Catechism: The Power of Water

By Rev. David Petersen

Baptism is water. It was just plain water. It came right out of the tap or right out of the rain barrel or river, wherever ordinary water comes from. But the water used for Baptism is no longer just plain water. It is the water included in God’s command. It is the water combined with God’s Word. It is baptismal water.

Holy Water does not forgive sins, rescue from dea th and the devil, or give eternal salvation to all who believe the words and promises of God by itself. It does do all those things, just not by itself. For there is a Word of God in baptismal water. That Word of God in and with the water, along with the faith that trusts that Word of God in the water, forgives sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal life to all who are baptized and believe this. For without water there is no washing of rebirth and renewal. Without water there is no Baptism. Baptism is water and Word.

The Word of God in baptismal water is specific. It is not just any Word of God. It is this Word of God: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.” That Word of God has power to cast out the old man and raise up the new. It does what it says. Whoever believes and is thus baptized will be saved. For whoever believes and is thus baptized belongs to God in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God’s Name lays claim upon the soul of the baptized. It is like a child in school writing his name on a new folder, or a like new bride dropping her earthly father’s name for her husband’s, or like being adopted into a new family.

Baptism transfers ownership from the devil to God. The baptized belong to Him by grace. Baptism pours the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ in the Name of the Father onto the baptized. The baptized is anointed. He is marked. He is baptized not just with water. He is baptized not just with words. He is baptized with the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, that is, he is baptized with fire. The eyes alone cannot see these things. But faith sees, and faith believes. The baptized are heirs of eternal life. They are heirs of the Father's thr one by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God gives His Name to His children. That is part of what fathers do. They give their name to their children. So those who are baptized are now named “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Not only do they belong to God; He also belongs to them. He is their God and what is His is theirs. What child ever said to his friends, “Come over and play at my father’s house?” None. Children say, “Come and play at my house.”

Now certainly God’s Word has power apart from water. God is not limited to Baptism. The Ethiopian eunuch believed and confessed Jesus as the Christ before Baptism. It may also be that the penitent thief who was crucified with Jesus was not baptized before he died either. But even if he wasn’t, he went to paradise on Good Friday. But those are the exceptions.God’s Word has power in and of itself. It can make disciples all on its own, out of nothing, even as it once called light out of darkness and order out of chaos. But God has given us Baptism. He has laid His promise upon this Sacrament.This is where He is according to His grace and mercy. This is how disciples are made. There is where men are joined to the death and burial of Jesus Christ and raised up again to new life. Baptism is the normal course. It is what He has given us to do. That is why we baptize all nations, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it sins are forgiven and disciples are made and the angels in heaven rejoice.

Of course, water on its own does not do these great things. Water on its own merely keeps men alive. It quenches their thirst. It washes their wounds and keeps them free of infection and disease. But greater things than these, than life or cleanliness, does God give by water. For He does not give water alone. He gives water and Word. He gives Baptism, and Baptism saves.

Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne , Indiana, and is also on the Higher Things editorial board. His e-mail address is David.H.Petersen@att.net.

How can water do such great things?

Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a lifegiving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom H e poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying” (Titus 3:5–8). - Luther's Small Catechism