Christian Baptism: Teachings of the Holy Apostles Concerning Baptism, Part 2

See, worthy brothers, in the course of time they have so subtly turned and changed the heavenly doctrine and lovely ordinance of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ into such unclean mockery, abuse and shameful practice. O Lord, Father of grace, may this fearful and abominable snare and imposture against our miserable souls at last be destroyed. Amen.

In the third place: as we have first shown you the faith and life of the parents, and second, the command, faith and life of the godfathers, we will now show you who those are whose office it is to baptize these infants and so to make Christian people out of them. And we will point you, faithful reader, to your own pastor, vicar, prebendary or chaplain, as you call them; indeed, to all the priests around you, so that you may closely scrutinize them according to the word of God and see whether there is one among them all, I say one, however many there may be, who is called by a blameless Christian church, who is moved by the Holy Spirit, and who is blameless in both doctrine and life. O brother, not one, no, not one, however far you may travel and however diligently you may search. Their calling is of the dragon and of the beast. Nothing drives them to this office except their lazy, greedy, avaricious, proud and gluttonous flesh. Their teaching, for the most part, is mere deceit; their worship is all idolatry, a spiritual enchantment of the bottomless pit and a cause of the shedding of innocent blood. Besides, their daily walk is so shameful, unclean, sodomitic, adulterous, lustful, greedy, avaricious, backbiting, envious, unmerciful, treacherous, ambitious, blind, ungodly, fearful and abominable that all reasonable men, the angels of God and the heavens must be astounded and ashamed at it.

Tell me, kind reader, is it not so? Have you ever found greater pride, greed, gluttony, adultery, fornication, spite, hypocrisy, mockery and shame than is found among them? I am aware that they are not all equally unchaste and shameful in their daily walk; yet there is not one among them, however fine he appears before the world, whose worship and life are not of the flesh, of the devil, contrary to God and his blessed word.

Worthy, beloved brothers, he who knows all things knows that I do not write this with hatred or with bad intentions. Therefore judge all things for yourselves according to the word of God and according to your rational, natural understanding, as you may perceive these things among them daily. You will without doubt acknowledge that I have uncovered and presented to you nothing but the truth, out of love for your salvation. Tell me, have I done wrong to uncover and present to you the wiles of a thief or murderer? Pluck this accursed and abominable blindness from your eyes, and look to the truth of your Lord; root all unbelief out of your darkened hearts and believe the word of God. See, the holy apostle Paul says, “Not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one, no, not to eat.” This is a proof that, although they call themselves brothers or Christians, they are not in the church of Christ, on account of their disreputable life. For the church of Christ is holy, pure and blameless. In another place he teaches that such people shall not inherit the kingdom of God, Romans 1, verse 32; First Corinthians 5, verse 11; Galatians 5, verse 22; Ephesians 5, verse 6.

Now if they are not in the church of Christ, and if they cannot inherit the kingdom of God, tell me, what divine or Christian things can then be served or practiced by them in the house of the Lord, that is, in the church of Christ? Although we should not keep company with such people nor eat with them, and although they do not have the promise of salvation, according to Paul, on account of their unbelief and their terrible, wicked, beastly life, the world is still so blinded by them and so estranged from God that it looks upon them, honors them and accepts them as true shepherds, teachers and pastors who have power from God to do anything they please, while they only make their claims under the false cover of Christianity and of the holy Christian church, as they call it. O blindness!

These are they, O men, who to this day are still allowed to mislead the whole world by their false doctrine, and to bless, exorcise and baptize infants uselessly, without the word or command of God, even though the most holy gospel of Jesus Christ opposes and rebukes such things.

As these spiritual fathers or teachers are, so also are the children who are begotten of them, that is, those whom they teach and baptize, as they plainly prove and confirm by their fruits.

See, brothers, by no other means than by these teachers and infant baptists mentioned above, the church of Christ has been turned into such a work of hypocrisy, shame, mockery, deceit, degeneration, knavery and prostitution. O misery of miseries!

