Seven Mysteries About

Children of the New Covenant Believers

by Ven Dr I. U. Ibeme http://www.scribd.com/ifeogo
Click Here For PriscAquila Christian Resource Centre ; http://priscaquila.6te.net
Comment on The Chapel Blog; http://thechapelofgrace.wordpress.com

It is commonplace to speculate about the spiritual status of Children in the Church either
from traditional or rational point of view. These widespread child-despising views are not
necessarily biblical or authentic because even though we are answerable to God about our
Children, these CHILDREN ARE NOT ANSWERABLE TO US BUT TO GOD. Children of
all ages are heritage from the Lord and the Lords reward (Psa_127:3), but
not as private property which merely belong to us to use as we please.
Children are full human beings who belong to God as His image but lost from
God as sinners, therefore they must be presented to God and nurtured as He
pleases. Todays child rights and discipline, foetal abortion and infant baptism
controversies must remember the equality of children to adults in DIGNITY and
DEPRAVITY before God, irrespective of their DISCRETIONAL incapacity to communicate
culturally with adults.

As the Scripture clearly shows, Children of Christian parents are CHILDREN IN DIVINE
COVENANT because they are offspring of believers (Gen_17:7; Mal_2:13-15; 1Cor_7:14).
They are not the same with children born to unbelieving parents in other covenants and
should therefore be looked at from Gods perspective as revealed in the Scriptures, rather
than from human perspective as presumed by heathen cultures or speculated by
intellectual rationalisations.

The Church has overwhelmed herself with what the Bible did not say about children of
covenant believers so much so, that she has disdained and almost overthrown what the
Bible did say about the children of New Covenant parents. It is certain that the
New Covenant reaches further than the Old Covenant and makes possible what the Old
Covenant was incapable of.

Most Churches agree on the spiritual journey for adults and ordinance baptism of adult
converts, but differ in the approach to children.
Some baptize (initiate-dedicate) their children WITH WATER in infancy and confirm
them without water in adolescence.
Others dedicate their children WITHOUT WATER in infancy and baptize (initiate)
them with water in adolescence.
Still some do nothing but leave their children to find their own way, while
Others baptise even non-covenant (pagan) children indiscriminately.
Reasons for these choices vary from belief in original sin to belief in original innocence,
from election grace doctrine to universal grace doctrine, from covenantal Church
ecclesiology to congregational Church ecclesiology, from traditions to revisions, etc. But
what saith the Scriptures about the Kingdom status and the spiritual journey for children
of Christian believers?

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Here are some SEVEN MYSTERIES gleaned from the Scripture about CHILDREN OF DIVINE
COVENANT HOUSEHOLDS.

1. TOGETHER WITH ALL HUMANITY, THEY ARE NATURALLY CONCEIVED AND

BORN IN SIN (Psa_51:5; Rom_3:23; Rom_5:12; Gal_3:22; Eph_2:3); but as children
belonging to New Covenant parents (unlike pagan children (Exo_20:5-6; Luk_7:33), they
are clean and holy (Rom_11:16 b; 1Co_7:14) by covenant (ritual/spiritual) grace not by
personal (moral/rational) merit. Such children should therefore partake with their
parents in all covenant rites and promises (Gen_17:7-14; Act_2:38-39) as well as
covenant rallies and fellowships (Deu_29:10-13; Joe_2:16; Act_21:5) despite their social
discretional incapacity.

2. AS COVENANT OFFSPRING, (WHETHER CHILDREN, YOUNG CHILDREN,

LITTLE ONES, SUCKLING BABES OR EVEN BABES IN THE WOMB), THEY SHOULD
NOT BE DESPISED, because God regards them to be great in His Kingdom (Mat_18:2-
6; Mar_10:13-16) and they are constantly represented by their Angels (without the help of
adults) before God (Mat_18:10); and even in the womb, they could be filled with the
Holy Spirit (Luk_1:15, 44) or be divinely ordained to be prophets (Jer_1:5).

3. DESPITE THEIR LACK OF COMMUNICABLE DISCRETION, THEY ARE EXPLICITLY

DECLARED BY CHRIST'S WARNING TO BE BELIEVERS AS THEIR PARENTS ARE
(Mat_18:6-7), and of GREAT regard in His Kingdom (Mat_18:2-4); so also were the
Apostles persuaded about believers children (2Ti_1:5; Act_16:31).

4. THEIR SOCIAL DEFICIENCY IN COGNITIVE CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

DOES NOT IMPLY SPIRITUAL IRRELEVANCE, EXCLUSION OR DISADVANTAGE
(Psa_8:2; Mat_11:25; Mat_21:15-16). Human Cultural incapacity of little children
does not automatically result in Divine Covenant inadequacy for all little
children of the New Covenant (Mat_18:1-6, 10; Mar_10:13-16).

5. THEIR BELIEVING PARENTS SHOULD NOT FAIL OR BE FORBIDDEN TO

BRING THEM FOR FULL COVENANTING AND CONSECRATION TO GOD (Gen_17:14;
Exo_4:24-26; Mar_10:13-14), while the Church should not refuse to receive them for
every ministrations, ordinances and rites of the New Covenant (e.g. baptismal
initiation, benedictory dedication, instructive and intercessory impartations) done
in Christ's Name (Mat_18:5; Mar_10:15-16; Act_2:38-39).

