19 baptismal thesis

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of any university, college, or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment has been made within the body of the thesis. Notwithstanding individual, personal, church related, or other non-commercial use, no other reproduction of the entire thesis or portions thereof shall be permitted without written consent from the author. Daniel K. Cathy Zabrocki, Seward NE.

Dissertation on Baptism by Dr. Schroeder

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of any university, college, or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment has been made within the body of the thesis.

Notwithstanding individual, personal, church related, or other non-commercial use, no other reproduction of the entire thesis or portions thereof shall be permitted without written consent from the author.

Daniel K. Cathy Zabrocki, Seward NE. The topic of baptism in the Christian Church has been debated throughout history. Questions have arisen as to the definition of baptism, the proper method of baptism, who should be baptized, and what baptism actually means and accomplishes.

It is the intent of this essayist to examine various key Biblical doctrines that are related to baptism, the Biblical teachings directly regarding baptism itself, and various non-Biblical and extra-Biblical teachings held by various Christian bodies and individuals. The primary literary document used as a basis for this thesis is the Holy Bible itself. Theologians from a variety of backgrounds have also been consulted and appropriately cited. The doctrinal bias of the essayist is Confessional Lutheran, so the examination of non-Lutheran theologians and scholars has been of great value in understanding the different positions and hermeneutical principles that individuals have adopted over the years.

The conclusion of this research is that the practice of baptism in Christianity since the time of the Apostles has varied in non-essential areas; but in essence the position held to by the Lutheran theologians is consistent with the theology of Scripture and the practice as adopted by the early Christian Church. The ideas and practices introduced by later Christians and sects either contradict clear Biblical teachings, or require that something be added to which the Bible never even alludes.

It is the goal of this essayist that those who read this document will be edified by it, and strengthened in their faith. Baptism is a blessing, a gift given to the Church by Christ himself. Therefore a correct understanding is essential for the Christian to appreciate what a treasure they have at their disposal.

Cover Page. Title Page, Testimonial, and Copyright Information. Table of Contents. Biblical Foundation. Original Sin. Jesus Christ. How God Works. The Sacraments. Baptism and Baptize, Defined. The Blessings and Power of Baptism. The Baptism of Adult Converts. The Baptism of Infants and Children.

The Rejection of Infant Baptism. The Death of a Child and the Necessity of Baptism. Bibliography and Endnotes. Out of the many issues that separate Christians today, the topic of baptism is one that tends to divide and polarize people into two basic groups. On the other end, there are those who maintain that the amount of water or the method by which it is applied is of little consequence, and that such a baptism is inclusive for people of all ages.

Associated with these two groups are the teachings regarding the importance of baptism, and what baptism accomplishes for the recipient. The conclusions drawn as a result of examining the aforementioned two schools of thought should be adequate to address questions or concerns arising from this doctrine. We will, therefore, examine the particular Biblical directives regarding baptism, and draw conclusions accordingly.

Biblical directives will be examined according to sound hermeneutical principles, which include supporting exegetical and isagogical analysis. It must be understood at the outset that the doctrine of baptism directs us back into the pages of Holy Scripture; therefore, it alone must serve as the final authority regarding this topic. There are a number of basic Biblical teachings that are foundational to the understanding of the doctrine of baptism.

These foundational doctrines will not receive the comprehensive in-depth analysis they deserve if they were study topics in and of themselves. Some have even gone so far as to say that something in the Bible may be true, but may not necessarily be a fact. However, truth and fact are synonymous with each other, and cannot be considered oxymoronic. The Bible itself tells us how it is to be regarded.

In 2 Timothy Paul writes the following words to his young understudy Timothy:. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Bible is the very Word of God coming out of his mouth with his breath. Could such words contain anything less than truth and fact?

Regardless of what people may think of God, or how seriously they regard his written Word, truth always stands on its own.

