Liturgical Nerd Notes-
Why Lutherans Do Not Believe in Double Dipping: Part One
This article is an adaption from one of Pastor Reed’s weekly reflections. Go to the pastor’s page on our website to see more. Pastor Reed usually posts new reflections on Tuesdays
Some of you may know this Seinfeld reference. A man finds George dipping a chip more than once. He yells at George, “You don’t double dip the chip! You dip it once…and then end it!”
This line of thought is the same one Lutherans and other denominations have when it comes to baptism. If you have been baptized you are good to go. No matter what denomination, person, or place your baptism occurred in, there is no need to double dip the chip. Some forms of Christianity believe you need to undergo a rebaptism since the first was done during infancy. This rambling is part one of this topic.There could be many more written (but that would involve me remember to do so!). So will there be a part two? Maybe. For now, here is part one of explaining why we do not believe in rebaptism.
This is based off an emphasis on Holy Baptism being a gift of God and powered by God instead of seeing Holy Baptism as an act of commitment to God. Because we believe that God is present and main actor in Holy Baptism Lutherans baptize people usually when they are babies. This is commonly called “infant baptism”. The opposite thought waits until the child can truly claim faith and commitment to God before receiving Holy Baptism..This is called “believer’s baptism”.
Lutherans would rather put their faith in the Word of God (this is the Word that created the whole world and that became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ), than put faith in our own ability to believe and trust in God. This means we would rather put our trust in the power of God and the power of Christ than in our own ability to believe strongly.
Martin Luther writes, “Assume that the first baptism is without faith. Tell me which is the greater and the more important in the second baptism, the Word of God or faith? Is it not true that the Word of God is greater and more important than faith, since faith builds and is founded on the Word of God rather than God’s Word on faith? Furthermore faith may waver and change, but God’s Word remains forever [Isa. 40:6-9, 1 Pet. 1:24].”1
Faith in God is an up and down roller coaster. I do not know about you, but I find myself sometimes doubting and sometimes truly believing. Depending on what life throws my way my faith can waver. That is why when it comes to baptism I do not question whether the person being baptized could actually believe or did believe in that moment. I do not question whether a baby can truly accept the gift of grace from God through Holy Baptism. Instead I focus on the unassailable Word of God rather than a inconsistent faith.
Food for thought from Luther, “…if the first, or child, baptism were not right, it would follow that for more than a thousand years there was no baptism or any Christendom, which is impossible. For in that case the article of the creed, I believe in one holy catholic church, would be false.” 2
Please know that God’s power is greater than our own. Jesus’ love is greater than our faults. This is perfectly witnessed to and experienced when God empowers the water in the font to wash away the sins and welcome someone into the communion of Saints.
1 Martin Luther, “Concerning Baptism: A Letter to Two Pastors”. Luther’s Works Vol. 40.
2 ibid.
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