Now you have had presented to you, first, the parents of whom the children are born, with their unbelief and carnal life; secondly, the papal godfathers, with their abuse, unbelief and evil fruits, who lift the children to the basin for baptism and answer for their confession; thirdly, the teachers or baptizers, with their sending, calling, doctrine, idolatry, unbelief and ungodly works, who baptize the infants and, as they call it, cleanse and wash them of their inherent sins. All these parties, namely, parents, godfathers and baptizers, feel in their own hearts neither knowledge, faith, truth, love, fear of God, gospel, Christian fruits, obedience, remission of sins, peace of mind, prayer, promise, God, Christ, Spirit nor eternal life, but are Christians in name only. These deliberately claim to make a Christian out of a child just taken from the mother’s womb, which can neither stand, walk, hear, speak nor comprehend; which for lack of understanding is like the irrational animals; which cannot distinguish between good and evil; without the word and without faith; by no other means than by signs of the cross, breathing, salt, oil, chrism, candles, clothing, useless questions and answers, blessings, exorcising, baptizing, offering and suchlike abominations. And when this noisy, idolatrous hypocrisy has been practiced upon the infants, then they are Christian people, as the nurses tell the mother after these things have been performed, saying, “We received a heathen from you, but we return and deliver a Christian to you again.”

The next thing in order is setting the table. Food and drink are prepared, the neighbors and friends partake of them, and the parents are well satisfied with their baptized infant. And from that hour it is trained in all manner of foolishness, unbelief, vanity, sin, shame, wickedness, idolatry and all manner of carnal and devilish works, in such a way that no knowledge, faith, fear and love of God, and no evangelical truth and life can ever take root in it. And should it happen that something Christian should spring up in it, then it will have to suffer much and bear the cross of Christ. I repeat it: because of this baptism it is from then on considered a Christian person, no matter how it acts. See, beloved brothers, they call this the holy church of today, and in this way one of these Christians begets another, until the world is full of them.

Honored reader, understand rightly what I have written to you; for I have treated this matter so extensively so that you may be convinced what a secret, hidden snare and what a terrible, fearful idol infant baptism is against God, and how very useless and idolatrous it is to teach that infants should be baptized so that they may the better be trained in the word and commandments of God. So human doctrine always puts on a fine and holy air, but in fact it is truly nothing but hypocrisy, falsehood and a deadly venom.

Those who do not rely on this antichristian infant baptism, but practice the true Christian baptism which was commanded by Christ Jesus and taught and practiced by his holy apostles, take care of the salvation of their children. Therefore they train them in the fear of God by teaching, admonishing and chastising them, and with the example of a blameless life, so that when they come to mature years they may hear, believe and accept the most holy gospel of Jesus Christ and receive the holy Christian baptism, as Jesus and his holy apostles have taught all the believing of God in various places of the New Testament.

In the third place, Paul also teaches us this, saying, “Do you not know that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life,” Romans 6, verses 3 and 4.

Here the baptism of the believing is again undeniably confirmed, and infant baptism is made void. For as Christ Jesus commanded that we should baptize the believing, Mark 16, verse 16, so it is also evident from these words of Paul that baptism represents and signifies something which no one can realize except those alone who are believing; namely, it represents death to sin, or a burying of the old life, and a resurrection into newness of life.

Since Paul says that this Christian baptism is such a death to sin and a raising up into a new life, they must confess and admit that no one can die to and bury his shameful lusts and desires, his disorderly, carnal, ungodly life, and that no one can rise up into a pious, blameless, godly life, except those alone who, as obedient children of God, are taught and regenerated by the word of the Lord; and this spiritual death, burial and resurrection are represented in holy baptism. In another place Paul calls it the spiritual circumcision, saying, “You are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; buried with him in baptism, in which you are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead,” Colossians 2, verses 11 and 12.

It clearly appears that the believing alone die to their sins and bury them, and with Christ enter into and are raised up into the new, godly life; and little children cannot do this, because they have no faith, by which God works in his children. Therefore it must be acknowledged and admitted, whether they are willing or not, that infant baptism is not commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ, nor taught or implied in the apostolic doctrine.

Kind reader, it is sometimes alleged that other apostles also left Scriptures behind them, which Scriptures Pope Gelasius has selected, and that perhaps infant baptism was expressed and implied in them.

Beloved reader, if our opponents build their cause upon the selected Scriptures of the apostles and have no certainty from them, but only presume that infant baptism may have been expressed in them, we would discreetly answer and ask, first: since they refer to apostolic Scriptures which we do not have, we would like to know from them what these apostles have taught and commanded concerning infant baptism.

Secondly, since they seek to establish their doctrine by uncertain Scriptures which they do not have, and that only on presumption, they show by this that they are not able to verify their doctrine at all by the apostolic Scriptures which we now have.

Thirdly, we say that we should not teach and practice the ceremonies of the Lord, namely the holy baptism, on presumption and chance, but on certainties.

