# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1856_S276
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

276 On the Grace of Baptism.

...as for the other point, the sacramental character of holy baptism is fully preserved, provided one holds fast that the triune God is present therein, deals with and upon the one being baptized, and desires and offers to impart to him His grace, and that in particular the Holy Spirit, through His working, seeks to bring forth a believing acceptance of it. But it must equally be maintained, according to Scripture and the doctrine of the Church, that man retains freedom to resist all this and close himself against it, so that baptism does not take effect in him. In the case of the Holy Supper, however, it is in fact no different with unbelievers, in that they indeed receive the body and blood of the Lord present in the bread and wine, but by no means enter into a personal union with Christ; rather, the Lord withdraws Himself from them, because they do not lay hold of Him in faith. It must, however, further be noted that there is a distinction which Holy Scripture itself teaches us to make between the two sacraments, and which is well explained by the position and significance of each of them within the order of grace: namely, that the unworthy reception of the Holy Supper works judgment and damnation, whereas holy baptism (as a covenant-bond of the faithful God) retains a constant power and validity even in the face of man's unbelief, which comes into effect as soon as the resistance on man's part ceases.

It was natural that, from these points, the discussion should turn also to the closely related doctrine of the Church, and especially to the question of who belongs to the body of Christ — whether all who stand outwardly in the fellowship of the Word and especially of the sacraments do so, as was asserted from that side, citing 1 Cor. 10:17 in support, or only believers, as was maintained in opposition to this, it being noted with regard to the cited passage that it, like all similar ones, is according to churchly and well-founded interpretation to be understood of believers. As regards the expression "dead members," likewise cited in support of that view, it was pointed out that it is precisely an expression used to designate those members of the outward church fellowship who are not at the same time members of the body of Christ, because without faith they do not live in and out of Christ. (cfr. A. C. de eccl.)

Nevertheless, so little agreement was reached on these points on the first morning that an unresolved opposition rather seemed to be present. For the moment we could only declare that we regarded this opposition as one lying in theological opinions, not in the conviction of faith, and that at least knowingly and willingly we did not wish to have among us any disunity of the latter kind. This we believed we could attest to no better than through the common confession of the apostolic faith, made with sighing unto the Lord.

It was, however, on account of this outcome the earnest wish of all the brothers on the following morning that the same discussion be taken up again. Before the discussion resumed after the devotions, there was heard the