First of all, baptism in Greek is called baptism, in Latin mersio, which is when something is completely immersed in water, which merges over it. And although in many places the custom is not to baptize and immerse the children completely, but to baptize and immerse them in water.
If the child is baptized with the hand alone, it should be so, and would be right, that after the word baptism has been pronounced, the child or anyone who is baptized should be lowered completely into the water and baptized, and then pulled out again. For even without doubt in German
The little word "baptism" comes from the word "deep", that one lowers deep into the water what one baptizes. This is also required by the meaning of baptism; for it means that the old man and sinful birth of flesh and blood shall be completely drowned by the grace of God, as we shall hear. Therefore, one should do enough for the meaning and give a quite perfect sign.
(2) Secondly, baptism is an outward sign or watchword, which separates us from all unbaptized men, that we may be known thereby as the people of Christ our Duke, under whose banner, that is, the holy cross, we steadfastly contend against sin. Therefore we must consider three things in the holy sacrament: the sign; the meaning; and the faith. The sign is, that a man is cast into the water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; but he is not left in it, but is lifted up again; therefore it is called being lifted up out of baptism. So both pieces must be in the sign: the baptizing and the lifting out.
Thirdly: The meaning is a blessed death of sin and resurrection in the grace of God, that the old man, who is conceived and born in sins, is drowned there and a new man comes out and looks born in grace. So St. Paul, Titus 3, 5, calls baptism "a bath of new birth", that in the same bath one is born again and renewed. So also Christ, John 3:3, says: "Except ye be otherwise born of water and of the Spirit which is grace, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." For as a child is lifted up and born out of the womb, which by such carnal birth is a sinful man, and a child of wrath: so a man is lifted up and born out of baptism "spiritually, and by such birth is a child of grace, and a justified man. Thus sins are drowned in baptism, and righteousness for sin is raised up.
Fourth: The meaning and death or drowning of sin does not happen completely in this life, until man also dies bodily and decays completely to powder.
The sacrament or sign of baptism is soon done, as we see before our eyes; but the meaning of spiritual baptism, the drowning of sin, lasts while we are alive, and is accomplished only in death; there man is properly lowered into baptism, and happens as baptism means. Therefore this whole life is nothing else but a spiritual baptizing without ceasing until death, and whoever is baptized is condemned to death; as if the priest said when he baptizes: Behold, thou art sinful flesh, therefore I drown thee in the name of God, and condemn thee to death in the same name, that with thee all thy sins may die and perish. So Paul says, Rom. 6:4, "We are buried with Christ through baptism into death." And the sooner man dies after baptism, the sooner his baptism is accomplished; for sin does not wholly cease, while this body lives, which is so wholly conceived in sins, that sin is its nature; as the prophet saith, Ps. 51:7: "Behold, in sins am I conceived, and in iniquity hath my mother borne me." Which is in no way to be counseled, because she dies and is destroyed with her sin. Thus the life of a Christian is nothing else than a raising to die blessedly from baptism to the grave, for God will make him different from the beginning on the last day.
5th The fifth: The lifting up of the same from baptism also happens quickly; but the meaning, the spiritual birth, the increase of grace and righteousness, begins in baptism, but also lasts until death, yes, until the last day. There we will first accomplish what baptismal resurrection means: there we will be resurrected from death, from sins, from all evil, pure in body and soul, and then live forever. There we will be lifted up right out of baptism and born perfect, put on the right vesture shirt of immortal life in heaven. As if the parents said, when they lift the child out of the baptism: Behold, your sins are now drowned, we receive you in God's name into eternal, innocent life. For so the angels will lift up on the last day all Christians, baptized, devout people, and will then fulfill what the baptism
and the fathers; as Christ says, Matt. 24:31: "He shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
(6) The sixth: The baptism is shown before times in the flood of Noah, when the whole world was drowned, except Noah with three sons and their wives, eight people, who were kept in the ark. That the people of the world were drowned means that sins are drowned in baptism; but that the eighth was kept in the ark with all kinds of animals means that through baptism man is saved, as St. Peter interprets it, 1 Ep. 3, 20. 21. Now baptism is a far greater flood than that one was. For that baptism drowned no more than a year's worth of people; but this baptism still drowns all kinds of people throughout the world, from the birth of Christ to the last day; and is a deluge of grace, as that was a deluge of wrath, as is proclaimed in the 29th Psalm, v. 10, "God will make a constant, new deluge. For no doubt many more people will be baptized than were drowned in the flood.
