Chapter 6: Luther's Skill In Deception Regarding Baptismal Regeneration

Chapter Six

Luther's Skill In Deception Regarding Baptismal Regeneration

In this Chapter we are going to examine a method of deception used by Luther to endorse his false doctrine of baptismal regeneration. This is a sly, cunning procedure whereby he makes a statement, and then appears to back it up from the Bible. He does not actually back up his statement from the Bible; but, simply gives you the reference and does not quote the verses. If you take the time to read the Bible verses which you think are proving Luther's point, you will find that Luther is actually contradicting the Word of God. He just hoped you would not take the time to read the verses!

The verses used by Luther to endorse his false doctrine of baptismal regeneration are the same verses used by the Roman Catholic organization and the Church of Christ. All three believe that baptism saves you.

Some Basic Principles of Biblical Interpretation
When studying the Word of God, there are basic principles which must be followed in order to obtain the proper understanding of a particular verse or passage. The Lord lets us know in 2 Timothy 3:16 that,

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Also, concerning the inspiration of Scripture, we are instructed as to the use of Scripture in 2 Peter 1:20.

"Knowing this first, that no prophesy of the scripture is of an private interpretation."

In 2 Timothy 3:16, the word "inspiration," as all Bible students know, means "God-breathed." In other words, God breathed into the minds of the writers of Scripture exactly what He wanted them to write. We know that the God of Creation is Omnipotent, i.e., all powerful. He is also Omniscient, i.e., all knowing; as well as Omnisapience, or all wisdom. These attributes assure us that the Scriptures, as originally penned, are without error or contradiction.

Anyone can make, dishonestly, the Bible to mean whatever they want it to. For example: the Bible says in Psalms 14:1 that "...There is no God." But, that is only taking part of the verse. The whole verse reads," The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, that have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." The Bible further tells us that, "Every word of God is pure." (Proverbs 30:5).
Therefore, in studying the Bible it is important to apply some very simple principles to keep from falling into believing a false doctrine. It is not my intention to go into a
full discourse on Inspiration, Illumination, and Interpretation at this time. My purpose is to keep it simple, so the man, woman, boy or girl on the street can understand.

The following are the four simple principles that must be followed:

Never add to or take away from the Scriptures. Proverbs 30:6, "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."

Never take part of a verse or text out of its context. By "context," we mean the surrounding verses. By doing so, you will not only deceive yourself, but those that follow you. Luther was a master at this, as we shall see.

Never build a doctrine where one verse seemingly contradicts another verse.

Never accept the translation of a word that contradicts a Biblical doctrine or principle. Go to your Strong's Concordance and see if the word has been mistranslated. One must remember that the original writers were inspired of God; therefore the original manuscripts were without error. The King James Translation from the Hebrew and Greek into the English is, by far, superior to any translation we have today; although the translators were not inspired, as were the original writers. Therefore, if a word or verse seems to contradict Scripture, then we must check to see if a translational error is the cause.

Allow me to give you a very simple illustration of what I mean from the Bible. We know, as a Christian, that we still have the old nature and are capable of sinning, even after we are saved. 1 John 1:8 makes this perfectly clear.

"If we say, that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." But in Galatians 5:17, we find a verse that tells us that we, as Christians CANNOT do the things that our sinful flesh wants us to do.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

Here we seem to have a problem, as Galatians 5:17 says that we cannot do the sins that the flesh wants us to. Then I John tells me in 1:8 that, If I say I have no sin, I have deceived myself..."

How do we reconcile these two verses that seem to be in direct conflict with each other? The first place we go is to our concordance and look up the word "cannot" and see if it is properly translated from the Greek. Here we find the Greek for "cannot" is "me" pronounced "may" and is not in the absolute sense; but is a prime particle of qualified negation and should be translated "should not, or may not."

There is another Greek word "ouch," translated "cannot," which is in the absolute sense. This appears in 1 Corinthians 15:50,

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot (Greek "ouch") inherit the kingdom of God."

How easily this so-called contradiction is eradicated by checking the translation of one word in the concordance.

