Dear BPCWAians, I hope that after last week’s pastoral, you are able to explain the Biblical reasons for infant baptism. We baptise infants because it is the sign of the covenant which believing parents are in with God, because it is covenant keeping with our covenantal God, and because it is the receiving of the covenantal promise from God. My initial intention for this week was to write to you about what should happen after infant baptism. But I felt it was needful that before we answer that, we should address some common misunderstandings and questions that arise regarding infant baptism. Our understanding and convictions on this Biblical practice must be firm and we must be ready to give an
Read moreDear BPCWAians, If someone were to ask you why we practice infant baptism, would you be able to answer, besides just saying because “we are Presbyterians, and so do Anglicans and Methodists”? Why do some not believe in infant baptism? And do children become members of BPCWA after infant baptism here? (1) Because of the sign of the Covenant which believing parents are in with God. Believers, whether in the Old Testament or New Testament, are saved by the Covenant of Grace through faith (Eph 2:8). Covenants have signs and seals. In the Old Testament, the covenantal sign between God and His people was circumcision, “And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token
Read moreDear BPCWAians, Today we witnessed believer’s baptisms, infant baptisms, affirmation of faith, and transfer of memberships. As members of BPCWA, you also arise at such events to receive them into membership of BPCWA. Have you ever wondered why baptisms and affirmation of faith leads automatically to membership in a church? Why do people transfer memberships? Do infants also become members upon baptism? And why do we ask members of BPCWA to arise to receive them? It is important to understand the Biblical principles behind all these because you are yourself a member or might become a member one day. Believer’s baptism and membership. When a believer is baptized in a church, he becomes a member of that church. Here, it
Read moreDear BPCWAians, We saw last week in Psalm 139, that when David desired to be led in God’s way he first acknowledged that God knew him through and through. So, the first lesson is that we cannot pretend before God else we cannot be led by God. The place to start for growth in Christ is to realise that God knows fully what we are. And He thoroughly knows any impure motives for our actions even as they are remotely conceived in our thoughts. Secondly, in order for us to grow to new heights in God’s way, we must acknowledge that there is much we do not truly know about ourselves that God needs to show us. David cried
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