Fourthly, we say that the apostles all wrote, taught and preached in one spirit. Since Christ Jesus has commanded baptism on the confession of faith, Mark 16, verse 16, and since Peter, Paul and Philip, according to the commandment of Christ, taught and practiced the baptism of the believing and not of infants, you may surely conclude from this that it was not taught and practiced differently by the other apostles whose Scriptures we do not have, even if they had written and published six hundred volumes. For if infant baptism were an apostolic institution, it would appear so in their Scriptures. Nor would Tertullian, who lived not long after the days of the apostles, have written that among his forebears adults were almost invariably baptized, as has been said above. And Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, would have baptized the infants of his church; and the ancients would not have disputed about it, since all who feared God would act according to the Scriptures and not depart from them; for what God-fearing person would dare to despise, oppose or in any way contradict an apostolic institution or practice?

Those who did not rightly confess Christ, but sought their righteousness and put their trust in outward ceremonies, got the upper hand in the world; and therefore it was not necessary for this infant baptism to be confirmed by any papal decree or council, since it gradually and of its own accord stole its way into all classes, nations and tongues and took full sway. For after the death of the apostles the whole church, through the ignorant teachings of the bishops, gradually degenerated from trust in Jesus Christ to trust in outward ceremonies, as may be plainly seen.

Again, brothers, however plainly this passage of Paul, Romans, chapter 6, applies to the believing, the learned of this barren world have turned it around and explained it as confirming and asserting infant baptism, saying that infants should be baptized so that they may become partakers of the death and holy blood of Christ Jesus, and so that when they come to mature age they may die to sin and walk righteously before God.

My beloved children in Christ Jesus, if it were permissible to bend, twist and distort in this way, by our own choice and carnal fancy, the plain truth and will of God and the most holy and glorious gospel of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, then truly I do not see why we could not so adorn and beautify almost any abomination or idolatry as to give it a good appearance in the sight of the ignorant. No, most beloved, no. The eternal, omnipotent and saving word of God must be taught, explained and understood according to the true meaning of the Holy Spirit. For they baptize before what is represented by it (namely, faith) is found in us. This is no more sensible than putting the cart before the horse, sowing before we have plowed, building before we have the lumber at hand, or sealing the letter before it is written. Would not all the world ridicule this as foolishness? Yes, certainly. Therefore the Holy Spirit of God did not imply infant baptism in this Scripture of Paul mentioned above. Yet infants are partakers of the death and blood of Christ by the precious promise which was graciously given by God through Christ Jesus our Lord, and not through baptism, Luke 18, verse 16. But this passage of Paul speaks and teaches of those who in their baptism, through their new birth from above and through their fruitful, working faith, have died to and buried their old, sinful life, as Christ Jesus once died in his flesh and was buried. For whoever has died with Christ in this way is already justified from his sins, and is thus victoriously raised up with Christ from the power of sin, to the praise of the Lord, in a new, just, godly and blameless life; which comes by no other means than through God’s word alone, which they accept and believe by faith, as has been cited above, and as it is written, “You are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; buried with him in baptism, in which you are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead,” Colossians 2, verses 11 and 12.

O beloved brothers, open the eyes of your hearts and understanding, and take heed; for he who will not willfully fight against his God or his holy word certainly cannot mistake these plain words of Paul. Yet Henry Bullenger and many others, on the strength of this epistle to the Colossians, have taught that baptism has taken the literal place of the Israelite circumcision; without good reason and without the Scriptures, yet not without a good deal of blasphemy and abuse. Why they have done so I do not know; perhaps because Paul has placed the spiritual circumcision and the baptism of the believing or upright Christians so close together and connected them so intimately. [Note 1]

O Lord, your divine, blessed word is constantly distorted into a shelter for all manner of false doctrine, heresy and wrongdoing, so that the Bible is called by some the book of heresy! Notwithstanding their opposition and subtle lying and philosophizing, the eternal truth of God shall prevail and triumph in the chosen children of God who sincerely desire and seek it.

I repeat that I am heartily ashamed to write or speak one single word against such highly renowned and learned men. But what are we to do? It will never do to be robbed by these learned men of God’s eternal truth, which leads to eternal life and which was so plainly taught us by Jesus Christ our Lord and by his holy apostles. For truly, I find nowhere that we should follow and obey such learned men rather than Christ and his holy apostles. If it is said that they are wise and pious, I say that Christ is the wisest and most pious; and if it is said that they are versed in many tongues and sciences, I reply briefly that the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ is not bound by tongues and science. Therefore the most holy and invincible truth of God must be defended and maintained by us, not only against them but against all the gates of hell, by the most holy word of God, so far as God has bestowed grace, mercy and knowledge on us.