Now may I draw your attention to Principle Number One, "Neither add to or take away from the Scripture." Since Luther preaches, teaches and is trusting baptism for his salvation, it amazes me, how deceitful and clever this man is in order to convince you he is right. Follow with me as we discover Luther's scheme of taking away and adding to, God's Word. The following is emphasized and his words are shown here as they appear in his Small Catechism on Page 172.

"250. What distinction is to be made in baptizing?

A. Those who can receive instruction are to be baptized after they have been instructed in the principle doctrines of the Christian religion. 621. They that gladly received his word were baptized. Acts 2:41.

Bible Narratives:

The Ethiopian was instructed before he was baptized. Acts 8:26-39. The jailer was instructed before he was baptized. Acts 16:25-33."

The First Error is Luther's "Principle Doctrine"
The first, and most interesting, statement that Luther makes here is that you must be "instructed in the principle doctrines of the Christian religion" before you are baptized. A Christian, reading this, would naturally assume that Luther was instructing the person in the Scriptures concerning salvation; so they would have the assurance of eternal life by trusting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Therefore, he would surely use such verses such as John 3:15-18; John 5:24; John 11:25-26; or John 3:36, which is here quoted:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

Now, let us listen to Luther, himself, as he clarifies what he means by the "principle doctrines of the Christian religion." Remember, Luther does not believe that faith in Jesus Christ, alone, gives you eternal life! Eternal life, i.e., salvation, is not obtained until you are baptized. The following, you will take notice, does not contain the Biblical Doctrine of Soteriology (i.e., the Doctrine of Salvation). The following is recorded in Luther's Small Catechism, P.39, Paragraphs 4,5.

"4. What does Luther's Small Catechism contain?

Luther's Small Catechism contains the chief parts of the Christian Doctrine."

5. Which are the chief parts of Christian doctrine? The Ten Commandments.
The Apostles' Creed
The Lord's Prayer
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism
The Office of the Keys and Confession
The Sacrament of the Altar"

This is what Luther instructs a person about before they are to be baptized. Now that Luther has instructed the person in the above six principles, they are ready to receive their baptism; or, Number 4., as Luther puts it, "The Sacrament of Holy Baptism." Nowhere does God ever use the word "holy" with the word "baptism" in the Bible. This is just another adding to the Word of God by Luther's philosophy.

On Page 174, #II, in Luther's Small Catechism, he tells us what he instructs a person about concerning their baptism.

"What does Baptism give or profit? It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this..."

The Second Error – The Ethiopian Eunuch.
Let us continue to examine Luther's words as stated on Page 172, Par. 250, in his Small Catechism. I want you to notice carefully in these two paragraphs of Luther's narrative where he very cunningly and skillfully uses the word "INSTRUCTED" three different times. We have just covered its use in the first paragraph; i.e., that his baptism would save him. Now, in the last paragraph, he uses two illustrations to mislead you into thinking that baptism will save you.
In order to do this concerning the Ethiopian Eunuch, as recorded in Acts 8:26-39; and the Philippian Jailer, as recorded in Acts 16:25-33; he must keep you from acknowledging that both of these men were already saved, before they were baptized. Luther very cleverly avoids quoting these two passages from the Word of God and simply gives the references where the verses can be found. He then devises his own rhetoric to magnetize your thinking to agree with him. Luther states that:

"The Ethiopian was INSTRUCTED before he was baptized. Acts 8:26-39."

"The jailer was INSTRUCTED before he was baptized. Acts 16:25-33."

If Luther had shown, from the context of these verses, that the Ethiopian Eunuch had already believed that Jesus Christ had previously died, was buried and had been resurrected to pay for his sin, and was already saved; then, Luther's baptismal salvation would have been proven a Satanic lie. Luther did not want you to know that.

Now, let's examine the Bible and see the truth. Phillip was directed by God (Acts 8:26-30) to witness to this Ethiopian Eunuch, and this he did. Phillip had found the Ethiopian sitting by the side of the road in a chariot, reading out of Isaiah 53:7-8. (Acts 8:31-33). In (Acts 8:34, the Eunuch told Phillip that he didn't understand who Isaiah was speaking about. The explanation is found in (Acts 8:35.

"Then Phillip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus."(Acts 8:35).

