Baptism Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics (p. 162 Faith and Baptism)--David P. Scaer

"While faith is necessary, it is not necessary in the sense that it has anything to offer, but only because it takes what is given in Baptism. Faith has no substantive meaning in itself, but its total value is given it by Christ, who is presented to the believer in Baptism."

Baptism Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics (p. 49 More than a historic moment)--David P. Scaer

"Baptism is more than an historic moment in the believer's life: it is the reality in which he lives. The baptismal assurance that sins are forgiven is not the memory of a past act, but a description of the believer's current situation."

Baptism Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics (p. 15 Saint and Sinner)--David P. Scaer

"God's universal judgment of the world for sin and his corresponding universal verdict of justification are individualized for the believer in Baptism, in which rite he recognizes himself first as a sinner and then as among redeemed. He is buried and raised with Christ, and so he is both condemned and released. Baptism occurs once, but it provides the foundation for all of the Christian life and is coterminous with it. The baptized in the act of Baptism confesses himself as sinner, and in turn God acknowledges him as saint, simul justus et peccator."

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article VII The Holy Supper (par 69-71)--Chemnitz, Selnecker, and Andreae

(Speaking regarding worthiness and the Lord's Supper)
"Some Christians have a weak faith and are shy, troubled, and heartily terrified because of the great number of their sins. They think that in their great impurity they are not worthy of this precious treasure and Christ's benefits. They feel their weakness of faith and lament it, and from their hearts desire that they may serve God with stronger, more joyful faith and pure obedience. These are the truly worthy guests for whom this highly venerable Sacrament has been especially instituted and appointed. For Christ says:
Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28).

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (Matthew 9:12)

[God's] power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him...for God has welcomed him. (Romans 14:1-3)

Whoever believes in [the Son of God, be it with a strong or with a weak faith,] may have eternal life. (John 3:15)

Worthiness does not depend on the greatness or smallness, the weakness or strength of faith. Instead, it depends on Christ's merit, which the distressed father of little faith (Mark 9:24) enjoyed as well as Abraham, Paul, and others who have a joyful and strong faith."

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article VII The Holy Supper (par 44-47)--Chemnitz, Selnecker, and Andreae

"Consider this true, almighty Lord, our Creator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, after the Last Supper. He is just beginning His bitter suffering and death for our sins. In those sad last moments, with great consideration and solemnity, He institutes this most venerable Sacrament. It was to be used until the end of the world with great reverence and obedience. It was to be an abiding memorial of His bitter suffering and death and all His benefits. It was a sealing of the New Testament, a consolation of all distressed hearts, and a firm bond of unity for Christians with Christ, their Head, and with one another. In ordaining and instituting the Holy Supper He spoke these words about the bread, which He blessed and gave: 'Take eat; this is My body, which is given for you,' and about the cup, or wine: 'This is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.'

We are certainly duty-bound not to interpret and explain these words in a different way. For these are the words of the eternal, true, and almighty Son of God, our Lord, Creator, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We cannot interpret them as allegorical, figurative, turns of phrases, in a way that seems agreeable to our reason. With simple faith and due obedience we receive the words as they read, in their proper and plain sense. We do not allow ourselves to be diverted from Christ's words by any objections or human contradictions spun from human reason, however appealing they may appear to reason.

When Abraham heard God's Word about offering his son (Genesis 22), he had reason enough to debate whether the words should be understood literally or with a tolerable or mild interpretation. They conflicted openly not only with all reason and with the divine and natural law, but also with the chief article of faith about the promised Seed, Christ, who was to be born of Isaac. Nevertheless, when the promise of the blessed Seed from Isaac was given to him, Abraham honored God's truthfulness. He confidently concluded and believed that what God promised He could also do, although it appeared impossible to his reason (Hebrews 11:17-19). So also about Isaac's sacrifice he understood and believed God's Word and command plainly and simply, as they read according to the letter. He committed the matter to God's almighty power and wisdom, which, he knew, has many more modes and ways to fulfill the promise of the Seed from Isaac that he could comprehend with his blind reason.

We, too, are simply to believe with all humility and obedience our Creator and Redeemer's plain, firm, clear, solemn words and command, without any doubt and dispute about how it agrees with our reason or is possible. For these words were spoken by that Lord who is infinite Wisdom and Truth itself. He can do and accomplish everything He promises."

