LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 216

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

216

II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the
record of debt that stood against us with its legal
demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put
them to open shame, by triumphing over them in
him (Col. 2:11–15).

Though Satan continues to tempt us with his lies, he
cannot overcome the power of God’s baptismal promise,
nor can he destroy the offer of new life that is ours in
Christ Jesus. The serpent of old has been de-fanged by
the Lord Jesus.
This significance of Baptism does not end there.
Baptism also anticipates and prefigures our bodily resurrection on that great and glorious day when Christ will
return to gather our bodies from the dust, fashion them
anew and breathe new life — eternal life — into them.
Paul brings this out in his great resurrection chapter:
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What
is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power
(1 Cor. 15:42–43).
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on
immortality. When the perishable puts on the
imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:53–55).
Even as the final victory over death will emerge on
the Last Day in all of its glory, so will the defeat of Satan
also be complete and final. On that great day, we will
finally see and realize the full truth and power of Paul’s
words in Romans 8:
What then shall we say to these things? If God
is for us, who can be against us? He who did not
spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how
will he not also with him graciously give us all
things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s
elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?
Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than
that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of
God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

THE THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF HOLY BAPTISM

|

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor
things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love
of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:31–39).
On the Last Day, Christ’s work of new creation will
be complete. All who are baptized and live by faith under
the lordship of Jesus will be set free from both death and
the devil forever. God’s work of death and resurrection,
accomplished in Jesus and granted to us by faith through
Baptism, will reach its final goal. Baptism points us to
and brings us to the new creation.
This accent on Baptism as new creation has found
expression symbolically in a number of ways within the
church’s practice of Baptism. Baptismal fonts, for example, are often fashioned with eight sides. This reflects
the ancient tradition of seeing Easter as the eighth day
of creation — the first day of the new creation that was
ushered in by Christ’s resurrection.

Baptism Promises Safe Passage through
the Final Judgment
The ministry of Jesus began with the announcement that
the coming kingdom of God was “at hand.” This meant
that two events were about to take place. First, Christ
would “clean house” and sweep out all sin and evil from
His creation. This was good news for all those who had
suffered at the hands of God’s enemies — enemies who
sought to relegate God to the dustbins of history. Second,
Christ would restore and renovate His creation and make
all things new again (Rev. 21:5). This, too, was good news
for those who longed for the peace and prosperity that
God’s reign promised to bring.

ities, and powers having been subjected to him
(1 Peter 3:21–22).
What happened to us in Baptism, says Peter, will
ultimately happen to the heavens and the earth. Just as
the flood swept the earth clean of sin and evil in Noah’s
day, fire will purge the earth of sin and evil on the day
of Christ’s return. The old, dirty, moldy garments of sin
will be burned off (like purifying silver of dross, Is. 1:25).
As they are destroyed, the new and glorious heavens and
new earth will emerge (2 Peter 3:7–13).

Not only does Jesus promise to lead us into the
“promised land” of the new creation, but He promises
to share with us His reign. As the second Adam, Jesus
exercises the dominion that the first Adam abdicated by
virtue of his rebellion. Our inheritance as the descendants of Abraham and the children of God thus includes
the privilege of becoming co-rulers with the second
Adam, Jesus. In being restored as God’s human creatures,
we are restored to a benevolent reign with Christ who is
the perfect image of God.

This theme of rescue and renewal recalls the central
event in the life of Israel: the Exodus. The armies of
Egypt were destroyed by the collapsing walls of water
in the Red Sea while the people of Israel were led safely
through that destruction and ultimately brought to the
Promised Land. The passage through the water formed
the transition from their old life under slavery to their
new identity as those who were “free to be people of
God.”17

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great
love with which he loved us, even when we were
dead in our trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ — by grace you have been saved —
and raised us up with him and seated us with him
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:4–6).
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with
him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we
will also reign with him (2 Tim. 2:11–12).

