8. The necessity of baptism.
Although baptism is not an adiaphoron, but a divine order, it must not be ascribed to itself an absolute necessity in the sense that no one has forgiveness of sins and can be saved who has not received baptism. We already saw in the doctrine of the means of grace that all the means of grace have the same purpose and the same effect, namely, the presentation of the forgiveness of sins and the production and strengthening of faith thereby effected. "It does not stand that the forgiveness of sins comes for the first third by the word of the gospel, for the second third by baptism, and for the third third by the Lord's Supper," but "Scripture ascribes the forgiveness of sins without any limitation both to the word of the gospel and to baptism, as well as to the Lord's Supper."1124) Therefore, whoever has come to believe in the gospel has forgiveness of sins and salvation, even if he was not baptized due to some circumstances. This is the doctrine of the old Lutheran theologians, preceded by Luther.1125)
1123) Thus Chamier, De baptismo V, 14, 8; in Quenstedt II, 1116.
1124) p. 127 f.
1125) St. L. XI, 984: "Christ lets it suffice that in the first matters of this passage he says: 'He who believes and is baptized' and in the second: But he who does not believe does not repeat the baptism, of course because he indicated enough with the first one and commanded it further elsewhere than Matt. 28:19: 'Teach all the heathen and baptize them in the name of the Father' etc. And it does not follow from this that baptism should be dispensed with, or that it should be enough, that anyone should pretend that he has faith and should not be baptized. For whoever becomes a Christian and believes will certainly gladly accept such a sign, so that he may have both such divine testimony and confirmation of his salvation with him, and may strengthen and comfort himself with it in his whole life, and that he may also publicly confess this before all the world. … Although it may happen that one may also believe, even though he is not baptized; and again some take baptism, who nevertheless do not truly believe. Therefore, this text must be understood as commanding and confirming baptism, which is not to be despised, but to be used, as has been said; and yet not so tight that anyone should be condemned who could not
330 > Baptism. [English ed. ~ 281]
Quenstedt, in a detailed exposition, opposes the Fathers of the Church, the Scholastics, and the later Roman doctrines, which assert an absolute necessity of baptism.1126) In order to make the matter somewhat less terrible, the papists allow the children who died without baptism to be punished only negatively (poena damni), not positively (poena sensus), that is, they assume that the children who died without baptism are deprived of the sight of God, but do not feel any torment. — Those who teach an absolute necessity of baptism refer especially to John 3:5: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." But the scopus of this passage is the punishment of the Pharisees and scribes who did not want to enter into God's way that was valid at that time and despised the baptism of John, while the tax collectors repented and were baptized.1127) Thus the account in Luke 7:29-30 reads: "All the people who heard him [John] and the tax collectors approved of God and were baptized. But the Pharisees and scribes despised God's counsel (την βουλήν τοϋ ϑεοϋ) against themselves and would not be baptized by him." In reference to this contempt of the baptism of John, and thus of the counsel of God unto salvation, Christ speaks to Nicodemus, who was indeed "a man among the Pharisees":1128) "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." In an analogous case, we too would have to say to a despiser of Christ's baptism, "Unless one is baptized, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Luther and the Lutheran theologians appropriate Augustine's word:
come to baptism. … It is always kept in harmony that if someone believes and yet dies unbaptized, he is not condemned for it: for it may happen that someone believes and, even though he desires baptism, is precipitated by death.
1126) Systema II, 1166 sq. Alexander Hodge (Outlines, p. 502) does not present the matter correctly when he answers the question, "What is the Romish and Lutheran doctrine as to the necessity of baptism?": "They hold that the benefits conveyed by baptism are ordinarily conveyed in no other way, and consequently, baptism is absolutely necessary in order to salvation, both for infants and adults."
1127) This is especially stated by Dannhauer, Hodosophia, Phaen. X, 504: Scopus particularis colloquii Christi est elenchticus Pliarisaismi contemnentis consilium Dei de baptismo. [Google]
1128) Joh. 3:1.
331 > Baptism. [English ed. ~ 281-282]
"Contemptus sacramenti damnat, non privatio. [Google]" According to Lutheran doctrine, of absolute necessity is faith in the forgiveness of sins acquired by Christ, or regeneration, but not baptism, because faith and regeneration can also be present through the mere word of the Gospel.