It is especially to be noted here that Christ, the Son of God, who is holier than Baptism itself, nevertheless has Himself baptized and further enjoins that this Baptism be continued in the Church from then on, and all who wish to be saved are also to be baptized [cf. Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16]. From this it follows that they must be accursed people down in the pit of hell whom God has put to shame and blinded so that they do not have ears and eyes enough to be able to [hear and] see what happens here, who either despise Baptism or scoff at it. For why would you not have yourself or your children baptized when the Son of God has Himself baptized? … Should you not ascribe all honor to Baptism, even if it were useful for nothing else, simply because of this man, since you know for certain that the Son of God Himself was baptized, so that in His honor you would also be baptized even if this Baptism were of no other benefit to you?

About the worst thing for a Lutheran is to find yourself thinking that your access to God isn’t through His Word but through yourself, as if in a direct line from your heart to the Holy Spirit. He’d call that Enthusiasm, but He doesn’t mean you’re too joyful and boisterous.

I was a kid in the late seventies and the early eighties. At the time, Sears was a popular department store. This long-standing company sold a brand of children’s pants called “Toughskins,” named so for their sturdy fabrication, especially at the knees. Like many kids who wore Toughskins, I did my best to test their durability by falling out of trees and sliding into home base. I consistently wore the knees out. So my Mom would iron patches onto the knees to get a few more months out of them. Despite all the protection Toughskins afforded, I still came home with abrasions—red, tender, and filled with dirt. When my Mom would spray on disinfectant, there was the predictable sting, which I always figured was the chemical killing the germs. She always said it was necessary to apply disinfectant to allow the abrasion to heal properly.

The following excerpt from Luther’s 1526 Trinity Sunday sermon provides the reformer’s commentary on the new birth Christians receive through water and the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.