The Small Catechism – part 193
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Genesis 17:11
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism
What is Baptism?
Baptism is not merely water; it is water used according to God’s command and connected with God’s Word.
What is this Word of God?
It is the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded 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)
Pulling It Together: The promise of God is for all people. Circumcision was a signal that there is something greater than the shedding of human blood. We are meant to look to something far greater. In Christian baptism, we are “circumcised” by the hand of God. The whole body of this flesh — not mere foreskin, and not only males — is put to death in the “circumcision of Christ.” We are buried with him, into his death, in baptism. The old nature is now nailed to the cross and dead. We have been raised with Christ through faith (Colossians 2:11–14). The old person is dead but a new nature has arisen; our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Prayer: In the water and the Word, you speak to me, Lord, and I believe. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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