Well, I'm not as bad as Hitler

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

No one wants to believe that they are evil. We aren’t perfect. We make mistakes. We want to do good, but we fall short. Sometimes we even admit that we are sinners; we miss the mark, so to speak. But are we evil? Surely we are not. I mean, I may not be perfect, but I wouldn’t classify myself as evil. I have done bad things, but I’ve never murdered anyone. I’m not as bad as Hitler, for example. He was evil. I may not be perfect, but I am good, and I’m certainly no Hitler.

Yes, you are. You are Hitler, and so am I. No, we are not good; no one is righteous, not even one.[1] Mankind is called to be perfect: Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.[2] You are a murderer, at least by the standard of Jesus. He said that murder begins in the heart: But I say to you whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.[3] You and I are serial murderers of the greatest magnitude by this standard. Much to our consternation, this standard is God’s standard; being merely “not Hitler” certainly does not come close to hitting the mark. We are, by our very nature in fact, sinful and unclean. Children of wrath, scripture calls us. We were, by nature, children of wrath, walking according to the course of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.[4] We were conceived in sin and born in iniquity;[5] the inclination of the human heart is toward evil from youth.[6]

Don’t believe me? Consider a baby; we like to think them innocent, just as we like to imagine ourselves to some degree. They haven’t done anything yet. They haven’t even developed the capacity to think rationally. Yes, and do they need to be taught anger and selfishness? From their first breath they think only of fulfilling the desires of the flesh; the mind will come later. They are acting according to their corrupt sinful nature. They are curved inward, focused only on themselves. And, from the time of our conception, we are subject to death, which scripture calls the wages of sin. Such is the case with every man born into this world. So immersed are we in our own sinfulness, so thorough is our corruption, that we must be taught how corrupt we are from Holy Scripture; we cannot grasp the severity of our situation by our senses or reason. Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, and death spread to all men, because all sinned. By what action did all men sin? By coming into existence; by taking on flesh, a human nature which had been corrupted and cursed because of Adam at the fall.

We don’t like this assessment of our situation because we don’t like the idea of imputed guilt. We don’t want to be held responsible for the sin of another. We didn’t sin, Adam did; why should we be condemned? The reason is that we are sinners just like Adam, because we are of his corrupt substance. We inherited his fallen nature: Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD…” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Able his brother and killed him.[7] The proof of this is in the fact that death is a reality for all people, from the youngest infant to the oldest person living. Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam.[8] By Adam’s offense, we all died; by Adam’s disobedience we were made sinners.[9]

So we are all utterly corrupt and sinful creatures. What can we do about it? Some would say we have the ability to do something to atone for our sins. The reality is that there is nothing we can do. Since the time of the fall of man we have been trying to do something to fix our sin problem; Like Adam and Eve we have been trying to cover the nakedness of our sin, not with fig leaves, but with imagined works of penance. The gimmick is simple: we prescribe some work for ourselves to perform that seems difficult, pious, and sacrificial; but these works always seem to be something that we are capable of doing, or at least we think so when we dream them up. Most of the time we can’t even live up to the man-made rules, whether it’s prayers, pilgrimages, acts of charity, or self-flagellation. We end up going back on our promises to make up for our sins, or at the very least, changing the terms so that our penance is a little more “doable”. Eventually we get tired of doing the good deed, of giving the money, of going to church, of saying our prayers, of walking old ladies across the street, or whatever we have come up with to make ourselves look good to God. The end of this road of self-justification is failure and despair. The devil is more than happy to help us down this road, and to supply us with false methods of atonement, so we stay focused on ourselves, and our sin.

But God tells us that the gift is not like the offense. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many trespasses resulted in justification.[10] Through Adam’s offense judgment came to all men; through Christ’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.[11] Before the foundation of the world God the Father resolved to reconcile that world to Himself through the Son. Atonement for us comes through the death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He is the propitiation for our sin, and the sin of the whole world.[12] While we were God’s enemies, Christ died for mankind. Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; He was buried, and He rose again the third day, according to the scriptures;[13] He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

The gift of forgiveness and life comes through Christ by His death and resurrection. We are connected to Christ, and His death and resurrection through Baptism. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. And, just as the work of atoning for sin is Christ’s alone, so is the work of baptism. In baptism, God’s promise of forgiveness, coupled with the physical element of water, washes away our sins.[14] It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

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[1] Romans 3:10

[2] Matthew 5:48

[3] Matthew 5:22

[4] Ephesians 2:3

[5] Psalm 51:5

[6] Genesis 8:21

[7] Genesis 4:1, 8

[8] Romans 5:14

[9] Romans 5:15, 19

[10] Romans 5:16

[11] Romans 5:18

[12] Romans 3:25; Titus 2:14; 1 John 1:7; 2:2

[13] 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

[14] Acts 22:16; Titus 3:5; Revelation 1:5

Can Infants Believe? Thoughts on Infant Baptism



Presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple.



