The Sacraments

Baptism and the Lord's Supper

Lutheran teaching on the sacraments and on election, in the words of the Lutheran Confessions and the LCMS. Every Bible passage shown is ESV.

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What the LCMS teaches about baptism

In the words of the Lutheran Confessions and the LCMS.

What baptism is

In short summary, not a quoteBaptism is water joined to God's command and His Word.

“Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water included in God’s command and connected with God’s Word.”

Small Catechism, Baptism

Baptism is necessary

In short summary, not a quoteChrist commands baptism, and God offers His grace through it, so the Lutheran Confessions call it necessary for salvation.

“Concerning Baptism, our churches teach that Baptism is necessary for salvation [Mark 16:16] and that God’s grace is offered through Baptism [Titus 3:4–7].”

Augsburg Confession, Art. IX, ¶1

What baptism gives

In short summary, not a quoteBaptism forgives sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to everyone who believes God's promise.

“It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.”

Small Catechism, Baptism

How water can do this

In short summary, not a quoteThe water has no power by itself. God's Word joined to it does the work, and faith trusts that Word.

“It is not the water indeed that does them, but the Word of God, which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts this Word of God in the water. For without the Word of God the water is simple water and no Baptism.”

Small Catechism, Baptism

God is the one baptizing

In short summary, not a quoteHuman hands, usually a pastor's, do the baptizing, but God is the one acting. In an emergency any Christian may baptize.

“To be baptized in God’s name is to be baptized not by men, but by God Himself. Therefore, although it is performed by human hands, it is still truly God’s own work.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶10

Faith receives it

In short summary, not a quoteFaith doesn't make a baptism real. It receives what God gives.

“For my faith does not make Baptism, but receives it.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶53

Children are to be baptized

In short summary, not a quoteChildren should be baptized, because through baptism God receives them into His grace.

“They teach that children are to be baptized [Acts 2:38–39]. Being offered to God through Baptism, they are received into God’s grace.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. IX, ¶2

More than a mark of profession

In short summary, not a quoteSacraments aren't mainly our public statement of faith. They are God's signs of His will toward us, given to create and strengthen faith.

“Our churches teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us. They were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. XIII, ¶1–2

One baptism

In short summary, not a quoteBaptism is never repeated. Its work goes on every day, so being baptized again would add nothing.

“But we do not need to be sprinkled with water again [Ezekiel 36:25–26; Hebrews 10:22]. Even if we were put under the water a hundred times, it would still be only one Baptism, even though the work and sign continue and remain.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶78

A daily return

In short summary, not a quoteEach day, through repentance, the old sinful self dies and a new person rises to live for God.

“It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts. And also it shows that a new man should daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”

Small Catechism, Baptism

How much water

In short summary, not a quoteImmersion, pouring, and sprinkling are all valid. How the water is applied doesn't change baptism's blessings.

“Strictly speaking, the word baptize means to "wash with water," whether by immersing, pouring, splashing or sprinkling. … the manner in which the water is applied or the amount of water applied is not a matter of central importance for the practice of Baptism and has no impact on its blessings and benefits.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is the Water to Be Applied in Baptism?”

Confirmation

In short summary, not a quoteAt confirmation, people baptized as infants publicly confess the faith their parents and sponsors confessed for them.

“children who are confirmed have opportunity to confess publicly with their own mouths the faith in which they have been baptized and instructed, just as their parents and sponsors had confessed for them when they were infants”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is Teaching Carried Out in Connection with Baptism?”

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Likely questions

  1. Why do Lutherans baptize infants?

    In short summary, not a quoteChrist commanded baptizing all nations, and that includes infants. Children belong to Christ's promised redemption, just as God brought infants into His covenant through circumcision.

    “Therefore, it is necessary to baptize little children, that the promise of salvation may be applied to them, according to Christ’s command to baptize all nations (Matthew 28:19). Just as in this passage salvation is offered to all, so Baptism is offered to all, to men, women, children, infants. It clearly follows, therefore, that infants are to be baptized, because salvation is offered with Baptism.”

    Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. IX, ¶52

    “Jesus Himself has commanded: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them … [and] teaching them" (Matt. 28:19–20) — an all-encompassing mandate which excludes no age group.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What are the biblical and theological reasons for baptizing infants?”

    “Of the Baptism of children, we hold that children should be baptized, for they belong to the promised redemption made through Christ [Acts 2:39]. Therefore, the Church should administer Baptism to them.”

    Smalcald Articles, Part III, Art. V, ¶4

    “God provided for the incorporation of such offspring, even as infants, into the identity of God's covenant people through the sign of circumcision on the eighth day (Gen 17:9–11).”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “We Are Made Children of Abraham through Baptism”
    NotesExplanation and background

    Baptism is God's gift, and Peter says the promise is for you and your children Acts 2:39. Infants are included in "all nations" Matthew 28:19.

    What "all nations" means. The Greek is πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (panta ta ethnē). Ethnos doesn't mean a nation in the modern, political sense. It means a people: a group bound together by family, language, and customs. In the plural it often means "the Gentiles," the non-Jewish peoples, and scholars debate whether Jesus means all the Gentiles or all peoples, Israel included. Either way, He is speaking of whole peoples, made up of families of every age, and He gives no age limit Matthew 28:19-20.

    Who "them" is. In "baptizing them" (βαπτίζοντες αὐτούς, baptizontes autous), the word autous is masculine, while ethnē is neuter. Greek often shifts like this when a pronoun points to the people within a group. Jesus isn't sending the apostles to baptize nations as institutions, but the people who make them up.

    How the apostles would have heard it. For about 2,000 years, God brought infants into His covenant at eight days old Genesis 17:12. When Israel entered the covenant, the little ones stood alongside the adults Deuteronomy 29:10-12. Jewish apostles told to baptize the nations would assume children were included unless Jesus said otherwise, and He never did.

    How disciples are made. In Greek the one command is "make disciples." "Baptizing" and "teaching" both describe how that happens. With adult converts, teaching usually comes first. With children of believers, Lutherans baptize first and teach as the child grows.

    The promise to children. Right after telling people to be baptized, Peter says the promise is for them and their children Acts 2:39. The word he uses, teknon, means offspring. His Jewish listeners knew God's promise to Abraham to be God to him and his offspring Genesis 17:7. "All who are far off" extends the same promise to the Gentiles Ephesians 2:13.

    The honest limit. No single verse says "baptize infants." The case rests on several lines that point the same way: God's covenant pattern, Christ's command to all nations, the promise to children, whole households baptized, and the early church's practice. Origen wrote that the church received infant baptism from the apostles, and a council of 66 bishops around AD 253 treated it as normal.

    In the Hebrew. God's promise in Genesis 17:7 is to Abraham's זַרְעֲךָ (zarʿakha), "your offspring" or "seed," which included infants from eight days old Genesis 17:12.

  2. What does baptism do?

    In short summary, not a quoteBaptism saves. Through it God forgives sins, rescues from death and the devil, gives the Holy Spirit, and makes us members of Christ's church. Faith receives these gifts.

    “It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.”

    Small Catechism, Baptism

    “the power, work, profit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is this—to save [1 Peter 3:21]. … We know that to be saved is nothing other than to be delivered from sin, death, and the devil [Colossians 1:13–14]. It means to enter into Christ’s kingdom [John 3:5], and to live with Him forever.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶24–25

    “Not only are our sins forgiven (Acts 2:38), but we receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:39), and we are made members of His Body, the Church (1 Cor. 12:13).”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Why does an adult need to be baptized if he or she is already a believer?”
    NotesExplanation and background

    God washes away sin and gives new birth and the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Titus 3:5. Peter says plainly that baptism now saves you 1 Peter 3:21.

    What Scripture says baptism gives. Forgiveness and the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38. Washing away of sins Acts 22:16. New birth Titus 3:5, John 3:5. Union with Christ's death and resurrection Romans 6:3-4. Being clothed with Christ Galatians 3:27. Membership in His body 1 Corinthians 12:13. Salvation 1 Peter 3:21.

    Where the power comes from. Not from the water. The Small Catechism says it is God's Word in and with the water, received by faith. Without the Word it is plain water.

    Its effect lasts a lifetime. Baptism happens once, but Luther taught that it shapes the whole Christian life. Each day we return to it in repentance, the old sinful self is drowned, and a new person rises to live before God Romans 6:3-4.

  3. Isn't that salvation by works?

    In short summary, not a quoteBaptism is not our work. It is God's work and His gift, which faith receives. Treating it as our promise to God turns grace into law.

    “But if the “new spirits” say, as they are accustomed, “Still Baptism is itself a work, and you say works are of no use for salvation. What, then, becomes of faith?” Answer, “Yes, our works, indeed, do nothing for salvation. Baptism, however, is not our work, but God’s.””

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶35

    “So you see plainly that there is no work done here by us, but a treasure, which God gives us and faith grasps [Ephesians 2:8–9].”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶37

    “Is Baptism primarily God's promise to us or is Baptism primarily our promise to God? … such a view of Baptism fundamentally alters its character from that of grace and gift (Gospel) to that of human assent, effort and responsibility (Law). This makes all the difference!”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What are the biblical and theological reasons for baptizing infants?”
    NotesExplanation and background

    No. A baby does nothing. God saved us not by works done by us, but by His mercy and the washing of regeneration Titus 3:5. Baptism is grace received, not achieved.

    What Paul means by works. A work is something we do to earn righteousness, like wages earned for labor Romans 4:4-5. The false teachers in Galatia made circumcision a requirement of the law for being justified, and Paul says that cuts a person off from grace Galatians 5:2-4.

    Who acts in baptism. In Titus 3:5, God is the one doing the saving, and He saves through the washing. Paul sets that directly against works done by us Titus 3:5. He connects the "circumcision made without hands" with being buried with Christ in baptism Colossians 2:11-12.

    Faith is no different. Faith is also something that happens in us, yet Scripture doesn't count it as a work that earns anything, because God gives it Ephesians 2:8-9. Lutherans see baptism the same way. An infant baptism shows this most clearly: the baby brings nothing and receives everything.

  4. Can a baby really have faith?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes. Infant faith is trust in God, not intellectual understanding. Lutherans baptize because God commands it, and they pray for the child's faith.

    “To maintain that infants are given faith in Baptism does not imply that they intellectually grasp all that this entails (knowledge) or volitionally acknowledge it as true (assent). But they trust the one who holds them. And as they grow, they gradually become more aware and mindful of all that comes with the promises of God.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Are infants or people who have mental or emotional limitations capable of believing the promises of Baptism?”

    “faith is an orientation toward God whereby we receive and live from the gifts of God — whether we are conscious of them or not”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Are infants or people who have mental or emotional limitations capable of believing the promises of Baptism?”

    “We bring the child in the conviction and hope that it believes, and we pray that God may grant it faith [Luke 17:2; Ephesians 2:8]. But we do not baptize it for that reason, but solely because of God’s command.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶57
    NotesExplanation and background

    Faith is God's gift, not intellectual understanding Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus speaks of little ones who believe in Him Matthew 18:6, and David says God made him trust at his mother's breasts Psalm 22:9.

    Faith is trust, not a test of knowledge. Even in adults, faith is created by the Holy Spirit, not by intellect 1 Corinthians 12:3. Knowledge grows over a lifetime, but trust can be present from the start.

    Scripture shows faith in the very young. David says God made him trust from his mother's breasts Psalm 22:9. John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from the womb Luke 1:15 and leaped for joy at Jesus' presence before birth Luke 1:41-44. Timothy knew the Scriptures from infancy 2 Timothy 3:15.

    In the Greek. Luke calls John the Baptist τὸ βρέφος (to brephos), "the baby," while he was still in the womb Luke 1:41-44. Paul says Timothy knew the Scriptures ἀπὸ βρέφους (apo brephous), "from infancy" 2 Timothy 3:15.

    Jesus makes the child the model. He doesn't say children must become like adults to enter the kingdom. He says adults must receive it like a child Luke 18:15-17, Mark 10:13-16.

    What the LCMS report says. Asked whether infants and people with mental limitations can believe, the LCMS report answers "Yes." It describes faith as trusting dependence on God, whether or not a person is conscious of His gifts.

  5. Why do infants need baptism?

    In short summary, not a quoteEveryone since Adam is born sinful, and that sin condemns those who are not born again through baptism and the Holy Spirit.

    “since the fall of Adam [Romans 5:12], all who are naturally born are born with sin [Psalm 51:5], that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God, and with the inclination to sin, called concupiscence. Concupiscence is a disease and original vice that is truly sin. It damns and brings eternal death on those who are not born anew through Baptism and the Holy Spirit [John 3:5].”

    Augsburg Confession, Art. II, ¶1–2

    “The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own. We would be lost forever unless delivered from sin, death, and everlasting condemnation”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), quoting the LSB Rite of Holy Baptism
    NotesExplanation and background

    We are sinful from conception Psalm 51:5, and what is born of the flesh is flesh John 3:6, even from Christian parents.

    Sin is a condition, not only an act. David says he was sinful from conception Psalm 51:5. Paul says sin and death spread to all people through Adam Romans 5:12, and that we were by nature children of wrath Ephesians 2:3.

    In the Hebrew. Psalm 51:5 (verse 7 in Hebrew Bibles) begins הֵן־בְּעָווֹן חוֹלָלְתִּי (hen-beʿawon cholalti), "in iniquity I was brought forth." David traces his sin to his birth and conception, not to his first wrong act.

    Death reigns over infants too. Paul says death reigned even over those who had not sinned the way Adam did Romans 5:14. Infants die, and Scripture treats death as the result of sin.

    So infants need rebirth. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and everyone needs to be born of water and the Spirit John 3:5-6, John 3:7. Christian parents pass on human nature, not new birth John 1:12-13. Baptizing infants isn't about fear. It is giving them the gift God offers.

  6. Does it matter if the person was too young to understand?

    In short summary, not a quoteA baptism's validity depends on God's Word, not on what the person understood. Like an adopted infant, the child receives God's promise before being able to agree to it. Confirmation is the later public confession.

    “we are not very concerned to know whether the person baptized believes or not. For Baptism does not become invalid on that account. But everything depends on God’s Word and command. … For my faith does not make Baptism, but receives it.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶52–53

    “It is analogous to parents who adopt an infant child. They promise to care for the child apart from that child's ability to assent.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What are the biblical and theological reasons for baptizing infants?”

    “Nevertheless, I am baptized. And if I am baptized, it is promised to me that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both in soul and body.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶44

    “children who are confirmed have opportunity to confess publicly with their own mouths the faith in which they have been baptized and instructed”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is Teaching Carried Out in Connection with Baptism?”
    NotesExplanation and background

    No. A baptism rests on what God did and promised, not on what the person understood. People baptized as infants publicly confess that faith later, at confirmation.

    Validity rests on God, not on what the person knew. The Large Catechism teaches that faith does not make baptism; it receives it. Baptism is valid because God commanded it and attached His promise to it.

    A comparison. A child can be given an inheritance or citizenship long before understanding it, and the gift is still real. Understanding grows into what was already given, as with Timothy, who was taught the Scriptures from infancy 2 Timothy 3:15.

    The public confession comes later. At confirmation, after instruction, people baptized as infants confess this faith before the congregation. That is the personal declaration Baptists value. Lutherans simply believe God's gift comes first, and our confession answers it.

  7. What about people baptized as babies who never believe?

    In short summary, not a quoteBaptism's promise stays in place, and anyone who falls away can return to it. Without faith it brings no benefit, so parents and sponsors help the child keep the faith.

    “Our Baptism abides forever. Even though someone should fall from Baptism and sin, still we always have access to it. So we may subdue the old man again.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶77

    “Without faith it profits nothing, even though Baptism is in itself a divine overwhelming treasure.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶34

    “They are to support and help the parents nurture the child as he or she grows so that the child may grasp and hold firmly to the promises of God throughout his or her life.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), on sponsors
    NotesExplanation and background

    Faith must be nurtured, and people can fall away. The same is true of people baptized as adults.

    Baptism isn't a guarantee apart from faith. The LCMS teaches that faith can be lost. Paul warns that people can fall away from grace Galatians 5:4. All Israel was baptized into Moses, yet most of them fell in the wilderness 1 Corinthians 10:1-5.

    That's why parents and sponsors make promises. At an infant baptism, parents and sponsors promise to raise the child in the faith, because faith must be fed by God's Word.

    The same is true of believer's baptism. People baptized as adults also walk away. Baptists usually say those people were never truly saved, which means a believer's baptism doesn't guarantee anything either. When someone returns to faith, Lutherans don't rebaptize them. They return to the promise God already made.

  8. What about the thief on the cross?

    In short summary, not a quoteChrist commands baptism so strictly that the Large Catechism says we must be baptized or we cannot be saved. Still, the LCMS report says that when a baby of Christian parents who wanted the child baptized dies first, the lack of baptism does not by itself mean the child is lost.

    “Furthermore, Baptism is most solemnly and strictly commanded so that we must be baptized or we cannot be saved.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶6

    “This loving God did not institute Baptism as something one has to do to be saved (a work of the Law); rather, He gave Baptism as a means of salvation (a gift of the Gospel). … Yet the absence of Baptism, in itself, does not cause someone to be lost.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), on infants who die unbaptized

    These sources don't discuss the thief on the cross. The closest statements are above. The second one comes from a passage about infants of Christian parents who die before baptism, and the report limits it to parents who wanted their child baptized and did not despise baptism.

