Christian Education and the Reformed Baptism Form (1)

We are excited to announce another writer who is joining the existing pool of writers for the RFPA blog. Mike Feenstra is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church in Crete, Illinois, and also teaches fifth grade at the Protestant Reformed School in Dyer, Indiana. This is his first blog post.

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The existence of the Protestant Reformed Christian Schools is a testament to the covenant faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.  As an educator in these schools, I thank God for godly parents who faithfully carry out their vows according to our Reformed baptism form. Recently, the RFPA has published The Reformed Baptism Form: A Commentary by Bastiaan Wielenga.

Wielenga speaks in vivid language about the prayers of godly parents for their covenant children. In a moving section, he writes on the prayer used during baptism, “’Oh that thou wilt be pleased graciously to look upon this child, that is, do not judge this child according to his sins; do not look upon him in anger, but in mercy. Do not regard him with the eye of a judge, but with the eye of a father.’ This prayer has something of the publican’s cry of distress. ‘O God, have mercy on me!’”

This book has inspired me to write about the three sections of the form that speak directly on the education of covenant children.  

The first section is found directly preceding the prayer before baptism: “And parents are in duty bound further to instruct their children herein when they shall arrive to years of discretion.” Future blog posts will deal with our children as heirs of the kingdom and Christian parents’ duty to instruct their children.

The second section is included in the questions directed to the parents: “Whether you promise and intend to see these children, when come to the years of discretion (whereof you are either parent or witness), instructed and brought up in the aforesaid doctrine, or help or cause them to be instructed therein, to the utmost of your power.”  We will consider the aforesaid doctrine that parents are called to teach their children, and we will discuss the calling of parents to do this to the utmost of their power.

The third section concerning education is a lengthy section in the prayer of thanksgiving. We hope to discuss that our children are governed by the Holy Spirit; that they grow up in Christ; that pious and religious education must be given to them; that they are under the Teacher; that we must ask that God’s goodness and Fatherly mercy be upon them; and finally that our children will be militant until they enter into heavenly glory.