[Photo of the font of Trinity, Traverse City]Chemnitz' Braunschweig-Woelfenbuettel Church Order of 1569 on Baptism:
This doctrine must also be defended against the other sacrament-schwärmern [“fanatics who deny the Lord’s Supper”]. For the Calvinists strew among the people a very harmful error. They assert that the child conceived and born of converted, believing parents, though conceived and born in sin, still brings something with itself through natural birth from believing parents.They assert that before baptism the child is not a child of wrath under the kingdom and power of Satan. [They teach] rather that even without baptism [the child is] truly in the kingdom of Christ and in the grace of God, and that Baptism is only an external sign through which is testified that this child received the forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation previously, etc. This schwärmerei [fanaticism] which Augustine in a previous age condemned in Palagius, Book 2, On the Merits of Sin etc., minimizes the horrible damage of original sin and robs from baptism its chief power and salutary effect. Therefore this must be rejected with the utmost earnestness. For Christ says in general and with great seriousness in John 3[6, 5]: "That which is born of flesh is flesh. Unless a man is born anew of water and the Spirit, he can not enter the kingdom of heaven." If this is true it must without doubt follow that the man who is born of the flesh, before the new birth which happens through water and the Spirit, is not in the kingdom of God, but under the power of darkness, Col. 1[13], because there is no middle ground between them, II Cor. 6[14]. Thus Paul speaks in a fine, plain and clear manner [regarding this] in Eph. 2[3]: "We (that is, those of us born of circumcised parents) were by nature children of wrath, like the others," namely those born of pagan parents. The promise of grace and salvation belongs indeed also to children, Gen. 17[5]; Acts 2[39], just like it belongs to the whole world. But where the promise is not applied there it undoubtedly does not save. Therefore the Augsburg Confession states correctly in article nine that baptism is necessary for salvation, namely, as such it is a means through which the promise of salvation is applied. But this we understand of the children whom God gives into our hands through birth. How pastors are to comfort the parents regarding the unborn or those still-born they will know to take from the tracts published on the subject by Luther and Pomeranus. And in summary, one must not give the people the idea that they are to view Baptism as merely an external sign [zeichen] which only points to something [else]. They are rather to be admonished often to view Baptism as the scriptures speak of it, namely that it is a work of the Holy Trinity, who is the real baptizer, through the mouth and the hand of the minister [diener]. And it is such an administration where God the Father through Baptism saves, Titus 3[5]; where God the Son through the washing in the word purifies, Eph. 5[26]; through which the Holy Spirit gives a man new birth and renewal, John 3[5]; Titus 3[5]. This is so because we are baptized into the death of Christ, Rom. 6[3], and into his resurrection, I Pet. 3[21], and in summary, because in Baptism Christ with all his merits is put on, Gal. 3[27]. And thus in Baptism the Holy Trinity makes with us a covenant of a good conscience for the sake of Christ, I Pet. 3[16] through the forgiveness of sins, Acts 2[38] and 22[16], unto eternal salvation, Mark 16[16].
And therefore all frivolity is to be avoided during a baptism, and the entire administration accomplished with all reverence in the fear of God both on the part of the priest [priester] and on the part of those present. Children who lack understanding, frivolous persons or godless people shall not be allowed to stand as sponsors at baptism. And it is preferable for the sake of profitable remembrance and the prayers of the congregation that where it is possible and would be permitted, the administration of Baptism be performed when the entire community of God [gemeine Gottes] is present. Still, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and others are to be admonished to go along and happily be present when a child is baptized.
Translation: Harrison/Smith/Corzine
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3 comments:
roman catholics say that original sin is eliminated in baptism. what do they mean by that and how does this make a difference between what we believe and what they believe? what is concupiscence. I am thinking here of article II of the augustana and apology, which I admit goes way over my head. I don´t understand the augustana because I don´t understand the opposite viewpoint I am thinking....
Frank,
I see that you have been waiting for over a week, so I'll jump in.
We are studying Original Sin in the Apology in our BOC reading group, so I'll see if I can do it justice.
Concupiscence was seen by the Romans as a "tendency" to sin, but the reformers saw it as, in fact, sin.
The Roman idea that baptism took away all sin up to the time of baptism meant that the baptized would now need to do their part to cooperate with the "infused" grace to make payment for all sins after the baptism. The reformers responded by declaring that if that was the case, Jesus' sacrifice was not sufficient and He died in vain.
Excellent Jim. Someone else directed me to read aristotle. My understanding now is that aquinas basically tried to christianize aquinas and then with trent aquinas views became the views of the new Roman Catholic Church.
You have filled in alot of missing stuff for me.
I claim to be a confessional Lutheran and was surprised when I found article II to be disorienting. Where would I go to hear the other side of the argument? Maybe I need that to understand better what I claim to subscribe to?
thanks a lot!
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