Any Bible student knows that the whole chapter of Isaiah 53:1-12 is prophetic of what Christ would fulfill 700 years later. Phillip showed the Eunuch what Christ had done to pay for our sins, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:5-6. Here is the record.

"But he (Christ) was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him (Christ); and with his stripes we are healed."(V.5).

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him (Christ) the iniquity of us all." (V.6).

We know the Eunuch believed the Scriptures, that Christ was crucified, buried, and risen again, as payment for his sin. Therefore, he was saved by believing what the Scriptures testify to, as John 6:47 states very simply,

"Verily, Verily, I (Christ) say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

We, also, know the Ethiopian Eunuch was saved before he was baptized, because he said he believed,

"And he (the Ethiopian Eunuch) answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
(Acts 8:37 b). This is what Luther does not want you to believe. This is why he didn't quote the Bible; but, instead, gave you his own philosophy in stating,

"The Ethiopian was INSTRUCTED before he was baptized."

If Luther really believed the Bible, he would have told his followers the truth by stating,

"The Ethiopian was SAVED before he was baptized."

Nowhere in the Bible do you ever find anyone being baptized who was not already saved. Philip would not have baptized the Eunuch, unless he had confirmation that he was saved. The record is perfectly clear as stated in Acts 8:36-38. We shall quote it in its entirety.

"And the Eunuch said, See, here is water; What doth hinder me to be baptized?" (V.36).

"And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart (i.e., no reservations whatsoever), thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (V.37).

"And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the Eunuch; and he baptized him." (V.38).

The Ethiopian Eunuch was baptized after believing in Jesus Christ for his salvation. The Third Error. – The Philippian Jailer
In referring back to Luther's Small Catechism, Page 172, Par. 250, we find his third error in an attempt to deceive people into believing that baptism saves you. He does this very cleverly by inserting his word "instructed" instead of God's word "saved."

Here are Luther's words,

"The jailer was "instructed" before he was baptized." Acts 16:25-33.

We shall not rehearse what has already been covered in "The Second Error", previously; what Luther means by "being instructed." Luther was smart enough NOT to quote the Bible in Acts 16:25-33, which clearly states that the jailer was saved by believing in Christ before he was baptized. This, of course, would contradict Luther's claim that you are not saved until after you ARE baptized!

Perhaps he got away with this at the time of writing his Small Catechism because most common folks couldn't read well, or didn't have a Bible anyway! And most modern folks don't bother to check the Scripture as their attitude is, "If Luther said it, I believe it!"

Therefore, reading the Catechism and being a Lutheran, you would naturally assume that the jailer was being instructed as to the benefit and profit of being baptized. Here are Luther's own words in his Small Catechism, P.16, under "II. The Blessings of Baptism."

What does Baptism give or profit? It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this..."

Now, if Luther had stated the truth that, "The jailer was SAVED, instead of INSTRUCTED, before he was baptized;" then, the Scriptures would have exposed Luther as a false teacher and a liar in his Catechism on P.16 under "II. The Blessings of Baptism."

Let us examine the Scripture references he gives; but, does not quote, in the hope that you will not go to the Bible and read it for yourself.

Acts 16:25-33. Paul and Silas were arrested for their preaching in Philippi. They were beaten (V.22,23); thrown into prison and their feet chained (V.24). While in this prison, they prayed and sang praises unto God (V.25). God sent a great earthquake which caused the doors to unlock and their chains to be loosed. (V. 26). It woke up the jailer, who saw the doors opened and thought the prisoners had escaped and was about to kill himself. (V.27). Paul yelled to him that everybody was still here. (Vs. 28,29). The jailer was trembling; or, as we would say, scared to death! A jailer who lost his prisoners was usually killed. (See Acts 12:19).

Then the jailer asked Paul and Silas that famous question, "What must I do to be saved?" (V.30). Their answer was NOT as Luther would have told him, i.e., "Ye must be baptized to be saved." Instead, Paul and Silas told him the truth, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (V.31).
 Notice Acts 16:32.

"And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to ALL that were in his house."

The jailer took Paul and Silas to his home where they told his whole family how to be saved. The "word of the Lord" would have been what Jesus said. In John 14:6, we are told,

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Paul preached faith in Christ for salvation wherever he went, and NEVER baptism for salvation! In fact, when writing to the Corinthians, he made it perfectly clear that baptism was NOT the Gospel!

