The Sacraments
A sacrament is a sacred act instituted by God in which God Himself has joined His Word of promise to the visible element, and by which He offers, gives and seals the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ. In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther described the sacraments that the Lutheran church recognizes -- Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
Holy Baptism
What is Baptism?
Baptism is not water only, but it is water used together with God's Word and by God's command.
What is this Word?
In Matthew 28 our Lord Jesus Christ says: "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."
What benefits does God give in Baptism?
In Baptism God forgives sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe what God has promised.
What is God's promise?
In Mark 16 our Lord Jesus Christ says: "They who believe and are baptized will be saved; but they who do not believe will be condemned."
How can water do such great things?
It is not water that does these things, but God's Word with the water and our trust in this Word. Water by itself is only water, but with the Word of God it is a life-giving water which by grace gives the new birth through the Holy Spirit.
St. Paul writes in Titus 3: "God saved us...in virtue of God's own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by God's grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. The saying is sure."
What does Baptism mean for daily living?
It means that our sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.
St. Paul writes in Romans 6: "We were buried therefore with Christ by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
What is Holy Communion?
Holy Communion is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given with bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us to eat and drink.
Where do the Scriptures say this?
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul say: Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the night in which he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take eat, this is my body, which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me."
After the same manner also he took the cup after supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins; this do, as often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me."
What benefits do we receive from this sacrament?
The benefits of this sacrament are pointed out by the words, given and shed for you for the remission of sins. These words assure us that in the sacrament we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
How can eating and drinking do all this?
It is not eating and drinking that does this, but the words, given and shed for you for the remission of sins. These words, along with eating and drinking, are the main thing in the sacrament. And whoever believes these words has exactly what they say, forgiveness of sins.
When is a person rightly prepared to receive this sacrament?
Fasting and other outward preparations serve a good purpose. However, that person is well prepared and worthy who believes these words, given and shed for you for the remission of sins. But anyone who does not believe these words, or doubts them, is neither prepared nor worthy, for the words for you required simply a believing heart.
From Martin Luther's Small Catechism