Baptism: Word, Water, Spirit, and Faith by Pastor Walter Snyder Religion Columnist Q: In the religion section of the ~Concordian~ (12 Nov 2003) you said, "This Holy Ghost is God's active breath, blowing where He wishes, creating faith through water and the Word." I know the Holy Spirit has provided the Word to create faith (Ro 10:17) but how does water create faith? A: I mentioned Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. The original text may be translated "born from above" rather than "born again" (vv. 3, 7), which could be part of the Pharisee's confusion. Nicodemus was looking only at the action while Jesus was also speaking of the agent. Nicodemus heard that he needed to do something that was impossible; Jesus told him that God uses water and Word to accomplish the impossible. Jesus doesn't separate divine and earthly elements. He says in verse 5,"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of ~water and the Spirit~, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Since faith in Christ is the ~only~ way that we enter the kingdom, then this birth by water and Word must be directly connected to faith. Birth is not something we do. It is done to us. Conception and birth are completely outside our own control. So it is with our "birth from above," or "rebirth." Whichever way you translate, it comes back to God, not us, doing the work. And what a wonderful work it is! In the 1500s, Martin Luther posed the same question in the ~Small Catechism~. First he asked, "What is Baptism?" He answered, "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's Word." He then quoted Jesus in Matthew 28:19, showing that Baptism ~makes~ disciples and placing it before teaching as a means of creating and nurturing faith: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Luther noted the benefits of Baptism: "It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this," citing Mark 16:16 as one reference. He then asked, "How can water do such great things?" Answering, he replied, "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 ~*life-giving water*~, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three. (vv. 5-8)" Baptism without God's gracious Word is only a bath. With the Word, it works the miracle of conversion, applying God's redemption to each of the baptized. Why be surprised that God attached divine promises to an earthly, material substance? In Eden, His Word was bound to the Tree of Knowledge. Eating its fruit could work unbelief and death in Adam and Eve ~*because God said so*~. Similarly, Baptism works belief and life ~*because God says so*~. Adam couldn't divide the threat, separating the tree and God's Word. Similarly, we cannot divide Baptism by divorcing the water from the Word. To put it simply, Baptism is washing with water in the name of the Triune God. To disbelieve the power of the water is to disbelieve the power of God's Word. For it is this Word which both testifies to the power of Baptism and which actually causes the water to "do such great things." If the Word says that bread is Christ's body and wine His blood, you either believe the Word or you don't. If the Word says that water is the means by which sins are forgiven and life created, and if these things only happen through faith, then faith comes through Baptism. Thus, faith comes through God's Word *and* water, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Either God says what He means and means what He says or He doesn't. We cannot have "water *or* the Word" or "water *or* the Spirit" when God says "water *and* the Word" and "water *and* the Spirit." Baptism makes us participants in Christ's death and resurrection. We are not physically crucified, entombed, and then raised from the dead. However, Paul tells us, "We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)" Baptism applies Good Friday and Easter to each of us, giving us the benefits earned on the cross and eternal life to enjoy them. Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe." Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from ~The Holy Bible, English Standard Version~, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Catechism quoted from Luther's Small Catechism, © 1986 by Concordia Publishing House. Ask the Pastor, © 2003 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this disclaimer, by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution. Translations into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate international copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.