De baptismo

De baptismo

The sophists have discussed the matter and form of the sacraments in a lengthy and superstitious way, without indicating any true use of the thing itself. The sign is to be immersed in water. The minister who baptizes signifies God's work and, therefore, that act of immersion is a sign of divine will, as he says, 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,' or as the Apostles baptized in the Acts, 'in the name of Christ.' These words clearly signify this: Behold, as you are immersed, accept it as a certain testimony of divine favor toward you, and if he himself baptizes you. Hezekiah had a testimony of divine favor, as God had turned back the shadow by a miraculous event. The people of Israel had as a testimony of divine favor that the waters had opened a path for them in the Arabian desert. So you should certainly regard this immersion as a sign of divine grace. For what is said: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, signifies that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit baptize, and it should be understood that the one who is baptized has his sins forgiven. All sins are forgiven by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism signifies a transition, for its true use is recognized through the passage from death to life, which is the immersion of the old Adam into death and the resurrection of the new. That is, why Paul (says this). This is why Paul calls it the washing of regeneration. This meaning can be understood easily from the type. The baptism of the Israelites passing through the Arabian Sea is a foreshadowing. What else were they doing but entering into death when they plunged into the waters? They were passing through the waters by faith, through death, as they were escaping. In that story, there is a deed that baptism signifies, namely, that the Israelites passed through death to life. Thus, the whole Christian life is a mortification of the flesh and a renewal of the spirit, and the reality that baptism signifies is lived out only as long as we truly rise from the dead. True repentance is what baptism signifies, and thus the sacrament of repentance is baptism, as we will explain later. The true use of this sign is to testify that you pass through death to life; to testify that the mortification of your flesh is for your salvation. Sins terrify, death frightens, and other evils of the world threaten; trust, because you have received mercy toward you, so that you may be saved, no matter how you are attacked by the gates of hell. Thus you see that the meaning of baptism and the use of the sign endure in the saints throughout all of life. Indeed, this is a sign, an effective symbol. Dieckhoff, a. Mehmthor. s Loci. It's said that there's no greater comfort for those facing death than the mention of this sign, if they are reminded of their baptism, knowing that they have received a divine promise in this, so they can be certain that God will bring them from death to life; this sign would have been unnecessary if they could have crossed over without divine help; now, it has been given as a sign so that they wouldn't lose hope, but rather trust that they would be saved by God leading them. Wouldn't Moses have needed to warn the Israelites about the event of the sign if he had baptized them before they entered the water, while they were crossing through the sea, so that they would remember that this sign was given to them, so they wouldn't doubt that they would be saved? The same use of baptism is found in mortification. It reminds the troubled conscience of the forgiveness of sins and assures us of God's grace, so that we don't despair in our struggle against sin. Therefore, as long as mortification lasts, the use of the sign is present. You are not freed from sin as long as the old Adam is completely dead. Therefore, it is fitting that the use of the sign should serve as a constant and perpetual reminder of life, to console the conscience in that ongoing mortification. Thus, it becomes clear that signs are nothing but exercises of faith. Thus Paul discusses baptism in Romans. Those who are baptized in Christ are baptized into his death, which means they are to be made dead to sin, just as Christ was put to death, so that they may understand, through baptism, that this death is a passage to life. For what Paul adds is that we are buried with Him through baptism. He teaches that we are not only to be mortified as saints, but also to rest and act in the mortification of Christ's burial. The wicked are indeed mortified, but because they do not believe that through Christ there is a passage to life, they despair and utterly perish. The wicked are indeed put to death, but they do so in a way that they act as if they are resting in the grave of Christ; that is, they believe He is the passage to life and they await consolation through Him. The baptism is a pledge of His consolation, as Paul says: "We were buried with Him through baptism."^✦ Faith makes it possible to rest in baptism. Let us be still and await consolation. Baptism awakens faith, being a sign of divine grace. I think no one can easily grasp how rich the use of baptism is as a comfort for a troubled conscience. The institution of baptism is examined in light of the distinction between the baptisms of John and Christ. Regarding this matter, those who understood it most rightly judged that John's baptism is simply a sign of mortification, while Christ's baptism is a sign of vivification, to which the promise of grace or forgiveness of sins is added. Therefore, John's baptism is called the baptism of repentance, while Christ's baptism is the baptism for the forgiveness of sins. John, proclaiming the law, prepares the consciences of those who recognize their sin for Christ; may Christ give life to those whose consciences are troubled by the law and John's preaching. For the knowledge of sin is the beginning of justification, and the fear of divine judgment; faith and peace of conscience are its fulfillment, which the Holy Spirit instills in the heart, as we have said above about the law and the gospel. It seems to me that those two washings can be distinguished more simply. If you accept John's baptism as a sign of grace through Christ to be preached shortly after, then you should also accept Christ's baptism as a sign of grace already given, so that both baptisms serve as a sign of the same reality, but with this distinction: John's baptism points to grace that is to come, while Christ's baptism is a pledge of grace that has already been bestowed. Thus, both baptisms signify death and life. No one is justified unless they have first died to themselves. And to feel this way, first of all, it does this: John's role is not just to preach the law, but primarily to bear witness to Christ and to the gospel of the forgiveness of sins. He came as a witness, to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. And Matthew. Among those born of women, no one has risen greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. This means that before the revelation of the gospel, no one’s ministry surpasses that of John, for he does not merely proclaim the law like Moses and the other prophets, but also testifies that the gospel is soon to be revealed through Christ. Moreover, John is greater than all, even though he is the least, and thus the ministry of John will be greater than that of the apostles. And because John is a witness to the gospel, through him a sign was established, which later would be the pledge of the grace of the gospel that was to come. Then, according to Luke 3, John is said to have instituted baptism for the repentance and forgiveness of sins. And it is made very clear in John. I came to baptize with water so that He might be revealed in Israel. Paul said: John baptized the people with a baptism of repentance, telling them about the one who was to come after him, so that they would believe in him, that is, in Jesus. And Matthew. The third letter of John testifies that his baptism is a sign of the future baptism through the Holy Spirit, as he says: "I baptize you with water; but he who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."^✦ For he says that he is not the Christ, but a witness about the Christ. As John said. III, he said: I am not Christ. Thus, both baptisms signify the same thing, but with this distinction: that the baptism of John was a testimony to the grace that was still to be proclaimed, while the baptism of Christ is one that has already been given. I don't think the disciples of Christ baptized any differently. This is why John baptized, because Christ had not yet been glorified. And it was necessary for those who had been baptized by John to be baptized again, so that they could be sure they had truly received the forgiveness of sins, which they had believed would come to them until now. For in this, signs are used to confirm the conscience. Neither the baptism of John nor that of Christ justified anyone, as I speak of the signs, but they confirmed that John's baptism was still proclaiming grace, while Christ's baptism testified that grace had already been given and the promise of grace had been announced. In both cases, faith justified. But if someone is baptized in water, it is not enough unless they believe in the one who saves. Since Christ is the Savior, He baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And so, those who had been baptized by John were rebaptized, even though they were righteous, as if there were any righteous Jews anywhere who had not been baptized by John's baptism. For the baptism of Christ certifies the grace that has already been given. I don't see what the difference is between the righteous Jews before John and those who were baptized by John; both were expecting Christ, except that these knew the gospel and the forgiveness of sins more directly. It’s enough to touch on these points briefly, so that we don’t get sidetracked by a longer discussion away from the reading of Scripture, where this kind of questioning needs to be examined more thoroughly.