcome. They belong.

This has staggering implications. It means that as soon as a child is baptized, the entire life of the church surrounds them. They are to be discipled, prayed for, corrected, and rejoiced over. They are subject to discipline and invited to delight. They are not just in the faith—they are in the fellowship.

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2. The Local Church Rejoices and Receives

Paedobaptism is a church event. Not a family side-ceremony. Not a soft ritual for photos. It is a public act of covenant recognition by the gathered people of God. When a child is baptized, the church makes a vow—sometimes explicitly, sometimes by implication—saying, We will help raise this child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This is why baptism must never be minimized. It is a high point in the life of the church, not an interruption. It is a moment for singing and celebrating, for affirming God's generational faithfulness. This is what the early church knew instinctively: “Those who received his word were baptized… and they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship…” (Acts 2:41–42). Baptism was entrance. Baptism was inclusion. Baptism was joy.

Reclaim that joy.

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3. Theonomic Unity: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

The church is a real polity—a covenant people ruled by Christ, governed by His Word, and identified through His sacraments. That includes the smallest member. There is no neutral zone in the kingdom, and no age exemption in covenant accountability. A baptized child is not a future member. They are part of the body, and the body bears responsibility to teach, disciple, and correct them as needed.

This is why baptism matters ecclesially—it establishes the framework for church discipline. A child baptized into the church, later living in unrepentance, is not treated as a wayward outsider but as a covenant breaker, one who has forsaken the waters of promise. Church discipline assumes church membership—and paedobaptism establishes that very membership.

This also nourishes our unity. We are one in Christ because we share one baptism, one covenant, one Lord. Re-baptism, exclusivist suspicion, or the denial of covenant membership fractures that unity. Paedobaptism knits the household and the church together under Christ’s reign—strengthening the cords of generational obedience and shared covenant joy.

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4. Kuyperian Harmony: Covenant Children as Cultural Participants

Abraham Kuyper famously declared that there is not one square inch of creation over which Christ does not cry, “Mine!” That includes the children. Especially the children. Their lives are not waiting rooms—they are already participating in the culture of the kingdom.

From liturgy to language, from family worship to Sunday catechesis, children are absorbing the identity of the people of God. Baptism binds them to a shared culture—a set of rituals, expectations, and joys that shape their imagination for life. They are not merely individuals who will “someday believe.” They are being formed now. Shaped now. Planted now.

And the church is the soil.

This is what makes baptism not only ecclesial but cultural. The church is not just a worship center—it is a people-creating institution. And paedobaptism boldly asserts that this people includes the child from the beginning. We are not raising strangers who must discover their identity—we are discipling citizens who already have one.

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5. Recovering a Joyful Baptismal Culture

Our baptismal practices say something about our view of God’s covenant faithfulness. And sadly, many modern churches have rendered baptism dull, procedural, or simply invisible. A child is baptized during announcements or off to the side. The congregation barely notices. No song is sung. No vow is made. No party follows.

But this should not be so.

Baptism should be celebrated like a birth. It should be sung over, feasted over, remembered year after year. It should be the moment the whole church says, “We see what God is doing. And we will not forget.”

Do we remember our own baptisms? Do we know the names of the children we’ve received? Do we treat baptismal vows like wedding vows—binding, communal, and joyous?

The future of a faithful church depends on its ability to remember its baptisms. For in doing so, it remembers its God.

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Pastoral Words

To Parents:

You are not alone. The church is not a spectator—it is a co-laborer. When you baptize your child, you invite the body of Christ to stand with you. Let them in. Let them help. Teach your child to love the church, because the church loved them first.

To Pastors:

Shepherd your flock into a rich baptismal memory. Let the font be central, not peripheral. Preach the promises. Sing the covenant. And never let a baptism pass without thanksgiving.

To Churches:

Baptism is your feast. Receive the children with joy, not hesitation. Discipline them in love, not suspicion. Raise them as citizens of the kingdom, not outsiders on probation.

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One Body. One Baptism. One Joy.

Let us remember: the baptismal font is not the finish line. It is the entryway into a household, a city, a people. It is the doorway into worship, Word, and witness. And when we recover the communal glory of paedobaptism, we recover the vibrancy of the Church herself.

So let us pour the water.

Let us sing the songs.

Let us raise the children.

Let us be the Church.

Together.