Questions about Covenant Theology

[cih1355]

If one believes in Covenant Theology, would he have to believe in infant baptism?

Is a belief in premillenialism consistent with a belief in Covenant Theology?

 

[Herald]

 

[RamistThomist]

If one believes in Covenant Theology, would he have to believe in infant baptism?

No. Infant baptism is correct, but not necessarily for that reason.

Is a belief in premillenialism consistent with a belief in Covenant Theology?

Yes (me, sort of).

 

[Presbyterian Deacon]

 

[Zadok]

1. No
2. Yes (- not that I am pre-mill)

But o/w as has been pointed out this is a

 

[Herald]

Curt, what it comes down to is your perspective. If you subscribe to the WCF, you MUST conclude that paedobaptism is a necessary inclusion in CT. If you're an LBC subscriber then you have an obvious departure. In the end, does anybody really care? Both sides are quite capable of labeling the other, but that only works to frame discussion.

 

[Davidius]

If one believes in Covenant Theology, would he have to believe in infant baptism?

Yes. Anyone who claims otherwise is being inconsistent.

Yeah! I said it!

 

[MW]

1. Those who deny infant baptism generally spiritualise the covenant of grace and make its administration applicable only to the elect. In this they depart from traditional covenant theology, which acknowledges the temporal administration of the covenant is conditional and does not depend on individuals first certifying their election.

2. The "promise" is a significant element of covenant theology, and "fulfilment of the promise" is essentially the focus of eschatology; hence eschatology matters to covenant theology. A premil advocate might have created certain quarantined areas where his eschatology has not been permitted to infect his covenant theology, but if he allows his tenet access to the general population it will not be long before it distorts his covenant theology the same way it affected the Jews, who looked for a temporal consummation of the kingdom.

 

[ColdSilverMoon]

2. The "promise" is a significant element of covenant theology, and "fulfilment of the promise" is essentially the focus of eschatology; hence eschatology matters to covenant theology. A premil advocate might have created certain quarantined areas where his eschatology has not been permitted to infect his covenant theology, but if he allows his tenet access to the general population it will not be long before it distorts his covenant theology the same way it affected the Jews, who looked for a temporal consummation of the kingdom.

I am far from an expert on eschatology, but that is my understanding as well. I didn't think one could be a "strict" pre-mil and subscribe to Covenant Theology...