Welcome to part 2 of my series on comparing differing views of infant baptism. In this installment we will briefly look at the Lutheran view which I personal align with. This is a view that was very impactful for me as I made my transition from Catholicism. In this view, the sacrament would still be effectual and saving, but from a much more Christ centered perspective. Lutheranism is a monergistic theology. There was a quote I heard in Lutheranism that said “Jesus does all the verbs.” I very much respect the Lutheran view that in baptism, it is Christ doing all of the work. The direction in Lutheran sacraments is a straight line down from Heaven to man. And in that direction, grace and the forgiveness of sins is being dispensed as means of grace. Baptism is not reduced to an outward sign of an inward faith or being obedient to the command to be baptized once one comes to saving faith. Also, the Lord’s Supper is not simply a toast to Jesus in remembrance of what He did on the Cross. In Lutheran theology, the sacraments are promises in which God is doing something FOR YOU. I capitalize that as it is such an emphasis in Lutheranism. Christ FOR YOU rather than our filthy rags of works we try to do.

Much like in Reformed theology, in baptism we are grafted into a family, the church, the body of Christ, “the communion of saints.” But it does much more. In Luther’s Small Catechism he writes:

What benefits does Baptism give?

It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. – Luther’s Small Catechism

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod states, “Lutherans believe that the Bible teaches that a person is saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Baptism, we believe, is one of the miraculous means of grace (together with God’s written and spoken Word) through which God creates the gift of faith in a person’s heart.” – lcms.org

It is because of what baptism is: a sacrament, a visible means of an invisible grace. It is something characterized by an earthly element, like water, wine, bread, something that has a promise attached to it, something of which our Lord has said, leaving no room for speculation, “Do it.”

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:5–8)

But the most important scripture I find being used to make the case that Baptism saves is 1 Peter 3:21

“Because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:20-21

This all brings me back to the original question in part 1 of our series, how can infant baptism, which saves in the sacramental churches, could be performed in Reformed churches that believe in the perseverance of the Saints? We will look at the Reformed perspective in part 3, but I would like to end this post on the Lutheran view of perseverance.

Here is an excerpt from the WELS Lutheran church. The Bible warns, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (! Corinthians 10:12). Some among the Galatians had believed for a while, but had fallen into soul-destroying error. Paul warned them, “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). In his explanation of the parable of the sower, Jesus says, “Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in time of testing they fall away” (Luke 8:13). According to Jesus a person can believe for a while and then fall away. While they believed they possessed eternal salvation, but when they fell from faith they lost God’s gracious gift.

 –  “Once saved always saved”. WELS Topical Q&A. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2015. People can fall from faith.

I think this all makes a reasonable case to once again conclude that, if baptism saves, it must save all. Then there is the dilemma that, from an observable perspective, not all saved baptized babies live a life that professes Christ to the end of their lives. All are saved and some can fall away is what I am gleaning from this perspective.

So how does the Reformed theology that holds to unconditional election, limited atonement and perseverance of the saints baptize infants? We will take a look at that in our next post. Hope to see you then!

RVK