Baptizing Baby Saints

Why would anyone baptize an infant? That is ridiculous! You never see an infant baptized in the Bible. It is a practice invented by the Roman Catholic Church. Those kinds of remarks are very familiar to me. I said things like that in the past. But recently I baptized five little boys as “covenant children,” without a profession of personal faith, based on the faith and covenant membership of their parents, and Sunday, August 2^nd, I am baptizing (sprinkling!) three young children, including an actual infant. Why would I ever do such a thing? Why did my convictions change? How could anyone ever think it is right to baptize an infant

There is a lot that can be said about the biblical basis for infant baptism as a sign of the covenant of grace, and I will have a lot more to say about it in the coming months. The change in my convictions did not happen suddenly, recently, or without significant study and much thought and prayer. But in this article, originally prepared for our church bulletin, I want to point out something most of you already know that supports the baptism of infants born into the covenant.

We work from grace, not for it. We obey the Lord because we are saved, not in order to be. The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace, through faith, not of works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:28). So why are believers baptized? After all, the thief on the cross was not baptized, but he was saved. Believers are baptized to be obedient to Christ their Lord (Matt. 28:19-20). They are baptized to visibly demonstrate their union with Christ and participate in the covenant of grace (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27). Believers are baptized because they are set apart as holy, because they belong to God’s covenant of grace (Acts 10:46-48; 16:30-34). And that is why the children of believers are to be baptized too.

The NT says it explicitly: the children of believers are holy (1Cor. 7:14). The Greek word hagios used in this verse is translated saint throughout the NT epistles. This does not mean a believer’s children are automatically saved. Each of them much trust in Christ and repent of their sins. They must personally choose to serve the Lord. They are not saved by their parents’ faith. But because their parents are Christians, they already belong to the Church. They are visibly, outwardly connected to Christ. They are part of the covenant community. They are set apart as holy to God. The Bible says so. And that is why (among many reasons) we now baptize our children. –JME

Reformed Confession and Daily Devotions

Many Christians have a habit of daily time spent in reading the Scriptures and in prayer. If you don’t have a habit of doing so, I certainly recommend it. While there is no explicit command for such a “daily devotional,” the Bible is replete with statements about the daily practice of prayer and meditation on God’s word (Psa. 1:2; 5:3; 55:17; 119:97).

Some Christians find daily devotional books helpful which contain brief readings on spiritual themes. Such resources can be useful, but many of the most popular ones are full of unbiblical teaching and man-centered theology. We should be careful not to too quickly adopt or embrace books or resources based on their popularity. Being on the best-seller’s list at Lifeway or CBD is not necessarily an indicator of a book’s orthodoxy (and may actually suggest it isn’t).

Often overlooked as a devotional resource are the classic and historic confessions of faith written by godly men to train the church in sound doctrine through the ages. Particularly valuable are the robust Westminster Confession of Faith, WestminsterLarger Catechism, and Heidelberg Catechism which have served the church well for about 400 years. These documents are full of biblical doctrine and solid theology presented in a well-organized, systematic form. Each section can be read in just a few minutes and contains extensive Scripture references to show the biblical basis for its claims. Moreover these documents are freely available online or on a mobile device. They are in the public domain and so may be downloaded and printed if one prefers a hard copy. Our elders enjoy reading and studying from a small hardback edition that contains full proof-texts of the Bible verses and which only costs $12. You can also purchase very nice, inexpensive copies on Amazon and CBD.

The historic confessions can be helpful additions to a daily time spent in the Scriptures. Their introduction to basic theology and concise summaries of Bible words and doctrines will challenge, inform, and bless any Christian who spends time reading and reflecting on them. If you have not read these three historic documents, let me encourage you to do so. I trust you will be helped, encouraged, and comforted by them. –JME

Giving Account Of Ourselves to God

“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

(Romans 14:12)

If I am honest, I have to admit a lot of my daily stress and frustration is due to my dissatisfaction with other people. I worry too much about others, what they think, what they do, what they don’t do, and in general how they live their lives. Now it is not as though I am scrolling through Facebook feeds to find things to aggravate me, but when other people’s foolishness, irresponsibility, and even sin directly affects me, I get irritated, even sometimes angry.

