Despite their strong belief in the same God through the salvation of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection, the Christian community has been segregated into sub-divisions, with certain disparities in their doctrines, tenets, ideologies, and ritualistic commemorations, especially according to how the Holy Sacrament is conducted and the general convention of the church services.
The two most frequently misapprehended sub-divisions, which fall within the framework of one of the prime divisions of Protestantism, would be the Lutherans and the Baptists.
Lutheran vs Baptist
The main difference between the Lutherans and the Baptists is that Lutheranism regarded baptism for Lutherans as a signification of grace and the method involves sprinkling water on the head of the believers (even newborns) whereas Baptists disregarded the ideology of baptism for infants and the custom is generally delivered by full immersion in water as an emblematic of the complete washing off of sins.
The Lutherans consider the theological doctrine of the Sacramental union in their ideologies and services whereas the Baptists are considered to be more commemorative, pragmatic, and observational.
Comparison Table Between Lutheran and Baptist (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of comparison | Lutheran | Baptist |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lutherans are considered to be the prime branch of protestants in Christianity for they were created by Martin Luther around the 16th century to prevent bad practices from happening in churches. | On the other hand, The Baptist Church was instituted back in the 16th century with the leadership of John Smyth, who was an English Dissenter. |
| Baptism | Lutherans consider baptism for adults as well as infants. | Baptists consider baptism only among believers or adults. |
| Bread and wine | The bread and wine in the last supper is considered the blood and body of Christ. | The bread and wine in the last supper is the symbolic representation of the blood and body of Christ. |
| Mode of baptism | The mode of baptism in Lutherans is by sprinkling or pouring water. | The mode of baptism in Baptists is by immersion. |
| Rejected practices | Lutherans are considered to have rejected only a few practices of the Roman Catholic Church. | Baptists are said to reject the entire authority of the Roman Catholic Church. |
What is Lutheran?
Lutheranism is a branch in Christianity that recognizes the teachings of Martin Luther during the 16th-century reforms. Martin Luther composed 95 theses in 1517 and tried to persuade the public by his work to help him alter the Church practices. This was mainly a result of the corruption that took place in those churches. Lutheranism is considered one of the five branches of Protestantism.
The name Lutheran was created by Martin Luther’s opponents. Lutherans who preached Lutheranism believed in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity. The primary objective was to adopt Christianity with the theory of justification by faith. They additionally believe that human beings can be free from their sins only by the grace of God. They also believe to exemplify that the bread and wine in the last supper is the blood and body of the almighty god.
Lutheranism is not a single entity but is regulated by the national or autonomous churches. Internationally, there are considered to be 140 Lutheran churches and among these, 138 are said to be loosely connected to the Lutheran World Federation, which was founded in 1947. At the onset of the 21st century, there are said to be approximately 65 million Lutherans globally and this made Lutheranism the second-largest branch in Protestantism.
What is Baptist?
Baptists are a vital branch in Protestantism who have a belief that only the believers of Baptism can be baptized and not by the methods of sprinkling or pouring water but by immersion which has a basic principle of washing away sins. Baptists also do not form a single entity and mostly coheres with congregational churches. Baptists can be traced back to 1609.
Baptism is rejected among the infants but can be instituted in adults. Baptists have a belief that faith is between individuals and god which likewise means the advocacy of liberty. Baptists consider the bread and wine in the last supper as only a symbolic representation of the blood and body of Christ. The worship services of the Baptists are considered to be more interactive and less formal than the Lutheran churches.
There were two kinds of Baptists in the early life i.e, the particular and general Baptists. The general Baptists mainly comprised of the English separatists and the particular Baptists constituted of the non- separatists. Both of them were Congregationalist and shared the convictions of nature. Salvations for all the Baptists are achieved only through faith. Baptists are considered as a testimony for the acceptance of Christ as their savior.
Main Differences Between Lutheran and Baptist
- Lutherans are said to be a branch of Protestants in Christianity who follows the theology of Martin Luther to prevent corruption from occurring in other churches. On the other hand, The Baptists are also a branch of Protestants instituted back in the 16th century under the leadership of John Smyth, who was an English Dissenter.
- Lutheranism can be instituted to infants as well as adults as this is considered an activity of grace. Baptists can institute baptism only to adults who believe in baptism since they are old enough to decide for themselves.
- For Lutherans, the blood and body of Jesus Christ is derived from the bread and wine in the last supper. For Baptists, the blood and body of Jesus Christ is only being considered as a symbolic representation of the bread and wine in the last supper.
- Lutherans can be baptized by the ritual of either sprinkling or pouring water. Baptists can be baptized by immersion as this means washing away the sins of a human.
- Lutherans are said to have denied only meager practices of the Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran churches are more structured. Baptists are said to have denied the entire authority of the Roman Catholic Church and Baptist churches are unstructured.
Conclusion
The Lutherans and the Baptists are the two prime Christianity sub-divisions which fall under the context of this religion’s fundamental faction, Protestantism. These two sub-divisions are viewed as reformists because they articulated in opposition to the wrongdoings of the Roman Catholic Church and made an effort to alter them with better doctrines and principles.
These sub-divisions also confide, believe, and praise the same God, cite the same Bible, and conduct reverent celebrations to honor their faith in God. Lutherans and Baptists confided in the doctrine of justification by faith alone. In simpler words, they believed that people are pardoned of their sins solely by God’s favor (mercy).
The fundamental disparity was in their tenets and methods of teaching. The Lutherans accepted that faith is an offering of God’s blessings and does not emphasize on the ideology of one’s free will, but emphasizes on God’s might, acting through his Word and the Holy Sacraments. On the other hand, in regards to conversion, the Baptists generally emphasize on the ideology of acting on one’s own free will, and consequently talks about how an individual’s faith in God is solely acquired through the choice of an individual.
References
- https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=phd_theses
- https://www.gc.uofn.edu/index.php/gc/article/view/56
Last update on 2022-04-02 / Amazon Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API