6. Through MINISTRATION in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church should (by
covenant ritual/spiritual grace) bring them to
be outwardly baptized/initiated (i.e. 'COVENANTED' or born) with Water
(Eze_36:25-27; Mat_3:11; Joh_3:5; Joh_13:7-10; Act_2:38-39; Tit_3:5;
1Pe_3:21) and
be dedicated/blessed with prayer (Mar_10:15-16);
Also through prayerful and exemplary INSTRUCTION, they should thereafter be
cleansed (washed or sanctified) with the truth and spirit of the Word (Joh_6:63;
Joh_15:3; Joh_17:17; Eph_5:26; Heb_4:12) until they (by personal moral commitment)

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 become inwardly reborn from above ('CONVERTED' or recreated) of the
Holy Spirit and by the Word (Joh_3:6-8; Tit_3:5; 1Pe_1:22-23) and
still continue subsequently to be cleansed and equipped to grow by the
Word unto maturity (Eph_4:11-14; Eph_5:26-27; 2Ti_3:15-17; 1Pe_2:2).

7. AS THEY ARE REARED TO GROW UP IN STATURE AND WISDOM, THEY SHOULD

ALSO BE EQUIPPED TO MATURE IN THE FAITH, by the Word and by the Holy Spirit
while with diligence, they consciously work out their salvation which God graciously
works in them (Php_2:12-13; 2Pe_1:10).

Circumcisional initiation was a sign of the covenant and seal of righteousness by

faith (Gen_17:9-14; Rom_4:11 a) and was administered to the neonate children under the
Abrahamic covenant. Today, because of Christ's death and resurrection, baptismal
initiation has replaced circumcision as the sign of the covenant and seal of
righteousness by faith (Act_16:31-33; Act_18:8; Col_2:11-13), and so has always been
administered to New Covenant children from Apostolic times (Act_21:5). However after
new questions were raised by the 16th century Anabaptists on the status of children and the
meaning of the Church and purpose of the Christian Covenant, some churches began to
despise children and exclude them from baptism. Later in the 19 th century, some of these
Churches knowing that this is not right had to innovate the rite of Child dedication
instead. Christ was indignant against excluding believers children (Mar_10:13-14) and
strongly warned with woes against deceiving and despising (Mat_18:6-10) covenant
Children (i.e. children belonging to believers households) in His Church and Kingdom.

The Anabaptists (a 16th century radical revisionist but not very biblical reformist movement) believed
that all Children indiscriminately have no sin, so need no baptism and cannot be part of the Church since
they cannot consciously believe nor can they communicate their faith; neither can they be dedicated or
be baptized since no parent or adult has the right to consecrate or covenant another person. To the
Anabaptists, the Church is not a covenant fellowship but only a local gathering of called-out adult
believers. The Anabaptists failed to understand that what validates Baptism for Adults and Infants
is not their human consciousness and memory of the ceremony but Gods memorial approval of
our Baptism. The pre-reformation Middle Age Churches baptized children indiscriminately, on State or
cultural basis, irrespective of their parents' faith.

Notice that in Gen 17, God warned that circumcision into the Abrahamic Covenant with all its ethnic
limitation and weakness was necessary to initiate covenant infants (not only adults and big children).
In the same way baptism into Christs Covenant with its universality and power is more so applicable
to initiate and dedicate covenant infants (little ones) belonging to believers households. No wonder in
Mat 18:2-11, Christ also warned that they be not despised in matters of His Kingdom or be deceived
into sin, but rather be received upon His Name (i.e be initiated by Christs baptism or dedication?),
because His Kingdom is accessible for them also. Despite their mental, lingual, moral and other human
cultural incapacities, such children are regarded by Christ to believe in Him (Ask Him how!), as well
as relate with His heavenly Father (through Angels NOT through Adults). Again, as sinful humans, they
are among the morally lost, that Christ came to save by grace. (See
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9637215/Christian-Baptism)

Therefore, the Church has nothing to gain scripturally speaking, when we refuse to
baptize (initiate) and dedicate our little children. Nor have our little children any
thing to lose scripturally speaking, when we baptize and dedicate them. On the other

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hand, we all gain everything if we baptize (initiate) and dedicate them, knowing that they
could otherwise be initiated into demonic bondage and be intensely possessed from
childhood (Mar_9:20-21). Our infants are free from the possibility of being cut off
(Gen_17:10-14) and the Church is free from the possibility of damnable offense and woe
(Mat_18:5-10).

However, at discretional inquiry or conversion (Gen 22:7; Deut 6:20; Pro 22:6) and
discretional decision or dedication/consecration (Dan 1:8), such believing offspring of
covenant households (Mat 18:6, 10; 2Tim 1:5) should yet be stirred-up (anazopureo)
and convicted in their hearts by exhortation done in the power of the Holy Spirit (2Tim
1:6-7; Act 2:37-40; 2Pet 3:1) to decisively purpose (prothesis) for deeper lifelong
clinging (prosmeno) unto Christ (Act 11:23; Dan 1:8).

Even already converted and baptised adults also undergo such deeper
decisive purpose and more committed conviction/conversion or
dedication/consecration when they receive more light and are provoked to
take up more sublime challenge.

The spiritual journey of believers children is thus (Deut 6):

1. Born in sin but under mercy of divine covenant.
2. Initiated-dedicated and trained-up in the covenant.
3. Discretionally converted-awakened and further equipped to maturity.

The spiritual journey of pagan adults and their children is thus:

1. Born in sin and under wrath of divine condemnation.
2. (They cannot be initiated for covenant dedication and training, since they have nothing yet
to do with the covenant).
3. Discretionally converted, initiated and equipped to maturity.

Updated January 31, 2014 by Ven. Dr. I. U. Ibeme

Copyright PriscAquila Publishing, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Click here for PriscAquila Christian Resource Centre http://priscaquila.6te.net http://www.scribd.com/ifeogo