(7) The seventh: From this it follows that it is true that a man, when he comes out of baptism, is pure and without sin, completely innocent; but it is not rightly understood by many who think that there is no more sin at all, and become lazy and negligent to put to death the sinful nature; just as also some do when they have confessed. Therefore, as said above, it should be rightly understood and known that our flesh, while it lives here, is naturally evil and sinful. To help it, God has devised such a counsel that He wants to create it in a completely new way. Just as, as Jer. 18:4-6 indicates, the potter, when the pot did not turn out well for him, pushed it back into the clay and kneaded it, and then made another pot as he pleased. So, says God, you are in my hands. In the first birth we did not turn out well; therefore he thrusts us again into the earth through death and makes us again at the last day.
Days, that then we may be well saved and without sin.
(8) This counsel he takes up in baptism, which signifies death and resurrection at the last day, as has been said. Therefore, as much as the meaning or sign of the sacrament is, sins are already dead with man, and he is risen, and therefore the sacrament has taken place; but the work of the sacrament is not yet completely done, that is, the death and resurrection at the last day is still present.
9. to the eighth: So man is completely pure and innocent, sacramentally; this is not said otherwise than: he has the sign of God, baptism; so that it is indicated that his sins shall all be dead, and he shall also die in grace and rise again on the last day pure, without sin, innocent, to live forever. So it is true, because of the sacrament, that he is without sin, innocent; but because this is not yet accomplished, and he still lives in the sinful flesh, he is not without sin, nor pure in all things, but has begun to become pure and innocent.
(10) Therefore, when man comes to his years, the natural sinful desires, anger, unchastity, love, avarice, hopefulness, and the like, are stirred up; none of which would be if the sins were all drowned and dead in the sacrament. Now they are only meant to be drowned by death and resurrection on the last day. Thus St. Paul, Rom. 7:18, and all the saints with him, complain that they are sinners and have sin in their nature, even though they were baptized and holy, because the natural sinful desires always stir while we are alive.
(11) The ninth: Thus sayest thou: What good is baptism to me, if it does not blot out and put away sin altogether? Here comes the right understanding and knowledge of the sacrament of baptism. This is what the reverend Sacrament of Baptism helps you to do, so that God unites with you there and becomes one with you in a gracious and comforting covenant.
12) First, that you enter into the sacrament of baptism and its meaning, that is, that you desire to die with sins and be made new on the last day, according to the indication of the sacrament.
says. God takes this from you and lets you go, and from that time on he starts to make you new, pouring into you his grace and Holy Spirit, who begins to kill nature and sin and prepare you to die and rise again at the last day.
(13) Secondly, if you thus commit yourself to remain and to kill your sin more and more while you live, even unto death, God will also receive and exercise you throughout your life with many good works and various sufferings, so that he may do what you desired in baptism, that is, that you may be rid of sin, die, and rise again at the last day, and thus accomplish baptism. That is why we read and see how he had his dear saints tortured so hard and suffered so much, so that they would only soon be killed, have enough of the sacrament of baptism, die and become new. For where this does not happen, and we do not suffer nor have exercise, the evil nature overcomes man, making baptism useless to him, and he falls into sin, remaining an old man as before.
14. to the tenth: Now that your union with God is established, God again has mercy on you and unites himself with you, saying that he will not impute to you the sins that are in your nature after baptism, that he will not look upon them, nor condemn you for them. He is content with this and is pleased that you are in constant pursuit and desire to kill them and to be rid of them with your death. Therefore, even if evil thoughts or desires stir, even if you sometimes sin and fall, if you get up again and enter into the covenant again, they are already gone by virtue of the sacrament and covenant, as St. Paul, Rom. 8:1, says: "The natural evil, sinful inclination condemns no one who believes in Christ and does not follow it or consent to it. And St. John in his epistle says: "And if any man fall into sin, we have an advocate with God, Jesus Christ, who is become a remission of our sins", 1 John 2:1, 2. All this happens in baptism, where Christ is given to us, as we will hear in the following sermon.
