Baptism of Adults – Form 1
When adults who have not been baptized desire to receive baptism, they shall first be thoroughly instructed in the doctrines of the Christian religion. And when they have made a good profession in the presence of the consistory, they shall be permitted to make a public profession and receive holy baptism, in the administration of which the following form shall be used.
Dear congregation in the Lord Jesus Christ:
What the Lord has revealed to us in His Word about holy baptism can be summarized in this way:
First, baptism teaches that we and our children are conceived and born in sin. This means that we are by nature children of wrath and for that reason cannot be members of Christ’s kingdom unless we are born again. Baptism, whether by immersion or sprinkling, teaches that sin has made us so impure that we must undergo a cleansing which only God can accomplish. By this we are admonished to detest ourselves, humble ourselves before God, and turn to Him for our cleansing and salvation.
Second, baptism signifies and seals to us the washing away of our sins through Jesus Christ. For this reason, we are baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
When we are baptized into the name of the Father, God the Father testifies and seals to us that He makes an eternal covenant of grace with us and adopts us as His children and heirs. Therefore, He promises to provide us with everything good and protect us from all evil or turn it to our profit.
When we are baptized into the name of the Son, God the Son seals to us that He washes us in His blood from all our sins. Christ unites us to Himself, so that we share in His death and resurrection. Through this union with Christ, we are freed from our sins and accounted righteous before God.
When we are baptized into the name of the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit assures us by this holy sacrament that He will make His home within us and will sanctify us as members of Christ. He will impart to us what we have in Christ, namely, the washing away of our sins and the daily renewing of our lives. As a result of His work within us, we shall finally be presented without the stain of sin among the assembly of the elect in life eternal.
Third, the covenant of grace contains both promises and obligations. Having considered the promises, we now consider the obligations. Through baptism, God calls us and places us under obligation to live in new obedience to Him. This means that we must cling to this one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We must trust in Him and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We must renounce the sinful way of life. We must put to death our old nature and show by our lives that we belong to God. If we through weakness should fall into sin, we must not despair of God’s mercy, nor use our weakness as an excuse to keep sinning. Baptism is a seal and totally reliable witness that we have an eternal covenant with God.
And although the children of Christians, despite their inability to understand these things, must be baptized by virtue of the covenant, it is not lawful to baptize adults unless they first confess and repent of their sins and make a profession of their faith in Christ. For this reason, according to the command of God, John the Baptist preached a baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4–5
; Luke 3:3). Also, our Lord Jesus Christ commanded His apostles, “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” (Matt. 28:19). This promise is confirmed by Paul: “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). According to this rule, as we see in the book of Acts, the apostles baptized no other adults but those who confessed and repented of their sins and who made a profession of faith. Therefore, it is not lawful now to baptize any other adults than those who have learned and understand, from the preaching of the holy gospel, the mysteries of holy baptism, and are able to give an account of their faith and profess that faith publicly.
That we therefore may administer this holy ordinance of God to His glory, to our comfort, and to the edification of the church, let us call on His holy name:
Almighty, eternal God, long ago You severely punished an unbelieving and unrepentant world in holy judgment by sending a flood. But in Your great mercy, You saved and protected believing Noah and his family. You also drowned the obstinate Pharaoh and his whole army in the Red Sea, and You brought Your people Israel through the sea on dry ground. In these acts, You revealed the meaning of baptism and the mercies of Your covenant in saving Your people, who of themselves deserved Your condemnation.
We therefore pray that in Your infinite mercy, You will graciously look upon this, Your child, and bring him/her into union with Your Son, Jesus Christ, through Your Holy Spirit. May he/she be buried with Christ into death and be raised with Him to walk in newness of life. We pray that he/she may follow Christ day by day, may joyfully bear his/her cross, and may cling to Him in true faith, firm hope, and ardent love.
Comfort him/her in Your grace, so that, when he/she leaves this life and its constant struggle against the power of sin, he/she may appear before the judgment seat of Christ, Your Son, without fear. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the one and only God, lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Address to the Person to Be Baptized
__________, since, then, you desire to receive holy baptism, that it may be to you a seal of your incorporation in the church of God, and that it may now appear that you not only believe and embrace the Christian religion, in which you have been instructed by us, but also that you intend to direct your life accordingly, you are to answer these questions sincerely before God and His church:
Do you believe in the only true God, distinct in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who of nothing has made heaven and earth and all that is in them, and still upholds and governs them, so that nothing comes to pass, either in heaven or on earth, without His divine will?
Answer: I do.Do you believe that you were conceived and born in sin, and therefore are by birth and by nature a child of wrath, totally incapable in yourself of doing any good and prone to all evil, and that you, in thought, word, and deed, have frequently transgressed the commandments of the Lord; and do you sincerely repent of these, your sins?
Answer: I do.Do you believe that Jesus Christ, who is both true and eternal God and very man, who assumed His human nature from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, is given to you by God as a Savior, and that you by this faith receive remission of sins in His blood, and that you, by the power of the Holy Spirit, have become a member of Jesus Christ and of His church?
Answer: I do.Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God; do you assent to all the articles of the Christian religion, as they are taught here in this Christian church from the Word of God, and are you determined to continue in the same doctrine to the end of your life; and do you also reject all heresies and errors conflicting with this doctrine?
Answer: I do.In love for Christ, do you firmly resolve always to lead a Christian life, and to forsake the world and its evil lusts; and do you desire, as well, to show your love to Christ in seeking the fellowship of His church, availing yourself diligently of the means of grace given to her, and cheerfully submitting to the government, admonition, and discipline of the church?
Answer: I do.
May the good and great God mercifully grant you His grace and blessing in this, your holy purpose, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Then the minister of God’s Word, in baptizing, shall say:
__________, I baptize you into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Optional:
The minister addresses the congregation:
Do you, the people of the Lord, promise to receive __________ into your fellowship as a member of the body of Christ, and do you promise to encourage him/her in the Christian faith and help him/her in doing the work of the Lord?
Congregation:
We do, God helping us.
Thanksgiving
Almighty God and merciful Father, we thank and praise You that You have forgiven us and our children all our sins through the blood of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ. You received us through Your Holy Spirit as members of Your only begotten Son, and so adopted us as Your children. You sealed and confirmed this to us by holy baptism.
We earnestly pray, through Your beloved Son, that You will always govern this brother/sister by Your Holy Spirit. May he/she continue to mature in the Christian faith and in godliness, and grow and develop in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grant that he/she may see Your fatherly goodness and mercy, which You have shown to him/her and to us all. May he/she live in all righteousness under our only Teacher, King, and High Priest, Jesus Christ. Give him/her the courage to fight against and overcome sin, the devil, and his whole dominion. May he/she forever praise and magnify You and Your Son, Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Spirit, the one and only true God. Amen.