    NotesExplanation and background

    God can save without baptism Luke 23:43. He isn't bound by it, but we are bound to it, because He commanded it Matthew 28:19.

    God bound us, not Himself. Lutherans teach that God has bound us to baptism, because Christ commanded it Matthew 28:19, but He is not bound by it. He can save without it, as He did the thief Luke 23:43.

    The thief's situation was unique. He died before Christ's resurrection and before Jesus gave the command to baptize. He had no opportunity to be baptized. An exception like that doesn't cancel the normal promise.

    Lacking baptism differs from refusing it. Jesus' words connect condemnation to unbelief, not to missing baptism Mark 16:16. Note that some of the earliest manuscripts do not include Mark 16:9-20, and both the ESV and NASB mark it, so don't rest the point on this verse alone.

  9. Should anyone be rebaptized?

    In short summary, not a quoteNo. Infant baptisms are valid, should never be repeated, and there is only one baptism.

    “As we have said, even though infants did not believe (which, however, is not the case), still their Baptism would be valid. We have now shown this. No one should rebaptize infants.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶55

    “Even if we were put under the water a hundred times, it would still be only one Baptism, even though the work and sign continue and remain.”

    Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶78

    “"One Baptism" highlights the dramatic once-and-for-all nature of Baptism that transitions us to a totally new and wondrous life and future.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises the Forgiveness of Sins”
    NotesExplanation and background

    No. There is one baptism Ephesians 4:5. Rebaptizing would treat God's first promise as if it never happened.

    One baptism. Paul lists one baptism alongside one Lord and one faith Ephesians 4:5. Baptism is God's act, and God doesn't need to do it twice.

    What rebaptism would imply. Repeating a baptism would say either that God's first promise failed, or that it was only water. Both contradict what Lutherans believe baptism is.

    The church came to agree. The Council of Arles (AD 314) and Augustine, writing against the Donatists, who rebaptized Christians, taught that a baptism with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not repeated. Earlier, Cyprian's North African church had rebaptized converts from heretical groups, so this took time to settle.

    If someone doubts their baptism. If the doubt is whether it "worked," the answer is to return to it in faith, not to repeat it. If there is real doubt whether a baptism with water in the triune name happened at all, a pastor may baptize conditionally, which is not rebaptism.

  10. Does the LCMS accept baptisms from other churches?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes, from churches that confess the Trinity. A baptism with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is valid, whatever the person's age and however the water was applied.

    “The application of water is a Christian Baptism when it is performed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as Jesus instructed.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What Is the Significance of God’s Name in Baptism?”

    “faith does not make this particular washing with water a Baptism. Only God's name and promise do that. Faith may precede Baptism (as with adult converts); faith may be created in and through Baptism; faith may be sustained through the promise after Baptism.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What Is the Purpose of God’s Promises to Us in Baptism?”

    “the manner in which the water is applied or the amount of water applied is not a matter of central importance for the practice of Baptism and has no impact on its blessings and benefits.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is the Water to Be Applied in Baptism?”
    NotesExplanation and background

    Yes. The LCMS accepts a baptism with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from churches that confess the Trinity, Baptist churches included.

    What the LCMS recognizes. A baptism with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from a church that confesses the Trinity, Baptist churches included, whatever the person's age and whether it was done by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. Baptisms from groups that deny the Trinity, such as Latter-day Saints, are not accepted. A pastor can help when there's a question.

    The word itself. βαπτίζω (baptizō) can mean simply to wash. Mark 7:4 speaks of βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων (baptismous potēriōn), the "washing of cups," and in Luke 11:38 a Pharisee is surprised that Jesus did not first wash (ἐβαπτίσθη, ebaptisthē) before dinner Mark 7:4, Luke 11:38. The word doesn't require immersion.

    Why a Baptist baptism counts. In the Lutheran view, a baptism is valid because God's Word was joined to the water, not because of the person's decision. So Lutherans believe God truly gave His gifts in that baptism, even if the church that performed it describes it differently.

  11. When should children be baptized?

    In short summary, not a quoteThe LCMS encourages baptizing babies as soon as possible, because God's promises are for children too.

    “This is why Christian parents bring their babies for Baptism as soon as possible: because of the clear promises of God even for children (Acts 2:39), who certainly also need a Savior from sin and death (Rom. 6:23).”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What if the baby of Christian parents dies before it is baptized?”

    “As we were brought to Jesus in Baptism, we now bring our infants, children and families to Jesus that they might also become His followers and citizens in God's realm.”

    LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Who Is to Be Baptized?”
    NotesExplanation and background

    The LCMS encourages baptizing children as infants, as soon as possible after birth.

    What the LCMS encourages. Baptizing children as infants, soon after birth, with parents and sponsors promising to raise them in the faith.

    Why not wait. The promise is for children too Acts 2:39, and they need a Savior as much as adults do Romans 6:23.

    Baptism or dedication. A dedication is the parents' promise to God. Lutherans see baptism as God's promise to the child, which is why they baptize instead of dedicating.

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Common objections

Each objection names who usually holds it and is stated the way they would put it, followed by the Lutheran answer.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsBaptism is an outward sign of a decision already made.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Confessions teach that sacraments are not mainly our public declaration. They are God's work and promise toward us.

“Our churches teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. XIII, ¶1

“the world is now so full of sects arguing that Baptism is an outward thing and that outward things are of no benefit. But let Baptism be a thoroughly outward thing. Here stand God’s Word and command, which institute, establish, and confirm Baptism.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶7–8

“This mistake can happen even with regard to our perception of adult Baptism, if we see Baptism as little more than the outward response to an inward reality.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Are infants or people who have mental or emotional limitations capable of believing the promises of Baptism?”
NotesExplanation and background

Scripture describes what God does in baptism: forgiveness, washing, the Spirit, salvation Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 3:21. Baptists often point to 1 Peter 3:21 ("pledge of a good conscience" in some translations), but the same verse says baptism "now saves you."

Where the Baptist view comes from. Baptists want to protect salvation by faith alone Romans 10:9, and they worry that saying baptism saves turns it into a work. Lutherans share that concern.

What the passages say. Where the New Testament says what baptism does, it names a gift from God: forgiveness, washing, new birth, the Spirit, salvation. Baptists point to 1 Peter 3:21, which some translations render "the pledge of a good conscience toward God." Lutherans read it as an "appeal to God" and note that the same verse says baptism "now saves you" 1 Peter 3:20-21.

Where the idea took shape. The view of baptism mainly as our pledge took shape during the Reformation. Zwingli called sacraments pledges of allegiance, though he still baptized infants. The Anabaptists, and later Baptists, applied the idea to baptize only professing believers.

Faith and baptism don't compete. Romans 10:9 and Acts 2:38 describe the same salvation. Faith receives what God gives in baptism.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsThe Bible never mentions an infant being baptized.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteWhole households were baptized in Scripture, God's promise includes little children, and the Holy Spirit's work in people baptized as infants shows God approves.

“the entire household of Cornelius, a Roman centurion (Acts 10–11); Lydia, "a seller of purple goods" in the city of Thyatira, and her household (Acts 16:15); a jailor in Philippi and his household (Acts 16:31–34)”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism: God’s Invitation into the Kingdom of God”

“The Baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ, as is proved well enough from His own work. For God sanctifies many of those who have been baptized as infants and has given them the Holy Spirit.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶49

“For it is very certain that the promise of salvation also applies to little children.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. IX, ¶52
NotesExplanation and background

True, and worth conceding. But it never shows a believer's child made to wait either, and baby dedication isn't commanded. Whole households were baptized Acts 16:15, Acts 16:33, 1 Corinthians 1:16, and a household usually included children.

The silence cuts both ways. The New Testament covers about 30 years of first-generation mission. It never shows an infant baptized, but it also never shows a child of Christian parents waiting to be baptized as a teenager or adult.

Households. Lydia's household Acts 16:15, the jailer's whole family Acts 16:31-33, Stephanas's household 1 Corinthians 1:16, and Cornelius's household Acts 11:14, Acts 10:47-48. The LCMS report notes that a household normally included parents and children as well as servants. Lutherans think it likely that some of these households included infants.

Early evidence. By the 200s, Origen called infant baptism a tradition from the apostles, and Tertullian argued for delaying it, which shows it was already practiced. A council of 66 bishops around AD 253 treated it as normal and only debated whether to wait until the eighth day.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsEvery baptism in Acts is an adult believing first Acts 2:41, Acts 8:12.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteIn the early church's mission field, adults were taught and then baptized. As Christian families grew, infants were baptized first and taught afterward.

“in the early church's missionary setting, most Baptisms were adult Baptisms. In this situation, teaching often came first and was then followed by Baptism. … As the Baptism of infants within Christian families became more common (and eventually the norm), the ordering shifted so that Baptism came first and instruction followed.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is Teaching Carried Out in Connection with Baptism?”

“Faith may precede Baptism (as with adult converts); faith may be created in and through Baptism; faith may be sustained through the promise after Baptism.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What Is the Purpose of God’s Promises to Us in Baptism?”
NotesExplanation and background

Acts records the first generation of Christians, so the first converts were adults. Lutherans also baptize adult converts after they confess faith. Those passages show how adults came in; they don't forbid baptizing children.

Acts describes a mission field. The first people to hear the gospel were adults, so of course they believed and were then baptized. Lutheran missionaries do the same thing today with adult converts.

Read the verses in order. Acts 2:41 comes right after the promise to children Acts 2:39. Acts 8:12 notes that men and women were baptized, describing who came to faith in Samaria, not who may be baptized.

Describing isn't prescribing. Only men are described at the Last Supper, yet no one concludes that women may not receive Communion. A pattern of adult converts doesn't forbid baptizing their children.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsJesus was baptized as an adult, and John baptized people who repented and confessed their sins. We should follow their example: believe first, then be baptized.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteJohn's baptism called God's covenant people to repent and gave forgiveness of sins, and Jesus was baptized to stand in the place of sinners, not to set a pattern for who may be baptized. The first baptisms were of adults because the church was new, and those adults brought their households.

“John performed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins to re-orient God's chosen people to His aims and purposes.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Jesus’ Baptism and the Reign of God”

“Why would Jesus, who had no sin, want — much less need — to be baptized? … In His baptism, Jesus stood in the place of sinful Israel, pointing forward to His death and resurrection for all people.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Jesus’ Baptism and the Reign of God”

“In the early years of the church's growth, since so many adults were being converted to the faith, most Baptisms were of adults who brought with them their entire households.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Who Is to Be Baptized?”
NotesExplanation and background

John called Israel, God's covenant people, to repent, and his baptism was for the forgiveness of sins Mark 1:4-5. Jesus had no sin to confess and was baptized "to fulfill all righteousness" Matthew 3:15, not to set a pattern for who may be baptized. As a baby He received the covenant sign of His day Luke 2:21.

John baptized God's covenant people. The crowds who came to John were Israelites from Judea and Jerusalem Mark 1:4-5, and their sons had received God's covenant sign at eight days old Genesis 17:12. His preaching was aimed at adults who could hear it. The Gospels don't say either way whether their children were baptized.

Not by birth alone. John also warned that descent from Abraham was no substitute for repentance Matthew 3:9. The point isn't that birth saved them, but that he was calling God's own people back to Him.

Jesus stood in sinners' place. Luke says He was about thirty "when he began his ministry" Luke 3:21-23, which marks when His public work started, not a pattern for believers' children.

The first generation. When the gospel reaches a new people, the first converts are adults, because there are no Christian families yet. That was true in the Book of Acts and is true in missions today. Scripture also records whole households baptized with those first converts Acts 16:15, Acts 16:33.

The same practice today. Lutherans baptize adult converts after they are taught and confess the faith, just as in Acts. Their children are baptized with them, as whole households were. Children later born into Christian families are baptized as infants.

Objection · Some Baptist scholars"For the forgiveness of sins" means "because of" forgiveness Acts 2:38.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe sources read Acts 2:38 plainly: baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. They don't address the Greek argument.

“it should not surprise us that the New Testament speaks about Baptism as being administered for the forgiveness of sins.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises the Forgiveness of Sins”

“The Nicene Creed also emphasizes this connection between Baptism and forgiveness when it confesses that we believe in "one Baptism for the remission of sins."”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises the Forgiveness of Sins”

These sources don't take up the Greek-grammar argument about the word "for." They read Acts 2:38 plainly as baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

NotesExplanation and background

Jesus uses the same Greek phrase, eis aphesin hamartiōn, about His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins Matthew 26:28. That is clearly purpose, not "because." John's baptism uses it too Mark 1:4.

The argument. Some Baptist Greek scholars, notably A. T. Robertson, suggested that eis in Acts 2:38 could mean "because of," pointing to the Ninevites repenting at Jonah's preaching.

Why most scholars disagree. Standard Greek lexicons and nearly every translation read Acts 2:38 as purpose, "in order to receive" forgiveness. The same phrase, eis aphesin hamartiōn, describes Jesus' blood Matthew 26:28 and John's baptism Mark 1:4, and in both it plainly means purpose.

A verse without the debated word. Ananias tells Paul to be baptized and wash away his sins Acts 22:16. There is no "for" to reinterpret.

Objection · Many evangelicalsForgiveness comes from repenting, not from the water.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteRepentance is a daily return to baptism, not a rival to it. The water alone doesn't save. God's Word in the water does.

“Here you see that Baptism, both in its power and meaning, includes also the third Sacrament, which has been called repentance. It is really nothing other than Baptism.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶74

“Repentance, therefore, is nothing other than a return and approach to Baptism.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶79

“It is not the water indeed that does them, but the Word of God, which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts this Word of God in the water.”

Small Catechism, Baptism
NotesExplanation and background

Peter joins them: repent and be baptized Acts 2:38. Lutherans agree repentance matters and that water alone doesn't save. God's Word joined to the water does.

A grammar argument Baptists sometimes make. In Greek, "repent" is plural and "be baptized" is singular ("each of you"), so some argue forgiveness attaches only to repenting. But both commands go to the same listeners, and Peter ties forgiveness and the Spirit to the whole instruction Acts 2:38.

Repentance and baptism aren't rivals. Baptism is where God gives the forgiveness that repentant faith receives. Luther taught that daily repentance is a return to baptism.

Agreement worth stating. Water alone saves no one. God's Word joined to the water does, through Christ.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsCornelius received the Spirit before baptism Acts 10:44.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Holy Spirit creates faith where and when God pleases, including through baptism. The sources don't discuss Cornelius directly.

“the Augsburg Confession notes that the Holy Spirit creates faith "where and when it pleases God in those who hear the gospel." That would include Baptism, where God has connected His Gospel Word to water”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “When and how does Baptism create faith?”

These sources don't address the order of events at Cornelius's house. The report lists his household among those "brought to Jesus by Baptism."

NotesExplanation and background

It was a sign that Gentiles were included Acts 10:45, Acts 11:17, and Peter still commanded baptism Acts 10:47-48. In Samaria the order was reversed Acts 8:16-17. Acts doesn't fix one order. The normal promise is Acts 2:38.

Why God acted first here. Cornelius was a Gentile, and Jewish believers were amazed that Gentiles received the Spirit Acts 10:44-45, and some later objected. The visible gift of the Spirit settled the question, and Peter later said he could not stand in God's way Acts 11:17.

Baptism still followed. Peter immediately commanded them to be baptized Acts 10:47-48. Even after receiving the Spirit, baptism wasn't treated as optional.

Acts has no fixed order. In Samaria, people were baptized first and received the Spirit later Acts 8:16-17. If Cornelius proves the Spirit always comes before baptism, Samaria proves the opposite. The normal promise remains Acts 2:38.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsNoah was saved from the water, not by it 1 Peter 3:20.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quotePeter uses the flood as a picture of baptism, where water both destroys and saves. Without God's Word, the water is just water.

“These two dimensions of the same event are expressed by Peter with reference to the flood and Noah's ark as an analogy for Baptism, noting God's use of the power of water both to destroy and to save.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises Safe Passage through the Final Judgment”

“For without the Word of God the water is simple water and no Baptism. But with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit.”

Small Catechism, Baptism
NotesExplanation and background

Agreed: the water doesn't save. But Peter says baptism corresponds to this and now saves you 1 Peter 3:21, by God's Word and promise, through Christ's resurrection.

Peter's own word. He calls baptism the antitypon of the Flood: the reality the Flood pointed to 1 Peter 3:20-21. The same water that judged the world carried Noah's family through.

The Lutheran baptismal rite says the same. Luther's Flood Prayer, used at baptisms, recalls God condemning the unbelieving world through the Flood and preserving believing Noah. In baptism the old sinful self is drowned, and a new person rises with Christ Romans 6:3-4.

Agreement worth stating. The water doesn't save. God's Word joined to it does, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Objection · Many Baptists and evangelicals"Water" in John 3:5 means physical birth, or the Word.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe LCMS reads Jesus' words to Nicodemus as being about baptism, the new birth by which we enter God's kingdom.

“Jesus' dramatic encounter with Nicodemus (John 3) is one of the most well-known New Testament accounts of how God's promise in Baptism makes us members of God's kingdom”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “New Birth and Life”

“It damns and brings eternal death on those who are not born anew through Baptism and the Holy Spirit [John 3:5].”

Augsburg Confession, Art. II, ¶2
NotesExplanation and background

"Of water and the Spirit" is one phrase describing one birth John 3:5. Nicodemus was already physically born. Ephesians 5:26 puts water and Word together, not water as a picture of the Word.