For this reason I will refer all my readers to Colossians 2, verse 12, and would humbly beseech them to judge impartially whether we find in this or any other divine Scripture that the circumcision of the Israelites was the prototype of infant baptism. It cannot be disputed that Paul, in this passage and also in Romans 2, verse 29, taught that literal circumcision was a figure of the spiritual circumcision and not of infant baptism; a circumcision which cannot be applied to any but the believing, as may be plainly inferred from the figurative, literal practice. For the literal circumcision was to be performed on the foreskin with *stone knives, Joshua 5, verses 2 and 3; Genesis 17, verse 23. This spiritual Rock is Jesus Christ, First Corinthians 10, verse 4; the knife with which the believing are circumcised is his holy word. Brothers, understand it well. If we wish to remain with believing, circumcised Abraham in the covenant with God (into which covenant we are all graciously accepted, young and old, male and female, through Christ Jesus and not through any sign), then our earthly, carnal birth, which is of the earthly, carnal Adam, must be circumcised with this same stone knife, which is Christ Jesus and his holy word. Therefore examine the words of Paul to the Colossians mentioned above, and judge whether they are spoken of the believing or of unconscious infants. Tell me, who is it that is circumcised by the circumcision of Christ? Is it not the believing? Who is it that has put off the body of sin by the circumcision of Christ? Is it not the believing? Who is it that is buried with Christ in baptism? Is it not the believing? Who is it that is raised up into a new life by the faith of the operation of God? Is it not the believing? Indeed, they are those who hear the word of God and believe it, and not the little infants. Never. [*]

Kind reader, since the infant baptizers seek to prove their cause by the circumcision of Abraham and by his promise, observe and ponder how unreasonably they make this assertion; and observe and ponder also what will be briefly taught and presented by us from scriptural truth.

In the first place, as we said before, we are all accepted into the covenant with God not by any signs but by grace, and have obtained the promise by it, if we accept it by faith and walk according to the will of the Giver; just as Abraham was accepted by God by grace from among the nations and was made glad with the promise of grace; for he accepted it by faith and walked according to the will of him who had accepted him, as the Scriptures say, “He believed in the Lord, and it was counted to him for righteousness,” Genesis 15, verse 6; Romans 4, verse 3; Galatians 3, verse 6; James 2, verse 23.

To all those who are thus graciously accepted by God, by faith, into the covenant of peace with Abraham, God has given his ceremonies and figurative signs; not that they should be justified by them (for if it were by the signs, it would not be grace, Romans 11, verse 6), but that, being justified by faith, being children of God, children of the promise and so on, they should show their obedience to the commandments of God, who has graciously called, accepted and comforted them by his promise. For those who are obedient to God are his friends, John, chapter 15.

See, brothers, this is one reason why God commanded his ceremonies, as is plainly shown in the case of Abraham. For Abraham was already in the covenant with God before he was circumcised, as Paul shows that his faith was already counted for righteousness while he was still uncircumcised; and because he was in the covenant with God, justified by faith, God commanded him circumcision, a ceremony in itself useless and dishonorable. First, it was in itself quite useless, because it did not benefit any neighbor. Secondly, it was dishonorable, for it is performed upon the most dishonorable member of the body. And it was commanded him so that the believing father Abraham should deny himself and not live according to his own desires, but according to the will of him alone who by grace had accepted him and chosen him from among the nations; and so by this act, which was dishonorable in itself, he sealed that his faith was true and fruitful before God. Why these ceremonies were commanded again will be shown hereafter, if God pleases.

See, kind reader, in this way Abraham was circumcised, and so we are baptized, because it is so commanded by God. Whoever disobeys and opposes the voice of the Lord commanding these ceremonies, and despises performing them because of their uselessness and triviality, not observing that they were commanded by God, excludes himself from the precious covenant of grace by his disobedience. Nor does he prove his faith to be fruitful and living; on the contrary, he proves that it is unfruitful and dead before God. For he does not hear the voice of his Lord or live in accordance with it, but despises it as powerless, vain and useless. Therefore observe and know that we are not accepted into the covenant by an outward sign, but only by grace through Christ Jesus. And because we are in the covenant by grace, he has given and commanded us his signs, so that we shall perform them upon those on whom he has commanded them to be performed, namely, upon the faithful. For if it were possible for us to come into the covenant with God by any signs or ceremonies, then the merits of Christ would be vain and grace would be at an end. No, brothers, no. Abraham was already chosen, accepted and justified by God through faith before he was circumcised; and because he was faithful and justified through faith, circumcision was commanded him by God, so that by it he should seal his faith. Again, Abraham and all his seed born of Isaac, together with others, women as well as men, were already included in the covenant with God, and the promise was given to both sexes; yet it was not commanded that the females should be circumcised, but the males.

