What Happens in Baptism; Comparing the Baptist and Lutheran Views of Baptism
Trent Rider
CTHL 200
Dr. Fluegge
12/7/18
What is baptism and what truly takes place when a person is baptized? Depending on which denomination of Christianity you look at, this question has two different answers. It is interesting that two similar denominations of Christianity both fall under the same label of protestant religion but take very different views on what happens during baptism. Although both believe that baptism is important, according to Matthew 28:19 it says, “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”.1 When we compare the two views of baptism, we find that they actually have very different beliefs than one would originally expect. If a person is Lutheran, the belief is that God has his hand directly involved in baptism and that through baptism God directly forgives our sin. On the other hand, Baptist believe that God is not directly involved in baptism. They believe that baptism is more of an outward expression of a person's faith and that it does not forgive sins. Of course, both denominations of Christianity, Lutheran and Baptist, believe their view on baptism is correct, and there is much debate on the subject with no definitive right or wrong answer. In my experience, the Baptist view is the view that mirrors my belief of baptism. I believe that baptism is an outward expression of a person's faith that does not give forgiveness of sins.
A Lutherans view of baptism relies heavily on the fact that God is present during the baptism of an individual and through their baptism, sins can be forgiven. The Lutheran view of baptism is that through baptism, the sins that an individual possesses are literally washed away by the water. According to Walter Kasper in his book entitled Harvesting the Fruits: Basic Aspects of Christian Faith in Ecumenical Dialogue. London: Continuum, he states that, “For Luther, baptism is the bath of rebirth, which gives forgiveness of sins and eternal life”.2 (Walter Kasper). This quote basically sums up the Lutheran view of baptism and the power that baptism possesses in one’s life. Another belief of the Lutheran Church is that baptism is a requirement for salvation. In Mark 16:16 it says that, “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”3 This verse tells us that one needs to have faith and be baptized to be saved, but baptism is nothing without faith. Another belief of the Lutheran Church is that through baptism a person doesn’t have to be fully immerged in water and it is alright for a person to be baptized by other means. As told in the Doctrine of Baptism, Lutherans understand what is said in Matthew 28:19 to mean that the command has been handed down by God the Father who is also lord of all.4 Through this, Schlick has shown that we have been commanded by God to baptize our fellow brothers in Christ so that he may as well be saved and have his sins wash away our sins. Lastly, the Lutheran Church believes that God plays a direct part in all baptisms. According to the Book of Concord, “To be baptized in God’s name is to be baptized not by human beings but by God himself”. 5 Through this Lutherans believe that since God is involved directly in baptism, a person's sins can be instantly forgiven through baptism.
For the biblical purposes it is important to distinguish if Baptism is considered a good work or not. According to Paul in Romans 3:28, he mentions that, “so we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” 6 This supports a Baptist view of baptism because Baptist believe that the relationship is the main driving force at work in baptism. Lutherans believe that Baptism is a requirement for people to earn salvation which contradicts the fact that people are not saved by the works that a person does but instead by a person's faith. This has brought up the question, is baptism considered to be a good work? From my experience I see baptism as a good work because even though it is something that God commanded, it still occurs on earth which means that we are still given the choice if we want to be baptized or if we want to not be baptized. This supports the Baptist view that Baptism is about relationship rather than the physical act of being baptized. This also counteracts the Lutheran view because Lutherans believe that by going through the earthly event of Baptism a person's sins are washed away but the bible contradicts that by saying that by our own work alone, we are not saved. According to James the apostle of faith a commentary by David P. Scaer, he talks about we as Christians are ultimately called through the process Baptism, also remained their permanent possession through faith.7
According to John the Baptist in Matthew 3 he explains that after he baptizes a person, then a more powerful force will baptize them again. This supports the Baptist view of baptism by arguing that God does not have a direct effect on a person's Baptism, but instead he works after baptism. If God did have a have a direct act in baptism, then that would show God having an influence on our choice to fully accept him into our hearts. God gave us the cognitive ability through free will to make our own choices. He could have forced everyone to accept him and be baptized but if he would have done that then we wouldn’t truly love him because we would have never had the choice. The Lutheran view of baptism is that God acts in a person’s baptism while this passage shows that John the Baptist was still the one to baptize an individual but then after the baptism is when the lord does his work by baptizing a person with the holy spirit and fire.
According to Jesus in Luke 23:41-43, Jesus tells the criminal who recognized him as the son of god that "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."8 In this passage Jesus is about to be crucified and one of the thieves recognized Jesus as the sun of God and admitted that Jesus had done nothing wrong. The thief would then say, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" This shows support for the Baptist point of view because Jesus himself tells the criminal that he would go be in heaven with him. The bible doesn’t mention that the criminal was in any way, shape, or form baptized in the traditional sense, so this goes against the Lutheran view of baptism because they believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. According to Martin E Marty’s book on baptism he states that, “The thief on the cross in the gospels account was assured of salvation, having received no baptism except a death shared with the savior.”9 Marty from this perspective argues against the Lutheran view of baptism because he mentions that the thief was not baptized in the traditional way which would have meant that the thief wouldn’t be in heaven because he never received salvation through the physical act of baptism. This argues for the fact that the actual external act of Baptism is not what will ultimately bring a person to Heaven. This is shown in the above scripture because in the scripture Jesus told the criminal that since he believed and admitted that Jesus was God, the criminal showed he believed without being baptized. He had faith without having to be baptized and it was this faith that brought him to Heaven. Salvation comes from the personal relationship that a person can choose to have with God.
According to Jesus in John 13:15, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you”.10 The process of full emersion which is the method of Baptism that Baptists use today is seen as Baptists wanting to get baptized the way that Jesus was baptized. In the verse we are supposed to follow what Jesus has done. Baptism of full immersion focuses on the fact that Jesus was buried, symbolized by a person's body going under the water, and rising out of the water which symbolizes Jesus coming back to life. Baptism acts as a symbol to the believer’s death of their past life and the newness of their new life. This shows the Baptist side of thinking in the way that there is more truth in the symbol of Baptism than there is in the act of Baptism. The symbol shows that Baptists are accepting their new life in Christ because God has forgiven their sins and not that Baptism forgave their sins.
In conclusion, the ritual of baptism can be looked at many different ways by many different religions and it is tough to know exactly what happens from those perspectives. In comparing the views of both the Baptist and Lutheran beliefs, the Baptist view of Baptism from looking at the view of it from Salvation, the process of immersion, saving by faith and the role that God plays in baptism. I have grown up knowing the importance of baptism and what it truly symbolizes but I never saw baptism as more than that. To say that the actual physical act of Baptism leads to the forgiveness of sin contradicts the Bible which is the truth and basis for Christianity, all other views are an interpretation which can neither be proved or disproved while we are here on earth.
Bibliography
Arand, Charles P., and Robert Kolb. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005.
Kasper, Walter. "Harvesting the Fruits: Basic Aspects of Christian Faith in Ecumenical Dialogue” New Blackfriars 91, no. 1036 (2010): 732-34. doi:10.1111/j.1741-2005.2010.01399_
Marty, Martin E. Baptism. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1962.
Scaer, David P. James, the Apostle of Faith: A Primary Christological Epistle for the Persecuted Church. Eugene, Or, 2004.
Schlink, Edmund. The Doctrine of Baptism. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia, 1972.
Tyndale. Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation Anniversary Edition. Place of Publication Not Identified: Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.