One birth, not two. "Of water and the Spirit" is one phrase under one Greek preposition, describing a single new birth John 3:5-6.

The Old Testament background. Jesus chides Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, for not understanding. Ezekiel promised that God would cleanse with water and put His Spirit within His people Ezekiel 36:25-27. That promise joins water and Spirit, which supports the Lutheran reading.

What happens next in John. Right after this conversation, Jesus' disciples go out baptizing John 3:22-23, John 4:1-2. Baptism was the obvious context.

Objection · Baptists and many evangelicalsBabies have no knowledge of sin (age of accountability).

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Confessions reject the idea that infants are sinless and don't need baptism. The LCMS still gives Christian parents who wanted their child baptized hope for a baby who dies before being baptized.

A false teaching the Confessions reject

“Children who are not baptized are not sinners before God, but righteous and innocent. In their innocence, because they have not yet gained the use of their reason, children are saved without Baptism.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XII, ¶6, an Anabaptist error it rejects

“Our churches condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the Baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. IX, ¶3

“Christian parents have wonderful reasons to hope for the salvation of their child.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), on infants who die unbaptized

The first quote is an Anabaptist teaching that the Formula of Concord lists and rejects. The second is the Augsburg Confession's condemnation of the same view. The report adds that Christian parents who wanted their child baptized may still hope for a baby who dies before being baptized.

NotesExplanation and background

Sin is a condition we're born with, not only something we know Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:3, Romans 5:14. The LCMS gives Christian parents hope for a baby who dies before baptism.

Where the idea comes from. The age of accountability isn't stated in Scripture. It is usually drawn from verses about little ones who do not yet know good from evil Deuteronomy 1:39.

What those verses do and don't say. They describe children's lack of moral knowledge. They don't say children are free of sin. Scripture says we are sinful from conception Psalm 51:5 and by nature Ephesians 2:3, and that death reigns even over those who haven't sinned as Adam did Romans 5:14.

What most Baptists actually hold. Most Baptists agree infants inherit a sinful nature. They hold that God doesn't condemn anyone before they can knowingly sin. Lutherans answer that inherited sin itself condemns (Augsburg Confession, Art. II), so infants need the new birth God gives in baptism.

Where Lutherans land. The LCMS does not teach that a baby of Christian parents who dies before baptism is lost. The report limits this to parents who wanted their child baptized and did not despise baptism. Its report says such parents have "wonderful reasons to hope," because God can create faith through His Word even before birth, and it adds that this is not a denial of baptism's general necessity. Baptism gives what we could otherwise only hope for: God's own promise to hold on to.

Objection · Some evangelicalsPaul said Christ didn't send him to baptize 1 Corinthians 1:17.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe sources don't discuss this verse. They teach that Christ binds us to baptism, and that rejecting it rejects His Word.

“Therefore, it makes sense that whoever rejects Baptism rejects God’s Word, faith, and Christ, who directs us to Baptism and binds us to Baptism.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶31

These sources don't discuss 1 Corinthians 1:17. The quote shows how seriously the Confessions take Christ's command to baptize.

NotesExplanation and background

He was addressing factions 1 Corinthians 1:12-15, not downplaying baptism. In the same passage he names people he did baptize.

The context is division. The Corinthians were splitting into camps by who baptized them 1 Corinthians 1:12-15. Paul is glad he baptized few of them, so no one could claim to be baptized in his name.

Paul's calling, not baptism's value. His particular task was preaching, but Christ commanded baptism Matthew 28:19, and Paul himself teaches what baptism does Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27, Titus 3:5.

Objection · BaptistsAbraham believed before receiving circumcision Romans 4:11.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteGod placed infants into His covenant through circumcision. The sources don't take up Romans 4:11 directly.

“God provided for the incorporation of such offspring, even as infants, into the identity of God's covenant people through the sign of circumcision on the eighth day (Gen 17:9–11).”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “We Are Made Children of Abraham through Baptism”
A false teaching the Confessions reject

“And for this reason they do not attach much importance to the Baptism of children or encourage it, contrary to the clear words of God’s promise, which applies only to those who keep His covenant and do not despise it (see Genesis 17:7–14[; also Acts 2:38–39 and Colossians 2:11–15]).”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XII, ¶8, an Anabaptist error it rejects

These sources don't take up Romans 4:11 as an objection. They do tie infant baptism to God's covenant with Abraham's offspring.

NotesExplanation and background

Abraham was an adult convert. His son Isaac was circumcised at eight days old Genesis 21:4. That matches Lutheran practice: adult converts believe first, and their children receive the sign as infants.

Abraham was an adult convert. He believed, and then received circumcision as a seal of the righteousness he had by faith Romans 4:11.

His children received it as infants. God commanded circumcision at eight days old Genesis 17:12, and Isaac received it then Genesis 21:4. So a seal of faith's righteousness was given to infants by God's own command.

The same pattern. Paul links baptism to circumcision Colossians 2:11-12. Adult converts believe and are baptized. Their children receive the sign as infants.

Objection · Baptists, Churches of Christ, and many evangelicalsBaptism must be by full immersion to be valid.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Bible commands washing with water but doesn't prescribe a method. Immersion, pouring, and sprinkling are all valid, and the method doesn't change baptism's blessings.

“Strictly speaking, the word baptize means to "wash with water," whether by immersing, pouring, splashing or sprinkling. As an act of washing, the Bible does not say how much water one must use or how one should apply the water.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is the Water to Be Applied in Baptism?”

“Both positions are arguing from silence. The Bible simply does not say, which is good and sufficient reason for the church not to insist on a particular mode of Baptism.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is the Water to Be Applied in Baptism?”

“the practice of immersing a person beneath the water vividly captures the symbolism of being buried (beneath the water) with Christ and rising up with Christ (Rom. 6:1–4).”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “How Is the Water to Be Applied in Baptism?”
NotesExplanation and background

Scripture commands baptism but doesn't say how much water to use or how to apply it. The word itself means to wash Mark 7:4, Luke 11:38.

Lutherans don't oppose immersion. Luther described baptism as being sunk under the water and drawn out again, and the LCMS report notes that immersion vividly pictures burial and resurrection with Christ Romans 6:3-4. The point is only that Scripture doesn't require it.

The word itself. βαπτίζω (baptizō) can mean simply to wash. Mark 7:4 speaks of βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων (baptismous potēriōn), the "washing of cups," and in Luke 11:38 a Pharisee is surprised that Jesus did not first wash (ἐβαπτίσθη, ebaptisthē) before dinner Mark 7:4, Luke 11:38.

Cases Acts doesn't describe. About three thousand people were baptized in Jerusalem in a single day Acts 2:41, and the Philippian jailer's household was baptized in the middle of the night Acts 16:31-33. Scripture doesn't say how the water was applied in either case.

Objection · Reformed and Presbyterian Christians, who also baptize infantsBaptism is a sign and seal of regeneration, but the grace it promises isn't tied to the moment of baptism or given to everyone baptized.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Formula of Concord rejects the claim that baptism is not how God works regeneration. Lutherans teach that God gives new birth through baptism itself, received by faith.

A false teaching the Confessions reject

“The water of Baptism is not how God the Lord seals the adoption of sons and works regeneration.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XII, ¶23, a Schwenkfeldian error it rejects

“Such power is given to Baptism by the Word that it is a washing of new birth, as St. Paul also calls it in Titus 3:5.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶27

“the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. XIII, ¶1
NotesExplanation and background

Lutherans and Reformed Christians agree that infants should be baptized and that baptism signs and seals God's promise. They differ on whether God gives new birth through baptism itself. Scripture calls baptism the washing of regeneration Titus 3:5 and says it now saves 1 Peter 3:21.

Where Lutherans and Reformed Christians agree. Both baptize infants, both see baptism as the covenant sign that fills the place of circumcision Colossians 2:11-12, and both reject the idea that baptism is only our declaration.

Where they differ. Reformed confessions teach that the grace promised in baptism is conferred by the Holy Spirit on those it belongs to, the elect, in God's appointed time. Lutherans teach that baptism itself is the washing of new birth Titus 3:5, John 3:5, which the baptized receive by faith.

Objection · Oneness PentecostalsBaptism should be done in the name of Jesus only, as in Acts 2:38.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe LCMS baptizes with the words Jesus gave: in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A baptism is Christian baptism when it is done in that name.

“As Christ's followers, we are bound to remain with the words that Christ gave us to use. We therefore baptize using those words in which the pastor repeats the very words of Christ: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Is it acceptable to use different “Trinitarian formulas” when baptizing?”

“The application of water is a Christian Baptism when it is performed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as Jesus instructed.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “What Is the Significance of God’s Name in Baptism?”

“Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew, “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” [Matthew 28:19].”

Small Catechism, Baptism
NotesExplanation and background

Jesus Himself gave the words to use: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19. "In the name of Jesus" in Acts describes baptism by His authority, not a different formula.

What "in the name of Jesus" means in Acts. The phrase marks Christian baptism, done by Jesus' authority, as distinct from John's baptism. It isn't presented as a replacement for the words Jesus gave Matthew 28:19-20.

The earliest practice. The Didache, a Christian manual from around AD 100, instructs baptizing "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Why it matters. Oneness Pentecostals deny that God is three persons. The LCMS does not accept baptisms from groups that deny the Trinity.

Objection · Quakers and the Salvation ArmyThe baptism that matters is Spirit baptism; water baptism is only outward.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteGod works through outward means He has chosen, like the preached Word and the water of baptism. Faith holds to those means instead of looking past them.

“In short, what God does and works in us He intends to work through such outward ordinances.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶30

“So faith clings to the water and believes that in Baptism, there is pure salvation and life.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶29

“But let Baptism be a thoroughly outward thing. Here stand God’s Word and command, which institute, establish, and confirm Baptism.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶8
NotesExplanation and background

Scripture joins water and Spirit John 3:5. Even after Cornelius's household received the Spirit, Peter asked whether anyone could withhold water, and commanded them to be baptized Acts 10:47-48. There is one baptism Ephesians 4:5.

Outward on purpose. Luther taught that God gives His gifts through outward, physical means so that we can be sure of them: the spoken Word, water, bread and wine. Faith needs something to hold on to.

Water and Spirit together. Peter promised the Spirit with water baptism Acts 2:38, and Paul says we were all baptized in one Spirit into one body 1 Corinthians 12:13.

Objection · Roman CatholicsThe sacraments give grace by the act itself (ex opere operato) to all who place no obstacle in the way.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Augsburg Confession rejects the idea that sacraments benefit simply by being performed, without faith. Baptism is valid because of God's Word, and faith receives its blessing.

“Therefore, they condemn those who teach that the Sacraments justify simply by the act of doing them. They condemn those who do not teach that faith, which believes that sins are forgiven, is required in the use of the Sacraments.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. XIII, ¶3

“Without faith it profits nothing, even though Baptism is in itself a divine overwhelming treasure.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶34

“For my faith does not make Baptism, but receives it.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶53
NotesExplanation and background

Lutherans and Roman Catholics agree that baptism truly gives grace. Lutherans insist that faith receives what baptism gives, and that without faith it brings no benefit.

A fair note on Catholic teaching. Catholics teach that sacraments give grace by the act itself (ex opere operato), but also that their fruit depends on the disposition of the one receiving them. The Reformation-era dispute was over whether grace could be received without faith.

Valid, but received by faith. Lutherans hold two things together: a baptism is valid because of God's Word even if faith is lacking, and its blessing is received only by faith Mark 16:16.

Back to sections

Key verses

These passages describe baptism as something God does, which is why the LCMS reads them as more than symbols.

1 Peter 3:20-21

20because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,ESV
In the original

νῦν σῴζει βάπτισμα nyn sōzei baptisma "Baptism now saves." The verb is present tense: Peter says baptism saves now, not that it once pictured salvation.

ἀντίτυπον antitypon The reality that the Flood foreshadowed. The Flood was the picture; baptism is what it pointed to.

ἐπερώτημα eperōtēma A rare word that can mean an appeal or request (ESV, NASB) or, in later legal use, a pledge (NIV). Either way, the main verb of the sentence is still "saves."

What the sources say

“noting God's use of the power of water both to destroy and to save.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises Safe Passage through the Final Judgment”

NoteThe main statement is that baptism now saves. The rest explains how: not by washing the body, but through Christ's resurrection. Some translations read "pledge" instead of "appeal," but either way Peter says baptism saves.

See alsoHebrews 10:22, Titus 3:5

Acts 2:38-39

38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”ESV
In the original

εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn hymōn "For the forgiveness of your sins." Jesus uses the same expression for His blood poured out "for the forgiveness of sins" Matthew 26:26-28, where it clearly means purpose.

τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν tois teknois hymōn "Your children." Teknon means child or offspring, a word for descendants of any age, including the very young.

What the sources say

“the New Testament speaks about Baptism as being administered for the forgiveness of sins.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises the Forgiveness of Sins”

“For it is very certain that the promise of salvation also applies to little children.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. IX, ¶52

NoteForgiveness and the Holy Spirit are promised in baptism, and the promise extends to children.

See alsoMatthew 26:28 (same Greek phrase), Genesis 17:7

Acts 22:16

16And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ESV
In the original

βάπτισαι καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου baptisai kai apolousai tas hamartias sou Both commands are in the Greek middle voice, commonly read as "have yourself baptized and have your sins washed away." Paul receives both. He doesn't perform either one.

What the sources say

“he recalled how Ananias told him: “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises the Forgiveness of Sins”

NotePaul had already met Jesus, yet he was told that baptism washes away sins.

See also1 Corinthians 6:11

Titus 3:5

5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,ESV
In the original

διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας dia loutrou palingenesias "Through the washing of regeneration." Loutron is a washing or bath, and palingenesia is new birth. Dia means "through" or "by means of": God saves us by means of this washing.

What the sources say

“Such power is given to Baptism by the Word that it is a washing of new birth, as St. Paul also calls it in Titus 3:5.”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶27

NoteGod saves us through a washing, and explicitly not by our works.

See alsoEphesians 5:26

John 3:5-6

5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.ESV
In the original

ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος ex hydatos kai pneumatos "Of water and the Spirit." One preposition governs both nouns, describing a single birth, not two separate ones.

ἄνωθεν anōthen In verse 3, Jesus says one must be born anōthen, which means both "again" and "from above." Nicodemus heard only "again" and pictured a second physical birth John 3:3.

What the sources say

“how God's promise in Baptism makes us members of God's kingdom, akin to a "birth certificate" that attests to our citizenship within God's kingdom.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “New Birth and Life”

NoteOne new birth of water and the Spirit, needed by everyone born of the flesh.

See alsoJohn 1:12-13, Ezekiel 36:25-27

Ezekiel 36:25-27

25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.ESV
In the original

וְזָרַקְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם מַיִם טְהוֹרִים vezaraqti ʿalekhem mayim tehorim "I will sprinkle clean water on you." Zaraq is the verb the Law of Moses uses for sprinkling in purification rites, including the water for cleansing in Numbers 19:13. Here God Himself does the sprinkling.

וְאֶת־רוּחִי אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם veʾet-ruchi ʾetten beqirbekhem "And my Spirit I will put within you." Clean water and God's Spirit are promised together, as water and the Spirit come together in Jesus' words to Nicodemus John 3:5-6.

What the sources say

“In this way you may receive the promised salvation in the water. Now, your fist cannot do this, nor your body; but the heart must believe it [Ezekiel 36:25–26; Hebrews 10:22].”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶36

NoteGod promises to sprinkle clean water on His people, give them a new heart, and put His own Spirit within them. He does it "not for your sake" but for the sake of His name Ezekiel 36:22-27. Jesus joins water and Spirit the same way: new birth "of water and the Spirit" John 3:5-6.

See alsoTitus 3:5, Hebrews 10:22, Ezekiel 36:32

Galatians 3:27

27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.ESV
In the original

ἐβαπτίσθητε ebaptisthēte "You were baptized," a passive verb: baptism is something done to you.

Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε Christon enedysasthe "You put on Christ," the language of putting on clothing. In baptism, believers are clothed with Christ.

What the sources say

“It is hard to imagine how one could be clothed with Christ without faith.”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Are infants or people who have mental or emotional limitations capable of believing the promises of Baptism?”

NoteBaptism unites us to Christ.

See alsoRomans 6:3-4

Romans 6:3-4

3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We 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.ESV
In the original

συνετάφημεν synetaphēmen "We were buried with" Him, a passive verb. Paul describes baptism as something that happened to us, uniting us with Christ's death.

What the sources say

“These two parts, (a) to be sunk under the water and (b) drawn out again, signify Baptism’s power and work. It is nothing other than putting to death the old Adam and affecting the new man’s resurrection after that [Romans 6:4–6].”

Large Catechism, Baptism, ¶65

NoteBaptism joins us to Christ's death and resurrection.

See alsoColossians 2:12

Colossians 2:11-12

11In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.ESV
In the original

περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ peritomē acheiropoiētō "A circumcision made without hands," a circumcision God performs, not people. Paul connects it with being buried with Christ in baptism in the next verse.

What the sources say

“God provided for the incorporation of such offspring, even as infants, into the identity of God's covenant people through the sign of circumcision on the eighth day”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “We Are Made Children of Abraham through Baptism”

NotePaul connects the "circumcision made without hands" with being buried with Christ in baptism. Circumcision was given to infants.

