# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 08 06_S193
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.
"God's Word and Luther's doctrine shall pass away now and nevermore."
Published by the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Volume 6.  St. Louis, Mo., August 6, 1850.  No. 25.
Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for subscribers out of town, who are to pay it in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 Cents. Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be addressed to the Editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent here under the address: Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

Dr. Martin Luther's Letter to Two Pastors, concerning Rebaptism.
Anno 1528.

(Continuation.)

31. Thirdly, it is said (which I have also read) that they ground themselves upon this saying: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," Mark 16:16. From this they would conclude that no one should be baptized unless he first believe. Here I say that they undertake a very great presumption. For if they will follow such an opinion, they must not baptize until they know for certain that the person to be baptized believes. How and when will they ever know that? Have they now become gods, that they can look into men's hearts, whether they believe or not? If they do not know whether they believe, why then do they baptize, since they contend so hard that faith must come before baptism? Do they not act finely against themselves here, in that they baptize when they do not know whether faith be there or not? For he who grounds baptism upon faith, and baptizes at a venture, and is not certain whether faith be there, does nothing better than he who baptizes without faith: for unbelief and uncertain faith are all one, and both are alike against this saying: "He that believeth"; which speaks of the certain faith that the person to be baptized is to have.

32. Yea, you say, he confesses that he believes, etc. Dear friend, let him confess this way and that; the text does not say: He that confesses, but: "he that believeth." His confession you have indeed; yet you do not know his faith, and with this you cannot, according to your own understanding, do justice to this saying, unless you also know his faith, since "all men are liars," Ps. 116:11, and "God alone knoweth the hearts," 1 Kings 8:39. Therefore he who would ground baptism upon the faith of those to be baptized must nevermore baptize any man: for though you baptized a man a hundred times in one day, yet you would not know even once whether he believes. What are you about, then, with your rebaptizing, since you act against yourself, and baptize when you know no faith for certain; and yet teach that faith must be there for certain? Thus this saying ("he that believeth") stands very strongly against their rebaptism, since the saying speaks of certain faith, and they ground their rebaptism upon uncertain faith, and do not one letter according to the saying.

33. Just so do I speak also of the person to be baptized, where he grounds baptism upon his faith or receives it so: for he too is not certain of his faith. For suppose that a man today lets himself be rebaptized, as one who imagines, and lets himself be assailed with the thought, that he did not believe in his childhood: well then, if tomorrow the devil comes, assails his heart, and says: Ah, now for the first time I feel true faith; yesterday I truly did not believe aright! Up then, I must let myself be baptized yet a third time; and so the second baptism too must come to nothing. Do you think the devil cannot do such a thing? Yea, learn to know him better; he can do much more, dear friend.

34. Further, if he should thus assail the third baptism also; then likewise the fourth, and so on without any ceasing (as he indeed has in mind to do), even as he did to me and to many with confession, when we also could never confess enough of one and the same sin, and sought one absolution after another, one father-confessor after another, without any rest or ceasing, because we would ground ourselves upon our confessing, just as the baptized now ground themselves upon their faith; what would come of it? An everlasting baptizing, and no end of it.

35. Therefore it is nothing. Neither baptizer nor baptized can ground baptism upon faith with certainty: and so this saying is much stronger against them than against us. And these are they who will not believe men, who are witnesses of their baptism; and here they believe themselves, as men, that they are baptized: just as if they were not men, or as if they were more certain of their faith than the testimony of Christendom is.

36. Therefore I conclude against them: If they would do justice to this saying ("he that believeth"), according to their understanding, then they must condemn rebaptism much more than the first baptism. And neither baptizer nor baptized can stand with his opinion; for both alike are uncertain of faith, or at the very least stand in danger and temptation. For it comes, yea, goes thus with faith, that often he who thinks he believes believes nothing at all: and on the other hand, he who thinks he believes nothing, but despairs, believes most of all. So this saying ("he that believeth") does not compel us to know who believes or not, but leaves it to every man's conscience: if he would be saved, he must believe, and not feign, as though he had enough in baptism to be a Christian. For it does not say: he that knows that he believes, or if you know that another believes; but, "he that believeth." Who hath it, hath it. Believe one must; but we are neither to know it nor can we know it for certain.

37. Now since such baptism of ours has been in use and observed from the beginning of Christendom, that children are baptized, and no one can prove with good sure ground that no faith was there, therefore one ought not to change this and build upon so uncertain a ground. For what one would change or overthrow, which has been in use from of old, that one ought and must steadfastly prove to be against GOD's Word. Otherwise, "he that is not against us is for us" (says Christ, Mark 6:38, Luke 9:49). Even as we also have cast out cloisters and masses and the chastity of the clergy;