Both circumcision and baptism indicated the same spiritual blessings and privileges, and marked entrance into the visible church. There would be nothing inconsistent with someone receiving both rites (as in the case of Jewish infants). Under the Old Testament, only circumcision served in this capacity, and was therefore administered to proselytes from the Gentiles, as well as Israelites (Exod. 12:48, 49). But under the New Testament, after circumcision had become more exclusively identified with the Jewish people as distinguished from Gentiles, and a new rite had been introduced (baptism), circumcision continued in the Christian church only to Jews, while baptism was administered to both Jews and Gentiles. Timothy (who was half Jewish) was circumcised immediately following the Jerusalem Synod, which declared that it was not necessary for the Gentiles to be circumcised. Acts 21:20-26 (cited in the quote by Welty) demonstrates that children were still regarded as part of God’s covenant people… their baptism is not mentioned, because it was their circumcision which was of importance in this instance.

Along with the distinction between the visible church and the invisible church, we should also note the difference between attendance and membership.

If you are going to say that infant baptism is simply an act of making an infant part of the visible church, then by all means, go ahead. It is when we equate baptism with any sort of entrance into the invisible church that we get into error.

Thanks for the correction on the distinction between the visible and the invisible church.

If you truly believe that “you cannot be in the visible covenant community without being saved, because salvation is what enters [sic] you into this community.” How do I see it? Do they have a glowing cross on their chest? You admit you may be a false professor, so how can you call anyone a part of the VISIBLE community? How about by water baptism…

You said, “You can be in the visible covenant community without being saved.”

Baptism does not enter you into the covenantal community, salvation does. Baptism is, simply put, a profession of faith. It does not have any power to save, or to make someone a member of God’s family. So referring to your statement, you cannot be in the visible covenant community without being saved, because salvation is what enters you into this community. One could claim to be a part without salvation, but that is a false profession of faith. One could be baptized without being saved, but that does not make him a part of the church. Salvation makes you a part of the church, and baptism (whether saved or not) is an outward profession of faith. Nothing more, and nothing less.

You don’t need exegetical gymnastics to get around warning passages. Warnings are one of the means God uses to keep his elect.

If no one fall over a cliff, does that mean we need intellectual gymnastics to explain why there are warning signs posted? No, we just need to acknowledge that the warning signs worked. Just so, we can recognize that God’s warnings work, they keep the elect from falling over the cliff.

You said:

“They rejoiced together as a household for the reason stated, “He having believed.” That is a singular participle, and it is placed at the end of the sentence for emphasis.”

One of the earlier articles debunked this argument. Please re-read:
http://www.sfpulpit.com/2008/03/27/infant-baptism-and-acts-1631-34/#more-1252

If you are going to apply the “singular participle” argument to “having believed,” you will likewise need to apply the same grammatical logic to “rejoiced,” as well as the rest of the context.

Also, again like Daniel pointed out elsewhere, to equate covenant membership with salvation is to force exegetical gymnastics to get around warning passages. You can be in the visible covenant community without being saved.

You asked, “Are you suggesting that everyone who gets baptized is saved?”

No. Everyone who is saved should get baptized. Baptism is a command only for those who are saved. We are buried with Him in the likeness of His death and raised in the newness of life. When we are saved, we identify ourselves with Christ. The outward action of this indentifying is baptism. If someone is not identifying himself with Christ, then he should not be baptized, since baptism is that identifying.