Observe well, beloved reader: had they obtained the covenant with God by the sign and not by grace, then the females would have had to be excluded and without the promise. Not so; it was by grace, it is by grace, and it always will be by grace. If they had been disobedient to the word of God and had not circumcised their males on the appointed day, or if they had acted differently from the commandment of God and circumcised their females, then they would have had to bear the punishment of their disobedience in their children, Genesis 17, verse 14, would have excluded them from the covenant with the Lord, and would not have obtained the gift of his grace. For God, the almighty Father, whose voice, will and commandment all creatures in heaven and on earth should obey, wills to have the ceremonies he has commanded performed as it pleases him and as he has commanded them to be performed; for that is why he commanded them. If we do not perform them, or perform them differently, then by our disobedience we have neither covenant nor promise. This is the right, scriptural meaning of Abraham’s covenant, circumcision and promise. Whoever teaches you differently deceives your soul; for he points you to merits and works, and not to Christ Jesus, through whom alone the eternal covenant of peace and the promise of grace given by God are received.

O brothers, brothers, how long will you resist the Holy Spirit! Give the word of God its due praise, and observe that little infants are not buried with Christ in baptism, nor raised into newness of life. For if they did die and were buried in baptism, then sin would be so destroyed in them that it would never again overcome their spirit. Since sin, after their baptism, flourishes so powerfully and so abundantly in them as they begin to come to understanding, as may be plainly seen, the infant baptizers must acknowledge and confess either that they bury the children alive, which should not be, or else that they baptize them all without faith and contrary to the ordinance of Christ, and therefore uselessly and in vain.

For this reason, learn once and for all, beloved reader, that infant baptism is neither of God nor through him. But whoever rightly acknowledges the love of God for himself through Christ Jesus, and is baptized upon his own faith through true love of God, according to the doctrine of Christ, Peter, Paul and Philip, is rightly circumcised in his heart with the circumcision of Christ, as Paul teaches; he is buried with Christ Jesus; he has died to sin, and is raised up again by a fruitful faith with Jesus Christ in a new life, Romans 6, verse 4; Colossians 2, verse 12.

In opposition to this, the infant baptizers have yet another point, saying, “Because Paul has not forbidden infant baptism in this passage, it is right.” To this we reply by asking whether infant baptism is commanded in this or any other Scripture. They must own the truth and answer, No. If it is not commanded by God, then it is not his ordinance, and therefore it has no promise. Again, if it is not commanded by God, then it is not his ordinance; if it is not his ordinance, then it has no promise; and if it has no promise, it is undoubtedly useless and vain.

Again, we ask them where in the word of God it is expressly forbidden to baptize bells. They must own the truth and answer, Nowhere. If, then, it is not expressly forbidden to baptize bells, is bell baptism therefore just and right? Not at all.

Thirdly, Israel was not forbidden to circumcise the females. Now, would it have been right if they had circumcised their females? Far from it. For the Scriptures commanded that the males should be circumcised; therefore they considered that it was forbidden to circumcise their females.

In the same way, Christ Jesus commands us to baptize the believing, and what is represented by baptism is found only in the believing, as may be plainly seen from Peter and Paul; therefore we conclude that infant baptism is sufficiently forbidden; for infants have no faith and do not understand what baptism represents, which comes by faith.

I repeat it: if the infant baptists assert that infant baptism is not forbidden by this Scripture of Paul, and that therefore it is right, then it is also not expressly forbidden in the holy Scriptures to bless (as they call it) holy water, candles, palms, goblets and robes, to hold mass, and other ceremonies; yet we say pointedly that it is wrong. First, because trust is put in it. Secondly, because it is done without the ordinance of God, for he has not commanded us a word of it; and there is no ordinance in which his holy, blessed word is not expressed and implied, either in spirit or in letter. [Note 2]

Christ Jesus has commanded baptism upon the confession of faith, Mark 16, verse 16; the apostles taught and practiced it so; and the meaning of baptism, Romans 6, verse 3; Colossians 2, verse 12; Titus 3, verse 5; Galatians 3, verse 27; First Corinthians 12, verse 13; First Peter 3, verse 21, cannot apply to any but the believing. Therefore it is sufficiently forbidden by this divine ordinance to baptize infants; for there is no faith in them, nor do they understand its meaning. This holds even though infant baptism began soon after the time of the apostles, or perhaps even in their time, and has been practiced in this way for many centuries; for length of time cannot prevail against the word of God, as we have sufficiently shown the pious, God-fearing reader above.

