The authoritative treatment of the doctrine of baptism within the broad context of the theology of justification and grace. Marcel's vindication of the doctrine of infant baptism is considered the more impressive as it relies upon the evidence of Scripture rather that the archeological of patristic evidence of the Early Church.

contents1. A Pastoral Overview of Infant Baptism2. Matthew 28: 18-20 and the Institution of Baptism3. Unto You and Your Children4. The Oikos Formula5. Baptism and Circumcision as Signs and Seals6. The Mode of Baptism7. The Newness of the New Covenant8. Infant Baptism in the New Covenant9. Covenant Transition10. Covenant Theology and Baptism11. Infant Baptism in the Reformed Confessions12. Infant Baptism in History: An Unfinished Tragi-Comedy13. The Polemics of Anabaptism: Antipaedobaptism from the Reformation Period Onward14. Baptism and Children: Their Place in the Old and New Testaments15. In Jesus' Name, Amen

The issue of baptism has troubled Protestants for centuries. Should infants be baptized before their faith is conscious, or does God command the baptism of babies whose parents have been baptized? Popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight makes a biblical case for infant baptism, exploring its history, meaning, and practice and showing that infant baptism is the most historic Christian way of forming children into the faith. He explains that the church's practice of infant baptism developed straight from the Bible and argues that it must begin with the family and then extend to the church. Baptism is not just an individual profession of faith: it takes a family and a church community to nurture a child into faith over time. McKnight explains infant baptism for readers coming from a tradition that baptizes adults only, and he counters criticisms that fail to consider the role of families in the formation of faith. The book includes a foreword by Todd Hunter and an afterword by Gerald McDermott.

"My goal in this little book is pastorally to explain the scriptural foundation for infant baptism. To do this, I will first present the biblical support for infant baptism as I have presented it in new members' and church officer training classes over the past twenty-five years. Then I will conclude by offering words of explanation that I have often used as a pastor during the administration of the ordinance. My goals are to help explain why we should baptize the infants of believing parents and also to help pastors better to know how to administer the sacrament in ways that are meaningful and helpful for their churches. Thus, I plan to present this material in terms that are accessible to laypersons and to leave technical discussions to able scholars in other books."

Is this just another book on infant baptism? No. It is possibly the best succinct, yet comprehensive work on the subject ever written by a puritan. It was originally a longer series of sermons that Harrison preached to his congregation, many of whom were Baptist at the time. At their request, he placed his thoughts into a concise treatise that covers all the main points needful in understanding the biblical position of infant inclusion in the Covenant of Grace, and infant baptism. Harrison’s work is so acute in its biblical presentation of the truth of Scripture that the reader cannot be but left in awe of his masterful exactitude to God’s mind on the issue of infant inclusion in the Covenant of Grace, and the application of the sign of the covenant to every visible member in the church. He gives the reader an introductory lesson on the Covenant of Grace and those parties involved by way of its membership, and then proceeds to teach the reader why infants are to be baptized. Harrison deals hermeneutically with 9 biblical arguments on the issue; two of which are his most important foundational chapters setting the stage for the rest of the book. He also shows the danger of shutting infants out of the kingdom of heaven, and answers all the main objections to Antipaedobaptist theology on the issue. He ends the work with a chapter on the right mode in which baptism should take place, along with a chapter on applying the truths of the study to the life of the members of the covenant community. Without sounding clichéd, this work is among the top works ever written on the subject, and in my estimation is irrefutable. The unbiased reader will have no issues with Harrison’s biblical exposition and logic driven inference. It is a powerhouse puritan work that every Paedobaptist ought to read for support, and every Antipaedobaptist ought to read to untangle their dispensational theology. Harrison says that Antipaedobaptism is “to be justly abhorred as false doctrine,” and proves this to the reader beyond a reasonable doubt. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Is believer’s baptism the clear teaching of the New Testament Scriptures? What are the historical and theological challenges to believer’s baptism? What are the practical applications for believer’s baptism today? Volume two in the NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY STUDIES IN BIBLE & THEOLOGY (NACSBT) series for pastors, advanced Bible students, and other deeply committed laypersons addresses these compelling questions. Indeed, Believer’s Baptism begins with the belief that believer’s baptism (as opposed to infant baptism or other faith proclaiming methods) is the clear teaching of the New Testament. Along the way, the argument is supported by written contributions from Andreas Kostenberger, Robert Stein, Thomas Schreiner, Stephen Wellum, Steve McKinion, Jonathan Rainbow, Shawn Wright, and Mark Dever. Users will find this an excellent extension of the long-respected NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY.