Baptism and the early reformation battle

Larry Hughes · #1 (**permalink**) 09-09-2005, 10:56 PM

It is interesting to read how the debate over baptism came into being during the genesis of the reformation under Luther. I realize some debate appeared to exist in earlier times (pre-reformation) but these are less revealing. Rather for some reason or another God has seen fit in providence to have it recorded in detail for us starting with Luther at the outset of the reformation. Though Luther and Calvin disagreed on key details of as to either sacrament (Baptism/Lord´s Table) one thing is certain in how they understood the communication of grace as opposed to some Baptist (though not all) and Anabaptist thought, that is the communication is Gospel from heaven to earth and that though we must perform the sacraments they are primarily passive-receptive in nature rather than active-working in nature. Both Luther and Calvin attacked the Anabaptist at the same point concerning the sacraments. It is very unfortunate that today the bulk of Lutheran and Reformed (strict sense of the term) seem to be at odds on this issue rather together. -ldh

To quote Heiko Oberman from "œLuther, Man between God and the Devil":

Quote:

"œTrust in the alien Word determined the way Luther experienced, interpreted, and defended the sacraments of baptism and holy communion. (Next follows a huge statement that differentiated the true Lutheran and true reformed as opposed to the Anabaptist - ldh) The Devil, that master of subjectivity, lurks in the heart and the conscience, but he is powerless in the face of the alien Word. Baptism and communion are the PLEDGE (emphasis added - ldh) that God is present in the turmoil of the fight for survival against the Devil. These two sacraments constitute the visible, tangible prop that makes it possible to resist the Devil in God´s name. Thus baptism and holy communion are the solid ground on which the certainty of a Christian´s faith rests. It is therefore clear that there can be no greater danger than the undermining of these two sacraments. Making baptism and communion into the work of man destroys the foundation of Christian life because it makes God´s truth and reality dependent on the powers of persuasion of the individual, subjective conscience." (emphasis added on all of the last - ldh)

"œOf this very thing Luther repeatedly accused both the papacy and also those reformation groups he liked to call Anabaptists and Sacramentarians. Baptism already had become a central theme in the major Reformation writings of 1520. For Luther it was the visible sign of unmerited justification through God´s grace. Baptism performs the "œjoyful exchange" through which a sinner receives the righteousness of Crhist and Christ takes over his sins´ and all this is not simply "œcheap", it is free. The gulf between Luther and the Church of Rome becomes obvious when Luther, criticizing the commercialization of the Church, makes an easily comprehensible comparison between God´s free "œbaptismal grace" and the pope´s expensive "œindulgence grace." Precisely because baptism is "œdemocratic", "˜granting everyone "œwho comes crawling out of baptism has thus been consecrated a priest, bishop and pope"˜."

"œIn late 1521, when Luther had already been in hiding at Wartburg Castle for nine months, Philipp Melanchthon reported the first signs of a movement that was soon to spread everywhere the Reformation succeeded in gaining a foothold. Today this movement is usually designated the "œleft wing of the Reformation" or "œradical Reformation," a collective term used to subsume a variety of groups. From Luther´s point of view these Baptist and social revolutionaries, anti-trinitarians and spiritualists had one thing in common: they were "œfanatics". Restless, roaming spirits, separatist with no sense or felling of responsibility for Church and society, disobedient to the temporal authorities and the Holy Scriptures-that is how Luther saw them"¦"

"œIn the tumult of the Last Days individual qualities are lost in collective judgments and "œall who are not with us are against us". Yet herein lies the paradox, for there is a genuine grain of truth in these collective condemnations, which is easy to overlook in our time. It is for the sake of this timeless truth that Luther´s voice must be heard-however reluctantly. To comprehend this, we must look at his understanding of infant baptism." (He makes a good well founded qualification and careful transition statement to distant accusation against individuals from the "œgrain of truth" found in collective condemnations so as to disarm our knee jerk emotionalized reactions - ldh)

"œFrom Luther´s point of view the command to administer baptism found at the end of the Gospel of St. Matthew puts an end to any debate about the sense or nonsense of baptizing children. The task is clear: "œGod ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost" (Matt. 28:19).

"œBaptism only becomes a sacrament, a visible pledge of God´s fidelity instituted by Christ, through the promise He made (for Luther always one of the central pillars and unmistakable "œclear places" of the Scriptures)": "œHe that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).

"œWhen Melanchthon wrote to Luther from Wittenberg that the Zwickau Prophets were citing precisely this text to challenge infant baptism, Luther answered on January 13, 1522, with a detailed exposition of his opinion on the subject that closed with the words: "œI have been waiting for Satan to attack this sensitive spot - but he decided not to make use of the papists. Now he is making efforts in and among us Evangelicals to produce the worst conceivable schism. May Christ quickly trample him under His feet.""

"œWhy this dramatic talk of the Devil and of the Church breaking asunder? Baptism was not being called into question, only infant baptism rejected! The reason is that for Luther this constituted a denial of a decisive point. (And here is the thrust of and tremendous point that others like Bromily, reformed writer, have noted concerning a Believer´s only view Vs. Paedeo view of Baptism. That is to say it is not how either handle adults, similarities or differences, but rather the over all picture portrayed in adult only baptisms Vs. the over all picture for baptizing both adults and infants - ldh) Infant baptism revealed the meaning of baptism. From Luther´s standpoint one could not genuinely preserve baptism while repudiating infant baptism, for it was in the child to be baptized that the meaning of Evangelical faith became visible: trusting only in the "œalien" justification granted by God; acting out of the "œalien", the new conscience; and living on the intercession of others. Where one´s own faith begins to waver, the alien faith appears on the scene. And this is the exact situation of the "œinfant", for whom the church, godparents and parents believe vicariously. The baptismal font is the reservoir of alien righteousness surrounded by alien belief."

"œFor enlightened Protestantism, which has developed faith into a rational system and eliminated the Devil from it, this belief is not alien, but alienating and peculiar. Luther, however, insists on this very alienation when faced with the menace of an intellectualization of faith: if the Devil is to be withstood, intercession is indispensable; "œloners" are defenseless against his threat and subject to his tyranny. A good Christian is always an infant in his dependence on God and in the way he is bound up with Christ and His Church"¦"

"œThe argument against infant baptism, that infants cannot believe because they do not have the rational faculties to grasp the Christian message, distorts the sacrament, transforming it form the work of God into the work of man. The "œignorant" child is not baptized because of its faith but because of God´s promise. "œWe bring this child here in the belief and hope that it will have faith and pray to God for faith. But not for this do we baptize it, only because God has commanded it"¦His Word can neither err nor lie".""¦

"œBaptism grabs the Devil by the throat and the old Adam by the collar; wherever we turn, baptism marks us throughout our lives"¦"

"œProtestants have often pointed with glee to the obscure, magical interpretation of the sacraments in the Middle Ages. Luther indeed opposes magic and superstition when he consciously and pointedly speaks of "œordinary water"œ that can only become operative when combined with God"˜s promise. But criticism of magical superstition is not a specifically Reformation trait; its origins are pre-Reformation. Luther could fall back on his scholastic training for it. What he (Luther) attacks so vehemently is not the superstitious overestimation of baptism (Romish - ldh), but its faithless undervaluation in Christian life in favor of penance and penitential good work (Anabaptistic - ldh). This (the later - ldh) made it perfectly reasonable to call entering a monastery, when novices dedicate their lives to penance, a "œsecond baptism". Rejecting infant baptism and demanding adult baptism (only - ldh) of the converted and of penitents is thus not "œradical Reformation" but "œradical Middle Ages."

"œThe widespread influence of the Anabaptist movement in the face of bloody persecution fit´s the tenor of the time: the new layman is the old monk."

(Heiko A. Oberman, "œLuther, Man Between God and the Devil - Discord in the Reformation, Pages 227-231)

JKLeoPCA · #2 (**permalink**) 09-09-2005, 11:11 PM

I agree. It is sad to say, but in many churches growing up (in Dispensational circles) Baptism was always seen as something you did in obedience with following Christ. The Lord's Supper was only observed because it was commanded to be observed. Many times the quarterly observance of the Lord's Supper seemed to be a hindrance or an interruption to series the minister was preaching on. It was not until I got into reformed churches that both Baptism and the Lord's Supper were shown to be visible forms of the gospel.

Larry Hughes · #3 (**permalink**) 09-10-2005, 12:13 AM

Amen brother, Amen!!!