The Two Natures in Christ "Christ Present in the Church According to Both Natures" (Witness and seal of the Lord's Supper)--Martin Chemnitz

"For in the action of the Lord's Supper there is a public, solemn, and peculiar witness and seal that Christ, our Mediator and Savior, wills to be graciously present with His church in its struggle here on earth, not with only one portion and part of Himself, that is, with only His deity, but wholly and completely, that is, with His assumed nature also, by which He is of the same substance with and related to us, our Brother. For in this nature He was tempted, so that He could share in our wretchedness; in this nature He accomplished by His suffering and death the work of our redemption, so that we thus might be made members of His body, of His blood, and of His bones. Because our reason and sense do not understand or comprehend this, therefore Paul says, 'Great is this mystery in Christ and in His church.' (Eph. 5:32)"

Why I Am a Lutheran, Chapter 5 Mount Zion and the Sacraments (Remembering)--Daniel Preus

“Anyone who has experienced the suffering and pain of Alzheimer’s disease can begin to grasp the importance of remembering in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus did not give us this Meal only so we could remember Him; the Lord’s Supper does far more than remind us of what He did. It is a family meal in which our Father gives us food to eat. It actually places into our mouths the crucified body of Jesus and His blood, which was shed for the remission of our sins. Along with His body and blood, the Lord’s Supper gives us all the blessings that Jesus’ suffering and death procured for us. Luther clarifies these blessings for us: ‘In the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.’ Thus when we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we participate in the suffering and death of Christ. Jesus places into our mouths everything that His death achieved for us.”

Why I Am a Lutheran, Chapter 5 Mount Zion and the Sacraments (Incarnation)--Daniel Preus

“Therefore, the Lord’s Supper is an affirmation of the incarnation of the Son of God. As we receive Jesus’ body and blood, we confess our belief in the incarnation. Every time we receive the Lord’s Supper, we confess what the apostle John proclaims in the first chapter of his Gospel: ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). Every time we receive the Lord’s Supper we celebrate Christmas. Every time we receive the Lord’s Supper, we say amen to the angel’s announcement: ‘Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11). Every time we receive the Lord’s Supper, we eat the true body of Him who was gently carried in the arms of Mary, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thus in our eating and drinking, we confess that God the Son became a man to save us, and every celebration of Holy Communion is a celebration of Christmas. As children of God, we are excited and joyful to receive the eternal gifts of this Meal. Unlike Christmas presents, this Supper has no batteries to die, parts to break, or sleeves to outgrow

…To be saved, God must come to us, which He does in the incarnation. Therefore, Jesus with His body and blood is the one at the center of the Sacrament. It is not about our piety, our love, our dedication, or our commitment. It is about Jesus and His love, His dedication, and His commitment to us.”

Why I Am a Lutheran, Chapter 5 Mount Zion and the Sacraments (Cup)--Daniel Preus

“Christians are sinners and saints at the same time. The old and new Adam coexist in us. Faith in Jesus is our only hope. We need grace and forgiveness, not new precepts and laws. In the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus gives us pure Gospel without Law. It is a cup filled with grace and forgiveness, one that can never be emptied. No matter how much we drink, it remains full. God’s mercy and forgiveness never come to an end. No matter how often we fail Him and break His Law, God always stands ready to forgive. King David knew of such mercy and in Psalm 23 he demonstrates that though he had not seen the institution of Jesus’ cup of mercy in the Lord’s Supper, he truly understood the concept: ‘My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:5-6).”

Large Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar ("For You")--Martin Luther

“..there is besides this command also a promise…This ought most strongly to stir us up and encourage us. For here stand the kind and precious words, ‘This is My body, which is given for you…This is My blood…shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ These words, I have said, are not preached to wood and stone, but to me and you. Otherwise, Christ might just as well be silent and not institute a Sacrament. Therefore consider, and read yourself into this word you, so that He may not speak to you in vain.

Here He offers to us the entire treasure that He has brought for us from heaven. With the greatest kindness He invites us to receive it also in other places like when He says in St. Matthew 11:28, ‘Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’…We must never think of the Sacrament as something harmful from which we had better flee, but as a pure, wholesome, comforting remedy that grants salvation and comfort. It will cure you and give you life both in soul and body. For where the soul has recovered, the body also is relieved.

…Here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin. It contains and brings with it God’s grace and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune.

…If, therefore, you are heavy laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort, and strength (Matthew 11:28). If you wait until you are rid of such burdens, so that you might come to the Sacrament pure and worthy, you must stay away forever. In that case Christ pronounces sentence and says, ‘If you are pure and godly, you have no need of Me, and I, in turn, no need of you.’ Therefore, the only people who are called unworthy are those who neither feel their weakness nor wish to be considered sinners.”

Large Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar (Worthiness)--Martin Luther

“…it is the highest art to know that our Sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness. We are not baptized because we are worthy and holy. Nor do we go to Confession because we are pure and without sin. On the contrary, we go because we are poor, miserable people. We go exactly because we are unworthy…

But whoever would gladly receive grace and comfort should drive himself and allow no one to frighten him away. Say, ‘I, indeed, would like to be worthy. But I come, not upon any worthiness, but upon Your Word, because You have commanded it. I come as one who would gladly be Your disciple, no matter what becomes of my worthiness. This is difficult. We always have this obstacle and hindrance to encounter: we look more upon ourselves than upon Christ’s Word and lips. For human nature desires to act in such a way that it can stand and rest firmly on itself.”

