Wednesday of Trinity 11

 Finding Certainty

1 Peter 1:1-9, 22-25 (ESV) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls… Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
 
An article in the Roman Catholic magazine America reports that a priest in Detroit recently found a video of his Baptism some 30 years ago and learned that the officiant had used “improper wording,” saying, “we baptize you” instead of “I baptize you” followed by “in the name of the Father and the of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
 
The article continues, “Because the sacraments of confirmation and holy orders can only be conferred upon validly baptized Catholics, Father Hood was ‘devastated’ to learn that not only was he not baptized or confirmed, but he also was not a validly ordained priest… As a consequence of the invalid baptism, Father Hood lacked the ability to confer most sacraments since he thought he was ordained in 2017, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said in an Aug. 22 letter to Catholics in the archdiocese.”
 
This reminds me of the anecdote that I heard from a professor at seminary. When a man was about to be ordained into the Roman Catholic priesthood, the presiding bishop learned that the man had been baptized “in the name of Jesus and of Mary and of Joseph,” so right then and there the bishop baptized and confirmed him in the vestry before the public ordination could occur. In that case, there is no question that the baptism was invalid, since the Words given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19 weren’t used.
 
However, I take issue with the judgment rendered by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about this particular priest’s Baptism being “invalid,” for a couple reasons, the first biblical, the second theological.
 
First, the “I baptize” is not in Jesus’ words of institution for Holy Baptism: “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.” Some things get lost in translation, though, since the English obscures the second-person plural imperative and participles: “Therefore, after y’all have gone, y’all make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Since this is the case, then it would have been just as reasonable for the apostles to say “we baptize” as “I baptize.” That part doesn’t matter. What constitutes a valid “washing of water with the Word” (Ephesians 5:26) is the combination of water with “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” done according to Christ’s command.
 
Second, our Lord did not give the gift of Holy Baptism to the Church in order to create uncertainty (“Did the priest or pastor say the words just right?”) but to offer us certainty of salvation: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:3-5).
 
St. Augustine said that it is not the absence of Baptism but the rejection of Baptism that condemns. Jesus says as much: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). We trust that the God of all grace will not determine the salvation of a sinner to the precision (or imprecision) of a fallible minister. “By grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Christ is the Savior; we trust in Him and are saved.
 
But what about the “validity” of sacraments administered by a pastor who was “improperly baptized”? As Lutherans, we reject the Roman Catholic notion that some sort of spiritual efficacy inheres in priests by virtue of their ordination. Instead, we trust that the Word and Sacraments are efficacious even if your pastor is an unbeliever!
 
Shocking, right? But this is how the Augsburg Confession, Article 8 puts it: “Strictly speaking, the Church is the congregation of saints and true believers. However, because many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled within them in this life, it is lawful to use Sacraments administered by evil men, according to the saying of Christ, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat’ (Matthew 23:2). Both the Sacraments and Word are effective because of Christ’s institution and command, even if they are administered by evil men. Our churches condemn the Donatists, and others like them, who deny that it is lawful to use the ministry of evil men in the Church, and who think that the ministry of evil men is not useful and is ineffective.”
 
Ideally, your pastor is both a true believer and was baptized properly, but no matter what, you should find certainty of salvation not in any human being but in God’s Word! “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:22-25).
 
Prayer (LSB 509):
 
1. Christ is surely coming
    Bringing His reward,
Alpha and Omega,
    First and Last and Lord:
Root and Stem of David,
    Brilliant Morning Star;
Meet your Judge and Savior,
    Nations near and far!
 
2. See the holy city!
    There they enter in,
All by Christ made holy,
    Washed from ev’ry sin:
Thirsty ones, desiring
    All He loves to give,
Come for living water,
    Freely drink, and live!
 
3. Grace be with God’s people!
    Praise His holy name!
Father, Son and Spirit,
    Evermore the same;
Hear the certain promise
    From the_eternal home:
“Surely I come quickly!
    Come, Lord Jesus, come!” Amen.