Fourthly, the holy apostle Paul says this: “The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3, verses 4 and 5.

Most beloved brothers, if we rightly and thoroughly examine this passage of Paul with spiritual eyes and weigh it with the Scriptures, then the infant baptizers, by force of the Scriptures, must acknowledge that the Christian baptism which is commanded by God pertains only to the believing, according to the commandment of Christ, Mark 16, verse 16, and not to those who by nature are unable to hear, speak and understand, namely, infants; for it is a washing of regeneration, as holy Paul has taught and testified in the words above.

My worthy, kind brothers, because the holy Christian baptism is a washing of regeneration, according to the doctrine of Paul, no one can be washed with it, to the pleasure and will of God, except those alone who are regenerated through the word of God. For we are not regenerated because of baptism, as may be seen in the infants who have been baptized; but we are baptized because we are regenerated by faith in God’s word; for regeneration is not the result of baptism, but baptism the result of regeneration. No man can well dispute this by force of the Scriptures. Therefore all should be shamed by this passage of Paul, however learned they may be: the learned, who so shamefully teach the unsuspecting populace and make them believe that infants are regenerated by baptism. Beloved reader, such teaching and belief is truly nothing but fraud and deceit. For if the infants were regenerated, as the learned say, then their whole course would be humility, long-suffering, mercy, pure and chaste love, true faith, certain knowledge, sure hope, obedience to God, spiritual joy, inward peace and a blameless life; for these are the true and natural fruits of the new, heavenly birth. But what fruits are found in infants every intelligent reader may judge from everyday experience.

Do you think, most beloved, that the new birth consists in nothing but what the miserable world has thought until now that it consists in, namely, baptism, or the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”? No, worthy brother, no. The new birth truly does not consist in water or in words; but it is the heavenly, living and quickening power of God in our hearts, which comes from God, and which, by the preaching of the divine word, if we accept it by faith, quickens, renews, pierces and converts our hearts, so that we are changed and converted from unbelief to faith, from unrighteousness to righteousness, from evil to good, from carnality to spirituality, from the earthly to the heavenly, from the wicked nature of Adam to the good nature of Jesus Christ. And it is of such that Paul spoke in the Scripture cited.

See, those who are of such a nature are the truly regenerated children of God; those are the beloved brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, who are born with him from above of one Father, namely, of God, John 1, verse 13; Hebrews 2, verse 13. And these regenerated ones are those alone to whom he has taught and commanded the holy Christian baptism as a seal of faith, Matthew 28, verse 19; Mark 16, verse 15, by which they receive remission of sin, Acts 2, verse 38; and not the unconscious infants, as has frequently been shown above from the word of God. Therefore the holy apostle Paul teaches us by this Scripture that God sanctifies the regenerated by the baptism of regeneration; because they are regenerated by the word of God, they deny themselves by the power of their regeneration and have obediently taken upon themselves all that God, the almighty Father, has taught and commanded his chosen children in his holy word through his beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and through all his true servants and messengers. Therefore I repeat that the baptism by which God sanctifies us belongs to the believing or regenerated, as Paul teaches; and in this order: first, there must be the preaching of the gospel of Christ, Matthew 28, verse 19; secondly, the hearing of the divine word, Romans 10, verse 17; thirdly, faith, by hearing the word, Romans 10, verse 17; fourthly, there must be the new birth, by faith; fifthly, baptism, by the new birth, Titus 3, verse 5, in obedience to God’s word; and lastly, the promise follows.

If we do not want to oppose the Holy Spirit willfully and reject the grace of God, it is impossible to believe that a true faith can be without regeneration and obedience, and that this obedience can be without the promise. For the eternal Truth, the blessed Jesus Christ, will never fail or deceive us in his holy word; and it is he who taught this: first, to preach the holy gospel, saying, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”; from this follows faith, saying, “And whoever shall believe”; from faith follows baptism, saying, “And be baptized”; and from these follows the promise, saying, “Shall be saved,” Mark, chapter 16.