For the Lutheran, baptism isn't about human action, but is all about God's action.
It's ironic that a practice so central to the Christian faith and that is seen by many as an initiation into a Christian community, would be something that would divide Christian communities. Yet the question regarding when, how and why people get baptized is at the core of many denominational arguments. The Lutheran view of baptism has its own unique take on its function and purpose. It is not seen as a "catch all" saving act like the in the Roman Catholic tradition, nor is it seen as "an outward sign of an inward change" like most adult-baptism proponents claim. Drawing on biblical traditions, customs and theology, baptism for the Lutheran becomes something that is wholly an act of God's divine grace and mercy.
What is the Purpose of Baptism?
For many Protestant traditions, baptism is seen as a public declaration of someone's faith in Christ. Some also say it is a time of public repentance and turning one's life around. Ultimately, all of these views center around the person who is turning their life over to God. Lutheran's, however, take the opposite stance, that it's not about what they're doing, but it's about what God is doing in and through baptism. Thus, the actor in baptism shifts from human action to God's action.
First, Lutherans do not equate repentance and baptism with the Holy Spirit as going hand in hand. Paul himself states that while John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, baptism with the Holy Spirit is not John's baptism but something else entirely (Acts 18:23, 19:4). Second, Paul states in Romans 6:3 that in baptism, God joins us to Christ's death and resurrection. Baptism is the way in which one is connected to Christ and the promises of new life. In essence, baptism then is a promise God is making to humans, not a promise humans are making to God. Third, baptism is seen as an "adoption" into the family of God. Like human adoptions, the choice of whether or not one becomes a part of a family is rarely left up to the one being adopted. God does the adopting. However, Lutherans acknowledge that adoption can happen at any point and time in one's life. Some are adopted at birth, others much later in life.
When Should the Promises in Baptism be Given?
Lutherans believe that the promises given in baptism are not dependent upon human effort or will, but are for God and God alone to give, for Jesus states in John 3:8 that the Holy Spirit goes wherever the Spirit chooses, and is not controlled or manipulated by humans. Jesus further states in Matthew 28:18 that baptism and teaching of the gospel should go hand in hand. Thus, for Lutherans, baptism can and should be administered as soon as possible, followed by teaching of the scriptures and a life lived in faith. When a child is baptized, it is the beginning of a life that is connected to Christ and His promises of new life.
Additionally, the practice of ritually washing newborns prior to circumcision in the Jewish tradition was common. Since in ancient Palestine the head of the household determined what religion would be taught and adhered to, when Acts states that entire households were baptized, it only made sense that when the head of the household converted, the entire household was converted and brought into the faith as well--including children and infants. Family-wide conversion to a faith was commonplace, especially among Jews. Circumcision was the Jewish equivalent of being included into the promises of God--it was the physical manifestation of God's promises. Baptism would have been viewed similarly and thus Jewish Christians in particular would have already been accustomed to the practice of ritually cleansing their children.
Like circumcision, however, baptism is only effective when it is accompanied by faith, or as Paul states, "circumcision of the heart." Thus, Lutherans do not believe that just being baptized means one is "saved." Faith in what God has done to us in baptism is what saves.
How Baptism Should be Administered
Many debate over how exactly baptism should be administered. On the one hand, some Christians believe that only fully immersing oneself in a body of water can count since they believe that when people were baptized in the Jordan, it was full immersion (though the bible does not clearly state this). Others point to the Jewish practice of "sprinkling" that was used for ritual cleansing, in particular Ezekiel 36:25 which states that God will "sprinkle clean water on you." For Lutherans, the mode of baptism is not as important as simply making sure both the Word of God is spoken in conjunction with the administration of water--whether through sprinkling or immersion.
Why is Baptism Necessary?
Like many rituals in the bible, baptism is not something that God demands because God wants to give us another rule to follow. Instead, baptism is in fact a gift that is given for our benefit. By combining His Word with the physical element of water, human beings now have a tangible and real way in which to know they have been given the promises of God. Doubt creeps in even among the most faithful of Christians, and being able to point back to and grab hold of a physical, tangible event in one's faith life brings comfort and assurance. Knowing one has been forgiven and joined to new life in Christ is a lifelong promise. Many Lutherans will point to their baptism as the only thing that brought them back to faith after times of wayward living, doubt, and crisis.
Ultimately, baptism is God's way of physically delivering the promises of new life in Christ to every Christian, regardless of their age.
The copyright of the article Why Lutherans Baptize Babies in Protestantism is owned by Rebecca Craig. Permission to republish Why Lutherans Baptize Babies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Very nice article and very interesting. I was searching for this kind of
article for so long. God bless you.
Jan 14, 2009 9:17 AM
Guest :
Thanks Rebecca! My family is close with another family who are
Christian but their church doesn't water baptize. It has been hard for me
as a Lutheran to find an article that briefly but clearly explains the
Lutheran view of "why baptize". Although our family friends stand
firm in the ideals of "rightly dividing" the Bible (in the middle
of Acts)and therefore they strictly adhere to Paul's explanation of baptism
of the Spirit only, your article gives me a great way to describe why we as
Lutherans believe in water baptism. We will probably always differ on our
views of "baptize or not" but the important thing is to not let
these differences divide us as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jan 27, 2009 8:52 AM
Guest :
It's well written but unfortunately doesn't correctly represent what God's
Word says about baptism & it's meaning. There are many places in the
bible where people (one whom can talk/make choices spiritually-not an
infant) became believers and were immediately baptized. Acts 8:12:
"When they BELIEVED Philip as he preached the things concerning the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were
baptized." A couple of other places we see this: Acts 8:36-38: As they
traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said,
"Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave
orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into
the water and Philip baptized him." Acts 19:4-5: And Paul said,
"John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to
believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." On
hearing this,they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. So, what is
baptism? The Greek (origin language)is BAPTIZO: to make whelmed. dip.