See alsoGenesis 17:12

Ephesians 5:25-26

25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,ESV
In the original

τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι tō loutrō tou hydatos en rhēmati "By the washing of water with the word." Loutron is the same word as in Titus 3:5, and rhēma means a spoken word. Water and Word come together.

What the sources say

“Baptism is nothing other than God’s Word in the water, commanded by His institution. As Paul says, it is a “washing … with the word” [Ephesians 5:26].”

Smalcald Articles, Part III, Art. V, ¶1

NoteChrist does the cleansing, through water and Word together.

See alsoTitus 3:5

Luke 18:15-17

15Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”ESV
In the original

τὰ βρέφη ta brephē "Babies." Luke uses brephos for infants, the same word he uses for John the Baptist before birth Luke 1:41-44. Matthew and Mark say "children" (paidia).

What the sources say

“In this respect, Jesus told His disciples to imitate the faith of little children (Matt. 18:3).”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Are infants or people who have mental or emotional limitations capable of believing the promises of Baptism?”

NoteInfants can receive God's kingdom. Adults must receive it like a child.

See alsoMark 10:16, Matthew 18:6

Ephesians 4:5

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,ESV
In the original

ἓν βάπτισμα hen baptisma "One baptism," listed alongside one Lord and one faith.

What the sources say

“"One Baptism" highlights the dramatic once-and-for-all nature of Baptism”

LCMS CTCR, An Inexpressible Treasure (2018), section “Baptism Promises the Forgiveness of Sins”

NoteBaptism is not repeated.

See alsoLarge Catechism, Baptism

Back to sections

Where Lutherans and Baptists agree

A summary, not an LCMS source. The two traditions agree on far more than they disagree on. The difference is how God works in baptism, not whether He saves.

  • Only Jesus can wash away sins.
  • Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works Ephesians 2:8-9.
  • Christ commanded baptism, and it should never be treated lightly Matthew 28:19.
  • Baptism is done with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • Both commend little ones who die to God's mercy, Baptists usually with more certainty than the LCMS, which speaks of hope for children of Christian parents.
  • Both want children raised to know the Lord.

Back to sections

What the LCMS teaches about the Lord's Supper

In the words of the Lutheran Confessions and the LCMS.

What the Lord's Supper is

In short summary, not a quoteIt is Christ's true body and blood, in and under the bread and wine, given for Christians to eat and drink.

“It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in and under the bread and wine, which we Christians are commanded by Christ’s Word to eat and to drink.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶8

What it gives

In short summary, not a quoteForgiveness of sins, and with it life and salvation.

“For this reason we go to the Sacrament: there we receive such a treasure by and in which we gain forgiveness of sins.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶22

“For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”

Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar

The Word makes the Sacrament

In short summary, not a quoteChrist's Word joined to the bread and wine makes them His body and blood. Without the Word they are ordinary bread and wine.

“It is the Word, I say, that makes and sets this Sacrament apart. So it is not mere bread and wine, but is, and is called, Christ’s body and blood [1 Corinthians 11:23–27].”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶10

Christ's power, not the pastor's

In short summary, not a quoteNo pastor or ceremony makes Christ present. His own almighty power does, through His words.

“no work of man or recitation of the minister produces this presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Holy Supper. Instead, this presence is to be credited only and alone to the almighty power of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶8

Received with the mouth

In short summary, not a quoteChrist's body and blood are received with the bread and wine, by mouth, in a heavenly way that is beyond human understanding.

“Christ’s body and blood are received with the bread and wine, not only spiritually through faith, but also orally. Yet not in a “Capernaitic” way, but in a supernatural, heavenly way, because of the sacramental union.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶15

Faith receives the blessing

In short summary, not a quoteWhoever believes Christ's words "for you" and "for the forgiveness of sins" is ready to receive it.

“But a person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words, “Given … and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.””

Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar

Unbelievers receive it to judgment

In short summary, not a quoteChrist's body and blood are present for everyone who eats and drinks. Those who believe receive them for life, and those who don't, for judgment.

“We believe, teach, and confess that not only the true believers in Christ and the worthy, but also the unworthy and unbelievers receive Christ’s true body and blood. However, they do not receive them for life and consolation, but for judgment and condemnation, if they are not converted and do not repent (1 Corinthians 11:27–29).”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶16

Both bread and wine

In short summary, not a quoteChrist commanded that all drink from the cup, so the cup is given to everyone, not only to clergy.

“The laity are given both kinds in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper because this practice has the Lord’s command, “Drink of it, all of you” (Matthew 26:27). Christ has clearly commanded that all should drink from the cup.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. XXII, ¶1–2

Not a sacrifice for sins

In short summary, not a quoteChrist's death on the cross is the one sacrifice for sins. The Supper gives its benefits. It doesn't repeat it.

“This means that Christ is the only sacrifice applied on behalf of the sins of others. Therefore, in the New Testament, no sacrifice is left to be applied for the sins of others, except the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶56

Received often

In short summary, not a quoteThe Lutheran churches celebrated the Supper every Sunday and on festivals, and Luther urged Christians to receive it often.

“Masses are celebrated among us every Lord’s Day and on the other festivals. The Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶1

“Yes, since He speaks the words ‘As often as you drink it,’ it is still implied that we should do it often.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶47

A gift and a sign of unity

In short summary, not a quoteThe Supper unites us with God through forgiveness and with one another as one body.

“The Lord's Supper offers the two-fold gift of forgiveness and peace with God on the one hand, and unity and oneness among those who commune together on the other hand (Matt. 26:28; 1 Cor. 10:16–17).”

LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Concluding Summary

Back to sections

Likely questions

  1. What is the Lord's Supper?

    In short summary, not a quoteIt is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, in and under the bread and wine, given by Christ for Christians to eat and drink.

    “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.”

    Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar

    “Our churches teach that the body and blood of Christ are truly present and distributed to those who eat the Lord’s Supper [1 Corinthians 10:16]. They reject those who teach otherwise.”

    Augsburg Confession, Art. X, ¶1–2
    NotesExplanation and background

    Many names, one meal. Lutherans call it the Lord's Supper 1 Corinthians 11:20-22, Holy Communion 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, the Sacrament of the Altar, and the Eucharist (from the Greek for "giving thanks").

    Instituted by Christ. Jesus gave it on the night He was betrayed Matthew 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20, and Paul received the same words from the Lord 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

  2. Is Christ's body really present, or is it a symbol?

    In short summary, not a quoteReally present. Christ's words "This is My body" mean what they say. The bread is a true participation in His body, not a reminder of an absent one.

    “We believe, teach, and confess that in the Holy Supper Christ’s body and blood are truly and essentially present, and that they are truly distributed and received with the bread and wine.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶6

    “We believe, teach, and confess that the words of Christ’s testament are not to be understood in any other way than the way they read, according to the letter. So the bread does not signify Christ’s absent body and the wine His absent blood.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶7

    “Since Paul says, “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16), it would follow that if the Lord’s body were not truly present, the bread is not a communion of the body, but only of Christ’s spirit.”

    Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. X, ¶54
    NotesExplanation and background

    Paul's question expects "yes." He asks whether the bread is a participation in Christ's body 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, and he warns that eating unworthily makes a person guilty of the body and blood of the Lord 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. That warning is hard to explain if only bread is present.

    A dying man's testament. Jesus spoke these words the night before His death. Lutherans read them the way a last will is read: plainly, as the speaker meant them.

  3. Does the bread stop being bread?

    In short summary, not a quoteNo. Lutherans reject transubstantiation. The bread remains bread and the wine remains wine, and together with them Christ's body and blood are truly present.

    “As for transubstantiation, we care nothing about the sophistic cunning by which they teach that bread and wine leave or lose their own natural substance so that only the appearance and color of bread remain, and not true bread. For it is in perfect agreement with Holy Scriptures that there is, and remains, bread, as Paul himself calls it, “The bread that we break” [1 Corinthians 10:16] and “Let a person … so eat of the bread” [1 Corinthians 11:28].”

    Smalcald Articles, Part III, Art. VI, ¶5
    NotesExplanation and background

    Paul still calls it bread. Even after the blessing, Paul speaks of "the bread that we break" 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 and says a person should examine himself and so eat "of the bread" 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.

    How Lutherans describe it. Lutherans speak of a "sacramental union": Christ's body and blood are present in, with, and under the bread and wine. They don't try to explain how, beyond Christ's own words.

    Not "consubstantiation." Lutherans are often said to teach consubstantiation, the idea that two substances exist side by side. The LCMS rejects the label because it suggests a theory of how Christ is present, such as a natural mixing or His body enclosed in the bread. It confesses only what Christ's words say: the bread is His body and the cup is His blood.

  4. What does the Lord's Supper give?

    In short summary, not a quoteForgiveness of sins, and with forgiveness, life and salvation. It also strengthens faith for the Christian life.

    “Now examine further the effectiveness and benefits that really caused the Sacrament to be instituted. This is its most necessary part, so that we may know what we should seek and gain there. … For this reason we go to the Sacrament: there we receive such a treasure by and in which we gain forgiveness of sins.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶20–22

    “For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”

    Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar

    “On this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes and strengthens the new man. … Therefore, the Sacrament is given as a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself [Psalm 23:1–3] so that it will not fall back in such a battle, but become ever stronger and stronger.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶23–24
    NotesExplanation and background

    The words say it. Jesus said His blood is "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" Matthew 26:26-28. Lutherans take the Supper's benefit directly from those words.

    Food for the journey. Baptism begins the Christian life. The Supper sustains it, as food sustains the body.

  5. How can eating and drinking do such great things?

    In short summary, not a quoteThe eating and drinking don't do it by themselves. Christ's words, as the Small Catechism gives them, "given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins" do, and faith believes them.

    “It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, that does them, but the words, which are given here, “Given … and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” These words are, beside the bodily eating and drinking, the chief thing in the Sacrament. The person who believes these words has what they say and express, namely, the forgiveness of sins.”

    Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar

    “Although the work is done and the forgiveness of sins is secured by the cross [John 19:30], it cannot come to us in any other way than through the Word.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶31
    NotesExplanation and background

    Won on the cross, delivered in the Supper. Lutherans distinguish where forgiveness was won (once, at the cross Hebrews 10:10-14) from how it is handed out (through the Word, Baptism, and the Supper).

  6. What makes it Christ's body: the pastor, or our faith?

    In short summary, not a quoteNeither. Christ's own word and power make His body and blood present. A pastor's unworthiness can't undo it, and our faith doesn't create it. Faith receives it.

    “no work of man or recitation of the minister produces this presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Holy Supper. Instead, this presence is to be credited only and alone to the almighty power of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶8

    “For the Sacrament is not founded upon people’s holiness, but upon God’s Word.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶16

    “Both the Sacraments and Word are effective because of Christ’s institution and command, even if they are administered by evil men.”

    Augsburg Confession, Art. VIII, ¶2
    NotesExplanation and background

    Why this matters. If the Supper depended on the pastor's holiness or on the strength of our faith, no one could be sure of it. Resting it on Christ's word makes it certain.

  7. Who receives it worthily?

    In short summary, not a quoteAnyone who believes Christ's words "for you" and "for the forgiveness of sins." Worthiness rests entirely on Christ, not on our own goodness or preparation. LCMS congregations also ask that communicants share their confession; see "Why do LCMS churches practice close communion?"

    “Fasting and bodily preparation are, indeed, fine outward training. But a person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words, “Given … and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” But anyone who does not believe these words, or doubts, is unworthy and unfit. For the words “for you” require hearts that truly believe.”

    Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar

    “We believe, teach, and confess that all the worthiness of guests of this heavenly feast is and is founded on Christ’s most holy obedience and perfect merit alone. We receive these for ourselves by true faith, and by the Sacrament we are assured of them.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶20

    “Repentance, faith in Christ's words in and about the Sacrament, and the desire for repentant living in unity with one's fellow communicant are the components of communing in a worthy fashion.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Appendix, Question 7
    NotesExplanation and background

    Self-examination. Paul tells each person to examine himself before eating and drinking 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. In Lutheran practice that means repenting of sin, trusting Christ's promise, and recognizing His body and blood in the Supper.

  8. What if I feel too unworthy to come?

    In short summary, not a quoteThat is exactly who the Supper is for. It was given for Christians who are weak in faith but repentant. Among those who share this faith, only those who don't want forgiveness or don't intend to turn from sin should stay away.

    “We believe, teach, and confess that no true believer—as long as he has living faith, however weak he may be—receives the Holy Supper to his judgment. For the Supper was instituted especially for Christians weak in faith, yet repentant. It was instituted for their consolation and to strengthen their weak faith [Matthew 9:12; 11:5, 28].”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶19

    “We are not baptized because we are worthy and holy. Nor do we go to Confession because we are pure and without sin. On the contrary, we go because we are poor, miserable people. We go exactly because we are unworthy.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶61

    “If, therefore, you are heavy laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort, and strength [Matthew 11:28].”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶72
    NotesExplanation and background

    An invitation, not a test. Luther pointed to Jesus' own words: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden" Matthew 11:28.

  9. Do unbelievers receive Christ's body too?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes. Christ's body and blood are present whether or not a person believes. Believers receive them for forgiveness and life. Unbelievers who don't repent receive them to their judgment.

    “Of the Sacrament of the Altar, we hold that the bread and wine in the Supper are Christ’s true body and blood. These are given and received not only by the godly but also by wicked Christians [1 Corinthians 11:29–30].”

    Smalcald Articles, Part III, Art. VI, ¶1

    “We believe, teach, and confess that not only the true believers in Christ and the worthy, but also the unworthy and unbelievers receive Christ’s true body and blood. However, they do not receive them for life and consolation, but for judgment and condemnation, if they are not converted and do not repent (1 Corinthians 11:27–29).”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶16
    NotesExplanation and background

    Why this is serious. Paul says those who eat and drink without discerning the body eat and drink judgment on themselves 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. That is one reason Lutheran pastors care about who comes to the altar.

  10. Why do LCMS churches practice close communion?

    In short summary, not a quoteFor two reasons: to protect people from receiving the Supper without faith in what it is, and because communing together is a sign of shared faith and confession. It is not a judgment that visitors aren't Christians.

    “There are two reasons why people can be refused admission to the Lord's Supper. The first has to do with faith and discerning the body. … But the second reason has to do with the need for a fitting confessional unity among those who commune together.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Appendix, Question 1

    “the "genuine faith" required for receiving the Eucharist worthily includes a proper understanding of and faith in what the Sacrament is, that is, in the doctrine of the real presence of Christ's body and blood in and under the sacramental elements of bread and wine.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999)

    “The body of the Lord is not usually given to those who have not been examined [1 Corinthians 11:27–28] and absolved.”

    Augsburg Confession, Art. XXV, ¶1
    NotesExplanation and background

    Close or closed. The LCMS uses both terms for the same practice. "Close" highlights communion among those who share one confession.

    Unity in the act itself. Paul says that because there is one bread, we who are many are one body 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. Communing together publicly declares that unity.

  11. Isn't close communion unloving?

    In short summary, not a quoteThe LCMS practices it out of love and concern, with sorrow over the divisions among Christians. It doesn't assume visitors lack faith, and pastors may make exceptions in times of crisis or personal spiritual need.

    “when we explain, with genuine interest and friendliness, our doctrine that the Lord's Supper is both a gift and a sign of unity, others will come to see that we do what we do not because we are unfriendly but because of what we firmly believe.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Appendix, Question 2

    “Our practice of not communing those who belong to such church bodies does not mean that we fear that such individual Christians would necessarily commune in an unworthy manner.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999)

    “We do this not with any thought of superiority or with any gladness, but in deep sorrow and prayer to the Lord of the Church that he would remove the divisions that separate His children from one another in their visible expressions of fellowship.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999)

    “we must at all times acknowledge the possibility, even necessity, of situations of crisis or personal spiritual need in which these fellow Christians as individual believers in need of the Sacrament's comfort and strength might receive such also from our pastors and at our altars.”

    LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999)
    NotesExplanation and background

    Not unusual. The same report notes that the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches teach something very similar. Outside the report, many Baptist churches also limit the Supper to baptized believers.

  12. How often should Christians receive it?

    In short summary, not a quoteOften. Christ's words "Do this, as often as you drink it" (1 Corinthians 11:25) imply frequent use, and the early Lutheran churches offered the Supper every Sunday and on festivals.

    “Yes, since He speaks the words ‘As often as you drink it,’ it is still implied that we should do it often.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶47

    “These are inviting and commanding words by which all who would be Christians are told to partake of this Sacrament.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶45

    “Masses are celebrated among us every Lord’s Day and on the other festivals. The Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved.”

    Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶1
    NotesExplanation and background

    Today. Many LCMS congregations offer the Supper every Sunday. Some offer it every other week or at certain services.

  13. Why do we receive both the bread and the cup?

    In short summary, not a quoteBecause Christ commanded all to drink. Giving only the bread changes what He instituted.

    “The laity are given both kinds in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper because this practice has the Lord’s command, “Drink of it, all of you” (Matthew 26:27). Christ has clearly commanded that all should drink from the cup.”

    Augsburg Confession, Art. XXII, ¶1–2

    “We do not need that “high reasoning” that teaches there is as much under the one kind as under both, as the sophists and the Council of Constance teach. Even if that were true, giving the one kind only is not the entire ordinance and institution commanded by Christ [Galatians 1:9].”

