First half of January 1528 (Part 11)

Martin Luther continues to write Concerning Rebaptism, A Letter of Martin Luther to Two Pastors. Today’s Quotation is taken from paragraphs 80 and 81 of this letter, in which Luther concludes his general argument against the Anabaptist position on infant baptism.

Quotation:

[continued from the previous post] Now, if an adult wants to be baptized and says, “ Sir, I want to be baptized,” you would ask, “Do you believe?” as Philip did the chamberlain in Acts 8[:37] and as we daily ask candidates for baptism. He would not exclaim boastfully, “Yes, I intend to move mountains by my faith.” But instead he will say: “Yes, Sir, I believe, but I do not depend on this faith. It might be too infirm and uncertain. I want to be baptized because God’s command requires it of me, and on the strength of this command I venture to be baptized. Let my faith become what it may in the course of time. If I am baptized in obedience to his command, I know that I am baptized. If I were baptized on my own faith, I might indeed be found to be unbaptized tomorrow, if my faith should fail, or I might be tempted to worry that I had not had the faith rightly yesterday. What?! Attack God and his command, upon which I am baptized!? These are sufficiently certain for me. It is a mutual adventure for myself and my faith. If I believe, this baptism is profitable to me. If I do not believe, it is unprofitable. But my baptism in itself is not therefore wrong or uncertain; nor does it rest on contingencies, but is as certain as are the Word and command of God.”

Thus he would also say concerning his baptism as a child: “I thank God and rejoice, that I was baptized in my childhood, for it stands as a proof of my obedience to the command of God. Whether I believed then or not, I was nevertheless baptized in obedience to the command of God and my baptism was right and true. Whether my faith is true or untrue today, I may hope yet to believe and obtain full assurance. There is nothing lacking in the baptism we receive. The defect is always in our faith. For as long as we live, there is always enough to learn concerning faith. It is possible for faith to fail, so that it may be said: “Behold, he had faith, but he has it no longer.” But concerning baptism, it can never be said: “Behold, baptism was there, but it is no longer present.” No, it remains, for the command of God still stands; and what is done according to his command is permanent and imperishable. [to be continued in a future post]