Whelmed, according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is "to overcome or
engulf completely: overwhelm." So we see that baptism is to be
immersed in water. There are two main reasons that we are baptized: Romans
6:3&4: "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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." This is a symbol of our dying to sin and being raised to a new
life. Acts 2:38: Peter replied, "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. There is that word
"REPENT". Baptism is evidence of our repentance, it is a desire
to be obedient to our new Lord-Jesus Christ. 1st Peter 3:21 is an excellent
verse to clarify this point "baptism now saves you - not the removal
of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ." This means that being dunked into a
body of water does not save us, but our attitude of submission to God and
our faith in Jesus Christ does. Acts 2:41-42 says “Those who gladly
received his words were baptized." I hope this helps...that is my
only intention...to represent God's word accurately and help someone
understand. Thanks
Feb 22, 2009 5:20 PM
Guest :
I don't think anyone would argue that the bible certainly gives examples of
people hearing the word, believing and being baptized. However, it
unfortunately does not address the issue of life-long Christians, since
Christianity was far too new for people to be raised in it. Yet, as Pr.
Rebecca pointed out, the bible DOES say that HOUSEHOLDS were baptized. And
Polycarp, John the Gospel writer's disciple, stated at his martyrdom that
he had served the Lord since his infancy.
And why is it that
adult baptism proponents feel the need to attack infant baptism practices
anyway? In their view, it's simply a mere symbol and God isn't actually
working in baptism, it's all the "repenter's" work? So what do
they care then if a baby is baptized? It’s obviously nothing of any great
importance to them other than a symbolic gesture, so why get so bent out of
shape? You want to remove God from the act of baptism, that's your
business. The hypocrisy is actually quite funny. They claim their view of
baptism comes from the bible, yet they engage in the practice of
"dedicating" their infants, for which there is absolutely no
biblical reference or standing for such a practice (who’s misrepresenting
God’s Word now???). Nor is there any historical tradition from which we can
point back to for this practice. Not only that, but at what age should one
get baptized, then? As a child who only knows and understands what he/she
has been taught by his/her parents? Or maybe when they're a teen, when they
still would be doing it primarily because it's what they know and the
family is pushing it? Or should they wait until their a full-fledged adult?
And then when? Maybe mid-thirties? And what about the mentally
challenged/disabled? They’re not able to “decide” usually for themselves,
but should we not baptize them because they can’t make the choice because
they’re incapable of it? What’s ironic is I’ve seen the purest faith in
both children who aren’t even old enough to talk yet (but believe me, can
make it clear that they love Jesus!) as well as the mentally disabled.
Denying them the God-given promises made in baptism is abominable in my
view.
Feb 22, 2009 5:33 PM
Guest :
Biblically speaking, the above commenter's reference regarding 1 Peter 3:21
is a misrepresentation of the point of that particular text. This is
neither a statement for or against infant baptism. It simply states that
baptism is an appeal to God. No infant baptism proponent would argue with
that! Additionally the reference to Noah is a wonderful example of God's
elective nature. Genesis 6 states that Noah "found favor" with
God, which in the Hebrew literally means God showered grace upon Noah - it
was an unmerited favor; God simply chose to favor Noah. Peter's reference
to Noah brings up ideas of God's elective nature. (And, if one actually
wanted to literally focus upon what Peter is stating here, one could argue
that baptism DOES save! For he plainly states: "And baptism, which
this prefigures, now saves you...") And lest we forget, Peter reminds
us that 8 people were saved through the waters of the flood. There's a
point Peter is making here. While Noah may have been the one in "right
relationship" with God, his sons and their families are not given such
a distinction - yet God showers his grace upon the entire family of Noah
and saves all of them, even though the entire family was not necessarily
seen as being "righteous." Yet Peter uses this example as the
'precursor' for baptism.
Feb 23, 2009 1:14 PM
Guest :
I would agree with the last commenter - only I'd like to add to it and say
1 Peter 3 actually IS speaking in defense of infant baptism! We baptize
children of wrath. The symbol of baptism is that we deserve the same
judgment as the flood, we deserve to be drowned under the waters of God’s
judgment. Noah and his family deserved it too. The act of baptism is a
symbol of covenant as much as it is a symbol of our transitioning from
death to life by faith in Christ. This covenant that God made with Noah and
that God makes with us in baptism is ALL GRACE! This covenant arrangement
is all God’s doing. You can read any part of the Flood story and you will
discover that the covenant had very little to do with Noah and had
everything to do with God, God’s will, God’s choice, God’s action, God’s
remembering. It is God who writes the terms of the covenant (v. 8-11), it
is God who blesses with the covenant (vs.1), and gives them the commission
to increase and multiply, it is God who raises up the symbol of the
covenant, the rainbow, he lifts it up into the clouds so that all can see
(v. 12,13) Baptism symbolizes that we, though overwhelmed by the floods of
God’s wrath, have been saved in and by our Ark, our Savior Jesus Christ,
and the symbol of that salvation is this sign, this mark, the rite of
baptism, commanded upon and placed upon all Christians. Our salvation is
not all about us, our goodness, even our faith as if faith is something we
create in and of ourselves, our salvation is all about God, God’s promises,
God’s grace, God’s goodness, God’s action, God’s covenants with us.
"For it is by grace that we are saved, and this not of ourselves, lest
anyone should boast."
We baptize our children not because
our children are exceptional, or good, but we recognize that like us they
are children deserving wrath. We baptize them because God’s ways do not
change and we see throughout the scripture that his love is to a 1000
generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. God chooses
not only to love us, but also to love the ones we love, our families. That
is the way God has dealt with us throughout history.