In his second general Epistle, Peter writes in chapter 1 verses For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Considering this, we are obligated to interpret the words of Scripture exactly as they stand, using the standard and accepted meanings of the words. Furthermore, such a literal interpretation must always take into consideration the context in which something is written. If something is metaphorical or symbolic, the context will bear this out.

The final matter to be considered is the subject of adding to, or subtracting from what the Bible says. There are very serious warnings regarding this. At the very conclusion of the Bible in Revelation we read:. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Some might contend that this applies only to the book of Revelation; however other such warnings in the Bible would indicate that God is just as serious about the remainder of the Bible as he is about Revelation.

In the Old Testament, God gives the following instructions in Deuteronomy Finally, Jesus has some very stern words about those who mix the teachings of their own device with what God has decreed. He quotes the prophet Isaiah when he speaks to the Pharisees in Matthew You hypocrites! They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. Carrying this thought a bit further, Paul also quotes Isaiah in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 1 verses Where is the scholar?

Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. It is important to establish the proper Biblical foundation in order to rightfully examine a doctrine as fundamental as baptism.

Man listened to the voice of the serpent Satan , and followed him instead of God. As a result of this, man brought imperfection into the world God originally created as good. Once this happened, perfection was completely lost. Whatever attempt man tried to restore this on his own was, and forever will be, futile—something like trying to unscramble an egg. The unregenerate unsaved man is dead in his sins Romans Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel Mark f.

In Romans, chapter 3, the Apostle Paul deals with the universal and permeating nature of original sin. Verses read as follows:. Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. If we couple the Biblical references with even the most casual observation of the world around us, we cannot dispute the existence of original sin. Upon further study, however, we realize that these attributes are superficial when compared to the real reason.

Ephesians says:. Prominent nineteenth century Scottish Presbyterian theologian, George Smeaton gives the following commentary about the divine image:. His understanding had been furnished with a true and saving knowledge of his Creator and of spiritual things; his heart and will had been upright; all his affections had been pure; and the whole man holy: but, revolting from God by the temptation of the devil, the opposite of all that image of God became his doleful heritage; and his posterity derive corruption from their progenitor, not by imitation, but by the propagation of a vicious nature, which is incapable of any saving good.

It is prone to evil, and dead in sin. It is not denied that there still linger in man since the Fall some glimmerings of natural light, some knowledge of God and of the difference between good and evil, and some regard for virtue and good order in society.

But it is all too evident that, without the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, men are neither able nor willing to return to God, or to reform their natural corruption. Noted Lutheran theologian C. Walther also makes some good observations in a sermon based upon Ephesians It was a reflection of divine glory. Where is this blessed state now?

It has disappeared. Now our reason is by nature darkened, our will by nature turned away from God, our heart alienated from the life which is from God, our body full of unclean lusts and desires, our conscience full of unrest, doubt, fear, and mistrust of God, our life surrounded by misery and death. When describing original sin, the Bible leaves no room for excluding anybody. But does this include children, even little babies?

The aforementioned verses would definitely include them, even if they have no cognizant understanding of it. Eighteenth century theologian Christopher Ness writes the following commentary regarding the original sin of infants:.

They are said to sin as they were in the loins of Adam, just as Levi is said to pay tithes to Melchizedek, even in the loins of his forefather Abraham Hebrews ; otherwise infants would not die, for death is the wages of sin Romans ; and the reign of death is procured be the reign of sin, which hath reigned over all mankind except Christ.

for the writers of the nt the baptism in or gift of the Spirit was part of the event (or thrust of the thesis of Baptism seems to retain its validity ibid., 4. A Study of 1 Peter and Its Context Bo Reicke have been positive or negative, it is not possible thereby to obtain any intelligible illustration of the thesis that.

Skip to search form Skip to main content You are currently offline. Some features of the site may not work correctly. This thesis argues that Christian baptism is most profitably understood from the perspective of anthropological studies of ritual, A dialogue with its categories establishes that baptismal theology has often implicitly assumed social anthropology's findings on ritual in general. It also suggests that the primary ritual categories of myth, symbol and metaphor are foundational to baptism's theological development.