Fifteenth, and last: If this covenant did not exist, and if God did not mercifully see through our fingers, no sin would be so small as to condemn us. For God's judgment does not suffer sin. Therefore, there is no greater consolation on earth than baptism, through which we enter into the grace and mercy judgment that does not judge sin, but casts it out with many exercises. Thus St. Augustine speaks a fine saying: "Sin is completely forgiven in baptism, not that it is no longer there, but that it is not imputed"; as if he were saying: "Sin remains in our flesh until death, and also stirs without ceasing; but because we do not consent to it or remain in it, it is so ordered by baptism that it is not condemned nor harmful, but is eradicated daily more and more until death.
Therefore, let no one be afraid if he feels evil desire or love, nor despair if he already falls; but remember his baptism, and cheerfully take comfort in the fact that God has agreed to put to death his sin and not to count it to condemnation if he does not consent to it or does not remain in it. Also, one should not accept these angry thoughts or desires, even the falling away, for despair; but as an admonition from God, that man remember his baptism, what he has said there, that he call upon God's grace and practice fighting against sin, even desiring to die, so that he may be rid of his sins.
17 Twelfth: Now here is the third part of the Sacrament to be dealt with, which is faith, that is, that one firmly believes all this, how the Sacrament not only signifies death and resurrection on the last day, by which man becomes new to live eternally without sin; but that it also certainly raises and works the same, and unites us to God, that we may kill sin and fight against it until death; and that he in turn may keep us in good stead and deal graciously with us, not judging us by the severity, so that we are not without sin in this life until we are cleansed by death. So you understand,
how a man becomes innocent, pure, without sin in baptism, and yet remains full of much evil inclination, that he is called pure no other way than that he has begun to become pure and has a sign and covenant of the same purity, and shall become pure ever more. "For this reason God does not want to impute his impurity to him, and so he is pure more by God's gracious imputation than because of his nature. As the prophet says, Psalm 32, 1. 2.: "Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven; blessed is the man to whom God does not impute his sin." This faith is the most necessary, for it is the basis of all comfort; whoever does not have it must despair in sins. For the sin that remains after baptism makes all good works unclean before God. For this reason, one must boldly and freely hold on to baptism and keep it against all sin and fear of conscience, and say humbly: "I know very well that I have no pure works; but I have ever been baptized, by which God, who cannot lie, has bound Himself to me not to impute my sin to me, but to put it to death and destroy it.
18 To the thirteenth: So now we understand that our innocence from baptism is called so entirely because of divine mercy, which began this and bears patience with sin, and respects us as if we were without sin. Therefore, it is understood why Christians are called in the Scriptures "the children of mercy, a people of grace, and men of the good will of God"; namely, because they began by baptism to become pure, and by God's mercy are not condemned with the rest of sin until they become completely pure through death and on the last day, as baptism shows with its sign.
(19) Therefore it is a great error for those who think that they have become completely pure through baptism to go away in their ignorance and not put to death their sin, nor do they want to let it be sin; they persist in it and thus completely destroy their baptism, remaining only in some outward works, under which hopefulness, hatred and other natural wickedness, which they do not respect, only grow stronger and greater. No, it is
Not so, the sinful, evil inclination must be recognized as true sin; but that it is harmless, attribute it to God's grace, who does not want to impute it; but that it is denied with many exercises, works and sufferings, finally killed with death. Those who do not do this, he will not remit to them, because they do not follow the baptism and its binding and hinder the work of God and baptism that has been started.
20 The fourteenth: Those also are of this kind who think they can blot out and put away their sins with satisfaction, and are so far from it that they no longer regard baptism, just as if they had no more need of it than if they had been lifted up; they do not know that it has power throughout life until death, even on the last day, as was said above. Therefore they think they can find another way to destroy sin, namely works, and so they make themselves and all others evil, frightened, uncertain consciences, despair in death, and do not know how they are with God, thinking that baptism is now lost through sin and is no longer of any use.
(21) Take heed to thyself. For, as I have said, if any man fall into sin, let him remember most strongly his baptism, how there God joined Himself to him to forgive all sins, if he will fight against them unto death. On this truth and union of God one must cheerfully dare, then the baptism goes again in its work and power; then the heart becomes again content and cheerful; not in its work or satisfaction, but in God's mercy, which is promised to him in the baptism to hold eternally. And one must hold fast to faith, so that even if all creatures and all sins overtook him, he would still cling to it; considered that whoever allows himself to be forced away from it makes God a liar in his attachment to the sacrament of baptism.
22. fifteenth: The devil challenges faith most of all; if he overthrows it, he has won. For even the sacrament of repentance, of which it is said, has its reason in this sacrament, since only those are forgiven their sins who are baptized, that is, those to whom God has promised to remit sin.