This is one of many reasons I need Romans 14:12 in my life, not because other people’s sin or selfishness is necessarily a “Romans 14 issue,” but because I need to be reminded regularly that my responsibility before God is…me, not the other people around me. Of course, I am responsible for some people around me. God holds me accountable for my wife and kids and even, to some extent, the local church I serve (Eph. 5:22-6:4; Heb. 13:17; Jas. 3:1). I am also responsible for how I treat, think about, and speak about other people in my life. I will give an account for the foolish words (Matt. 12:36), foolish thoughts (Psa. 19:14; 37:1), and foolish anger (Matt. 5:21-26) that is sometimes directed toward other people, but I will not be held accountable for their sins or shortcomings, only my own.

When frustration or anger is the result of being too occupied with other people and their concerns, we should repent of being a busybody and focus on our own lives instead (1Thess. 4:11). But when frustration and disappointment is simply the result of living in a fallen world and interacting with fallen people, we can take great comfort in the reassurance that “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” The Lord knows each of us intimately, both the good and the bad. We each have our hands full with our own shortcomings and continuing need for greater sanctification. There is no time to waste on being aggravated about people and circumstances we cannot change. We should mourn the sinful world we live in but remain focused on preparing to see the Savior. Soli Deo Gloria. –JME

30 Day Bible Reading Tracks

                Periodically I publish different ways of dividing one's daily Bible reading to encourage people to read the Scriptures more thoroughly and effectively. Most people who have heard (or read) me teach on personal Bible reading know I am an advocate for reading the Psalms and Proverbs every month. This reading scheme is built with that discipline in mind. Whereas in the past I have developed plans for reading the entire Bible in just 30 days, that pace is not possible for many people and not sustainable for most. This handout divides the canon into multiple 30 day tracks, allowing the Bible reader to decide how often he wishes to survey the entire Bible and giving him a simple scheme for doing so. I hope some will find it interesting and helpful. –JME

