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38*Infant*Baptism:*Putting*Old*Wine*Into*New*Wineskins?**ritual* to* sustain* and* develop* gospel* faith,* the* Lord’s* Supper* is* the* more*important*of*the*two.*It*is*inconsistent*for*paedobaptists*to*admit*children*to*baptism* but* not* to* the* faith:sustaining* meal* that* Jesus* commanded* his*disciples*to*observe.***Paedobaptists* also* have* to* determine* the* age* at* which* they* will* treat*their*unbelieving*children*as*apostates*from*the*covenant*and*subject*them*to* church* discipline.* In* effect* they* also* operate* an* age* of* responsibility,* so*young*children*who*deny*Christ*will*not*be*treated*as*apostates. 30 *They*also*face* the* same* issue* in* regard* to* church* government.* Paedobaptism* holds*that* baptised* children* are* members* of* the* church.* However* both*congregational*and*Presbyterian*models*of*church*government*involve*some*measure* of* congregational* decision* making,* for* example* in* regard* to* the*election*of*church*officers*and*the*exercise*of*church*discipline.*Infants*and*children*are*generally*excluded*from*the*decision*making*process*and*disen:franchised* compared* with* those* who* have* achieved* the* requisite* “age* of*responsibility”.*Most* significantly,* paedobaptists* face* the* same* problem* if* an* adult* is*converted* who* already* has* children.* Since* the* parent* has* been* converted*then*the*children*ought*also*to*be*baptised*along*with*them.*Whilst*this*is*unproblematic*if*the*children*are*infants,*at*what*age*does*a*child*have*the*right*to*refuse*to*be*baptised*along*with*his*or*her*parent?*What*should*be*done* about* a* child* refuses* to* believe* that* Jesus* is* Lord?* This* is* especially*relevant* in* our* contemporary* culture* where* parents* do* not* enjoy,* either*legally* or* socially,* the* power* over* their* children* of* the* paterfamilias* in*ancient* society.* Inevitably* paedobaptists* have* to* determine* an* age* of*responsibility.****************3. The%Status%of%Children%in%the%Church 31% %*Perhaps*the*most*powerful*and*emotive*arguments*used*by*paedobaptists*to*justify*infant*baptism*concerns*the*status*of*children*within*the*church.*They*present* a* stark* alternative* in* which* credobaptists* are* characterised* as*regarding* their* children* as* mere* pagans,* with* detrimental* effects* to* their*spiritual* education.* They* regard* it* as* impossible* for* credobaptists* to* fulfil*the*biblical*instructions*to*parents*to*bring*up*their*children*“in*the*training*and* instruction* of* the* Lord.”* 32 *They* point* to* the* logical* inability* of*********************************************************************30*It*is*only*authors*from*the*Federal*Vision*perspective*who*seem*to*have*grappled*with*this* issue* in* any* detail.* See* Leithart,* The% Baptised% Body,* 83:106;* Wilson,* To% a% Thousand%Generations,*81:96.**********31*For*a*balanced*treatment*of*the*status*of*the*children*of*believers*see*Eric*Lane,*Special%Children:%A%Theology%of%Childhood*(London:*Grace*Publications,*1996).*%%32*See* for* example* Charles* Dunahoo,* Why% Baptise% Infants,* http://equip.pcacep.org/why:baptize:infants:2.html***