2122 D- 21,238-241. IV. Hptst. - Of the Sacram. of St. Baptism- supra. W. X, 2604-2607. 2123
So that the sacrament of repentance is renewed and again indicates the sacrament of baptism, as if the priest said in the absolution: "Behold, God has now forgiven your sin, as he promised you before in baptism and has now commanded me in the power of the keys, and now you come again in the work and nature of baptism: if you believe, you have it; if you doubt, you are lost. So we find that baptism is indeed prevented by sin from its work, that is, the forgiveness and putting to death of sin; but only by unbelief of its work is it brought to nothing. And faith again brings the same hindrances to its work. So it all depends on faith.
(23) And if I should say it plainly, it is another thing to forgive sins, and to put away sins, or to cast them out. The forgiveness of sins is obtained by faith, even though they are not entirely blotted out; but to blot out sins is to practice against sin and finally to die, so that sin is entirely blotted out. But both are the work of baptism. So the apostle writes to the Hebrews, Cap. 12, 1. who were baptized after all, and forgave their sins, "they should put away the sin that is against them. For since I believe that God does not want to impute sin to me, baptism is effective, and sins are forgiven, even though they still remain in large part. Then follows the expulsion through suffering and death etc. This is the article we confess: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins" etc. There, baptism is especially touched upon, in which forgiveness takes place through God's joining with us; therefore, one does not have to doubt the same forgiveness.
24 The sixteenth: Thus it follows that baptism makes all suffering, and especially death, useful and helpful, that they must only serve the work of baptism, that is, to kill sin. For it cannot be otherwise now, whoever wants to do enough of baptism and get rid of sin must die. But sin does not like to die; that is why it makes death so bitter and horrible. So God is merciful and powerful that the sin that brought death is driven out again with its own work, death.
25. you can find many people who want to live,
that they become devout, and say they would like to be devout. Now there is no shorter way or path than through baptism and the work of baptism, that is, suffering and dying; because they do not want to do this, it is a sign that they do not really know or think that they will become godly. Therefore God has ordained various stations in which to practice and learn to suffer; some the marital, others the spiritual, others the ruling station, and commanded all to have toil and labor, that they may kill the flesh and become accustomed to killing. For to all those who have been baptized, the baptism of this life has made their rest, their chamber, and their sufficiency nothing but poison, as a hindrance to their work. For in it no one learns to suffer, to die gladly, to be rid of sin, and to follow baptism; but only grows love of this life, and dread of eternal life, fear of death, and flight from the destruction of sin.
26. to the seventeenth: Now behold in the life of men. There are many of them who fast, pray, walk, and have such practices, by which they only think to gain merit and sit high in heaven; but they never learn to kill their evil vice. Fasting and all practices should be directed to suppress the old Adam, the sinful nature, and to make him accustomed to do without all that is pleasurable to this life, and thus to make him more and more ready for death every day, so that there may be enough baptism and all its practices and efforts. Measure should be taken, not according to number and greatness, but according to the requirement of baptism, that is, that each one take to himself as many of the exercises as and as much as would be useful and good for him to suppress the sinful nature and send it to death, and also refrain from and increase them, according to which one would find sin decreasing or increasing. So they go on, charging themselves with this and that; now they do one thing, now another, only according to the appearance of the work; then they quickly go on again, and so become quite unstable that nothing ever comes of them; some break their heads over it and ruin nature, so that they are of no use either to themselves or to others.
27. these are all the fruits of the doctrine that has possessed us, that we think that after repentance.
The saints are not wise in preaching the legends and works of the saints, and they make general examples of them. Preachers who do not preach the legends and works of the saints wisely and make general examples out of them are helpful. Thus the unwise fall upon it and work their destruction from the examples of the saints. God has given each one his special way and grace to follow his baptism. But baptism with its meaning is set as a common measure for all, so that each one of his class may examine which way is best for him to do enough for baptism, that is, to kill sin and die. So that the burden of Christ may become light and gentle, and not be met with anxiety and sorrow, as Solomon says of them, Ecclesiastes 10:15: "The works of the unwise only afflict them, because they know not the way to the city." For just as those are troubled who want to go to the city and do not find the way, so it is with these also, that all their life and work becomes sore to them, and yet they accomplish nothing.