30 Day Bible Reading Tracks

30 Day Schedules for Bible Reading
Opt 1	Jan, May, Sep	Feb, Jun, Oct	Mar, Jul, Nov	Apr, Aug, Dec	Odd Months	Even Months	Every Month
Opt 2	Jan, July	Feb, Aug	Mar, Sep	Apr, Oct	May, Nov	June, Dec	Every Month
Opt 3	Jan, July	Feb, Aug	Apr, Oct	May, Nov	Mar, Sep	Jun, Dec	Every Month
Day	OT 1	OT 2	OT 3	OT 4	NT 1	NT 2	Psalms & Proverbs
1	Ge. 1-7	Jos. 1-6	1Chr. 25-29	Jer. 1-5	Mt. 1-3	Ac. 1-6	Ps. 1-5, Pr. 1
2	Ge. 8-14	Jos. 7-12	2Chr. 1-6	Jer. 6-10	Mt. 4-6	Ac. 7-12	Ps. 6-10, Pr. 2
3	Ge. 15-21	Jos. 13-18	2Chr. 7-12	Jer. 11-15	Mt. 7-9	Ac. 13-18	Ps. 11-15, Pr. 3
4	Ge. 22-28	Jos. 19-24	2Chr. 13-18	Jer. 16-20	Mt. 10-12	Ac. 19-24	Ps. 16-20, Pr. 4
5	Ge. 29-35	Jdg. 1-5	2Chr. 19-24	Jer. 21-25	Mt. 13-15	Ac. 25-28	Ps. 21-25, Pr. 5
6	Ge. 36-42	Jdg. 6-12	2Chr. 25-30	Jer. 26-30	Mt. 16-18	Rm. 1-8	Ps. 26-30, Pr. 6
7	Ge. 43-50	Jdg. 13-17	2Chr. 31-36	Jer. 31-35	Mt. 19-22	Rm. 9-16	Ps. 31-35, Pr. 7
8	Ex. 1-6	Jdg. 18-21	Ezr. 1-6	Jer. 36-40	Mt. 23-25	1Co. 1-7	Ps. 36-40, Pr. 8
9	Ex. 7-12	Ruth 1-4	Ezr. 7-10	Jer. 41-45	Mt. 26-28	1Co. 8-16	Ps. 41-45, Pr. 9
10	Ex. 13-18	1Sa. 1-5	Neh. 1-7	Jer. 46-50	Mk. 1-3	2Co. 1-7	Ps. 46-50, Pr. 10
11	Ex. 19-24	1Sa. 6-10	Neh. 8-13	Jer. 51-Lam. 5	Mk. 4-6	2Co. 8-9	Ps. 51-55, Pr. 11
12	Ex. 25-30	1Sa. 11-15	Est. 1-10	Eze. 1-8	Mk. 7-9	2Co. 10-13	Ps. 56-60, Pr. 12
13	Ex. 31-36	1Sa. 16-20	Job 1-14	Eze. 9-16	Mk. 10-12	Gal. 1-6	Ps. 61-65, Pr. 13
14	Ex. 37-40	1Sa. 21-25	Job 15-21	Eze. 17-24	Mk. 13-16	Eph. 1-6	Ps. 66-70, Pr. 14
15	Le. 1-7	1Sa. 26-31	Job 22-26	Eze. 25-32	Lk. 1-3	Php. 1-4	Ps. 71-75, Pr. 15
16	Le. 8-14	2Sa. 1-6	Job 27-31	Eze. 33-40	Lk. 4-6	Col. 1-4; Phm.	Ps. 76-80, Pr. 16
17	Le. 15-21	2Sa. 7-12	Job 32-37	Eze. 41-48	Lk. 7-9	1Th. 1-5	Ps. 81-85, Pr. 17
18	Le. 22-27	2Sa. 13-18	Job 38-42	Dan. 1-6	Lk. 10-12	2Th. 1-3	Ps. 86-90, Pr. 18
19	Nu. 1-6	2Sa. 19-24	Eccl. & SoS	Da. 7-12	Lk. 13-15	1Tim. 1-6	Ps. 91-95, Pr. 19
20	Nu. 7-12	1Ki. 1-7	Is. 1-6	Hos. 1-7	Lk. 16-18	2Tim. 1-4	Ps. 96-100, Pr. 20
21	Nu. 13-18	1Ki. 8-14	Is. 7-12	Hos. 8-14	Lk. 19-21	Tit. 1-3	Ps. 101-105, Pr. 21
22	Nu. 19-24	1Ki. 15-22	Is. 13-18	Joel – Amos	Lk. 22-24	Heb. 1-7	Ps. 106-110, Pr. 22
23	Nu. 25-30	2Ki. 1-6	Is. 19-24	Obad. – Jonah	Jn. 1-3	Heb. 8-13	Ps. 111-115, Pr. 23
24	Nu. 31-36	2Ki. 7-12	Is. 25-30	Micah	Jn. 4-6	Jas. 1-5	Ps. 116-120, Pr. 24
25	De. 1-6	2Ki. 13-18	Is. 31-36	Nahum – Hab.	Jn. 7-9	1Pe. 1-5	Ps. 121-125, Pr. 25
26	De. 7-12	2Ki. 19-25	Is. 37-42	Zeph. – Hag.	Jn. 10-12	2Pe. 1-3	Ps. 126-130, Pr. 26
27	De. 13-18	1Chr. 1-6	Is. 43-48	Zech. 1-8	Jn. 13-15	1Jn. 1-5	Ps. 131-135, Pr. 27
28	De. 19-24	1Chr. 7-12	Is. 49-54	Zec. 9 – Mal.	Jn. 16-18	2Jn., 3Jn., Jude	Ps. 136-140, Pr. 28
29	De. 25-30	1Chr. 13-18	Is. 55-60	---	Jn. 19-21	Rev. 1-11	Ps. 141-145, Pr. 29
30	De. 31-34	1Chr. 19-24	Is. 61-66	---	---	Rev. 12-22	Ps. 146-150, Pr. 30-31