    Smalcald Articles, Part III, Art. VI, ¶2–3
    NotesExplanation and background

    Mark's account agrees. "And they all drank of it" Mark 14:22-24.

  14. Is the Lord's Supper a sacrifice?

    In short summary, not a quoteNot a sacrifice for sins. Christ's death on the cross was the one, complete sacrifice. Lutherans kept the Mass as a service but rejected the idea that it is offered to God for the sins of the living and the dead.

    “Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass. The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence.”

    Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶1

    “This means that Christ is the only sacrifice applied on behalf of the sins of others. Therefore, in the New Testament, no sacrifice is left to be applied for the sins of others, except the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.”

    Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶56
    A false teaching the Confessions reject

    “The papistic sacrifice of the Mass for the sins of the living and the dead.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶23, an error it rejects
    NotesExplanation and background

    Once for all. Hebrews says Christ offered Himself once for all, and by that single offering He has perfected those who are being sanctified Hebrews 10:10-14.

  15. When may children receive the Lord's Supper?

    In short summary, not a quoteAfter instruction, when they can examine themselves and believe Christ's words. The Confessions don't set an age.

    “For it is not our intention to let people come to the Sacrament and administer it to them if they do not know what they seek or why they come.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶2

    “Since the children are baptized and received into the Christian Church, they should also enjoy this communion of the Sacrament, in order that they may serve us and be useful to us.”

    Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶87

    These sources don't name an age. Most LCMS congregations give first Communion at or near confirmation, and some admit younger children earlier after instruction and examination by the pastor. The LCMS does not commune infants, because Paul asks communicants to examine themselves.

    NotesExplanation and background

    Why instruction first. Paul calls for self-examination and discerning the body 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, so Lutherans teach children what the Supper is before they receive it.

Back to sections

Common objections

Each objection is stated the way its holders would put it, followed by the Lutheran answer.

Objection · Many Baptists and other evangelicals"Do this in remembrance of me" means the Supper is only a memorial.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteLutherans agree the Supper is a remembrance, but not only that. Christ commands us to remember Him by eating and drinking His true body and blood. The Confessions reject calling them mere memorials of an absent body.

“For Christ has not instituted it to be treated as a show. Instead, He has commanded His Christians to eat it, drink it, and remember Him by it.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶42
A false teaching the Confessions reject

“Or, they are no more than tokens or memorials of Christ’s absent body.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. VII, ¶116, an error it rejects
NotesExplanation and background

Remembering in the biblical sense. Remembrance in Scripture is more than recalling an idea. At the Passover, Israel "remembered" by sharing the meal God gave. Jesus instituted the Supper at Passover Matthew 26:26-29.

The same verse says "This is my body." The command to remember comes right after Jesus says what He is giving Luke 22:19-20.

Objection · Many Baptists and Reformed Christians"This is my body" is a figure of speech, like "I am the door."

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteJesus' words at the Supper are to be taken as they read. They are His last will given the night before His death, not a parable or comparison.

“We believe, teach, and confess that the words of Christ’s testament are not to be understood in any other way than the way they read, according to the letter. So the bread does not signify Christ’s absent body and the wine His absent blood. But, because of the sacramental union, ‹the bread and wine› are truly Christ’s body and blood.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶7

“Here we stop to watch those who will call themselves His masters and make the matter different from what He has spoken.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶13
NotesExplanation and background

Different kinds of sayings. "I am the door" John 10:9 and "I am the true vine" John 15:1 are comparisons Jesus explains in context. At the Supper He hands the disciples something and says what it is: "This is my body, which is given for you" Luke 22:19-20.

The Aramaic question. Jesus likely spoke Aramaic at the Supper, a language that often leaves out "is" ("this my body"). Some argue that leaves room for "represents." But a sentence like that still states what something is, and all four Greek accounts of the bread word write ἐστιν (estin), "is."

Paul treats it literally. He says the cup is a participation in Christ's blood 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 and that unworthy eating sins against His body and blood 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.

Objection · Reformed (Calvinist) ChristiansChrist's body is in heaven, so it can't be on the altar.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteChrist's body is not confined to one place. God's right hand, where Christ sits, is His rule over everything, and God can make Christ's body present wherever He promises.

“God’s “right hand” is everywhere. Christ is placed there in deed and in truth according to His human nature.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶12, quoting Luther

“God has and knows of various ways to be in any place, and not only one way, which philosophers call local ( localis ).”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶14, quoting Luther
A false teaching the Confessions reject

“Christ’s body is so enclosed in heaven that there is no way it can be at once and at one time in many or all places on earth where His Holy Supper is celebrated.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶32, an error it rejects
NotesExplanation and background

What "right hand" means. Paul describes Christ at God's right hand as ruling far above every power, with all things under His feet Ephesians 1:20-23. Lutherans read it as a position of power, not a seat in one location.

His promise. Jesus promised to be with His people always Matthew 28:20. Lutherans believe His word "This is my body" settles where His body is in the Supper.

Objection · Many Baptists and Reformed Christians"The flesh is no help at all" (John 6:63) shows that eating His flesh means believing.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Confessions teach a spiritual eating by faith, which John 6 describes, and a separate oral eating in the Supper. They don't discuss John 6:63 directly.

“There is a twofold eating of Christ’s flesh. One is spiritual, which Christ describes especially in John 6:54. This “eating” happens in no other way than with the Spirit and faith, in preaching and meditation on the Gospel, as well as in the Lord’s Supper.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. VII, ¶61

“The other eating of Christ’s body is oral or sacramental, when Christ’s true, essential body and blood are orally received and partaken of in the Holy Supper by all who eat and drink the consecrated bread and wine in the Supper.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. VII, ¶63

These sources don't discuss John 6:63 directly.

NotesExplanation and background

A common Lutheran reading. Many Lutheran teachers note that in John 6:63 Jesus says ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν (hē sarx ouk ōphelei ouden), "the flesh is no help at all": "the flesh," not "my flesh." They read it as human nature apart from the Spirit, which cannot grasp His words, not as a statement that His own flesh is useless John 6:63. That reading is a summary of Lutheran teaching, not a quote from these sources.

Objection · Reformed (Calvinist) ChristiansWe receive Christ spiritually by faith, not with our mouths.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteLutherans affirm both. Faith receives Christ spiritually, and in the Supper His body and blood are also received with the mouth, in a heavenly way.

“Christ’s body and blood are received with the bread and wine, not only spiritually through faith, but also orally. Yet not in a “Capernaitic” way, but in a supernatural, heavenly way, because of the sacramental union.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶15
A false teaching the Confessions reject

“In the Holy Supper Christ’s body is not received orally with the bread. But with the mouth only bread and wine are received. Christ’s body, however, is only received spiritually through faith.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶26, an error it rejects
NotesExplanation and background

Not crude or physical. The Confessions reject any idea that Christ's flesh is chewed or digested like ordinary food. The eating is real but supernatural, and only faith receives it for blessing.

Objection · Many BaptistsCommunion is an ordinance of obedience, not a means of grace.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Supper is more than our act of obedience. Through it God gives forgiveness of sins, which faith receives.

“Our churches teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us.”

Augsburg Confession, Art. XIII, ¶1

“For this reason we go to the Sacrament: there we receive such a treasure by and in which we gain forgiveness of sins.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶22
NotesExplanation and background

Obedience and gift together. Lutherans agree the Supper is commanded. But Christ's words describe what He gives: His body "given for you" Luke 22:19-20 and His blood "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" Matthew 26:26-28.

Objection · Many ProtestantsAnyone who loves Jesus should be welcome at the table.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe LCMS asks those who don't share its confession to refrain, not because it doubts their faith, but because communing together expresses shared confession, and because receiving without discerning the body brings harm.

“There are two reasons why people can be refused admission to the Lord's Supper. The first has to do with faith and discerning the body. … But the second reason has to do with the need for a fitting confessional unity among those who commune together.”

LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Appendix, Question 1

“When our pastors ask some to refrain from communing because they may do so "in an unworthy manner," it will be done out of love and concern for the spiritual well-being of those persons.”

LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Concluding Summary
NotesExplanation and background

One body. Paul ties the one bread to one body 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 and warns against divisions at the table 1 Corinthians 11:20-22.

Objection · Some ProtestantsJesus gave the Supper to Judas, so no one should be turned away.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteThe Gospels don't make it certain that Judas was present for the Supper. Even if he was, the details of that night aren't a policy to copy.

“We cannot determine with certainty on the basis of the Gospel accounts whether or not Judas was present at the institution of the Lord's Supper. But even if he were present, we cannot take all the historical details of the institution of the Eucharist as patterns that we must follow today.”

LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999), Appendix, Question 5
NotesExplanation and background

What follows if we copy that night. The same report notes that, by that logic, only the Twelve could commune, or unrepentant people should be welcome Luke 22:3.

Objection · Roman Catholics (transubstantiation)The bread and wine become Christ's body and stop being bread and wine.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteLutherans agree Christ's body and blood are truly present, but reject the claim that the bread and wine are no longer present, only their appearance. Paul still calls it bread.

“For it is in perfect agreement with Holy Scriptures that there is, and remains, bread, as Paul himself calls it, “The bread that we break” [1 Corinthians 10:16] and “Let a person … so eat of the bread” [1 Corinthians 11:28].”

Smalcald Articles, Part III, Art. VI, ¶5
A false teaching the Confessions reject

“The papistic transubstantiation. It is taught in the papacy that during the Holy Supper the bread and wine lose their substance and natural essence, and that they are annihilated. They say they are changed into Christ’s body, and only the outward form remains.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶22, an error it rejects
NotesExplanation and background

Agreement and disagreement. Lutherans and Roman Catholics agree on the real presence. They differ on whether the bread and wine remain, whether the Mass is a sacrifice that earns forgiveness for others, and on giving only the bread.

Objection · Roman CatholicsThe Mass makes present Christ's one sacrifice and is offered for the sins of the living and the dead.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteChrist's sacrifice on the cross is the only sacrifice for sins. The Supper gives its benefits to those who receive it. It is not offered to God to apply that sacrifice to others' sins.

“This means that Christ is the only sacrifice applied on behalf of the sins of others. Therefore, in the New Testament, no sacrifice is left to be applied for the sins of others, except the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶56
A false teaching the Confessions reject

“The papistic sacrifice of the Mass for the sins of the living and the dead.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶23, an error it rejects
NotesExplanation and background

Once for all. Hebrews 10:10-14.

Objection · Some ProtestantsOur faith is what makes Christ present.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteFaith receives Christ's gifts, but it doesn't create His presence. His word and power do.

A false teaching the Confessions reject

“Not the all-powerful words of Christ’s testament, but faith, produces and makes Christ’s body and blood present in the Holy Supper.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶35, an error it rejects

“For Christ does not say, “If you believe or are worthy, you receive My body and blood.” No, He says, “Take, eat and drink; this is My body and blood.””

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶17
NotesExplanation and background

Why it matters. If faith created the presence, a struggling believer could never be sure what they received. Resting on Christ's word gives certainty.

Back to sections

Key verses

Passages the Lutheran Confessions use when they teach about the Lord's Supper.

Matthew 26:26-28

26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.ESV
In the original

τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου touto estin to sōma mou "This is My body." In the words over the bread, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul all use estin, "is." None of them uses a word meaning "represents" or "signifies."

τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης to haima mou tēs diathēkēs "My blood of the covenant" echoes Exodus 24:8, where Moses sprinkled real blood and called it "the blood of the covenant" Exodus 24:8.

πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες piete ex autou pantes "Drink of it, all of you." Pantes ("all") is masculine plural, so it refers to the people drinking: every disciple is to drink from the cup.

What the sources say

“But if the words remain with them, as they shall and must, then, by virtue of the words, it is truly Christ’s body and blood. What Christ’s lips say and speak, so it is.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶14

NoteJesus calls the bread His body and the cup His blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

See alsoMark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20

Mark 14:22-24

22And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.ESV
In the original

ἔπιον ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες epion ex autou pantes "They all drank of it." Every disciple received the cup.

What the sources say

“Christ’s words clearly show this, when Christ gives direction to take, eat, and drink, as was also done by the apostles. For it is written in Mark 14:23, “And they all drank of it.””

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶15

NoteAll the disciples drank from the cup. The Formula of Concord cites this verse to show that Christ's body and blood are received by mouth.

See alsoMatthew 26:26-28

Luke 22:19-20

19And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.ESV
In the original

τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν touto poieite eis tēn emēn anamnēsin "Do this in remembrance of Me." The command is in the present tense, meaning to keep doing it. Anamnēsis is remembrance that recalls and proclaims what Christ did.

What the sources say

“These are inviting and commanding words by which all who would be Christians are told to partake of this Sacrament.”

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶45

Note"Do this in remembrance of me" is a command to keep doing what Jesus did: give and receive His body and blood.

See also1 Corinthians 11:23-26

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.ESV
In the original

καταγγέλλετε katangellete "You proclaim" the Lord's death. Eating and drinking the Supper is itself a proclamation of what His death accomplished.

What the sources say

“The Lord's Supper, Paul declares, is a joint proclamation of the Lord's death, that is, of the nature and benefits of the Lord's death.”

LCMS CTCR, Admission to the Lord's Supper (1999)

NotePaul received these words from the Lord. Every celebration proclaims Christ's death until He comes.

See alsoLuke 22:19-20

1 Corinthians 11:27-29

27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.ESV
In the original

ἔνοχος ἔσται τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ κυρίου enochos estai tou sōmatos kai tou haimatos tou kyriou "Guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." Enochos is a legal word for being answerable for an offense against someone or something.

μὴ διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα mē diakrinōn to sōma "Not discerning the body": failing to recognize what is received.

What the sources say

“We believe, teach, and confess that not only the true believers in Christ and the worthy, but also the unworthy and unbelievers receive Christ’s true body and blood.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶16

NoteEating unworthily makes one guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, which is hard to explain if only bread and wine are present.

See also1 Corinthians 10:16-17

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.ESV
In the original

οὐχὶ κοινωνία ouchi koinōnia Paul's question begins with ouchi, which expects the answer "yes." Koinōnia means a sharing or participation: the cup and bread are a participation in Christ's blood and body.

What the sources say

“it would follow that if the Lord’s body were not truly present, the bread is not a communion of the body, but only of Christ’s spirit.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. X, ¶54

NoteThe bread and cup are a participation in Christ's body and blood, and they make many believers one body.

See also1 Corinthians 10:21

John 6:53-56

53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.ESV
What the sources say

“There is a twofold eating of Christ’s flesh. One is spiritual, which Christ describes especially in John 6:54. This “eating” happens in no other way than with the Spirit and faith, in preaching and meditation on the Gospel, as well as in the Lord’s Supper.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. VII, ¶61

NoteThe Confessions read John 6 mainly as spiritual eating by faith, which happens through the Word and also in the Supper. They base the Supper itself on the words of institution.

See alsoJohn 6:63

Hebrews 10:10-14

10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.ESV
In the original

ἐφάπαξ ephapax "Once for all." Christ's offering of His body was a single, complete sacrifice.

What the sources say

“Therefore, in the New Testament, no sacrifice is left to be applied for the sins of others, except the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.”

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV, ¶56

NoteChrist's one offering is complete. The Supper delivers its benefits and doesn't repeat it.

See alsoHebrews 13:10

Ephesians 1:20-23

20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.ESV
What the sources say

“God’s “right hand” is everywhere. Christ is placed there in deed and in truth according to His human nature.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. VII, ¶12, quoting Luther

NoteChrist sits at God's right hand, which the Confessions understand as His rule over all things, not a single location far from His Supper.

See alsoMatthew 28:20

Matthew 11:28

28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.ESV
What the sources say

“With the greatest kindness He invites us to receive it also in other places, like when He says in St. Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.””

Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, ¶66

NoteLuther used this invitation to urge weary and burdened Christians to come to the Supper.

See alsoMatthew 26:26-28

Back to sections

Where Lutherans and Baptists agree

A summary, not an LCMS source. Lutherans and Baptists share much about the Lord's Supper. The difference is what Christ gives in it.

Back to sections

Why some are saved and not others

Crux theologorum is Latin for “the theologians’ cross,” the hardest question in the doctrine of salvation: if God wants everyone to be saved, and salvation is entirely His work, why are some saved and not others? Calvinists answer by limiting God’s saving will to the elect. Arminians answer by tracing the difference to each person’s free response. Lutherans hold both things Scripture teaches and leave the rest to God. Taught this way, election is not a threat but a comfort: your salvation rests in God’s hands, not yours.

Three answers compared summary, not a quote

Scripture teaches both

  1. God wants all people to be saved 1 Timothy 2:4.
  2. Salvation is by grace alone Ephesians 2:8-9.

So why are some saved and not others?

CalvinistReformed

Does God want every person saved?

He sincerely offers Christ to all and delights in no one's death, but decreed to save the elect alone.

What makes the difference between saved and lost?

God's choice. He elects some to salvation and passes over the rest, who are condemned for their own sin Romans 9:11-13.

What it gives up, as Lutherans see it

That God's saving grace is meant for everyone.

ArminianWesleyan and many evangelicals

Does God want every person saved?

Yes. Christ died for all, and God wants all to be saved.

What makes the difference between saved and lost?

Whether each person, enabled by grace given to all, believes or resists. God elected those He foresaw would believe and persevere Romans 8:28-30.

What it gives up, as Lutherans see it

Full "grace alone." Arminians affirm it, but the final difference still rests on our choice.

