First half of January 1528 (Part 1)

Martin Luther continues to write Concerning Rebaptism, A Letter of Martin Luther to Two Pastors. [1] Today’s Quotation is taken from paragraphs 37 – 41 of this letter, in which Luther addresses the question, “What about children?”

Quotation:

[continued from “Second half of December 1527 (Part 10)“] Since our baptizing, namely, the baptism of children, has been practiced from the beginning of the Christian church, and since no one can prove with good and substantial reasons that children do not have faith, we should by no means alter this practice and build on such weak arguments. For, if people wish to alter or to abolish customs that have been practiced for ages, they should and must convincingly prove them to be contrary to the Word of God. Otherwise (as Christ says), “the one who is not against us is for us.” [Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50] Even as we opposed monasteries, masses, and the celibacy of priests, we only did it by showing clear, indubitable scriptural arguments against them. For if we had not done this, we would indeed have been compelled to let them stay as they previously existed.

From what source will they establish their assertion that children cannot believe? Where is the scripture by which they can prove it and upon which they may ground themselves? They imagine this, I suppose, because children neither speak nor have developed understanding. But this imagination is deceptive; yes, wholly false; we are not to depend on our what we imagine.

But we have scripture to establish the fact that children may and can believe, even if they have neither language nor cultivated reason. As the Scripture says, the Jews “sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, and shed innocent blood.” [Psalm 106:37-38] If it were innocent blood, as the text says, then they were certainly pure and holy children, and they could not be such children without the Spirit and without faith. Again, the innocent little children whom Herod murdered [Matt. 2:16] were not over two years old and undoubtedly lacked speech and developed reason; yet they were holy and blessed. And Christ himself says with reference to little children: “to such belongs the kingdom of heaven;” [Matt. 19:14] and St, John was a child in his mother’s womb, [Luke 1:41] but I am of the opinion, indeed, that he could have faith.

”Yes,” you say, “but John was an exception and this does not prove that all baptized children have faith.” But keep quiet for a minute [and listen]. It is not yet my purpose to prove that children believe, but to show how false and uncertain the foundation of your rebaptism is, since you cannot prove that there may not be faith in children. For as John had faith without having language and understanding, your argument fails when you say that children are not able to believe. The fact indeed, that a child believes, is not contrary to the Scripture, as the example of St. John shows. If, then, the fact that children believe is not contrary to the Scripture, but in accordance with it, then your argument that children cannot believe must be contrary to Scripture. This is my first point.

Who, then, has made you so sure that baptized children do not believe, when I thus prove that they can believe? But if you are uncertain, why are you so presumptuous as to invalidate the first baptism, [2] since you neither do nor can know that it is meaningless? What if all children, at the time of baptism, not only could believe, but did believe as well as John in his mother’s womb? For we cannot, in truth, deny that the same Christ who came to John in his mother’s womb is with and in baptism. Indeed, he is the baptizer himself. Hence, in baptism he speaks as well through the mouth of the priest as when he spoke through his mother’s mouth. [3] [to be continued in the next post]

Notes

[1] In December, Luther had interrupted composing a major work, the Confession Concerning Christ’s Supper to write this letter.

[2] I.e., one’s baptism as an infant.

[3] Luther’s reference is, in my opinion, to the Magnificat [Luke 1:48-55], spoken in response to Elizabeth’s exclamation about John’s leaping in her womb in response to Mary’s greeting. [Luke 1:41-45]