Paul connects this event with Baptism. “For I do not
want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were
all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and
all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the
sea” (1 Cor. 10:1–2). In a similar way, Baptism promises
us safe passage through the judgment that awaits every
person (Eph. 2:3; 1 Thess. 1:10; Matt. 3:7). In Baptism we
are rescued from God’s wrathful judgment against sin as
we are led by Jesus into the new creation. There we live
as the human creatures that God intended us to be “in
everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,
just as [Christ] is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to
all eternity” (SC, Second Article).

But over what will we rule with Christ? With the
promise of our restoration as creatures made in the
image of God and the restoration of the world as God’s
good creation, we will reacquire the benevolent dominion over the new earth for which the entire creation now
groans in travail.

Baptism, which corresponds to this [Noah’s ark
and the flood], now saves you, not as a removal
of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God
for a good conscience, through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and
is at the right hand of God, with angels, author-

17

16

“This Is the Feast,” LSB, 155, 171.

THE THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF HOLY BAPTISM

|

THE GIFTS AND BENEFITS OF BAPTISM

completely beneath the water. Others argue that such
was probably not the case since the waters in the river
Jordan were often too low to allow for immersion. Both
positions are arguing from silence. The Bible simply
does not say, which is good and sufficient reason for the
church not to insist on a particular mode of Baptism.

4. THE BAPTISMAL COMMISSION

C

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of
the age (Matt. 28:18–20.).
On the basis of the authority vested in Him by virtue
of His resurrection, Jesus sends the disciples out into the
world with two key tasks. First, they are to baptize in the
name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Second, they
are to teach Jesus’ followers everything that Christ has
commanded.

Who Is to Be Baptized?
In the early years of the church’s growth, since so many
adults were being converted to the faith, most Baptisms
were of adults who brought with them their entire
households. This normally consisted not only of parents
and children but also those who were dependent on the
household for their income and livelihood. Our baptismal rites today (in LSB) still reflect that early church
missionary context of reaching out to adults, particularly

THE THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF HOLY BAPTISM

|

with respect to the questions that are asked of the one
being baptized. As Christianity grew and spread, and
since more and more children were born into Christian
families, Baptisms of infants and young children became
more common (for the promise belongs to them as well).
That, therefore, has been the norm in Lutheran churches
until recently, as demographic and cultural shifts are
moving the church back into a more “missionary”
posture in many ways and places. As we were brought
to Jesus in Baptism, we now bring our infants, children
and families to Jesus that they might also become His
followers and citizens in God’s realm.

Ordinarily, we in the Lutheran church have performed Baptisms by sprinkling or pouring water over
the head of the person being baptized. Practically, this
would seem to be most appropriate for baptizing infants
and very young children. Nevertheless, it would also
seem wise to use the water liberally when sprinkling it
or pouring it so as to highlight that this is the (earthly!)
means through which God Himself has chosen to work:
This is the water over which God’s Spirit hovers and
into which He has placed His Triune name. As Luther
once said: “Through the Baptism in the Jordan of Your
beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, You sanctified and
instituted all waters to be a blessed flood and a lavish
washing away of sin” (LSB 269, emphasis added). Let the
water splash back down into the font!
In any case, the manner in which the water is applied
or the amount of water applied is not a matter of central
importance for the practice of Baptism and has no
impact on its blessings and benefits. Water alone does
not make any baptism the Baptism about which Christ
speaks. Put another way, Baptism is not simply a washing
with water. There is much more to it (see below)!

What Is the Significance of God’s Name in
Baptism?

How Is the Water to Be Applied
in Baptism?
Strictly speaking, the word baptize means to “wash with
water,” whether by immersing, pouring, splashing or
sprinkling. As an act of washing, the Bible does not say
how much water one must use or how one should apply
the water. It simply says, “baptize” or “apply water.”
That said, reasons can be (and have been) given for
applying the water in particular ways. For example, the
practice of immersing a person beneath the water vividly
captures the symbolism of being buried (beneath the
water) with Christ and rising up with Christ (Rom. 6:1–4).
Thus Luther himself notes that Baptism is the act or
ceremony that “consists of being dipped into the water,
which covers us completely, and being drawn out again”
(LC IV 65; KW 464–465). Some maintain that Baptisms
during Jesus’ day took place by immersing a person

THE BAPTISMAL COMMISSION

2019 Convention Workbook

The creation longs for the day when it is set free from
the tyrannical and domineering rule of sin, death and
Satan and comes under the benevolent rule of God’s children. In short, those baptized into Christ, the crucified
and risen Lord, will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).

