hide submenuMy daughter is going to have her four children "dedicated" in December. I thought that Lutherans baptized their children and did not dedicate. She says that she has informed the pastor that she wants it to be known as a dedication, not a baptism. Is this possible under the teachings of the Missouri Synod-Lutheran Church?
Here is an excerpt from your web site: Baptism is "enough" for salvation in that it contains all the blessings of salvation that God himself has attached to it; these blessings are received, however, only by those who cling in faith--which itself is a gift of God!--to the words and promises attached to baptism. Shouldn't it be the other way around--FAITH is "enough" for salvation and your blessings come from your personal faith and trust in the Lord. Your whole life should demonstrate your faith. Baptism is an act of obedience to God and shouldn't be tied to salvation in such a manner that it seems that we would earn salvation by baptism. Why does the Lutheran Faith teach baptism=salvation and neglect the fact that salvation comes from faith by grace which is manifested in our actions?
You say that infant baptism is one way of salvation. Since this practice was unknown in the New Testament or even the early Catholic church, it is speculative. The Bible says that repentance is a prerequisite for faith. I repented at five, so it can be early, but not in someone's arms.
I believe I understand the LCMS position on baptism although it seems to lead down a troublesome path. As I understand you can be regenerated through baptism and also regenerated by believing in Jesus, without baptism, and then later baptised. The Lutheran position forces one to come to this conclusion of two ways to be saved, although both are by faith alone, just two different means. In Acts 10:44ff they believed and as a result were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore baptised. Eph 1:3 also speaks of salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit. If baptism also saves, it must not save adults since an adult would not say I do not believe but I want to be baptised to get the faith to believe. If indeed the prooftexts of baptismal regeneration do actually refer to salvation, it must only be for babies since adults would of necessity believe before being baptised. And if they do only speak of babies who do not have the capacity to believe, why don't these verses say so. My question then is, what do you see wrong with my reasoning? You do not have to give me the prooftexts since I have know them and have studied them and have ready many articles and the catechism both from Lutherans and others.
In reading a recent FAQ, I find you continue to say "the rite of Baptism." Is this an error considering in the LCMS Baptism is a sacrament?
In one of the FAQs on baptism, reference is made in the answer to a "baptismal covenant." Can you tell me exactly what is meant by this term? Is it the same as "baptismal vows"? If so, what "vows" can or should be made at an infant's baptism?
Would you say that a person who was baptized as an infant had no worry in his salvation because of this baptism, even if he publicly confessed not to be a Christian?
If one was baptized years ago in the Worldwide Church of God (when they were considered a cult) and would like to join the Missouri Synod, is it necessary to be rebaptized?
Would it not be better to baptize a baby of parents who didn't attend church--even though the parents do not attend? Is it right to keep a child from God if we have the opportunity to welcome the child? Perhaps this would open the doors of Heaven to the parents as well? Should we exclude them and not show them forgiveness beforehand?
In the FAQ on re-baptizing, I found something that brings up a question in my mind. The following statement in an answer says the following: "Nowhere do the Apostles call on Christians to repeat baptisms; however, they frequently recall to their minds the baptism once received (1 Cor.1:13; 6:11; 12:13; Rom. 6:3ff; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:12; Titus 3:5-6; 1 Pet. 3:21)." By mentioning this in your text (about the Apostles remembering their baptisms and those of others), it must be an important factor in one's own baptism that one recalls what, where, when, how, and why it happened, otherwise you would not have mentioned it, nor would have the Apostles. Doesn't infant baptism rob the person (the infant upon growing up that was baptized too young to remember it happening) to reflect on the death and resurrection with Christ (as above in Romans 6:3 and Col.2:12)? The person as an infant couldn't possibly remember it.
What does our religion say on who can be baptized? In the Lutheran church, can only Lutheran babies be baptized, or can anyone bring babies to be baptized, including non-members with members as sponsors? I thought we baptized to take away the original sin we are all born with?
I have been doing a lot of searching of the Scriptures and was looking at baptism. I could find no one baptized in the name of the "Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit," just people baptized in Jesus' name (Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5). Could you let me know why Lutherans baptize in the name of the "Father, Son and Holy Spirit"?
The LCMS uses the "sprinkle" method of baptism, if you will. The people of the Bible, including Jesus, were baptized using the immersion method. Why doesn't our church follow the way Jesus was baptized by John?
My stepdaughter wants to join a Church of God church which requires her to be baptized by immersion although she was baptized in a Lutheran church as an infant. Believing that there is one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the question has arisen whether or not one can be baptized more than once. If so, why then do we not get re-baptized in the same manner that we take communion? Or is there a doctrinal/biblical prohibition against being re-baptized?
I have searched your FAQ pages on the topic of infant baptism. Your pages state that faith is created in infants at baptism by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are infants aware of their baptism?
Can you please clarify the Lutheran view of baptism and what is its purpose? Does the child become a Christian when baptized?
You teach, as did Martin Luther, that man is justified by grace alone, through faith alone. Yet I also read your position on baptism and it seems to me that you also teach baptismal regeneration. You clearly state that a person (infant) comes into the blessings of grace (salvation) through their baptism. How can this be if the scripture teaches that faith is the means of apprehending salvation? I may simply be misunderstanding what you are saying in the section on baptism, I hope I am. If not, then I must insist that there would then be no difference between the LCMS and the Roman Church on its view of justification and salvation. Please help me understand where I am misunderstanding you.
What is the blessing of Baptism to adults who already believe, and thus by their faith already are adopted into God's family, been regenerated, and have all the spiritual blessings they would receive by being baptized?
There are so many Lutherans I know who assume, since they were baptized as children, they can live as they like and it doesn't matter--they are saved because of baptism. Is this what we (LCMS) believe? It seems like faith must be living and real--not just a liturgical act.
Why do Lutherans baptize infants?
How does faith play a role in infant baptism? Is faith later taken care of when the child is confirmed?
I heard a pastor (not LCMS) that in order to be saved you must be "born again" and quoted several scriptural passages. What is the LCMS position? I thought baptism was good enough!
The wording "have clothed yourselves with Christ" as found in the NIV translation of the Bible and Luther's Small Catechism (page 209) doesn't come across as the best translation. The Holy Spirit does the work, not me or anyone else. We don't clothe ourselves. Please explain or comment
What is the Greek word for "baptized" in Mark 16:15-16? What does the word mean?
What about infants who die before being baptized?
