Martin Luther Q&A: On Baptism

As a Baptist who has written on Martin Luther, I have often encountered the following question. 

Q: Is there a conflict between Martin Luther's firm adherence to justification by faith alone and his teaching on baptism?

Acknowledging the difference between Luther and Baptists on baptism, I would argue that there IS a conflict between Luther's teaching on baptism and his firm adherence to justification by faith alone, and we should reject his teaching on baptism, while heartily embracing his teaching on justification by faith alone.

A: In The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520),  Luther wrote of baptism:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to the riches of His mercy has preserved in His Church this sacrament at least, untouched and untainted by the ordinances of men, and has made it free to all nations and every estate of mankind, nor suffered it to be oppressed by the filthy and godless monsters of greed and superstition.

With this, Luther accepts the validity of infant baptism as taught and practiced by the Roman church. In support of infant baptism, Luther cites Mark 16:16–"He that believes and is baptized will be saved"–from the disputed longer ending of Mark's Gospel. Luther stresses that we must "consider this promise [from Mark 16:16], exercise our faith in it and never doubt that we are saved when we are baptized." In his assertions, Luther seems to lack awareness that:

1. The Mark 16:16 text seems to locate belief as either prior to or at least simultaneous with baptism, not as something that comes later.

2. There is no reason to think that "belief" should be defined differently for the one being baptized than for anyone else; therefore, belief is a personal matter and "the faith of others, namely, the faith of those who bring them to baptism" is NOT what counts for justification. (Strangely, Luther later writes of religious vows, "it is simply foolish and stupid for parents to dedicate their children, before birth or in early infancy, to 'the religious life,' or to perpetual chastity; no, it is certain that this can by no means be termed a vow. It seems a mockery of God to vow things which it is not at all in one's power to keep." Luther is correct about these vows, but notice: if parents cannot "dedicate their children, before birth or in early infancy, to 'the religious life'" this is an excellent argument against the idea that parents could exercise faith on behalf of their children.)

3. Luther's assertions, when discussing baptism, shift from defining "belief" as "faith in Christ alone for salvation" to "faith in one's own baptism."

Even as he writes about baptism in ways that–I would argue–are profoundly unhelpful, Luther still knows and loves the gospel, so even as he writes about infant baptism in a way that makes it seem like baptism itself brings about justification, in the section from The Babylonian Captivity on baptism, he also writes, "Even so it is not baptism that justifies or benefits anyone, but it is faith in the word of promise, to which baptism is added. This faith justifies, and fulfills that which baptism signifies...It cannot be true, therefore, that there is in the sacraments a power efficacious for justification, or that they are effective signs of grace. All such assertions tend to destroy faith, and arise from ignorance of the divine promise."

While Luther thought infant baptism was a highly important doctrine, it is not as if he thought the timing and mode of baptism are the core of the gospel. In my book, The Life, Teaching, and Legacy of Martin Luther, I focus on those doctrines that Luther himself identified as most central to his teaching: the bondage of the will to sin, the theology of the Cross, and justification by faith alone. You can buy the book at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Teaching-Legacy-Martin-Luther/dp/1490819967 .