I have great respect and affection for Paedobaptist Christians who argue along these lines. Some of them are my close friends or historical heroes. And the arguments [for paedobaptism] I’ve sketched above display careful attention to Scripture and reverence of Scripture. Yet I don’t think they’re persuasive. Here are six reasons why.
- Paedobaptism applies the sign of union with Christ to those who are not united to Christ. It divorces the sign from the reality.
- Paedobaptism confuses being born of Christian parents with being born again by the Spirit.
- Paedobaptism mistakenly assumes that God is forming his new covenant people the same way he formed his old covenant people.
- Paedobaptism undermines the church’s saltiness and lightness (Matt. 5:13-16).
- Paedobaptism dissolves two crucial differences between baptism and circumcision.
- Paedobaptism makes God’s new covenant promise less than a promise.
Bobby Jamieson, Understanding Baptism (pg. 25-35).