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, BUT to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." (1 Corinthians 1:17).

Now, back to the jailer and his family in Acts 16:34, where we read...

"And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with ALL his house."

What does it mean, "The whole family "believed in God?" They simply believed what Christ said in John 3:16.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (Not in baptism!)" (1 John 5:11).

After the jailer and his family were saved by hearing and believing the truth from Paul and Silas, as stated in Acts 16:31,

"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Then they were baptized after they were saved, NOT as a condition to be saved, as recorded in Acts 16:34.

"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes (wounds); and was baptized, he (the jailer) and all his house (the whole family). (Acts 16:34).

The foregoing is only a brief example; or "the tip of the iceberg." It reveals how sly and cunning Luther really is, by inserting his philosophy to deceive the people into believing his damnable doctrine of baptismal regeneration.

One must never forget that, in 1508 at the age of 25, Luther was appointed to a University in Wittenberg, Germany, as a public teacher of Philosophy. God's warning against such men as Luther is found in Colossians 2:8.

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

Fourth Error – Luther Places His Catechism Above God's Word.
Luther contends for your time and faith, to read and study his Catechism and to believe his writings. Allow me to qualify this statement by Luther's own words as stated in his Large Catechism following the heading, "MARTIN LUTHER'S PREFACE."

"It is not for trivial reasons that we constantly treat the Catechism and strongly urge others to do the same." (P.2, Par.1).

"Yet I do as a child who is being taught the Catechism." (P.3, Par 7).

"I must still read and study the Catechism daily, yet I cannot master it as I wish, but must remain a child and pupil of the Catechism." (P.3, Par. 8).

"Even if their knowledge of the Catechism were perfect (though that is not possible in this life), yet it is highly profitable and fruitful daily to read it (the Catechism) and make it the subject of meditation and conversation." (P.3, Par. 9).

"So that day by day we relish and appreciate the Catechism." (P.3, Par. 9).
"For this reason alone you should eagerly read, recite, ponder, and practice the Catechism."(P.4, Par. 11).

"If this were not enough to admonish us to read the Catechism daily, there is God's command." (P.4, Par. 11). (I am not aware of any verse in the Bible which commands us we should read either of Luther's Catechisms! This is an outright lie!)

"Look at those bored, presumptuous saints who will not or cannot read and study the Catechism daily." (P.5, Par. 16).

"Let all Christians exercise themselves in the Catechism daily, and constantly put it into practice." (P.5, Par. 19).

"This sermon has been undertaken for the instruction of children and uneducated people. Hence from ancient times it has been called in Greek, a "Catechism" – that is, instruction for children. Whoever does not possess it (the Catechism) should not be reckoned among Christians nor admitted to a sacrament." (P.6, Par.1,2).

"For this reason young people should be thoroughly instructed in the various parts of the Catechism or children's sermons and diligently drilled in their practice." (P.6, Par. 3).

Should one claim to be a Lutheran, then you are sending a message that you believe in Luther's writings in his Catechisms, his philosophy, and his doctrine of salvation by baptism. Looking at #6, above, one can easily see that Luther wants to indoctrinate your thinking with his philosophy as set forth in his Catechism. Here are his words.

"...You should eagerly read, recite, ponder and practice the Catechism."

Christ refutes Luther and every other false teacher who directs you away from the Word of God and towards their writings. Here is what Christ has to say.

"But he (Christ) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4).

Notice carefully that Christ said, "every word... out of the mouth of God" (the Bible), NOT out of the mouth of Luther (the Catechism. My purpose in putting in this section was to demonstrate the skill, craftiness, and cleverness of Martin Luther as he goes about deceiving millions into eternal damnation. Remember, Luther states over and over again in his Catechism that water baptism is what gives you eternal life. The Catechism is to Lutherans what the Bible is to Christians.

In our next section we will examine the verses Luther refers to in endorsing his damnable doctrine of baptismal regeneration.

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalms 118:8).

It is your choice as to who you want to believe. Luther's Catechism and the "Trap Door to Hell;" or, God's Word, the Bible, an open door to Heaven.