The Proposed Rite For Holy Baptism - Biblically Considered The following article is directed syecificall~ to Resolutiotz 2-1 7 passed by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Sjizod at its New York co?zverztiofz held it1 jz4ly 1967. The Resolz~tio~z reads: That the decision whether to irzclude in the rez-ised "Rite of Holy Baptism" the words "Go, u~zcleatz spirit, and give way to the Holy Spirit": making the sigtt of the cross ~vherz the pastor prays "Hallow this water by Thy Word to be a lrashing of regetleratiorl arid reneloal in tlze Holy Spirit"; ylaciilg a white robe upon the persol1 baptized; atzd placing a lighted candle into the right lzafzd of the person balltized, be referred to the Corrzrrrissioi~ 071 Worship. It is hoped that this article lvill provirle additioizal ~izaterial to the pastors and corzgregatio~zs of the Alissoziri S~~lod before the issue is yreseizted to the 1969 cotl17e11tion at Denl~er for fitzal actioll. HE CORlRIISSION on \ITorship has prepared for The Lutheran T Church-hlissouri Synod and the Synod of Evangelical Luth- eran Churches (Slovak Synod) a new form of Baptism to replace the one now in use. The new liturgy retains some forms in use and reintroduces from eariler periods of the church certain forms which have fallen into disuse. This has evoked no little discussion in our circles. Questions haw arisen concerning both the newly reintroduced forms and the perpetuation in the nen- liturgy of some forms now in usc. The avowed purpose of the commission was to maintain the best possible Lutheran customs in the rite, and his- torical essays dealing with these should be available for both pastors and congregations. Rly one purpose in writing is to show whether or not there is any Biblical justification for some parts over which there has been much discussion. \Ve will limit ourselves to seven points: 1. exorcisn~; 2. the pericope of Jesus' blessing the children; 3. the questioning or examination of the child; 4. the reference to Titus 2:s in the post-baptismal praj-er; 5. the putting on of the baptismal robe; 6. the receiving of the lighted candle; and 7. the laying on of hands at the blessing. Exorcism means to drive out the devil or an evil spirit by the word of God. The words for the cxorcisnl in the proposed rite are, "Go, unclean spirit, and give place to the Hol~ Spirit." A vital part of Jesus' ministry mas hclping denloniacs by driving out the devils through direct commands, not unlike the one used in the proposed exorcism.' Only a person committed to a m!;thological approach to Holy Scripture would deny that Satan has his own separate existence.' Frequently, the demons succumbed to exorcism only with the greatest reluctance, vehemently protesting their cvic- The Proposed Rite for Holy Baptism-Biblically Considered 31 tion. The disciples were given a share in this ministry of Jesus, though not always with the same suc~ess.~ The Marcan Epilogue indicates that exorcism ~vould still be part of their ministry even after the ascension.' The question before the church is not whether exorcism is permissible with the obviously demon possessed, but whether exorcism may be applied to a person who through Baptism is enter- ing the church and where no special demoniacal possession is obvious. Doubts raised can be summarized into two questions. Should exorcism be used where there is no obvious possession with Satan? Does exorcism detract from both the power and meaning of Baptism as a sacrament instituted by Christ? Obviously the rite of exorcism in the baptismal liturgy is an adiaphoron and therefore not really necessary for Baptism or salva- tion. But with the exception of the words used in the very act of baptizing, the entire rite, including such things as Scripture reading, the Lord's Prayer, and the Benediction, are liturgically unnecessary and hence also adiaphora. There might be even a little margin for change in the words of haptizing.Vhus if rightly understood, an!- rite could be classified as adiaphoron so far as the words are concerned. The argument from necessity is not sufficient reason to exclude exorcism, since such an argument might possibly be used to eliminate all set liturgical forms in the church. Part of this same question, and perhaps the more important part, is whether exorcism at the time of Baptism is Biblicallv permis- sible and defensible. Of course its desirability in each situation is an open question. Baptism throughout the Ken. Testament, beginning with the somewhat undeveloped Baptism of John the Baptist, is seen as one of God's weapons in overcoming Satan's king- dom in the hearts of men."aptism is both a joining to God's kingdom and a renunciation of Satan's, since as Jesus says, "No man can serve two masters." This is not a new thought in our churchcs, since our present rite, as well as the new, includes a renouncing of Satan' before stating the confession of allegiance to the Triune God. Urhile there might be general agreement on re- nouncing Satan, exorcism gives a new twist, since the words of the rite necessarily imply that Satan or a demon is actuallv in the person. Though the suggestion of satanic indnelling might sound both severe and anachronistic to the modern man for whom Satan as a personality is no longer a realitv, Paul teaches that ~rherever the Holy Spirit is not working confession in the hearts of believers, there "the prince of the pol~~er of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience" is working ~nbelief.