28. to the eighteenth: To this now belongs the common question: Whether the baptism and vows which we have made to God are more or greater than the vows of chastity, priesthood, and clergy, since baptism is general to all Christians, and it is eighth that the clergy have a special and higher one? Answer: is easy to answer from the above. For in baptism we all pledge the same thing, to put sin to death and become holy through God's work and grace. For we offer and sacrifice ourselves as clay to the potter, and there is none better than another. But to follow the same baptism, that sin may be put to death, may not be one way or state. Therefore I have said that every man must examine himself in what state he may best kill sin and subdue nature. So it is true that there is no higher, better, greater vow than the baptismal vow; what more can one vow than to cast out all sin, die, obtain this life, and become holy?
29. but about this vow, one of you may be
He must be joined to a state that is suitable and conducive to his baptism. Just as if two were walking to a city, one might take the footpath, the other the country road, as he thought best: thus, he who binds himself to the marital state walks in the same state of toil and suffering, in which he burdens his nature to make it accustomed to love and suffering, to avoid sin, and to prepare himself the better for death, which he would not be able to do so well out of the same state. But he who seeks more suffering and wants to prepare himself recently for death by many exercises and soon attain his baptismal work, let him join the chastity or spiritual order; for a spiritual state, if it stands right, should be full of torture and suffering, so that he has more exercises of his baptism than the conjugal state, and through such torture soon gets used to receive death happily and thus comes to the end of his baptism. Above this state there is now a higher one, the ruling state in the ecclesiastical regiment, as bishop, pastor, etc., who should be ready for death every hour, well practiced with suffering and works, not only for their own sake, but also for the sake of those who are subject to them to die.
(30) Yet in all these states we must not forget the measure, as said above, that we keep the exercise so that only sin is cast out, and not according to the quantity or greatness of the works. But alas! as we have forgotten baptism and what it means, what we vow in it, and how we are to walk in its work and come to its end: so we have also forgotten the ways and the stations, and almost do not know what such stations are for, or how to keep ourselves in them for the fulfillment of baptism. It has become a pompa (an ostentation) and only a worldly appearance barely remains, as Isaiah says, Cap. 1, 22: "Your silver has become foam and your drink is mixed with water"; God have mercy, amen.
31) The nineteenth: Since the holy sacrament of baptism is such a great, gracious, and comforting thing, it is to be seen with seriousness that one should always give God heartfelt and early thanks.
2126 D. 21,243RD; IV, 341ST IV. Hptst. - From the Sacram. of St. Baptism supra. W. X, 2610-2612. 2127
I give thanks, praise and honor for it without ceasing. For I fear that ingratitude has deserved that we, having become blind, have not been worthy to recognize such grace; and the whole world has been and still is full of God's baptism and grace, but we have been deceived into fearful works of our own, then into indulgences and such false consolations; thinking not to trust God sooner than we would be pious, and enough done for sin, as if we wanted to buy or pay for his grace. Truly, whoever does not respect God's grace so that it will tolerate him as a sinner and make him blessed, and goes alone to meet his judgment, will never rejoice in God, nor may he love or praise Him. But if we hear that in the baptismal covenant He receives us sinners, spares us and makes us clean from day to day, and if we firmly believe this, the heart must become joyful, love and praise God. Thus He says in the prophet Malachi, 3:17: "I will spare them, as a father spares his child." Therefore, it is necessary to give thanks to the highly praised Majesty, who shows himself so gracious and merciful to us poor, damned little worms, and to magnify and recognize the work as it is in himself.
32. twentieth: But at the same time we should be careful not to make a false assurance.
and speak to her herself: If it is such a gracious and great thing about baptism that God does not want to impute sin to us, and as soon as we return from sin, all things are settled in virtue of baptism: then I will live and do my will in the meantime, and afterwards or at death remember my baptism and admonish God of His covenant, and then do my baptism enough.
(33) Of course, it is so great about baptism that when you return from sins and call on the covenant of baptism, your sins are forgiven. But see to it that if you sin so wickedly and wantonly against grace that judgment does not seize you and precede your return, and whether you will then believe in baptism or trust that by God's decree your temptation will be so great that faith will not stand. For if those remain heavy who do not sin or ever fall from infirmity, where will your iniquity remain, which has tempted and mocked grace? 1 Petr. 4, 18. Therefore let us walk with sorrow and fear, that we may keep the riches of divine grace with a steadfast faith, and cheerfully give thanks unto his mercy for ever and ever, Amen.