Does anyone remember where this M. Luther quote comes from?

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They don’t know baptism is in force all through life, even until death…even to the Last Day. For this reason they presume to find some other way of blotting out sin, namely by works…for themselves & all others they create evil terrified & uncertain consciences & despair at the hour of death. They don’t know how they stand with God thinking by sin they’ve lost their baptism & that it profits them no more -M Luther
 
workingman said:
They don’t know baptism is in force all through life, even until death…even to the Last Day. For this reason they presume to find some other way of blotting out sin, namely by works…for themselves & all others they create evil terrified & uncertain consciences & despair at the hour of death. They don’t know how they stand with God thinking by sin they’ve lost their baptism & that it profits them no more -M Luther
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Luther’s Works, Vol. 35, Word and Sacrament I. Covers a 12 year span in between the Lepzig debate and the publication of the Luther Bible.
 
TriuneUnity said:
Luther’s Works, Vol. 35, Word and Sacrament I. Covers a 12 year span in between the Lepzig debate and the publication of the Luther Bible.
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Thank you Triune. I could not find it in my stack of Luther books. Now I know why. I do not own that one. Thank you again. Next on the buy list.
 
workingman said:
Thank you Triune. I could not find it in my stack of Luther books. Now I know why. I do not own that one. Thank you again. Next on the buy list.
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How many of them do you have? If I remember correctly, they have been releasing more recently. If I’m not mistaken covering volumes 55-6 to the 70s.
 
Just a couple. I believe its vol.21&29. I used to have the privilege of access to my pastors library when I was part of the LCMS.
 
I really like the Luther’s Works series. I own the Lectures on Galatians (26-27) and Liturgy and Hymns (53). I wrote a major research paper on Luther’s reforms of the liturgy in '09, and I scoured the city for as many Luther’s Works volumes as I could find. 🙂
 
TriuneUnity said:
What did you disagree with in the LCMS, if I may ask?
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I would be glad to discuss it through a pm if you would like. I will answer what I can where I can. Though I sometimes questions my wisdom. I will write more another night. Got a 5am get up.
 
workingman said:
I would be glad to discuss it through a pm if you would like. I will answer what I can where I can. Though I sometimes questions my wisdom. I will write more another night. Got a 5am get up.
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No prob, working. Have a good night’s sleep!
 
blazerdave said:
I really like the Luther’s Works series. I own the Lectures on Galatians (26-27) and Liturgy and Hymns (53). I wrote a major research paper on Luther’s reforms of the liturgy in '09, and I scoured the city for as many Luther’s Works volumes as I could find. 🙂
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Ditto. Luther may have considered the Bondage of the Will his most important work, but I’d have to disagree with him and say his Commentary on Galatians.
 
workingman said:
They don’t know baptism is in force all through life, even until death…even to the Last Day. For this reason they presume to find some other way of blotting out sin, namely by works…for themselves & all others they create evil terrified & uncertain consciences & despair at the hour of death. They don’t know how they stand with God thinking by sin they’ve lost their baptism & that it profits them no more -M Luther
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Anyway, on the surface and not knowing the context, the quote is against the belief of Christianity.
 
I believe Luther’s intent was to remind us that the washing of Baptism is a true washing done by God in us, and by remembering our Baptism we remember that Christ claimed us as his own in that washing. Since God does the work, we have no reason to fear that our Baptism’s benefits can be negated, nor can we add to those benefits.
 
For a broader idea of Luther’s comments here:

"Those who presume to blot out and put away their sin by “satisfaction” are the same sort of people. They go so far as to disregard their baptism, as if they had no more need of it beyond the fact of having once been baptized. They do not know that baptism is in force all through life, even until death, yes (as said above) even to the Last Day. For this reason they presume to find some other way of blotting out sin, namely, by works. So for themselves and for all others, they create evil, terrified, and uncertain consciences, and despair at the hour of death. They do not know how they stand with God, thinking that by sin they have now lost their baptism and that it profits them no more.

Guard yourself, by all means, against this error. For as has been said, if anyone has fallen into sin, he should all the more remember his baptism, how God has here made a covenant with him to forgive all his sins, if only he will fight against them even until death. Upon this truth, upon this alliance with God, a man must joyfully dare to rely. Then baptism again goes into force and operation. Then his heart again becomes peaceful and glad, not in his own works or “satisfaction,” but in the mercy of God promised to him in baptism, a mercy which God will keep forever. This faith a person must hold so firmly that he would cling to it even though everything and all sins attacked him. For he who lets himself be forced away from this faith makes God a liar in his promise in the sacrament of baptism."
 
I cleaned up my Luther/baptism assessment to provide added clarity. Did I get it right? I don’t want to put words in his mouth since I’m not the most knowledgeable Luther scholar on the thread. 😃
 
blazerdave said:
I cleaned up my Luther/baptism assessment to provide added clarity. Did I get it right? I don’t want to put words in his mouth since I’m not the most knowledgeable Luther scholar on the thread. 😃
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Yep, pretty much. What Luther is emphasizing here is that God’s promise is a sacramental promise that is given to us. As regards Holy Baptism, what Luther is pointing out here is that the realities of Baptism are what drive us to faith in His promises (the gospel) and to our desire to fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Striving toward holiness by means of the law (what Luther calls “works”) denies the power and efficacy of our Baptism. By doing so, we reject God’s promises and instead try to find our peace in our own obedience. Since that’s impossible to do, it will drive to despair and loss of faith.
 
blazerdave said:
I cleaned up my Luther/baptism assessment to provide added clarity. Did I get it right? I don’t want to put words in his mouth since I’m not the most knowledgeable Luther scholar on the thread. 😃
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Another way of stating Luther’s point is to demonstrate that the indicative reality of Holy Baptism (“God considers you as His own dear child, perfectly holy in His sight, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.”) must drive the imperative of holy living (“Since you are holy, act holy.”):

Indicative drives the: 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. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

imperative: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus…Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
 
TriuneUnity said:
Another way of stating Luther’s point is to demonstrate that the indicative reality of Holy Baptism (“God considers you as His own dear child, perfectly holy in His sight, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.”) must drive the imperative of holy living (“Since you are holy, act holy.”):

Indicative drives the: 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. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

imperative: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus…Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
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Very good. That’s really helpful. The last time I asked a Lutheran to explain it to me (not on this board), he said “Just read the New Testament and get back to me” which, though perhaps an effective answer :D, didn’t serve to advance my expertise on the subject.

This is good stuff.
 
So is it safe to say that to fully understand Luther on Baptism, it is necessary to understand the Law/Gospel division and the Theology of the Cross (contrasted with Theology of Glory)?
 
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