~ As there is no neutral state brhveen belief and unbelief, so there is no person, adult or child, who is without either the Holy Spirit or the "unclean spirit." Lack of manifest demoniacal possession in the unbeliever is no assurance that Satan is not there. Where Christ and His Spirit are not present in the hcart by faith, there we can be certain that Satan has complete sway. A near perfect analog! \vould be the ind\~elling of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of Christ- ians. The lack of extraordinary gifts in Christians in no wa? implies that the Holp Spirit has not worked faith there.' Consider- ing this evidence, ire cannot see any objection to exorcism based on the argument that it should be used only where there is obvious demoniacal possession. This leaves us with the second question, whether esorcism detracts from the meaning and power of Baptism? Here we will attempt to show that exorcism, instead of detracting fiom Baptism, makes its meaning even clearer. Baptism is not only saying "Yes'' to God, but it is a loud and a clear "No" to Satan. In Baptism God's "clean" Holy Spirit is exchanged for the "unclean spirit." The words of exorcism, "Go unclean spirit and give place to the Holy Spirit" express this well. Though theoretically exorcism is defensible in Baptis~n, therc might be a practical difficulty in the Baptism of adults, since even before Raptism they have indicated their faith in Christ and the "new man" is already gaining the upper hand over the "old Adam." For adults excorism does not mean that Satan rill first be con- quered in their lives in the rite of Baptism, but the words signify that God now lives in their hearts where once Satan was lord. With infants the problem is a little different since they a - B proach the font, still being under Satan's sway, and leave as Go 's own children with faith in their hearts. Here, however, there might be a time factor. It could be asked whether Satan were driven out in one part of thc service and then in another part, a few minutes later, faith is received in the act of the pouring of the water. This is only a problenl if we take an atomistic approach to God's word. The rite of Baptism, includin all of the separate ~rords, constitute for God only one word, by rv % ich God lifts the child from Satan's grip into the hands of the Good Shepherd, n,ho holds His lambs in His bosom. The ideal would be for us to say all of the words in one breath. Since we are created, limited, and hence temporal creatures, this is impossible. But all the n-ords in the rite of Bap- tism appear to God as only one moment and one mrd in eternity. Certainly, it is open to debatc where the words of exorcism should be placed; however, after the pouring of the water, the words would have little meaning, as the child would already belong to God. Nothing in Scripture can be raised against exorcism and, if properly understood as a word of God signifying Satan's defeat in the individ- ual, it brings out even clearer the true meaning of Baptism. The reading of the hlarcan pericope of the blessing of the children is continued in the new rite. The retention of this pericope is questioned since Jesus places His hands on the children but does not baptize them. Why hlark 10: 13ff. was chosen by the early church instead of the parallel sections in XIatthew 19: 13ff. and Luke 18: 15ff. is not known, though all three are useful in deter- mining the original Sitz im Lebelz. The Lucan account identifies the children (yaidia) as infants (brefee), so it is immaterial if these The Prqposed Rite for Holy Baptism-Biblically Considered 33 words are used with older children or the younger infants, who are only a few hours or days old. The vital question is the place of these words in the rite of Baptism. The Baptists have used these same words in connection with their blessing and naming ceremony administered without the benefit of water. At first glance such a practice might seem more in keeping with what Jesus originally intended. But such a thought completely overlooks the fact that the Gospel accounts mention no one specifically by name baptized by Jesus or His disciples. The examples of great faith, the cen- turion and the Canaanite woman, are not lnentioned as having been baptired. The argument that Jesus did not baptize the children proves pitifully little, since the Gospel of John specifically states that Jesus Himself baptized no one.'" The pericope of Jesus' blessing the children in each of the Synoptic Gospels appears according to literary arrangement shortly before His entrance into Jerusalem and the subsequent events of that sacred week which became the foundation of ~alvation.'~ Ac- cording to Rlatthelv's Gospel this saving activity is capsuled into Baptism, which is both apex and climax of this account. Just as Baptism could not be denied the centurion and Canaanite woman, who are examples of faith, so it cannot be denied children, even infants, who no less are held up to the disciples as examples of faith. Though much more has been said and could still be said, let it suffice here to say that the pericope of the blessing of the chil- dren is in the sequence of events in the life of Jesus intimately connected with the baptismal commission. The questioning or the examination of the child is another part of the rite now in use which is to be retained with onlv slight modifications. It seems to have been used in the church since earlier times and was retained by Luther.12 During the period of Rationalism it fell into disfavor, not because of historical reasons, but because somc denied that children could have faith.'Vgain during periods of confessional revival it was reinstated. Some have thought that such a detailed questioning is not appropriate in the case of infants. There can be no quarrel with the use of an ab- breviated confession as long as the Christ confessed is acknowledged to be the Son of thc Almighty Father and who is now at work in His church through the Spirit. The church uses essentially identical forms of questioning with both child and adult to signify that Bap- tism has for each the same meaning. Thc examination of infants is not an adiaphoron in those cases where faith is denied