LutheranLCMS

Does God want every person saved?

Yes. Christ died for all, and God earnestly wants every person to believe and be saved 1 Timothy 2:3-6.

What makes the difference between saved and lost?

The saved owe it to grace alone: God chose them in Christ. The lost are lost by their own resistance Acts 13:46-48. Why one and not the other is not revealed.

What it gives up, as Lutherans see it

Nothing Scripture teaches. It keeps both truths and leaves the "why" to God: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God" Deuteronomy 29:29.

“Calvinists solve this mystery, which God has not revealed in His Word, by denying the universality of grace; synergists, by denying that salvation is by grace alone. … every poor sinner stands in need of, and must cling to, both the unrestricted universal grace and the unrestricted "by grace alone," lest he despair and perish.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶16

What the LCMS teaches

In the words of the Lutheran Confessions and the LCMS.

God wants everyone to be saved

In short summary, not a quoteGod's love is for the whole world. Christ died for all people, and God sincerely wants every person to come to faith and be saved.

“Scripture plainly reveals the truth that the love of God for the world of lost sinners is universal, that is, that it embraces all men without exception, that Christ has fully reconciled all men unto God, and that God earnestly desires to bring all men to faith, to preserve them therein, and thus to save them”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

“just as the preaching of repentance is universal, so also the promise of the Gospel is universal, that is, it belongs to all people.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶28

Salvation is God's work alone

In short summary, not a quoteNo one contributes to becoming a Christian. Faith is entirely God's gift and work.

“faith in the Gospel, or conversion to God, is neither wholly nor in the least part the work of man, but the work of God's grace and almighty power alone”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶11

“The conversion of our corrupt will, which is nothing other than restoring it back to life from spiritual death, is only and solely God’s work”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. II, ¶87

Damnation is the person's own fault

In short summary, not a quoteWhen someone is lost, it is never because God didn't want them. It is because of their own sin and unbelief. Those who hear the Word and are lost have resisted it.

“The reason why not all who hear the Word believe, and some are therefore deeply condemned, is not because God had begrudged them their salvation. It is their own fault.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶78

“Many hearers of the Word indeed remain unconverted and are not saved, not because God does not earnestly desire their conversion and salvation, but solely because they stubbornly resist the gracious operation of the Holy Ghost”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶13

Election is to salvation only

In short summary, not a quoteGod chose His children for salvation from eternity. He did not choose anyone for damnation.

“Predestination, or God’s eternal election, covers only the godly, beloved children of God. It is a cause of their salvation, which He also provides.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶5

“But as earnestly as we maintain that there is an election of grace, or a predestination to salvation, so decidedly do we teach, on the other hand, that there is no election of wrath, or predestination to damnation.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

Chosen by grace, not foreseen faith

In short summary, not a quoteGod didn't choose us because He saw something good in us, not even our future faith. Our faith is one of the gifts He chose to give.

“we reject as an anti-Scriptural error the doctrine that not alone the grace of God and the merit of Christ are the cause of the election of grace, but that God has, in addition, found or regarded something good in us which prompted or caused Him to elect us”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶36

“Nor does Holy Scripture know of an election "by foreseen faith," "in view of faith," as though the faith of the elect were to be placed before their election; but according to Scripture the faith which the elect have in time belongs to the spiritual blessings with which God has endowed them by His eternal election.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶36

God works through Word and Sacrament

In short summary, not a quoteGod calls and converts people through His Word and Baptism, and keeps them in faith through the Word and the Lord's Supper. He does not work apart from these means.

“we hold with Scripture that God offers and communicates to men the spiritual blessings purchased by Christ, namely, the forgiveness of sins and the treasures and gifts connected therewith, only through the external means of grace ordained by Him.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶21

“Furthermore, the declaration in John 6:44 is right and true, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” However, the Father will not do this without means, but has ordained His Word and Sacraments for this purpose as ordinary means and instruments.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶76

Look for your election in Christ

In short summary, not a quoteDon't search God's hidden plans to find out if you are chosen. Look at Christ and His promises, which are for you.

“Whoever would be saved should not trouble or torment himself with thoughts about God’s secret counsel, about whether he also is elected and ordained to eternal life.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶70

“Gaze upon the wounds of Christ and the blood shed for you; there predestination will shine forth.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40, quoting Luther

Election is meant to comfort

In short summary, not a quoteElection is good news. Your salvation is not left in your own hands, where it would easily be lost, but in God's, who chose you in Christ and promises to keep you.

“It gives the most enduring consolation to all troubled, afflicted people, so that they know their salvation is not placed in their own hands.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶90

“Faith in this truth leaves no room for the fear that God might still harbor thoughts of wrath and damnation concerning us.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40

Some questions have no answer here

In short summary, not a quoteWhy one person believes and another doesn't is not revealed. Lutherans hold both truths without forcing them into a system.

“As to the question why not all men are converted and saved, seeing that God's grace is universal and all men are equally and utterly corrupt, we confess that we cannot answer it. From Scripture we know only this: A man owes his conversion and salvation, not to any lesser guilt or better conduct on his part, but solely to the grace of God. But any man's non-conversion is due to himself alone … it is the result of his obstinate resistance against the converting operation of the Holy Ghost”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶14

“We cannot harmonize God’s revelation with our reason, which we have not been commanded to do anyway.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶53

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Likely questions

  1. What is the "crux theologorum"?

    In short summary, not a quoteIt is the question of why some are saved and not others, when God wants all to be saved and salvation is entirely His work. Lutherans confess both truths and say Scripture doesn't answer the "why."

    “As to the question why not all men are converted and saved, seeing that God's grace is universal and all men are equally and utterly corrupt, we confess that we cannot answer it. From Scripture we know only this: A man owes his conversion and salvation, not to any lesser guilt or better conduct on his part, but solely to the grace of God. But any man's non-conversion is due to himself alone … it is the result of his obstinate resistance against the converting operation of the Holy Ghost”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶14

    “Calvinists solve this mystery, which God has not revealed in His Word, by denying the universality of grace; synergists, by denying that salvation is by grace alone. … every poor sinner stands in need of, and must cling to, both the unrestricted universal grace and the unrestricted "by grace alone," lest he despair and perish.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶16
    NotesExplanation and background

    The name. Crux theologorum means "the cross of theologians": the question every theology of salvation has to face. Lutheran teachers also call it cur alii prae aliis, "why some rather than others?"

    Two answers Lutherans reject. Calvinism says God never intended to save the rest, which denies that His grace is for all 1 Timothy 2:4. Arminianism traces the difference to each person's free response to enabling grace. Lutherans answer that this makes something in us the deciding factor, which conflicts with salvation by grace alone Ephesians 2:8-9.

    What Lutherans keep. Whoever is saved is saved by God's grace alone. Whoever is lost is lost by their own fault. Beyond that, Lutherans don't build a theory Deuteronomy 29:29.

  2. What if I'm afraid I'm not one of the elect?

    In short summary, not a quoteLook away from yourself and your feelings to Christ. His promise is for you, and He gave it to you personally in Baptism. The fear that you might not be chosen is a temptation, not a message from God.

    “Faith in this truth leaves no room for the fear that God might still harbor thoughts of wrath and damnation concerning us.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40

    “It gives the most enduring consolation to all troubled, afflicted people, so that they know their salvation is not placed in their own hands.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶90

    “If, by the grace of God, you believe in the Gospel of the forgiveness of your sins for Christ's sake, you are to be certain that you also belong to the number of God's elect”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40
    NotesExplanation and background

    These thoughts come to believers. The Formula of Concord says Satan usually attacks godly hearts with these very thoughts (Solid Declaration XI ¶70). Worrying about whether you are chosen is not evidence that you aren't.

    Don't read the answer from your feelings. Believers sometimes can't feel God's presence at all. The Formula of Concord points to David, who said "I am cut off from your sight," and then, "But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy" Psalm 31:22. "Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart" 1 John 3:19-20.

    Look where God points you. Christ says "whoever comes to me I will never cast out" John 6:37. "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? … Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died" Romans 8:31-34.

    Promises with your name on them. In Baptism God put His name on you personally. In the Lord's Supper Christ says "given for you." In Absolution you are forgiven by Christ's command. The Formula of Concord points troubled Christians to these: the Sacraments that seal the promise to each believer, private Absolution, and the grace promised in Baptism (Solid Declaration XI ¶37–38, ¶72; Epitome XI ¶13).

    Weak faith is still faith. "A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench" Isaiah 42:3. The Formula of Concord says that faith in the elect is often very weak, yet they still hunger and thirst for righteousness (Solid Declaration XI ¶30).

    You don't have to carry this alone. Helping troubled consciences is part of a pastor's work. LCMS congregations offer private confession and absolution, where you hear God's forgiveness spoken to you by name.

  3. Does God want everyone to be saved?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes. God earnestly wants every person to believe and be saved, and Christ died for the sins of the whole world.

    “Scripture plainly reveals the truth that the love of God for the world of lost sinners is universal, that is, that it embraces all men without exception, that Christ has fully reconciled all men unto God, and that God earnestly desires to bring all men to faith, to preserve them therein, and thus to save them”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

    “This does not mean that God is unwilling to save everybody. … But their wickedness is responsible for this ‹that they perish›, not God or His election”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶12

    “just as the preaching of repentance is universal, so also the promise of the Gospel is universal, that is, it belongs to all people.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶28
    NotesExplanation and background

    Scripture says so directly. God "desires all people to be saved" 1 Timothy 2:4. He is "not wishing that any should perish" 2 Peter 3:9. He has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" Ezekiel 33:11.

    Christ died for all. He is "the propitiation … for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2 and "gave himself as a ransom for all" 1 Timothy 2:3-6. Peter even speaks of false teachers "denying the Master who bought them" 2 Peter 2:1.

    Why it matters. If God's will to save were only for some, no one could be sure the Gospel is meant for them. Because it is for all, it is for you John 3:16.

  4. If salvation is all God's work, why isn't everyone saved?

    In short summary, not a quoteScripture gives two answers and no third. Those who are saved owe it entirely to God's grace. Those who are lost are lost because they resisted Him. Why one and not the other is not revealed.

    “As to the question why not all men are converted and saved, seeing that God's grace is universal and all men are equally and utterly corrupt, we confess that we cannot answer it. From Scripture we know only this: A man owes his conversion and salvation, not to any lesser guilt or better conduct on his part, but solely to the grace of God. But any man's non-conversion is due to himself alone … it is the result of his obstinate resistance against the converting operation of the Holy Ghost”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶14

    “The reason why not all who hear the Word believe, and some are therefore deeply condemned, is not because God had begrudged them their salvation. It is their own fault.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶78
    NotesExplanation and background

    Both halves are in one passage. In Pisidian Antioch, the Jews who refused the Gospel "judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life," while among the Gentiles "as many as were appointed to eternal life believed" Acts 13:46-48. Unbelief is traced to the unbelievers, faith to God.

    Jesus' lament. "How often would I have gathered your children together … and you were not willing!" Matthew 23:37. Christ wanted to gather them, and they refused.

    Not a difference in people. The saved are not better or less resistant than the lost. All were "dead in the trespasses and sins" by nature Ephesians 2:1-5. That's why Lutherans won't say the saved "did their part."

  5. Do Lutherans believe in predestination?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes, in predestination to salvation. From eternity God chose His children in Christ, and that choice is a cause of their coming to faith and being kept in it.

    “Predestination, or God’s eternal election, covers only the godly, beloved children of God. It is a cause of their salvation, which He also provides.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶5

    “all those who by the grace of God alone, for Christ's sake, through the means of grace, are brought to faith, are justified, sanctified, and preserved in faith here in time, that all these have already from eternity been endowed by God with faith, justification, sanctification, and preservation in faith, and this for the same reason, namely, by grace alone, for Christ's sake, and by way of the means of grace.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶35
    NotesExplanation and background

    It's in Scripture. God "chose us in him before the foundation of the world" Ephesians 1:3-6. "Those whom he predestined he also called" Romans 8:28-30.

    Election includes the means. God chose to save His elect through the Gospel and the Sacraments: "God chose you … to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel" 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.

    A comfort, not a puzzle. The Formula of Concord treats election as good news: our salvation rests in God's hands, not ours John 10:27-29, Romans 8:38-39.

  6. Does God predestine anyone to hell?

    In short summary, not a quoteNo. There is no election to damnation. God doesn't want anyone to be lost, and no one is lost because God planned it.

    “But as earnestly as we maintain that there is an election of grace, or a predestination to salvation, so decidedly do we teach, on the other hand, that there is no election of wrath, or predestination to damnation.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

    “Eternal election is a cause why the elect are brought to faith in time, Acts 13:48; but election is not a cause why men remain unbelievers when they hear the Word of God.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

    “Therefore, we reject the following errors: … God is unwilling that everyone should be saved.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶16, ¶19
    NotesExplanation and background

    Where Lutherans and Calvinists part. Many Reformed confessions teach that God passed over the non-elect or ordained them to everlasting death. The Lutheran Confessions reject any teaching that God is unwilling to save some.

    Hardening is a judgment on resistance. The Formula of Concord says God determined to harden and condemn those who reject the Word and resist the Spirit (Solid Declaration XI ¶40, ¶83–85). It never says He decided that anyone should be lost apart from their own sin (see the objection about Pharaoh below).

    Vessels of wrath. Paul says God "endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction," but He "prepared beforehand" only the vessels of mercy Romans 9:20-23.

  7. Doesn't God already know who will be saved?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes. God knows everything in advance. But knowing something will happen is different from causing it. God's foreknowledge doesn't cause anyone's unbelief.

    “This foreknowledge extends over the godly and the wicked alike. But it is not the cause of evil or of sin.”

    Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶4

    “Eternal election is a cause why the elect are brought to faith in time, Acts 13:48; but election is not a cause why men remain unbelievers when they hear the Word of God.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37
    NotesExplanation and background

    Two different things. The Formula of Concord distinguishes God's foreknowledge, which covers everything, good and evil, from His election, which covers only His children and actually causes their salvation.

    God knows the number. The Confessions grant that God knows exactly who will believe and who won't. He hasn't revealed it, and we aren't told to look for it Deuteronomy 29:29.

  8. Did God choose me because He knew I would believe?

    In short summary, not a quoteNo. God didn't choose anyone because He foresaw their faith or goodness. Faith is one of the gifts He chose to give them.

    “Nor does Holy Scripture know of an election "by foreseen faith," "in view of faith," as though the faith of the elect were to be placed before their election; but according to Scripture the faith which the elect have in time belongs to the spiritual blessings with which God has endowed them by His eternal election.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶36

    “we reject as an anti-Scriptural error the doctrine that not alone the grace of God and the merit of Christ are the cause of the election of grace, but that God has, in addition, found or regarded something good in us which prompted or caused Him to elect us”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶36
    NotesExplanation and background

    Faith comes from election. Acts says "as many as were appointed to eternal life believed" Acts 13:46-48, not "as many as believed were appointed."

    "Foreknew" has people as its object. "Those whom he foreknew" Romans 8:28-30: Paul speaks of God knowing people beforehand, not of foreseeing their faith.

    A history in the LCMS. In the late 1870s and 1880s C. F. W. Walther and the Missouri Synod rejected election "in view of faith" (intuitu fidei). Most 17th-century Lutheran theologians had used the phrase, meaning faith as the means of receiving Christ, but Missouri held that its opponents used it to make something in us the deciding factor in election. Ohio left the Synodical Conference in 1881. The Norwegian Synod withdrew in 1883 to settle the dispute within its own ranks, and its anti-Missouri minority left it in 1887. The Brief Statement (1932) restates the Missouri Synod's position.

  9. Do I decide to accept Christ?

    In short summary, not a quoteNo. By nature we are spiritually dead and can't choose God. The Holy Spirit creates faith through the Word. Believing is His gift.

    “faith in the Gospel, or conversion to God, is neither wholly nor in the least part the work of man, but the work of God's grace and almighty power alone”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶11

    “we reject every kind of synergism, that is, the doctrine that conversion is wrought not by the grace and power of God alone, but in part also by the co-operation of man himself”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶12

    “The conversion of our corrupt will, which is nothing other than restoring it back to life from spiritual death, is only and solely God’s work”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. II, ¶87
    NotesExplanation and background

    Dead people don't choose. We were "dead in the trespasses and sins" until God "made us alive together with Christ" Ephesians 2:1-5. The natural person "is not able to understand" the things of the Spirit 1 Corinthians 2:14.

    God gives the willing. "It is God who works in you, both to will and to work" Philippians 2:12-13. The Lord opened Lydia's heart to pay attention Acts 16:14. No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:3.

    What about "choosing"? After conversion a Christian's renewed will truly wants God's will and works with the Spirit. The Confessions deny that the unconverted will contributes anything to becoming a Christian. Even after conversion we cooperate only by the Spirit's power, not as an equal partner (Solid Declaration II ¶65–66).

    Synergism. From the Greek for "working together." It is the view that conversion is partly God's work and partly ours. The Formula of Concord (Article II) and the Brief Statement reject it.

  10. If God does it all, can anyone resist Him?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes. God's grace works through the Word, and people can and do resist it. God doesn't force anyone to believe.

