S uppose
for a moment that there was a doctor who had
such
incredible talent that he could prevent people from
dying, and bring those who had
died back to life, never to die
again. Just imagine how people would do whatever they could
to be treated by this doctor! Now consider that in Holy Baptism,
God actually does give us the gift of eternal life! Let’s
learn more about this
marvelous blessing.
What
is Baptism?
Baptism
is not just plain water, but it is the water included in
God’s command and
combined with God’s Word.1 What’s
so special about a handful of simple water? Nothing,
until God connects His Word to it! In Baptism, that is exactly
what God is doing. He combines His life-creating and life-giving
Word with the waters of Holy Baptism, and thereby we
are born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).
What
is that Word of God?
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).
Our
Lord commands Baptism. It is not optional, nor is it simply
a nice "extra." God’s Word takes on many forms,
according to His good and
gracious will. The Word is preached, taught,
and proclaimed. It is read, studied and meditated on. It
is shared by Christians, with
non-Christian and fellow believer,
alike.
And it is that Word of God, His promise, that makes
Baptism
what it is. God Himself
is present as His name is joined to the water, with
all His power and all His blessings of forgiveness, life and
salvation. Christ consecrates the
water of Baptism with His Word,
so as we in Baptism stand with Christ in the water, the
Father calls us His beloved
children, the Holy Spirit is given to us,
and heaven is opened to us. Those
who receive Baptism after they have been brought to
faith by the preaching or teaching of the Word also receive all
the blessings God has attached
to Baptism.
What
benefits does Baptism give?
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. Which are these words and
promises of God? 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). In
and through Baptism, God cleanses us from all of our sins,
snatches us from the power of Satan, and gives us everlasting
life. It is all God’s doing as He
gives us His blessing. It is His
promise. In Baptism, our Triune God imparts to each of us
personally the gifts the Lord
Jesus Christ won for the world through
His life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Please see
especially Gal.3:27;Col.1:13–14;
1 Peter 3:21;Titus 3:5–7 and
1
Cor.6:11.
How
can water do such great things?
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 in the Holy Spirit, whom
He poured out on us generously through
Jesus Christ our Savior, 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). Of
course, simple water can’t do such great things, but the water
of Baptism is not simple water! Baptism is one very special
way God delivers to us the blessings
Christ won for us. Baptism is
not something we do, but something God does. Therefore,
it is far more than a symbol. It is a sacred act in which
God Himself is at work forgiving sins, giving new life in Christ
and bestowing on us the Holy Spirit with all of His gifts.
Baptism
gives us the faith through which we receive these gifts.
God the Holy Spirit works faith in the promises attached to
Baptism.
What
does such baptizing with water indicate?
It
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. Where is this
written?
St.Paul writes in Romans chapter six: "We were there-
fore
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).
In
Baptism we are buried with Christ, and in Baptism we
are
raised with Christ. His death and resurrection are made our
own,
and because of that fact, through our entire life, we are able
to
say, "I am baptized!" Having been buried with Christ
into His
death
we do not have to be afraid of the tomb in which we will
rest
one day. Christ has already been there. In Holy Baptism
we
have passed through His grave into His resurrection. As
Luther says in his Large Catechism, "If I am baptized, I
have the promise that I shall be
saved and have eternal life, both
in soul and body. ...No greater jewel can adorn our body
and soul than Baptism. ...Baptism
is a treasure which God gives
us and faith grasps, just as the Lord Christ upon the cross
is not a human work, but a
treasure comprehended and offered to
us in the Word and received by faith."
What
does Baptism have to do with our daily life?
Everything!
Our entire life is a life lived trusting in the
promises
of God, given to us in and through Holy Baptism. We
are
constantly returning to Baptism. In moments of temptation
and
suffering in our lives, when all seems to be crashing down
on us, and in particular in those moments when our sin and
the guilt of those sins haunt us, we are able, as Luther says,
to "Pull out our Baptism and
wave it under the devil’s nose and say,
‘I am baptized. ...I have God’s bath. It is Christ’s
own blood.’ It is a bath
blessed and mixed with the blood of Christ."2 We can’t
return to the cross of Christ, nor should we attempt to
imagine ourselves back
there. No, we turn instead to the "here and
now" reality of God’s work in our lives. We return to
our Baptism. For
it was there and then that God buried us with Christ
and raised us with Him to a new life. In
his Large Catechism, Luther says," Every Christian has
enough to study and to practice
all his life. He always has enough
to do to believe firmly what Baptism promises and
brings—victory
over death and the devil, forgiveness of sins, God’s
grace, the entire Christ, and the Holy Spirit with His gifts."
And: "If you live in repentance, therefore, you are walking
in Baptism, which not only
announces this new life, but also produces,
begins and promotes it. In Baptism we are given the grace,
Spirit and power to suppress the old man, so that the new
man may come forth and grow strong. Therefore, Baptism
remains forever. ...Repentance,
therefore, is nothing else than a
return and approach to Baptism."
Why
are infants and young children baptized?
They
are baptized for the same reason adults are baptized
—because
of the command and promise of God. What is
promised
in Baptism is given to all who receive it; therefore,
infants
and young children also have the promise of God. They,
too,
are made children of God. They, too, are included in the
words
"all nations"(Matt.28:19). Jesus specifically invites
little
children
to come to Him (Luke 18:15–17).But most important,
as
sinners, infants need what Baptism gives.
By
His word, God created all that is seen and unseen. By
His
word, our Lord Christ called a dead man from the tomb
(John
11:43–44).The unborn child, John the Baptist, leaped in
his
mother’s womb when he heard the word of God (Luke
1:41–44).Why
is there any doubt that in and through the Word
and
the promise of Baptism, God works a similar gift of faith
in
the infant? If we misunderstand Baptism to be our work,
then
we will always cast doubt on it. When we recognize that it
is
not our work, but God’s gracious promise and work, we realize
that
infants are to be baptized and receive the treasures
offered
in and through Baptism.
Sadly,
there are individuals and church bodies that deny
Baptism
to young children and infants. They do not believe
that
these little ones need what Holy Baptism gives. They do
not
believe what the Bible teaches so clearly, namely, that God
saves
us through Baptism. As a result of these false teachings,
they
deny both to themselves and to others the power, blessing
and
comfort of Holy Baptism. That is tragic, for it is a most
serious
offense against God to deny what He plainly declares in
His
Word: "The promise is for you and your children" Acts
2:39)
and "Baptism now saves you"(1 Peter 3:21).
Conclusion
"We
see what a great and excellent thing Baptism is, which
snatches
us from the jaws of the devil and makes God our
own, overcomes
and takes away sin and daily strengthens the
new
man. It always remains until we pass from this present
misery
to eternal glory "Large Catechism).
The
meaning, power and promise of Holy Baptism rest
entirely
on the One who lived perfectly in our place and who
suffered
and died as the sacrificial ransom for the sins of the
world. He
rose victorious over death and the grave. In Holy
Baptism, we
receive all the blessings of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
Thank God for His gift of Holy Baptism!
1.The
words in italics are from Luther’s Small Catechism.
2.
WA 47:651,10-19,32-36.
—
Dr. A.L. Barry
President
The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
What
About Holy Baptism?
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