EC2: "Gerhard on Baptism" — faith in Baptism

      This continues from Part EC1a (Table of Contents in Part EC1), a series restoring availability of English translations of several of Walther's convention essays that have seemingly been abandoned by Concordia Publishing House. — I was unable to obtain the original German 1857 Synod convention essay by Walther because it was missing from the Ft. Wayne library. Also, strangely, it was missing from the scan by the LC–MS (see here, missing Appendix E). However I discovered that Walther's essay was "followed by a further oral discussion of this topic". This "discussion" was included in the LC–MS scan, p. 355-356, and so one may glean the substance of the matter.

      Walther's essay references his article in Der Lutheraner vol. 11 p. 76 ff. and 84 ff., and the quote from Gerhard on Baptism. One may read the full Gerhard quote there on pp. 76-77. Walther’s teaching on the matter of faith in the Sacrament of Baptism would be largely covered in the full 2-part Der Lutheraner article. Although this essay is not publicly available except in the 1992 CPH copyrighted translation, yet it may be revealed that this all sprang from a Baltimore congregation’s disagreement with John Gerhard on Baptism. The above statement by Gerhard on Baptism seems to be contradicted by: 

    1. The following statements of the Confessions: “AC XIII § 1-2 . The Use of the Sacrament:

"the Sacraments were … instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them"

    2. The following and similar statements of Luther:

“For the sacraments should not and cannot be received without faith, or are received to greater harm.” (StL 19, 1333)

What follows is a translation of the "oral discussion":

Concerns regarding several statements by Joh. Gerhard reported in Der Lutheraner regarding the effect of Holy Baptism, etc.

(See: 1. Report of the Eastern District Synod, p. 21; and 2. Report of the same, p. 28.)

The paper prepared and read by Professor Walther on this topic (cf. attachment E. in the Appendix [unavailable due to LCMS failure to scan the whole 1857 report and all its attachments and was cut off at page 395]) was followed by a further oral discussion of this topic, and first of all of the first point, concerning the effect of Baptism. The Synod endorsed the analysis presented in the paper and passed a resolution to the effect that the petitioners in Pastor Keyl's parish [in Baltimore] would be informed that the general Synod concurred with the Eastern District Synod's declaration that there is no real contradiction between the teachings of John Gerhard and the teaching of Luther and the symbolic books: Baptism (in which water is held in God's commandment and connected with God's Word and promise) works faith; and the Word (whether before or in baptism) works faith. Baptism, like the Word, demands and works faith at the same time.

On this occasion, the question was raised: how the godparents could answer “yes” in the name of the child to the question, “Do you believe?” since the child had not yet been baptized, unless the word had already worked faith in the child.

The reply was: the godparents, like the child's parents, together with the preacher, proceeded to the baptism of the child in the confident belief that God would grant it faith, which they also implored Him for in faith. They were certain that God, who demands faith, also gives it. God is not bound to the act of pouring water over someone; He can also give the person being baptized faith beforehand.

The Synod also agreed to the discussion and response to the second point in the presentation, namely that, according to the judgment of the Eastern District Synod, there is no real contradiction when John Gerhard says that Paul was converted without a sermon; Luther, on the other hand, says that Paul was converted by Christ's word as a preaching of the Law and the Gospel; and decided that this too, along with the above, should be reported to the applicants.

Incidentally, the Synod also had to criticize the fact that the petitioners had immediately gone public with their concerns about the orthodoxy of a teacher of our church [Gerhard] who is generally recognized as orthodox, instead of first informing the editor of the Lutheraner, who had prompted them by publishing the article in question [in the missing attachment in the Appendix], and asking him for the desired information and instruction, what the Synod would like to recommend to them for similar cases in the future.

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Walther answers the problem of a seeming difference between Gerhard and Luther: The issue is clarified by the context, Luther was against ex opere operato use and Gerhard was not dealing with ex opere operato use as Luther was. The gist of the essay and discussion may be summarized in the statement concluding the first paragraph:

"Baptism, like the Word, demands and works faith at the same time."

In the next Part EC3… is a necessarily new translation of Walther's famous essay on "Confessional Subscription".