    “God does not force a person to become godly. … Yet God the Lord draws the person whom He wants to convert [John 6:44].”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. II, ¶60

    “Many hearers of the Word indeed remain unconverted and are not saved, not because God does not earnestly desire their conversion and salvation, but solely because they stubbornly resist the gracious operation of the Holy Ghost”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶13
    NotesExplanation and background

    Scripture shows it. "You always resist the Holy Spirit" Acts 7:51. The Pharisees "rejected the purpose of God for themselves" Luke 7:30.

    Not a contradiction. A person can do nothing to bring about their conversion, but can still refuse it. By nature everyone resists. When someone stops resisting and believes, that too is God's work (Brief Statement ¶12). Those who are lost are the ones who kept resisting.

    Where Lutherans differ from Calvinists. Reformed theology teaches that the inward call to the elect can't finally be resisted. Lutherans teach that the same earnest grace comes to all who hear, and those who are lost resisted it.

  11. How can I know I am one of the elect?

    In short summary, not a quoteNot by searching God's hidden will or your own feelings, but by looking to Christ. If you believe the Gospel, you can be certain you are among God's elect.

    “Christians can and should be assured of their eternal election. … This assurance of one's personal election, however, springs only from faith in the Gospel”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40

    “If, by the grace of God, you believe in the Gospel of the forgiveness of your sins for Christ's sake, you are to be certain that you also belong to the number of God's elect”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40

    “Whoever would be saved should not trouble or torment himself with thoughts about God’s secret counsel, about whether he also is elected and ordained to eternal life.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶70

    “Gaze upon the wounds of Christ and the blood shed for you; there predestination will shine forth.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶40, quoting Luther
    NotesExplanation and background

    Look at the promises. Christ says "whoever comes to me I will never cast out" John 6:37. "My sheep hear my voice … no one will snatch them out of my hand" John 10:27-29.

    Remember your Baptism. The Formula of Concord points troubled Christians to the grace God promised them in Baptism, and to the Sacraments, which seal the Gospel promise to each believer personally.

    Doubt is a temptation. The Formula of Concord calls fearful speculation about whether you are elected an attack of Satan, not a sign that you are lost.

  12. Can a true believer fall away?

    In short summary, not a quoteYes. Real believers can turn away and be lost. When that happens, it isn't because God stopped wanting to keep them, but because they turned from Him.

    “The reason is not that God was unwilling to grant grace for perseverance to those in whom He “began a good work,” for that is contrary to St. Paul (Philippians 1:6). The reason is that they willfully turn away again from the holy commandment, grieve and embitter the Holy Spirit, involve themselves again in the world’s filth, and redecorate their hearts as homes for the devil.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶42
    NotesExplanation and background

    Jesus and Paul say so. Some "believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away" Luke 8:13. "Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" 1 Corinthians 10:12. See also Hebrews 3:12-14.

    And yet the elect are kept. God's election "attains its end with all whom it embraces" (Brief Statement ¶38). This is a comfort for believers, not a reason to be careless Philippians 1:6.

    Different from "once saved, always saved." Many who hold that view point back to a moment of decision. Lutherans point to Christ's promise, received in faith today.

  13. If God has already chosen, why preach, evangelize, or go to church?

    In short summary, not a quoteBecause the Word and Sacraments are how God calls and keeps His elect. Election doesn't replace the means of grace; it works through them.

    “Furthermore, the declaration in John 6:44 is right and true, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” However, the Father will not do this without means, but has ordained His Word and Sacraments for this purpose as ordinary means and instruments.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶76

    “all those who by the grace of God alone, for Christ's sake, through the means of grace, are brought to faith, are justified, sanctified, and preserved in faith here in time, that all these have already from eternity been endowed by God with faith, justification, sanctification, and preservation in faith, and this for the same reason, namely, by grace alone, for Christ's sake, and by way of the means of grace.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶35
    NotesExplanation and background

    How people come to faith. "How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?" … "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" Romans 10:13-17.

    Election includes the calling. "Those whom he predestined he also called" Romans 8:28-30. God's choice and His call through the Gospel go together 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.

    No one should wait for a private sign. The Formula of Concord warns against despising the preached Word while waiting for God to draw a person some other way.

  14. Why do some people hear the Gospel and others never do?

    In short summary, not a quoteScripture tells us only part. God owes no one His Word, and where He removes it, that is a deserved judgment. Beyond that, His judgments are beyond us. What He has told us is to take the Gospel to all nations.

    “God does not owe us the Word, the Spirit, or grace.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶60

    “we enter the domain of the unsearchable judgments of God and ways past finding out, which are not revealed to us in His Word, but which we shall know in eternal life”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶15
    NotesExplanation and background

    Paul stops here too. "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments" Romans 11:33-36.

    What we do know. God wants all people saved 1 Timothy 2:4, and faith comes through hearing the Word Romans 10:13-17. That's why the Church sends missionaries.

    God's grace shown to us. The Formula of Concord says that seeing others without the Word should teach us to praise God's undeserved grace toward us, not to judge Him.

  15. Why don't Lutherans try to resolve the tension?

    In short summary, not a quoteBecause Scripture doesn't. Every attempt to explain it gives up one of the two truths. Lutherans would rather confess both and leave the mystery to God.

    “Blind reason indeed declares these two truths to be contradictory; but we impose silence on our reason. The seeming disharmony will disappear in the light of heaven, 1 Cor. 13:12.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶38

    “We cannot harmonize God’s revelation with our reason, which we have not been commanded to do anyway.”

    Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶53

    “Calvinists solve this mystery, which God has not revealed in His Word, by denying the universality of grace; synergists, by denying that salvation is by grace alone. … every poor sinner stands in need of, and must cling to, both the unrestricted universal grace and the unrestricted "by grace alone," lest he despair and perish.”

    LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶16
    NotesExplanation and background

    What each solution costs. If you explain it by God choosing only some, you lose "God wants all saved." If you explain it by our choice, you lose "by grace alone." A troubled sinner needs both.

    Not irrational, just limited. Lutherans don't claim the two truths contradict each other. They say we can't see how they fit, and won't until we see face to face 1 Corinthians 13:12.

    God's ways are higher. Isaiah 55:8-9, Deuteronomy 29:29.

Back to sections

Common objections

Objections come from both directions. Each is stated the way its holders would put it, followed by the Lutheran answer.

Objection · Reformed Christians (Calvinists)God chose some for salvation and passed over the rest, leaving them to damnation.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteLutherans agree that God chose His elect by grace alone. They reject that He chose or passed over anyone for damnation, because Scripture says He wants all to be saved.

“But as earnestly as we maintain that there is an election of grace, or a predestination to salvation, so decidedly do we teach, on the other hand, that there is no election of wrath, or predestination to damnation.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

“Therefore, we reject the following errors: … God is unwilling that everyone should be saved.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶16, ¶19

“Calvinists solve this mystery, which God has not revealed in His Word, by denying the universality of grace; synergists, by denying that salvation is by grace alone. … every poor sinner stands in need of, and must cling to, both the unrestricted universal grace and the unrestricted "by grace alone," lest he despair and perish.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶16
NotesExplanation and background

The Reformed view. The Westminster Confession says that by God's decree "some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death." It adds that God passed by the rest and ordained them to wrath "for their sin."

The Lutheran answer. The logic seems to require it: if God chose some, He must have rejected the others. But Scripture says God wants all to be saved 1 Timothy 2:4, Ezekiel 33:11. Lutherans let Scripture limit the logic, not the other way around.

Shared ground. Both agree that salvation is God's work from start to finish and that no one is chosen for their own merit Ephesians 1:3-6.

Objection · Five-point Calvinists (limited atonement)Christ died only for the elect.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteChrist died for all people. His death paid for the sins of the whole world, including those who reject Him.

“Scripture plainly reveals the truth that the love of God for the world of lost sinners is universal, that is, that it embraces all men without exception, that Christ has fully reconciled all men unto God, and that God earnestly desires to bring all men to faith, to preserve them therein, and thus to save them”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

“just as the preaching of repentance is universal, so also the promise of the Gospel is universal, that is, it belongs to all people.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶28
NotesExplanation and background

Scripture's "all." Christ "gave himself as a ransom for all" 1 Timothy 2:3-6. He is the propitiation "for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2. False teachers deny "the Master who bought them" 2 Peter 2:1.

The common reply. Calvinists often read "all" as "all kinds of people." But in 1 Timothy 2 Paul has just urged prayers "for all people," kings included, and the same "all" runs through the passage.

Why it matters. If Christ didn't die for everyone, a preacher can't tell any particular person "Christ died for you." Lutherans can say it to anyone.

Objection · Reformed Christians (Calvinists)God's grace is irresistible. Everyone He truly calls will come.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteGod's grace is powerful enough to convert anyone, but He works through the Word and doesn't force people. Scripture shows people resisting the Holy Spirit.

“God does not force a person to become godly. … Yet God the Lord draws the person whom He wants to convert [John 6:44].”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. II, ¶60

“Many hearers of the Word indeed remain unconverted and are not saved, not because God does not earnestly desire their conversion and salvation, but solely because they stubbornly resist the gracious operation of the Holy Ghost”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶13
NotesExplanation and background

Resistance in Scripture. "You always resist the Holy Spirit" Acts 7:51. "How often would I have gathered your children … and you were not willing!" Matthew 23:37.

One call, not two. Reformed theology distinguishes an outward call to all from an effectual inward call to the elect, while saying the outward call is sincere. Lutherans answer that the Formula of Concord rejects the idea that God calls all outwardly but in His heart means it for only a few (Solid Declaration XI ¶34–35). The Brief Statement adds that the grace offered to those who are lost is "altogether earnest and fully efficacious for conversion" (¶38).

The same grace. Lutherans say the grace offered to those who are lost is as earnest and powerful as the grace that converts the saved. The difference lies in their resistance, not in God's offer.

Objection · Arminians, Methodists, many evangelicals, and some Lutherans historicallyGod elected those He foresaw would believe.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteFaith is not the reason for election but one of its fruits. God chose us by grace alone, and the faith we have is part of what He chose to give.

“Nor does Holy Scripture know of an election "by foreseen faith," "in view of faith," as though the faith of the elect were to be placed before their election; but according to Scripture the faith which the elect have in time belongs to the spiritual blessings with which God has endowed them by His eternal election.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶36

“we reject as an anti-Scriptural error the doctrine that not alone the grace of God and the merit of Christ are the cause of the election of grace, but that God has, in addition, found or regarded something good in us which prompted or caused Him to elect us”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶36
NotesExplanation and background

Romans 8:29. "Those whom he foreknew" has persons as its object: Paul speaks of God knowing people beforehand, not of foreseeing their decision Romans 8:28-30. Acts 13:48 has faith following God's appointing, not the reverse Acts 13:46-48.

What it would cost. If election rested on foreseen faith, the final difference between saved and lost would be something in us. That brings back the boasting Paul excludes Ephesians 2:8-9.

Shared ground. Lutherans agree with Arminians that God wants all people saved and that grace can be resisted. They disagree that anything in us is the cause of our election.

Objection · Arminians, Wesleyans, and many evangelicalsGod gives everyone the ability to choose; whether we are saved depends on our free decision.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteWe have no power to choose God. Conversion is entirely the Holy Spirit's work through the Word, though people can reject it.

“we reject every kind of synergism, that is, the doctrine that conversion is wrought not by the grace and power of God alone, but in part also by the co-operation of man himself”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶12

“The conversion of our corrupt will, which is nothing other than restoring it back to life from spiritual death, is only and solely God’s work”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. II, ¶87
NotesExplanation and background

Prevenient grace. Wesleyan Arminians teach that God's grace restores to everyone the ability to accept or reject Christ. Lutherans agree grace goes first, but say it doesn't stop at enabling us. It creates faith itself Philippians 2:12-13.

Dead in sin. Scripture calls us dead before conversion Ephesians 2:1-5, Colossians 2:13, and the natural mind hostile to God Romans 8:7.

Comfort. If salvation hung on the quality of my decision, I could never be sure I'd decided well enough. Lutherans point to what God has done, not what I chose.

Objection · Many evangelicals"Behold, I stand at the door and knock" shows we have to open the door.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteChrist does knock through His Word, and His knocking is a real invitation. But the power to open comes from the same Spirit who calls.

“Furthermore, the declaration in John 6:44 is right and true, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” However, the Father will not do this without means, but has ordained His Word and Sacraments for this purpose as ordinary means and instruments.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶76

“faith in the Gospel, or conversion to God, is neither wholly nor in the least part the work of man, but the work of God's grace and almighty power alone”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶11
NotesExplanation and background

The context. Revelation 3:20 is addressed to the church in Laodicea, a church that had grown lukewarm. Jesus calls them to repent and promises fellowship. It isn't a description of how unbelievers first come to faith.

Invitations are real. Scripture is full of genuine invitations Matthew 11:28, and Lutherans preach them. The ability to respond is God's gift Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Corinthians 12:3.

"Choose this day." Joshua's call Joshua 24:15 was spoken to Israel, a people God had already redeemed. God's commands show what we should do, not what we can do without Him Ezekiel 18:31, Ezekiel 36:26.

Objection · Christian universalistsIf God wants everyone saved and nothing can stop Him, everyone will be saved.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteGod's will to save all is real, but people can resist it. Scripture says plainly that some will be lost.

“Many hearers of the Word indeed remain unconverted and are not saved, not because God does not earnestly desire their conversion and salvation, but solely because they stubbornly resist the gracious operation of the Holy Ghost”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶13

“while the universal will of grace is frustrated in the case of most men, Matt. 22:14; Luke 7:30, the election of grace attains its end with all whom it embraces, Rom. 8:28-30.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶38
NotesExplanation and background

Some are lost. "these will go away into eternal punishment" Matthew 25:46. "Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life" John 3:36, Mark 16:16.

A will that can be refused. God's saving will works through the Word, and Jesus says some "were not willing" Matthew 23:37.

Shared ground. Lutherans agree with universalists that God loves every person and that Christ died for all. They disagree that everyone will therefore be saved.

Objection · Many Baptists and Reformed Christians (eternal security)Once you are truly saved, you can never be lost.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteReal believers can fall away. God never stops wanting to keep them, but people can turn their backs on Him.

“The reason is not that God was unwilling to grant grace for perseverance to those in whom He “began a good work,” for that is contrary to St. Paul (Philippians 1:6). The reason is that they willfully turn away again from the holy commandment, grieve and embitter the Holy Spirit, involve themselves again in the world’s filth, and redecorate their hearts as homes for the devil.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶42
NotesExplanation and background

Scripture's warnings. Some "believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away" Luke 8:13. "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away" Hebrews 3:12-14. See also 1 Corinthians 10:12 and Galatians 5:2-4.

The Baptist and Reformed view. Many Baptists, and Reformed Christians under the name "perseverance of the saints," teach that anyone who truly believes will persevere, and that someone who falls away was never truly saved. Lutherans take the warnings as describing a real danger: a true believer can fall away and be lost.

Real assurance. Lutherans have strong assurance. It rests on Christ's promises in Word and Sacrament, received in faith John 10:27-29, rather than on looking back to a moment of decision.

Objection · Many Reformed ChristiansGod hardened Pharaoh's heart, so God decides who is hardened.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteGod did harden Pharaoh's heart, but as a judgment after Pharaoh had repeatedly hardened himself against God's warnings. It doesn't show that God wanted him lost.

“God did harden Pharaoh’s heart. In other words, Pharaoh always sinned again and again and became more hardened the more he was warned.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶85
NotesExplanation and background

Read the order. Exodus repeatedly says Pharaoh hardened his own heart Exodus 8:15. The narrative first says the Lord hardened it after the sixth plague (Exodus 9:12), though God foretold it at the start Exodus 4:21.

Paul's point. The Formula of Concord reads Romans 9:17-18 as showing God's justice toward those who despise His Word, and says Paul doesn't teach that God had ordained Pharaoh to damnation.

Objection · Many Reformed ChristiansRomans 9 teaches that God makes some people vessels of wrath.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quotePaul says God prepared the vessels of mercy for glory. He says God patiently endured the vessels of wrath, not that He made them for destruction.

“Here, then, the apostle clearly says that God endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath. But He does not say that He made them vessels of wrath.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶80

“Eternal election is a cause why the elect are brought to faith in time, Acts 13:48; but election is not a cause why men remain unbelievers when they hear the Word of God.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37
NotesExplanation and background

The wording differs. Paul says God "prepared beforehand" the vessels of mercy, but only that the vessels of wrath were "prepared for destruction," without saying who prepared them Romans 9:20-23.

Jacob and Esau. "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" Romans 9:11-13 quotes Malachi, written centuries later about the nations descended from them. Paul uses it to show election is "not because of works but because of him who calls."

The potter. "Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?" Romans 9:20-23 silences the complaint that God is unfair to find fault when no one can resist His will (Romans 9:19). Lutherans read it as a limit on our questions, not as an explanation of who is lost.

Objection · Reformed Christians (Calvinists)"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" means only the chosen are drawn.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteNo one can come to Christ unless the Father draws them. The Father draws through His Word, and Jesus says He will draw all people.

“Furthermore, the declaration in John 6:44 is right and true, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” However, the Father will not do this without means, but has ordained His Word and Sacraments for this purpose as ordinary means and instruments.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶76
NotesExplanation and background

The same verb. The word for "draws" in John 6:44 is used again in John 12:32: "I … will draw all people to myself."

Lutherans agree with the first half. No one comes on their own power John 6:44. But the drawing happens through the Word, which is preached to all.

"Whoever comes." In the same chapter Jesus says "whoever comes to me I will never cast out" John 6:37.

