Covenantal Baptism (Blessings of the Faith)
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Why would Christians baptize infants? Jason Helopoulos lays out the Reformed perspective— the logic of baptism flows from a covenant-keeping God, who loves to bless his people. Informative and encouraging, this brief book will serve as a helpful primer and quick reference tool for parents, congregations, elders, and pastors.
Written for the church, the Blessings of the Faith series introduces and celebrates Reformed doctrine and practice—each book features a brief and practical overview of its topic with discussion questions and an extensive Q&A section.
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- Explores the doctrine of baptism
- Seeks to provide answers and explanations for those seeking to understand baptism
- Examines the kindness of God as it is seen through the covenants he enters in with his people
- Introduction: Beginning with the Right Perspective
- The Kindness of God
- The Fourfold Stream of Testimony
- Blessings to the Children
- Blessings to the Parents
- Blessings to the Congregation
- Questions and Answers on Baptism
Top Highlights
“Paul tells us in Colossians 2:11 that Christ was circumcised through his crucifixion. Christ experienced the curse that we saw God committing himself to when he made his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. His crucifixion caused him to be circumcised because he was ‘cut off’—not merely from the flesh of his foreskin but from life itself. He received the judgment of God for us. Thus, the sign of circumcision no longer applies within the covenant community—it has been fulfilled. Yet God graciously continues to prop up our faith, so Christ gifted the sacrament of baptism as a sign of the promises of God.” (Page 31)
“Paul teaches that both sacraments serve as signs of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection—circumcision looking forward to Christ’s death and baptism looking back to it.” (Page 43)
In this scripturally based, theologically sound, and practically helpful book, Jason Helopoulos has provided a concise yet robust resource for anyone who wants to know more about the truth and beauty of covenant baptism. As he rightly states in the first chapter, the key to understanding and embracing baptism is knowing “the kindness of our covenant-making God.” In other words, God is so incredibly gracious that he lavishes amazing gifts on his people and their children. Baptism is one of those gifts. I will be recommending and using this book frequently.
—Julius J. Kim, President, The Gospel Coalition
This is a truly remarkable, page-turning book that is peppered with personal illustrations and persuasively and winsomely presents a robust defense of the baptism of infants of believers. Written from the overflow of the big heart that this pastor and father has for children and the church, it excels at being biblically enlightening, doctrinally sound, experientially balanced, and practically helpful. The Q&A section is superlative—so succinct, so wise, so “spot-on.” One does not have to agree with every detail Jason Helopoulos propounds in order to realize that this book has immense potential to move the church community forward by helping it to grasp the beauty of baptism without either overestimating or underestimating it. Highly recommended!
—Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
This is an immensely helpful study of God’s Word on a very important topic. The Q&A at the end alone is worth the read. If you want to understand Reformed teaching on baptism, look no further.
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California