A Brief Treatise On Baptism

These are the questions to be addressed:

1) What is baptism?
2) What does baptism accomplish?
3) How can baptism accomplish these things?
4) Is the role of the human in baptism active or passive, or a combination of the two?
5) With the above questions in mind, and according to God’s Word, is it proper to baptize infants? Also, is it beneficial to wait until a later age of more thorough understanding of doctrine before baptizing, as is the case with the Sacrament of the Altar?

1) According to Dr. Luther, “Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word” (Small Catechism). In other words, “Baptism is nothing other than God’s Word in the water, commanded by His institution. As Paul says, it is a ‘washing…with the Word’ [Ephesians 5:26]. As Augustine says, ‘When the Word is joined to the element or natural substance, it becomes a Sacrament” (Smalcald Articles). And what is that Word? Luther answers: “Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [Matt. 28:19]” (Small Catechism).

2) Now, since we have defined what baptism itself is, we need to ask what its purpose is. What does it accomplish? Luther answers simply: “It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare” (Small Catechism). So what are those words and promises of God? Luther answers: “Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned [Mark 16:16].” The Augsburg Confession says that “Baptism is necessary for salvation [Mark 16:16] and…God’s grace is offered through Baptism [Titus 3:4-7].” So baptism works salvation because grace is offered through baptism. In other words, it is a “means of grace.” In addition, “St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: ‘We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life’ [Rom. 6:4].” So baptism is a death, drowning, and burial of the Old Adam, and also a resurrection with Christ to a new life. As Luther explains, “[Baptism] indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever” (Small Catechism).

At this point, we should recall the Word of Scripture: “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1-2). Paul states that the unregenerate man is not simply weakened or sick, but entirely spiritually dead. In the same way, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Likewise, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot” (Romans 8:7). So not only does the mind set on the flesh not really like God, but it is altogether hostile to God, and it does not submit to God’s law. In fact, it cannot submit to God’s law, that is how dead it is. Again, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). So the natural person is not able to understand the things of God because he does not have the Spirit of God, and these things are “spiritually discerned.” He simply “cannot accept them.”

So the question should be then, “If one is dead, how does he become alive?” How are we to be delivered from this body of death? How is the mind changed from being hostile to God to being “The mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16)? In the same way that one who is physically dead cannot make a decision to come back to life, neither can one who is spiritually dead make a decision to come to spiritual life. Something must happen “extra nos” (outside of us). God must act on our behalf; He must first kill the Old Adam in us, so that He can bring us to new life in Himself. According to St. Paul, this killing and resurrection happens in baptism. “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). It is God who works in us while we are still dead, since “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). After stating in Romans 8:7 that “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God,” Paul goes on to say “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you” (Romans 8:9). So how does one obtain the Spirit? Again according to Paul, we are saved by a “Washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6). So the Holy Spirit is poured out on us in this washing of baptism. To conclude this point, Paul gives a concise overview of the entire process: “In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses” (Colossians 2:11-13). Therefore we are regenerated through God’s working and God’s commitment to us in baptism, and not by our commitment to God.

3) Third, how is baptism able to accomplish such incredible things? Luther says, “Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life- giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St Paul says in Titus, chapter three:
‘He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying’ [Titus 3:5–8]” (Small Catechism). As Augustine says, “When the Word is joined to the element or natural substance, it becomes a Sacrament” (Quoted. in LC IV:18). It is the Word that grants this power to the water. And this washing of water with the Word certainly does have great power: “That He might sanctify [the Church], having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that he might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26-27).

4) Is the role of the human active, passive, or both? According to Scripture, the human role is strictly passive. “You, who were dead in trespasses…God made alive;” we are saved by a “Washing of rebirth,” which is “Poured out on us;” we are “Buried with Him in baptism, in which [we are] also raised with Him;” it is “God [who] made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Nowhere is baptism spoken of as a “dedication to Christ;” rather, it is always spoken of as entirely God’s work on our behalf. In fact, if baptism truly saves (according to Titus 3 and 1 Peter 3, it does), then it must be entirely God’s work. If God saves by baptism and baptism is our commitment to Christ, well, then we would be saved by our commitment to Christ instead of by His work on our behalf! That would be none other than a subtle form of works-righteousness.

5) With the above questions and answers in mind, is it proper to baptize infants? The answer should by this point be quite clear: If God’s method of killing the Old Adam and regenerating spiritually dead people is through baptism, why not? If God saves through baptism, why exclude infants from this salvation? Scripture never sets an age limit for baptism; therefore, the burden of proof must be on those who oppose infant baptism to show what this limit is. Peter says in Acts 2, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (Acts 2:38-40). Several things can be noted here. First, again we see that the Holy Spirit is given in baptism. Second, the promise is not for a certain age group, but for anyone who God calls to Himself. If infants should not be baptized, that limits not only God’s promise to a certain age group, but also assumes that God only calls a certain age group to Himself. Not many people would agree that God’s calling is limited! Also, it is God who calls us to Himself, not us who find our way to God.

Finally, since we wait until one has more actual understanding of doctrine before administering to them the Sacrament of the Altar, why do we not do the same with baptism? Paul gives warnings against such teaching in 1 Corinthians 10. The best warning, though, is given in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” We do not commune those of other faiths or those who are not yet instructed in Lutheran doctrine for their own safety, so that they are not guilty of profaning the body and blood of Christ. To receive the body and blood of Christ, one must first examine himself against these warnings. However, no such warning is given for baptism! In fact, such a warning would be ridiculous. After all, baptism is, as we have already noted, the way that Christ brings spiritually dead people back to life! No preparation can be made by one who is spiritually dead. Thank God for working these wonderful gifts in us!

Pax Domini +