Objection · Calvinists, Arminians, and some Lutheran criticsHolding both truths is a contradiction. You have to pick one.

What the sources say

In short summary, not a quoteLutherans don't claim to see how the two truths fit. They confess both because Scripture teaches both, and leave the rest to God.

“Blind reason indeed declares these two truths to be contradictory; but we impose silence on our reason. The seeming disharmony will disappear in the light of heaven, 1 Cor. 13:12.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶38

“We cannot harmonize God’s revelation with our reason, which we have not been commanded to do anyway.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶53

“Calvinists solve this mystery, which God has not revealed in His Word, by denying the universality of grace; synergists, by denying that salvation is by grace alone. … every poor sinner stands in need of, and must cling to, both the unrestricted universal grace and the unrestricted "by grace alone," lest he despair and perish.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶16
NotesExplanation and background

Seeming, not real. The Brief Statement calls it a "seeming disharmony." Lutherans don't say God contradicts Himself, only that He hasn't shown us how it fits 1 Corinthians 13:12.

Charges from both sides. Calvinists sometimes call the Lutheran view inconsistent. In the election controversy, other Lutherans accused Missouri of "Crypto-Calvinism." The Brief Statement answers that refusing to go beyond Scripture is not masked Calvinism (¶15), and it rejects synergism just as firmly (¶12, ¶16).

Paul's own response. Romans 11:33-36.

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Key verses

Passages on both sides of the question: God's will to save all, and His choosing of His own.

1 Timothy 2:3-6

3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.ESV
In the original

πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι pantas anthrōpous thelei sōthēnai "Desires all people to be saved." Thelō means to want or will. Anthrōpous is the ordinary word for human beings, the same word Paul used in verses 1–2, when he urged prayers for all people, kings included.

ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων antilytron hyper pantōn "A ransom for all." The payment was made on behalf of all, not only some.

What the sources say

“Scripture plainly reveals the truth that the love of God for the world of lost sinners is universal, that is, that it embraces all men without exception, that Christ has fully reconciled all men unto God, and that God earnestly desires to bring all men to faith, to preserve them therein, and thus to save them”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

NoteGod "desires all people to be saved," and Christ "gave himself as a ransom for all."

See also2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:2

Ezekiel 33:11

11Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?ESV
In the original

אִם־אֶחְפֹּץ בְּמוֹת הָרָשָׁע im-ʾechpots bemot harashaʿ Literally "if I delight in the death of the wicked," the form of a Hebrew oath that means "I certainly do not." God swears it by His own life ("as I live").

What the sources say

“This does not mean that God is unwilling to save everybody. … But their wickedness is responsible for this ‹that they perish›, not God or His election”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶12

NoteGod swears by His own life that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

See alsoEzekiel 18:23

Matthew 23:37

37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!ESV
In the original

ἠθέλησα ēthelēsa "I wanted" or "I willed." Jesus' will was to gather them.

οὐκ ἠθελήσατε ouk ēthelēsate "You were not willing." The same verb again: Christ's will to save met their will against it.

What the sources say

“Many hearers of the Word indeed remain unconverted and are not saved, not because God does not earnestly desire their conversion and salvation, but solely because they stubbornly resist the gracious operation of the Holy Ghost”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶13

NoteChrist wanted to gather Jerusalem's children, and they were not willing. His grace can be refused.

See alsoLuke 7:30, Acts 7:51

Acts 7:51

51“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.ESV
In the original

τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε tō pneumati tō hagiō antipiptete "You resist the Holy Spirit." Antipiptō means to oppose or fight against. It is present tense, with "always": an ongoing resistance.

What the sources say

“God does not force a person to become godly. … Yet God the Lord draws the person whom He wants to convert [John 6:44].”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. II, ¶60

NoteStephen says his hearers always resist the Holy Spirit.

See alsoMatthew 23:37

Hosea 13:9

9He destroys you, O Israel, for you are against me, against your helper.ESV
In the original

שִׁחֶתְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־בִי בְעֶזְרֶךָ shichetkha yisraʾel ki-vi veʿezrekha Very compact Hebrew, so translations differ. Shichetkha is "it has destroyed you" or "he destroys you" (ESV). The older Lutheran and King James reading is "you have destroyed yourself." The preposition be- in bi ("me") can mean "in" or "against," so the rest is "in me is your help" (KJV) or "you are against me, against your helper" (ESV). Either way, Israel's ruin came from turning against the God who was its help.

What the sources say

“The reason why not all who hear the Word believe, and some are therefore deeply condemned, is not because God had begrudged them their salvation. It is their own fault.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶78

NoteIsrael's ruin comes from its own rebellion against the God who was its help. The Formula of Concord and the Brief Statement both cite this verse.

See alsoMatthew 23:37

Ephesians 1:3-6

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.ESV
In the original

ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου exelexato hēmas en autō pro katabolēs kosmou "He chose us in him before the foundation of the world." Election is "in Him," in Christ, which is why the Formula of Concord calls Christ the Book of Life.

κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ kata tēn eudokian tou thelēmatos autou "According to the good pleasure of his will." The reason given is God's gracious will, not anything in us.

What the sources say

“Predestination, or God’s eternal election, covers only the godly, beloved children of God. It is a cause of their salvation, which He also provides.”

Formula of Concord, Epitome, Art. XI, ¶5

NoteGod chose us in Christ before the world began, "according to the purpose of his will."

See alsoEphesians 1:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

Romans 8:28-30

28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.ESV
In the original

οὓς προέγνω hous proegnō "Those whom he foreknew." The object of God's foreknowing is persons ("whom"). Paul speaks of God knowing people beforehand, not of foreseeing their faith.

τούτους καὶ ἐκάλεσεν toutous kai ekalesen "These he also called." God's eternal choice is carried out in time through His call, which comes through the Gospel.

What the sources say

“while the universal will of grace is frustrated in the case of most men, Matt. 22:14; Luke 7:30, the election of grace attains its end with all whom it embraces, Rom. 8:28-30.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶38

NoteGod's purpose for His elect runs unbroken from foreknowing to glory.

See alsoRomans 8:38-39

Acts 13:46-48

46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.ESV
In the original

οὐκ ἀξίους κρίνετε ἑαυτοὺς ouk axious krinete heautous "You judge yourselves unworthy." Those who refused the Word are said to have passed judgment on themselves.

ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον hosoi ēsan tetagmenoi eis zōēn aiōnion "As many as were appointed to eternal life." Tetagmenoi is a perfect passive participle of tassō, "to appoint" or "to set in place." Their appointing comes first, and their believing follows.

What the sources say

“Eternal election is a cause why the elect are brought to faith in time, Acts 13:48; but election is not a cause why men remain unbelievers when they hear the Word of God.”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶37

NoteIn one scene, unbelief is traced to those who rejected the Word, and faith is traced to God's appointing.

See alsoActs 16:14

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

13But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.ESV
In the original

ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος καὶ πίστει ἀληθείας en hagiasmō pneumatos kai pistei alētheias "Through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth." The Spirit's work and faith are part of what God chose, not conditions added afterward. (Ancient manuscripts differ in the previous words: "as firstfruits" or "from the beginning.")

What the sources say

“Furthermore, the declaration in John 6:44 is right and true, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” However, the Father will not do this without means, but has ordained His Word and Sacraments for this purpose as ordinary means and instruments.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶76

NoteGod chose them for salvation through the Spirit's work and faith, and called them through the Gospel.

See alsoRomans 10:13-17

Ephesians 2:1-5

1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—ESV
What the sources say

“faith in the Gospel, or conversion to God, is neither wholly nor in the least part the work of man, but the work of God's grace and almighty power alone”

LCMS, Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932), ¶11

NoteWe were dead in sin until God made us alive. The dead don't cooperate in their own raising.

See alsoColossians 2:13, Ephesians 2:8-9

Romans 9:20-23

20But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—ESV
In the original

σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν skeuē orgēs katērtismena eis apōleian "Vessels of wrath prepared for destruction." A passive (or middle) participle with no agent named: Paul doesn't say God prepared them.

ἃ προητοίμασεν εἰς δόξαν ha proētoimasen eis doxan "Which he prepared beforehand for glory." Here the verb is active, with God as the subject. The Formula of Concord points to this difference.

What the sources say

“Here, then, the apostle clearly says that God endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath. But He does not say that He made them vessels of wrath.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶80

NoteGod prepared the vessels of mercy for glory. He patiently endured the vessels of wrath, but Paul doesn't say He made them that way.

See alsoRomans 9:17-18

Romans 11:33-36

33Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.ESV
What the sources say

“We cannot harmonize God’s revelation with our reason, which we have not been commanded to do anyway.”

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Art. XI, ¶53

NoteAt the end of his discussion of election, Paul turns to praise instead of explanation.

See alsoDeuteronomy 29:29, Isaiah 55:8-9

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Where Lutherans, Calvinists, and Arminians agree

A summary, not an LCMS source. Lutherans share important convictions with both sides of this debate.

  • Every person is a sinner who needs a Savior Romans 3:23-24.
  • Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Ephesians 2:8-9.
  • God knows all things before they happen.
  • Scripture teaches election, and Christians should take comfort in it, though each tradition defines it differently Ephesians 1:3-6.
  • The Gospel is to be preached to all people Matthew 28:19-20.
  • With Calvinists, Lutherans confess that salvation is God's work alone and that no one is chosen for anything in themselves.
  • With Arminians, Lutherans confess that God sincerely wants everyone to be saved, that Christ died for all, and that grace can be resisted.

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How to use this page

Use the Baptism, Lord's Supper, and Crux Theologorum buttons above to switch sections. The Crux Theologorum section covers election and conversion: why some are saved and not others. Each section opens with what the LCMS teaches, followed by likely questions, common objections, and key verses. It closes with where Lutherans and others agree. Search at the top covers every section.

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Every passage cited

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Genesis 17:7
7And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.ESV
Genesis 17:9-11
9And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.ESV
Genesis 17:12
12He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,ESV
Genesis 21:4
4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.ESV
Exodus 4:21
21And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.ESV
Exodus 8:15
15But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.ESV
Exodus 24:8
8And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”ESV
Deuteronomy 1:39
39And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.ESV
Deuteronomy 29:10-12
10“You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, 11your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, 12so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is making with you today,ESV
Deuteronomy 29:29
29“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.ESV
Joshua 24:15
15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”ESV
Psalm 22:9
9Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.ESV
Psalm 31:22
22I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.ESV
Psalm 51:5
5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.ESV
Isaiah 42:3
3a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.ESV
Isaiah 55:8-9
8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.ESV
Ezekiel 18:23
23Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?ESV
Ezekiel 18:31
31Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?ESV
Ezekiel 33:11
11Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?ESV
Ezekiel 36:22-27
22“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.ESV
Ezekiel 36:25-26
25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.ESV
Ezekiel 36:25-27
25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.ESV
Ezekiel 36:26
26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.ESV
Ezekiel 36:32
32It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.ESV
Hosea 13:9
9He destroys you, O Israel, for you are against me, against your helper.ESV
Matthew 3:9
9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.ESV
Matthew 3:15
15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.ESV
Matthew 11:28
28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.ESV
Matthew 18:3
3and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.ESV
Matthew 18:6
6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.ESV
Matthew 22:14
14For many are called, but few are chosen.”ESV
Matthew 23:37
37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!ESV
Matthew 25:46
46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”ESV
Matthew 26:26-28
26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.ESV
Matthew 26:26-29
26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”ESV
Matthew 26:27
27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,ESV
Matthew 26:28
28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.ESV
Matthew 28:19
19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,ESV
Matthew 28:19-20
19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”ESV
Matthew 28:20
20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”ESV
Mark 1:4
4John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.ESV
Mark 1:4-5
4John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.ESV
Mark 7:4
4and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)ESV
Mark 10:13-16
13And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.ESV
Mark 10:16
16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.ESV
Mark 14:22-24
22And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.ESV
Mark 14:23
23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.ESV
Mark 16:16
16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.ESV
Luke 1:15
15for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.ESV
Luke 1:41-44
41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.ESV
Luke 2:21
21And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.ESV
Luke 3:21-23
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 23Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,ESV
Luke 7:30
30but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)ESV
Luke 8:13
13And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.ESV
Luke 11:38
38The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.ESV
Luke 18:15-17
15Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”ESV
Luke 22:3
3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.ESV
Luke 22:19-20
19And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.ESV
Luke 23:43
43And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”ESV
John 1:12-13
12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.ESV
John 3:3
3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”ESV
John 3:5
5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.ESV
John 3:5-6
5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.ESV
John 3:6
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.ESV
John 3:7
7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ESV
John 3:16
16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.ESV
John 3:22-23
22After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptizedESV
John 3:36
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.ESV
John 4:1-2
1Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),ESV
John 6:37
37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.ESV
John 6:44
44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.ESV
John 6:53-56
53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.ESV
John 6:54
54Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.ESV
John 6:63
63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.ESV
John 10:9
9I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.ESV
John 10:27-29
27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.ESV
John 12:32
32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”ESV
John 15:1
1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.ESV
Acts 2:38
38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.ESV
Acts 2:38-39
38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”ESV
Acts 2:39
39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”ESV
Acts 2:41
41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.ESV
Acts 7:51
51“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.ESV
Acts 8:12
12But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.ESV
Acts 8:16-17
16for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.ESV
Acts 10:44
44While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.ESV
Acts 10:44-45
44While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.ESV
Acts 10:45
45And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.ESV
Acts 10:47-48
47“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.ESV
Acts 11:14
14he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ESV
Acts 11:17
17If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?”ESV
Acts 13:46-48
46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.ESV
Acts 13:48
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.ESV
Acts 16:14
14One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.ESV
Acts 16:15
15And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.ESV
Acts 16:31-33
31And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.ESV
Acts 16:31-34
31And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.ESV
Acts 16:33
33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.ESV
Acts 22:16
16And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ESV
Romans 3:23-24
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,ESV
Romans 4:4-5
4Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,ESV
Romans 4:11
11He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,ESV
Romans 5:12
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—ESV
Romans 5:14
14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.ESV
Romans 6:3-4
3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We 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.ESV
Romans 6:23
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.ESV
Romans 8:7
7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.ESV
Romans 8:28-30
28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.ESV
Romans 8:31-34
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.ESV
Romans 8:38-39
38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.ESV
Romans 9:11-13
11though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”ESV
Romans 9:17-18
17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.ESV
Romans 9:20-23
20But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—ESV
Romans 10:9
9because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.ESV
Romans 10:13-17
13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.ESV
Romans 11:33-36
33Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.ESV
1 Corinthians 1:12-15
12What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.ESV
1 Corinthians 1:16
16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)ESV
1 Corinthians 1:17
17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.ESV
1 Corinthians 2:14
14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.ESV
1 Corinthians 6:11
11And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.ESV
1 Corinthians 10:1-5
1For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.ESV
1 Corinthians 10:12
12Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.ESV
1 Corinthians 10:16
16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?ESV
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.ESV
1 Corinthians 10:21
21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.ESV
1 Corinthians 11:20-22
20When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.ESV
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.ESV
1 Corinthians 11:27-28
27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.ESV
1 Corinthians 11:27-29
27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.ESV
1 Corinthians 11:28
28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.ESV
1 Corinthians 12:3
3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.ESV
1 Corinthians 12:13
13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.ESV
1 Corinthians 13:12
12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.ESV
Galatians 3:27
27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.ESV
Galatians 5:2-4
2Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.ESV
Galatians 5:4
4You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.ESV
Ephesians 1:3-6
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.ESV
Ephesians 1:11
11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,ESV
Ephesians 1:20-23
20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.ESV
Ephesians 2:1-5
1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—ESV
Ephesians 2:3
3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.ESV
Ephesians 2:8
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,ESV
Ephesians 2:8-9
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.ESV
Ephesians 2:13
13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.ESV
Ephesians 4:5
5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,ESV
Ephesians 5:25-26
25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,ESV
Ephesians 5:26
26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,ESV
Philippians 1:6
6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.ESV
Philippians 2:12-13
12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.ESV
Colossians 2:11-12
11In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.ESV
Colossians 2:12
12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.ESV
Colossians 2:13
13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,ESV
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
13But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.ESV
1 Timothy 2:3-6
3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.ESV
1 Timothy 2:4
4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.ESV
2 Timothy 3:15
15and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.ESV
Titus 3:5
5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,ESV
Hebrews 3:12-14
12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.ESV
Hebrews 10:10-14
10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.ESV
Hebrews 10:22
22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.ESV
Hebrews 13:10
10We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.ESV
1 Peter 3:20
20because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.ESV
1 Peter 3:20-21
20because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,ESV
1 Peter 3:21
21Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,ESV
2 Peter 2:1
1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.ESV
2 Peter 3:9
9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.ESV
1 John 2:2
2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.ESV
1 John 3:19-20
19By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.ESV
Revelation 3:20
20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.ESV

Sources

Quotations from the Lutheran Confessions are from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, copyright © 2005, 2006 by Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission. All rights reserved. To purchase a copy of Concordia, call 800-325-3040.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked LSB are taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Quotations from An Inexpressible Treasure (© 2019) and Admission to the Lord's Supper (© 2000) are copyright The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and are quoted briefly with attribution. The Brief Statement is quoted from the text at Project Wittenberg.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version, which is in the public domain.

Greek text from the SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT), copyright © 2010 by the Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software. Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

Scripture quotations marked NASB 1995 are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org