The Baptism of Disciples Alone

By Fred Malone
A Review by Tom Tollett

Something puzzled me as I first kept bumping into and later delighted in the Doctrines of Grace and the rediscovery of our Reformed Baptist roots. I had learned and worshipped with such writers as Jonathan Edwards, John Murray, John Owen, John Calvin, J.I. Packer, and R.C. Sproul. But the puzzle was that so many of the men I admired "baptized babies." And they did this because they believed in "Covenant Theology."

What was I to do with that? Could these great and godly men be right on so many vital issues concerning God's ways, and be so wrong on baptism?

Apparently I haven't been alone. I know of several Presbyterian churches in our city which have significant numbers of members from Baptist backgrounds who are unsure of or reject infant baptism but are attracted to the sound preaching, reformed doctrine and elder leadership in a PCA church. In his book, Fred Malone mentions one Presbyterian Seminary which had at least 40% Baptists in their entering student body.

Dr. Malone, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Clinton, LA and formerly a PCA minister, provides a new and very helpful book on the subject. I have read many books, booklets, and articles from well qualified writers on both sides of the argument between Paedobaptists (baptizing children of believers) and Credobaptists (baptizing believers only upon a credible profession of faith). None have so satisfied me as Dr. Malone's book in 1). its breadth of coverage of particular frames-of-reference, texts, or arguments, 2). depth of explanation and application of hermeneutics (proper principles of scripture interpretation), and 3). balance of convicting but conciliatory spirit. As Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has said, "Fred Malone has written one of the most important books on baptism to appear in at least the last two hundred years."

The breadth of coverage is shown especially by Chapters 3 through 12 which answer so many of the arguments and proof-texts given by paedobaptists. (This had been previously published on The Founders Website as "A String of Pearls Unstrung.") Also the Appendices include "Spurgeon on Baptism," "The Proper Mode of Baptism," a book review of an oft-quoted French Reformed Pastor's classic on the subject, and "The Appendix to the 1689 London Baptist Confession" which gives a clear statement of our Baptist forefathers view of the grounds of disagreement with paedobaptist brothers.

But the greatest value in the book is seen in the time and perceptive skill of the first section which deals with how God's People handle the Word of God that it might be rightly divided. Some parts may be technical, but most are written to show how the principles are accessible to the layman or "workman of God" who will study. Malone helps to deal with the particular principles which are so critical to this issue and which, he shows, are often violated or inconsistently handled; principles such as the unity and diversity of scripture/testaments ("The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed."), the perspicuity of scripture (the Lord makes the necessary clear), the proper exegesis of typology, and the priority between hermeneutical principles (literal passages over symbolic, didactic over historical, etc.) He demonstrates with an example of how a particular principle is violated by 1). dispensationalists, 2). proponents of normative worship, 3). theonomists, and 4). proponents of paedobaptism. He states that each violates the principle that "the New Testament is the final, clearest revelation of God that has final authority to determine how the Old is fulfilled in the it."

In addition to violations of proper hermeneutics, Malone points to the problem of "the regulative principle" for paedobaptists. This principle states that elements of worship, including sacraments, be "instituted by God Himself...limited by His own revealed will, and...prescribed in holy scripture" (Westminster Confession). He deals carefully yet firmly with the paedobaptist's notion that even though there is no express command for or clear example of infant baptism it is justified by "good and necessary inference." The noted inconsistencies of various proponents in application of the regulatory principle to paedocommunion and not paedobaptism is significant.

The Baptism of Disciples Alone is recommended reading. It will not only answer many concerns about our discussions with Presbyterian brothers and sisters, but will bolster your ability to think rightly about what scripture has to say about related issues, such as church membership, church discipline, acceptable worship, civil law, covenantal family life, and evangelism in the family.

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