The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Thoughts on 1Cor 7:12ff

Gerry,

Your comments are duly noted about Joe. However, I do think you are being less than charitable on several accounts. At the risk of stirring things up even more, I will address a few of them with the hopes of clarification for all:

• Re: Joe's objection to Steve's remark about children not being saved in the O.T., etc. If you have read my comment as it was written I said in so many words, that I too could see how Steve's comment could be construed as such and such. I fail to see how Joe's educational achievements, Christian service, etc., guarantees that one infallible insight into another's comments. Bottom line: there was really no need for the ad hominem slap.
• Re: Dispensational label. Not only Joe, but I too have gone to reasonable lengths to explain that the "term" Dispensational cannot be restricted to the matter of eschatology. In fact, I laid out to Tom what Joe's meaning and intent was by showing the commonality of many of the Credobaptist's hermeneutic and that used by eschatological "Dispensationalists", e.g., the "plain reading of the text", a "psycho-statistical mean", etc., which leads obviously to a discontinuity which Paedobaptists do not accept. I find nothing whatsoever "negative" or derogatory in the use of the term when used in this manner. The ONLY reason I can think of that someone might take offense is if they are extremely anti-Dispensational and thus find nothing valuable in the word at all. Let's me perfectly honest here, shall we! I am more often than not called a "Calvinist", which used by the person calling me that, intends by it something entirely negative; a blight on society, a demonic evil, etc. However, I surely don't feel the same way about the word as is intended in such cases. Thus, I simply ignore the intent and accept it. In this case, Joe nor I have any intent in the use of the word to convey anything negative by it. All we can do is to explain, which it has been done several times now, how it is being used. I believe the onus is upon you to accept the intended use or supply a better term which describes the hermeneutic more accurately.
• Lastly, is your unkind and inaccurate remark re: Joe's workload. Being one that knows Joe quite well and all that he is involved in, I think that your remark(s) were really unwarranted. His participation here, like everyone else's, is by choice and not necessity. His real responsibilities at his church and school are far beyond which I dare say most here could even think to fulfill. Having been a student at several grad schools I can identify with the conundrum of having to deal with changed schedules, canceled classes, etc. You try and put together a schedule for yourself based upon what others have scheduled. But when last minute changes come your way, your entire nice little schedule suddenly falls apart. So, bottom line here is that Joe, believing that he had a certain amount of time allotted due to canceled classes etc., came here and began participating in the discussions. When that free time was expired, he knew he would not be able to return; giving higher priority to family, church and school. It sure sounds reasonable to me. So why the unkind remarks? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratch1.gif" alt="" />

Again, from only my personal experience, it seems that Baptists are incredibly hard on paedobaptists, not that there are not some paedobaptists who aren't unnecessarily hard on Baptists; we have seen a few here, no, which if you recall, I rebuked on more than one occasion! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/rolleyes2.gif" alt="" /> But it seems to me that there is far too much emphasis and/or importance put on this matter of baptism. If it is NOT a matter of salvation, then why all the huff? Does it REALLY matter if a parent has their child baptized and believes that the child needs to come to repentance and faith, should the Lord have mercy upon it, to be saved? Where's the beef? If the Scripture's teaching on baptism CRYSTAL CLEAR, then there wouldn't be this divide. But the truth is, it isn't THAT clear and thus we have two distinct views with all their variations in both camps. But again I ask, since it is NOT a matter of salvation, why all the heat? You don't want to baptize infants? I say fine, as long as you raise your children in the ways of the Lord, impressing them of their need of Christ and to walk in His ways. And I would ask for the same respect from Baptists in this regard as well.

That's my

In His Grace,