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In this episode, Brett, Jason, and Dr. Nathan Olson begin a four-part series on Article XIII of the Augsburg Confession and Apology, looking at the use of the Sacraments.
Jul
21
Jason,
As you said in this podcast “any time the Church gets to talk about the Sacraments is a good time”. I grew up in Independent Baptist Fundamentalism, which had a HUGE deemphasis on the Sacraments. I am sure you know that they wouldn’t even use that term since it is way too Catholic. 🙂
However, since leaving that branch of the Church I have grown to love the Sacraments and am always interested in knowing what other traditions within the Church teach about them. I have always been troubled by Lutherans when they discuss baptism. I have heard the Lutheran view on baptism described as “baptismal regeneration” and I admit to being bothered by the absolute terms Lutherans frequently use when talking about the effectiveness of baptism while at the same time denying “ex opere operato”.
However, it seems to me that this section of the Augsburg Confession totally undercuts any accusation of “baptismal regeneration”:
“They therefore condemn those who teach that the Sacraments justify by the outward act, and who do not teach that, in the use of the Sacraments, faith which believes that sins are forgiven, is required.”
Let me put it this way, it seems to me that a Lutheran who properly understands their theology would answer “no” to the question “is baptism sufficient for salvation?” Because you, like us Reformed, believe in the necessity of faith, which is a gift from God, for the Sacraments to be effective. In our Confession of Faith we actually state that “[t]he efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered;….” So, in our way of thinking, baptism’s effectiveness (solemn admission into the visible Church, ingrafting into Christ, regeneration, remission of sins, and giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life) can happen at any time before, during, or after its application to a person. Yes, it can happen at baptism but it can happen before or after.
I would think you would agree with us that the Word, along with the Sacraments, are means of grace denying, as you did in this episode, that grace is dispensed without any mediation or, what we call, “secondary causes”. However, I think you would also agree with us that the Word read or preached does not always produce faith. That would be an “ex opere operato” approach to the Word.
So, it seems that we are much closed on this issue than I thought. Am I correct in that understanding? If not, please let me know where it is I am incorrect. I really want to know where our differences lie.
Keep up the good work.
Your brother in Christ,
JT