These two dimensions of the same event are expressed by Peter with reference to the flood and Noah’s
ark as an analogy for Baptism, noting God’s use of the
power of water both to destroy and to save.

THE GIFTS AND BENEFITS OF BAPTISM

hrist’s “Great Commission” to His
followers in Matthew 28 not only provides the
basis for the church’s teaching about Baptism,
but it also provides guidance for the church’s
practice of Baptism. To put it succinctly: Baptism is only
the Baptism that Jesus mandated when it is carried out in
accordance with Jesus’ words:

For the creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in
hope that the creation itself will be set free from
its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom
of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:20–21).

18

The application of water is a Christian Baptism when it
is performed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit as Jesus instructed. These words recall Jesus’ own
baptism, at which God’s voice was heard to say, “This is
my beloved Son.” At that time, God also confirmed that
Jesus was authorized to speak for Him by sending His
Spirit (as a dove) to rest upon Him and consecrate Him
for His God-given mission. Just as who we are is defined
by our relationships and our life story, so also God’s story
and relationships define who He is.
The name “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” identifies the
story of how the Creator of the universe, out of love for
the world, sent His Son into the world to restore it. That
Son now reigns at the right hand of God as the Lord of
creation. Together with His Father, He has sent the Holy
Spirit into the world to bring people under His gracious
rule and keep them there until the day that Jesus returns
THE THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF HOLY BAPTISM

|

17

to renew His creation and welcome us into it by raising
us from the grave. To be baptized into this particular
name brings us into the salvation that is accomplished
only in this particular story.
As the baptismal water washes over us, God places
His name upon us. He thereby claims us as His own and
takes us under His gracious rule. We become identified
with His name and are incorporated into His story of
creation’s rescue and restoration. By placing His name
upon us in Baptism, God welcomes us and makes a remarkable promise to us: He will be ours forever, and we
will be His forever.
Therefore, when Luther asks, “What is Baptism?”
he responds that Baptism is “water included in God’s
command and combined with God’s word” (SC,
Baptism). One might say that with His command to
baptize, Jesus takes hold of the earthly element of water
and embeds into it the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. The water and the name cannot be considered
apart from one another.18 This is why Luther insists that
“faith clings to the water” and explains that this means
faith “trusts this word of God in the water” (SC, Baptism,
emphasis added).

What Is the Purpose of God’s Promises to
Us in Baptism?
In this study, we have talked much about the promises
that God makes to us in Christ and in Baptism. There is
a good reason for that. The promises of God in Baptism
are what make this washing of water and Word a joyous
Gospel event! This point cannot be overestimated. We
too often understand the Gospel only or primarily as the
story about the life and work of Jesus Christ. This story
includes His teachings, His conversations, His interactions with people, His miracles and the like. Defining the
Gospel in this way is certainly understandable when we
read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. After
all, this is what they talk about. They are “biographies” of
Christ. But they are also much more than that.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell
the story of Christ for the specific purpose of conveying
God’s promise to us. That promise is what makes this story good news for us. To speak more precisely, the Gospel
18
David Scaer speaks about the “indissoluble link” between the Word
and “every drop of the baptismal water” in “The New Translation of
Luther’s Small Catechism: Is It Faithful to Luther’s Spirit?” in Luther’s
Catechisms — 450 Years: Essays Commemorating the Small and Large
Catechisms of Dr. Martin Luther, ed. David Scaer (Fort Wayne: Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 1979), 32–40.

THE BAPTISMAL COMMISSION

19