Large Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar (Food of Souls)--Martin Luther

“Now examine further the effectiveness and benefits that really caused the Sacrament to be instituted. This is its most necessary part, so that we may know what we should seek and gain there. This is plain and clear from the words just mentioned, ‘This is My body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ Briefly, that is like saying, ‘For this reason we go to the Sacrament: there we receive such a treasure by and in which we gain forgiveness of sins.’ ‘Why so?’ Because the words stand here and give us this. Therefore, Christ asks me to eat and drink, so that this treasure may be my own and may benefit me as a sure pledge and token. In fact, it is the very same treasure that is appointed for me against my sins, death, and every disaster.’

On this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes and strengthens the new man. For by Baptism we are first born anew (John 3:5). But, as we said before, there still remains the old vicious nature of flesh and blood in mankind. There are so many hindrances and temptations of the devil and of the world that we often become weary and faint, and sometimes we also stumble (Hebrews 12:3).

Therefore, the Sacrament is given as a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself (Psalm 23:1-3) so that it will not fall back in such a battle, but become ever stronger and stronger.”

Large Catechism, Baptism--Martin Luther

“…one sees what a great, excellent thing Baptism is. It delivers us from the devil’s jaws and makes us God’s own. It suppresses and takes away sin and then daily strengthens the new man. It is working and always continues working until we pass from this estate of misery to eternal glory.

For this reason let everyone value his Baptism as a daily dress (Galatians 3:27) in which he is to walk constantly. Then he may ever be found in the faith and its fruit, so that he may suppress the old man and grow up in the new.”

The Two Natures in Christ "The Human Nature in Christ" (Holy Supper)--Martin Chemnitz

"Moreover, in His Holy Supper He joins Himself to us in that flesh, so that we may be strengthened by this most certain pledge of the salvation and glorification of our nature; for He does not blush to call us brothers. Therefore, because we are such, He also joins Himself to us in that flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14). Flesh brought death into this world and, again the flesh of the Son of Man was given for the life of the world in order that he who eats the flesh of Christ may have eternal life (John 6:54)."

The Hammer of God Section 2-Jesus Only "Transfiguration Day"--Bo Giertz

"How is it now, friends? If faith means to receive God's grace in our hearts, and if the child's heart is always open toward God, it surely follows that the child is able to believe. It can, then, certainly receive grace. If, however, faith resided in our heads, in our thinking and understanding, it would not be possible. When we therefore bring a little child, with its corrupted nature, to God in baptism, what can hinder God from being gracious to it, taking it up into the kingdom of God, and giving it forgiveness of sins? Look," he said as he held out his hands in the shape of a bowl. "This is your heart, a vessel full of corruption, being born of sinful nature and having evil desires at its bottom. When you were born into the world, the vessel was open toward God. You were not for that reason a child of God, for the vessel of your heart was not that of an angel, but a bit of corrupted human flesh. Then you were brought to baptism. God poured His Spirit as a stream of grace into this vessel. It was still sinful, and evil tendencies lay within it, but it was covered by forgiveness; over it lay a white cloth, the righteousness of Christ, the redemption of Christ. You were then a child of God, for Jesus' sake. Then you grew up. Perhaps you were guilty of intentional sins and lived in unbelief. It was as if your heart were covered over again." Here he lifted one hand and held it over the other as a lid. "Then things were really bad. But you know that God took hold of you again, and there was penitence and confession and faith." The covering hand was removed and the hands together again formed and open bowl. "This is your spiritual state today. The sinful nature still remains, and the struggle against sin and for sanctification of life continues...Yet, over us all shines the atonement, and all of us have exactly as great a portion in that which is the foundation and content of our salvation: Jesus only.

"And when you shall die some day," he continued, with hands still extended, "and your consciousness is clouded, you may lay your broken vessel down, with all the darkness that is still within it, before the throne of grace, and say, 'I know whom I have believed.' In the heart evil may still bubble forth and wrong desires rise up and, though your mind is no longer active, your lips may perhaps form wicked words. What does it matter? It is only the old nature that is falling to pieces and letting the black contents run out. The new nature already rests securely on the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Only."

"The Holy and Blessed Sacrament of Baptism" Luther's Works Vol. 35

Martin Luther says, "This faith is of all things the most necessary, for it is the ground of all comfort. He who does not possess such faith must despair of his sins. For the sin which remains after baptism makes it impossible for any good works to be pure before God. For this reason we must boldly and without fear hold fast to our baptism, and set it high against all sins and terror of conscience. We must humbly admit, 'I know full well that I cannot do a single thing that is pure. But I am baptized, and through my baptism God, who cannot lie, has bound himself in a covenant with me. He will not count my sin against me, but will slay it and blot it out.'"