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 have new life (Romans 6:4).

Some who teach that there is no merit in baptism other than being a symbolic act use this parable to illustrate their point:

A certain man thought that by being immersed he could find salvation. A friend of his had quite a time explaining to him that it was not so. But this man insisted that, as water could purify the body, so water consecrated by a minister or priest would purify the soul. Finally, to demonstrate that baptism did not mean regeneration, the friend decided upon an object lesson.

“Here,” he said. “I take an ink bottle, cork it tight, put a string round the neck, and drag it through the river. How long will it take to clean out the inside?” The answer was obvious, “You will never in the world clean it out that way.” We must understand once and for all that no outward act will ever cleanse us within. Repentance is an act that takes place within us, while baptism is an outward act that demonstrates to the world what has already happened in our hearts. Thus, neither John the Baptist nor anyone else in the New Testament speaks of “repentance of baptism” but of “baptism of repentance.” Baptism depends upon and is caused by repentance and not vice versa. It does not make sense for the unrepentant to be baptized.

Continuing with this line of reasoning, baptism is merely a symbolic act. It cannot save an adult, let alone an infant, who cannot profess its faith. However, Holy Scripture paints a different picture for us. While infant baptism is not expressly mentioned in Scripture, it is supported by several passages in the New Testament. Further, as for the idea that children and infants cannot have faith in Christ until they reach an “age of accountability”, Scripture shows us that this is clearly untrue, and that infants are capable of receiving God’s blessings:

For he [John the Baptist] will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb…When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy'" (Luke 1: 14, 41-44).

There are several reports in scripture where people bring their children to Christ to have him touch and bless them. One such passage is in the Gospel of St. Mark:

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10: 13-16).

Our Lord clearly indicates that children have a part in the kingdom of God. St. Luke also gives us some insight into this event as well in his Gospel, by identifying the age group of some of the children that were brought to Jesus. St. Luke writes:

People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them (Luke 18:15).

Again, children clearly have a part in God’s kingdom. Not only that, being born in the flesh, children have a sinful human nature, and need the forgiveness that Christ offers in baptism. Scripture tells us that all people are sinful from the time of their birth. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus,” St. Paul tells us in Romans 3: 23-24. Christ distributes this grace to us in the sacrament of baptism. The psalmist also tells us:

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5).

Those that would argue that children are not sinners but are righteous and innocent, and that as long as they have not achieved the use of reason they will be saved in this innocence without baptism, not only reject the idea of original sin, but also teach contrary to the Word of God.

On the contrary, there is a long tradition in the church of baptizing children, derived from Scripture, dating back to apostolic times. Infant Baptism was common practice in the early church. Scripture lends support to this when it reports that the Apostles baptized entire families – some of which, at least, would normally include children. One example is the conversion of Lydia in Acts:

When she [Lydia] and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us (Acts 16:15).

Again in Acts we are told:

At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized (Acts 16:33).

When entire families, and all indeed who belonged to them were baptized, it is probable that if there were a number of children in these families, the Apostles did not exclude them. Not only that, the Apostles could refer Jesus’ command to “let the little children come to me,” to the rite of circumcision from the Old Testament. This rite of initiation was performed on infants eight days old. It would be odd to refer to Baptism as the “circumcision of Christ” if Baptism of infants was to be forbidden while circumcision was given almost exclusively to infants.

In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in Baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:11-12).

Baptism is a counterpart of sorts to Old Testament circumcision. Circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant, establishing his people[1]. After having been circumcised, no Hebrew male could live a day without being reminded of God’s promise to send a savior. It was a physical sign connected to a spiritual reality by the promise of God. A baby did not choose to be circumcised; it was administered on the eighth day after birth. In Christ, God’s promise to bless all people through Abraham has been fulfilled[2]. The new covenant has now been established with a new circumcision, one made without hands – baptism.

In the story of the ink bottle, one must suppose that the ink bottle that is stopped tightly with a cork represents man, and the ink contained within represents the stain of sin. The story is correct that no amount of water could wash the ink out as long as the stopper remained in place. However, the author overlooks two important things: First, the ink bottle cannot remove its own stopper. Some outside force must do that. Man is powerless to come to God of his own decision[3]. On the contrary, we are all called by the Gospel, and God creates faith in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He distributes the gift of salvation to us that Christ won on the cross through baptism – in effect, removing the “stopper” of our sinful human nature and washing away the ink stain of our original sin.

Second, the water of baptism is not simply water, but, in the words of Martin Luther, “the word of God in and with the water,” that does these things. Without God’s word, Luther says, the water is plain water and no baptism. However, with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a life giving water, rich in grace and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit:

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying (Titus 3: 5-8).

Thanks be to God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, for baptism, which works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

End Notes

[1] Genesis 17:9


[2] Genesis 12:3


[3] 1 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:7; Ephesians 2:8-9