Bonhoeffer: Baptism and the Life of Discipleship

Bonhoeffer titles the final section of his book “The Church of Jesus Christ and the Life of Discipleship.”  The first two chapters are titled “Preliminary Questions” and “Baptism” and in them, Bonhoeffer discusses again the call of Christ, specifically through Word and Sacraments. He re-emphasizes that which he discussed earlier, the centrality of the word of Christ—the call of Christ to each of us through the written and read word, a call which is identical in substance to the verbal call of Christ to the disciples; “…I have no other means of knowing him [Christ] but through his plain word and command.”  Bonhoeffer asks a series of rhetorical questions, questions similar to those we might ask about the call of Christ:  did Jesus adapt his call?  Why didn’t he call Lazarus to be a disciple, to leave his work?  Did Jesus love some more than others?  Bonhoeffer answers these thoughts by saying “Every time we ask them [these hair-splitting questions] we are retreating from the presence of the living Christ and forgetting that Christ is not dead, but alive and speaking to us today through the testimony of the Scriptures.  He comes to us today, and is present with us in bodily form ad in his word.”  

This emphasis on Word and Sacrament is uniquely and wonderfully Lutheran.  It is an emphasis that leaves little room for doubt, as it leaves little room for human emotion as guide or meter.  The emphasis is on the objective, external realities of Word and Sacrament—these “things” which are often derided as only “things” by other Protestants, but which exist more permanently than the mystic feelings which otherwise we might be tempted to rely upon as source of assurance regarding our salvation, and our call to follow Christ.  “They saw the rabbi and wonderworker, and believed on Christ.  We hear the Word and believe on Christ.”  Or later, “Thus the gift Jesus gave to his disciples is just as available for us as it was for them.  In fact it is even more readily available for us now that he has left the world because we know that he is glorified, and because the Holy Spirit is with us.”

The chapter on Baptism reinforces a sacramental, supernatural perspective on the function and gift of Baptism into Christ.  Bonhoeffer emphasizes the dependent nature of Baptism—“Baptism is not an offer made by man to God, but an offer made by Christ to man. It is grounded solely on the will of Jesus Christ, as expressed by his gracious call. Baptism is essentially passive—being baptized, suffering the call of Christ.  In baptism man becomes Christ’s own possession.”  

Bonhoeffer emphasizes how in Baptism, “past and present are rent asunder…the old order is passed away, and all things have become new.”  This is effected by Christ the Mediator, but his death—the Baptized Christian belongs now to Christ and not to him/herself or the world.  Bonhoeffer describes Baptism as a breach, a split between the person and the world.  It is a death, something passive which happens to the baptized person—just as birth and death happen passively in the natural world, so the Baptism into Christ is a passive event wherein the old Old Adam dies to sin, dies in, through and with Christ.  Bonhoeffer says:

“The old man and his sin are judged and condemned, but out of this judgement a new man arises, who has died to the world and to sin.  Thus this death is not the act of an angry Creator finally rejecting his creation in his wrath, but the gracious death which has been won for us by the death of Christ; the gracious assumption of the creature by his creator.  It is death in the power and fellowship of the cross of Christ.  He who becomes Christ’s own possession must submit to his cross, and suffer and die with him. He who is granted fellowship with Christ must die the baptismal death which is the fountain of grace….”

Later, Bonhoeffer says that “Baptismal death means justification from sin.  The sinner must die that he may be delivered from his sin.”  He cites Romans 6, which serves as a prooftext for this idea.  Romans 6: 3-7 says:  “Or don’t you know that all of you who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”   

It is in Baptism that we are buried with Christ and therefore raised with Christ; this occurs while our physical bodies remain alive, before the death of “this mortal flesh.”  It is this fact which creates the special and strange sinner-saint dichotomy which the Lutheran church emphasizes:  in Baptism, we are dead to sin and alive to righteousness in Christ, but simultaneously we are physically still alive in our sinful, fallen flesh.  We are forgiven and promised eternity with Christ, but we daily sin and need to be forgiven and reminded of that forgiveness in Christ.  

It is in Baptism that we receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit which reveals Christ to us; that is Christ himself dwelling in us; the Spirit which is the pledge of the presence of and fellowship with Christ; the Spirit which guides us, gives assurance and insight; the Spirit which enables us to walk in righteousness and faith.  Again, the sinner-saint mystery is in play; the Spirit is in us, enabling us to walk in righteousness and sanctifying us as children of God in Christ, but we are also prey to our selfish, self-centered wills which defy the will of God.

Bonhoeffer ends his chapter on Baptism with an interesting discussion about infant Baptism, an ancient Christian practice certainly preserved by the Lutheran church.  He emphasizes the fact that there is one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, that Baptism cannot be repeated—he ties this to the “one sacrifice” for sin which is Christ, and that that sacrifice will never be repeated.  He says “To baptize infants without the Church is not only an abuse of the sacrament, it betokens a disgusting frivolity in dealing with the souls of the children themselves.  For baptism can never be repeated.”  In this, it seems that Bonhoeffer is emphasizing the essentiality of the Christian Church as home and Table to nurture faith; without the Church to serve this function, the Baptized are left as orphans without the parentage of the faithful.  This seems less a rejection of infant Baptism per se and more a rejection of Baptism without the subsequent nurturing of faith, of raising a child outside the community of the faithful.  

In these chapters, Bonhoeffer is again reiterating his call to a life of faithfulness, a life which daily responds to the call of Christ to be a disciple.  We are reminded of the central role of Word and Sacrament, and of the Spirit of God given to us to guide and sustain us.  While free gifts given to us and received passively without action or merit, we are encouraged to receive the Word and Sacraments with seriousness and with thankfulness.

1)       Read Romans 6: 1 – 14.  Consider what your Baptism into Christ means as it relates to your daily life, to your knowledge of your own sinful tendencies and failures, to your confidence of forgiveness and salvation.

2)      You are (likely) a Baptized child of Christ.  Bonhoeffer emphasizes the importance of Baptizing a child and raising them in the faith, in the company of believers, in the regular presence of Word and Sacrament at Church.  Are you rejecting Word and Sacrament and the fellowship of other Christians, and neglecting to nurture yourself as a Child of Christ?  

3)      Consider how this chapter both refutes and emphasizes the role of the individual Christian in their faith.  Baptism is a gift that we receive passively; the Spirit and faith are gifts that God gives to us graciously, passively, without any merit or worthiness in ourselves; we are forgiven in Christ and saved by His sacrifice, not because we have earned anything but out of God’s great love for all of his creation.  Yet we are reminded how Word and Sacrament nurture our faith; we are told not to reject hearing God’s word, assembling with other believers.  How are both of these ideas true?  Consider where you may have inappropriately put your faith in your own actions; or consider how you may have rejected those behaviors which do indeed nurture faith.  Read Romans 6: 15 – 23 and consider the balance of passive acceptance and righteous action which are expected of Christians.