Many ask, “Should I be baptized?” And the answer is, “Yes.” But then the real questions start: What is Baptism? What does it do? Who is it for? And is it just a symbol, or does God actually do something there? A lot of Christians agree that Baptism matters. But Christians disagree on what Baptism is. Some treat it like your public testimony. Others treat it like a sacred sign that points to something else. Confessional Lutherans treat Baptism the way the Scriptures speak about it: as God’s act, God’s promise, and God’s gift.

 

That’s why we do not talk about Baptism mainly as what you do for God, but as what God does for you. Jesus does not say, “Make a symbol of your faith.” He says, “Make disciples… baptizing them…” (Matthew 28:19). Peter does not say, “Baptism shows you are forgiven.” He says, “Baptism… now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). And on Pentecost he does not treat it as optional decoration for Christians who already have everything. He says, “Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Scripture keeps tying Baptism to forgiveness, salvation, and new life because Baptism delivers what God promises.

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“But it’s just water,” people say. Exactly. It is water. And it is never water alone. God joins His Word to the water, and when God speaks, things happen. The same Word that said “Let there be light” (and there was) is the Word attached to Baptism. So we confess with Scripture that Baptism is a washing of rebirth and renewal (Titus 3:5), a washing away of sins (Acts 22:16), and a burial and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6:3–4). Baptism is not magic, and it is not human performance. It is God acting through His means to give what He promises: Christ.

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This also explains why we baptize infants. Many assume infants cannot be baptized because they cannot “decide” or “understand.” But that assumption smuggles in a different definition of faith. Scripture does not define faith as intellectual maturity. Scripture defines faith as trust created by God’s Word. Jesus welcomes little children and says the kingdom belongs to them (Mark 10:14). The Psalms speak of trust even at the breast (Psalm 22:9). And in Acts, whole households are baptized (Acts 16). The question is not, “Can the child explain it?” The question is, “Can God give what He promises?” He can. And He does.

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Now, some will push back: “If Baptism saves, then you’re saying we are saved by a ritual.” No. We are saying we are saved by Christ alone, and Christ gives His salvation through His Word and Sacraments. Baptism does not compete with faith. Baptism creates and strengthens faith because it delivers Christ’s promise personally to you. Another skeptic will say, “Then Baptism guarantees salvation no matter what.” Also no. Scripture warns against despising God’s gifts and falling away. Baptism is not a license to treat sin lightly. It is God’s claim on you, and it calls you into daily repentance and faith.

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So here’s the simplest way to say it: Baptism is God putting His Name on you. It is God saying, “You are Mine.” It is God handing you Christ, with forgiveness, life, and salvation, not as an idea floating in the air, but as a concrete promise delivered to a real sinner in the real world. If you want to talk about Baptism, if you wonder whether you should be baptized, or if you were baptized and do not know what it means, we want to talk with you. Not because we love hoops and red tape, but because we love clarity. God does not stutter. And His gifts are too good to leave vague.