to them, since the church is placed in statzc confessionis, a position where she must maintain what she believes to be true. Sponsors are retained to articulate for the child his faith. The inability of oral articulation of the faith is not sufficient reason to keep a person, adult or infant, from Baptism, since God intends to give all men salvation. In the post-baptismal prayer we find the reference to Titus 2: 5, "a washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit", which is of course familiar to those brought up on Luther's Small Catechism. Though Paul is acquainted with the word "baptism" he refers to the sacrament here as "washing." ll'hile "baptism" is more familiar to us now as a technical tcrm, both terms, "washing" and "baptism", were synonyms in the apostolic church for the act of initiation into Christ's church.14 Thus the usc of Titus 2:5 in the rite is in keeping with the New Testament usage. The custom of putting on white robes after the Baptism has not been in use in our circles, though the dressing of the child in a long white christening gown, often a family heirloom handed down from one generation to another, is common among us. There is firm evidence that as early as the post-apostolic church, the candi- date was dressed in a white robe after Baptism." Galatians 3 :27, which mentions that all who have been baptized into Christ have put Clirist on, might very well indicate that this custom was al- ready \videspread in apostolic times. Revelation 6 : l l, picturing the saints being giren white robes to put on, might also reflect this same practice connected with Baptism. A word here might be said about total immersion, especially in regard to infants. This practice was in use till Luther's time and n-as suggested by him as a preferrable mode of Baptism.16 Though much Biblical evidence mould recommend this mode, es- pecially as signif!ing burial with Christ, there are man! practical reasons for its exclusion from the new rite. Another innovation suggested in the rite is the placing of the lighted candle in the hand of the baptized or the sponsor as a svm- bol of faithfulness to death. This custom seems to reflect Revela- tion 2:5 whcre a candle lit in heaven indicates that the church it symbolizes has been faithful. The church at Ephesus was in danger of haling theirs extinguished for having abandoned their first lore. Though in this case it is more difficult to show Biblically that such a custonl in connection with Baptism was used in the early church, the symbolism itself is nevertheless taken from the Bible. Since many churches present baptismal candles to he lit on each subsequent anniversary of the Baptism, this use of the lighted candle at the act of Baptism itself should not be objectionable. The 1a)ing on of the hands at the Lord's Prayer and the blessing of the child is retained. Acts 8: 17 associates the laying on of the hands with Baptism and Hebrews 6:2 indicates that together they comprise one action. It is claimed that confirmation arose in the church when Baptism and thc laying on of hands were separated. In the New Testament, however, Baptism is followed by the laying on of hands. This article was not written with the purpose of commenting on form of language or suitability of the rite for our churches. Its one purpose was to show Biblical roots for significant portions of the rite so that pastors and congregations mould have some assist- ance in determining whether it should be introduced. This miter The Proposed Rite for lfoly Baptism-Biblically Considered 35 finds that the proposed rite for Baptism is faithful both in word and thought to the Holy Scriptures and that it enhances the meaning of this sacrament. NOTES 1. Mark 1 25 f. "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him.' And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him." 2. Cf. Rudolf Bultmann, Jesus and the Word, translated by Louise Smith and Erminie Lantero (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1958) p. 56. "To this mythology belongs also the figure of Satan who now fights against the hosts of the Lord. If it is true that to Jesus the world can be called bad only in so far as men are bad, that is, are of evil,,will, then it is clear how little the figure of Satan really meant to him. 3. Mark 9: 14ff. 4. Mark 16:17. "In my name they will cast out demons." 5. The words of baptizing in the earliest church might have simply been, "In the name of Jesus Christ." Cf. Acts 2:38, 8~12. 6. Matthew 3:l-10. 7. "N., do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways?" Proposed Rites for Holy Baptism and the Ordination of a Alinister. Produced by the Commission on Worship, Liturgics and Hymnology of the Synodical Conference, 1967, p. 5. 8. Ephesians 2: 2. 9. 1 Corinthians 12 discusses the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Christ- ians, though the manifestations of His presence differ individually. 10. John 4 :2. 11. In Matthew the pericope appears in chapter 19 and the ent~y into Jerusalem in chapter 21. In Mark the chapters are 10 and 11, and in Luke they are 18 and 19. 12. Edmund Schlink, Theology of the Lutheran Confessions, translated by Paul F. Koehneke and Herbert J. A. Bouman (Philadelphia: Muhlen- berg Press, 19611, pp. 151 ff. 13. F. H. Kettler, "Taufe 111. Dogmengeschichtlich" in Die Religion in Geschichte zrnd Gege,~~clnrt, edited by Kurt Galling. (Tiibingen: J. C. B. Mohr, Dritte, vollig neu bearbeitet Auflage, 1962), VI, 637-646. 14. Similar terminology is used in Ephesians: 5:26 and Hebrews 10:22. For a discussion of the entire issue cf. J. Ysebaert, Greek Baptismal Terminology (Nijmegen: Dekker and Van de Vegt, 1962). 15. Henry F. Brown, Baptism Through the Centuries (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 19651, p. 13. 16. [bid., p. 68. Brown provides pictures showing how this was done.