As Luther said, "Here I stand; I can do no other!"

Bold words from C.F.W. Walther, first president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod:

"When a theologian is asked to yield and make concessions in order that peace may at last be established in the Church, but refuses to do so even in a single point of doctrine, such an action looks to human reason like intolerable stubbornness, yea, like down-right malice. That is the reason why such theologians are loved and praised by few men during their lifetime. Most mean rather revile them as disturbers of the peace, yea, as destroyers of the kingdom of God. They are regarded as men worthy of contempt. But in the end it becomes manifest that this very determined, inexorable tenacity in clinging to the pure teaching of the divine Word by no means tears down the Church; on the contrary, it is just this which, in the midst of greatest dissension, builds up the Church and ultimately brings about genuine peace. Therefore, woe to the Church which has no men of this stripe, men who stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion, sound the alarm whenever a foe threatens to rush the walls, and rally to the banner of Jesus Christ for a holy war! ...

Let us, therefore, bless all the faithful champions who have fought for every point of Christian doctrine, unconcerned about the favor of men and disregarding their threatenings. Their ignominy, though it often was great, had not been born in vain. Men cursed them, but they continued bearing their testimony until death, and now they wear the crown of glory and enjoy the blissful communion of Christ and of all the angels and the elect. Their labor and their fierce battling has not been in vain; for even now, after 1500 years, or, in the last-named case, after several centuries, the Church is reaping what they have sowed.

Let us, then, my friends, likewise hold fast the treasure of pure doctrine. Do not consider it strange if on that account you must bear reproach the same as they did. Consider that the word of Sirach, chap. 4, 33: 'Even unto death fight for justice, and God will overthrow thy enemies for thee,' will come true in our case too. Let this be your slogan: Fight unto death in behalf of the truth, and the Lord will fight for you!"

Source: C.F.W. Walther, "The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel,"  translated by W.H.T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1929 (1984 printing), pp. 28, 29-30.

A Luther Gem

The entirety of what follows is an insightful post by the Rev. Eric Brown (LCMS). He quotes Dr. Martin Luther and then comments upon it:

Get used to believing that Christ is a real Savior and that you are a real sinner. For God is neither joking nor is He dealing in imaginary affairs, but He was deadly serious when He sent His own Son into the world and sacrificed Him for our sake, etc. (Romans 8:32; John 3:16). Satan – who is alive and well – has snatched these and similar reflections, which come from soothing Bible passages, from you memory. Therefore, you are not able to recall them in your present great anguish and depression. For God’s sake, then, turn your ears my way, brother, and hear me cheerfully sing. I am your brother. At this time I am not afflicted with the desperation and depression that is oppressing you. Therefore, I am strong in my faith. The reason I am strong in the faith – while you are weak and harried and harassed by the devil – is that you may lean on me for support until you regain your old strength.

Note especially that end. . . therefore I am strong in my faith - and the reason. Not because I am awesome, not because I am great - but so that while you are weak and Satan is beating the tar out of you, you may lean against me and I may speak God's Word of life to you so that you regain strength.

And of course, the opposite is true - there will be times when I am weak, when I am beat down and weary - and that those times it may be that you are strong. Why are you strong? Because of your own awesomeness? No - but so that you might speak a word of comfort to me and bolster me to stand in the face of Satan.

Everything in our life, even the strength of our faith, our confidence, those moments of surety which we have - these are for our neighbor, these are so that we might love the neighbor.

I think this is what Romans 1:17 means - consider Romans 1:16-17 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (17)For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

God's righteousness is revealed, is spoken by me in faith, for the sake of your faith. God's righteousness is revealed, is spoken by you in faith, for the sake of my faith. We constantly proclaim the Gospel to each other, bolstering each other, lifting each other up - and thus we live.

It's a wonderful, wonderful observation. My life is never about me - Just as Christ's life was never about Himself - it's always about you (whoever you happen to be).

HT: Confessional Gadfly

Commemoration of Ruth

Today, July 16th, is a day set aside to commemorate Ruth of Moab, the subject the Biblical book that bears her name. By doing so, we praise God for His mercy and favor shown to Ruth, and through Ruth (as an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ) to us. SDG.

Ruth of Moab ... is an inspiring example of God's grace. Although she was a Gentile, God made her the great grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17), and an ancestress of Jesus himself (Matthew 1:5). A famine in Israel led Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem to emigrate to the neighboring nation of Moab with their two sons. The sons marriend Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but after about ten years, Elimelech and his sons died (Ruth 1:1–5). Naomi then decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah listened to Naomi's but Ruth refused, replying with the stirring words: “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). After Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech, agreed to be Ruth's “redeemer” (Ruth 3:7–13; 4:9–12). He took her as his wife, and Ruth gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:13–17), thus preserving the Messianic seed. Ruth's kindness and selfless loyalty toward Naomi, and her faith in Naomi's God, have long endeared her to the faithful and redounded to God's praise for his merciful choice of one so unexpected.

  Source: LCMS biographies 

For a prayer today, I commend to you verses 1, 3, 7, and 4 of "For All the Faithful Women" (LSB 855). To God our heavenly Father, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we pray:

1 For all the faithful women
    Who served in days of old,
To You shall thanks be given;
    To all, their story told.
They served with strength and gladness
    In tasks Your wisdom gave.
To You their lives bore witness,
    Proclaimed Your pow'r to save.

7 For Ruth, who left her homeland
    And ventured forth in faith,
Who pledged to serve and worship
    Naomi's God till death,
We praise You, God of Israel,
    And pray for hearts set free
To bind ourselves to others
    In love and loyalty.

3 O God, for saints and servants,
    Those named and those unknown
In whom through all the ages
    Your light of glory shone,
We offer glad thanksgiving
    And fervent prayer we raise
That, faithful in Your service,
    Our lives may sing Your praise.

4 All praise to God the Father!
    All praise to Christ the Son!
All praise the Holy Spirit,
    Who binds the Church in one!
With saints who went before us,
    With saints who witness still,
We sing glad Alleluias
    And strive to do Your will. Amen.

It's God, All God, and Nothing but God (so help me, God!)

So I'm studying the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord and I'm on article II: "Free Will, or Human Power." The status of the controversy which was resolved by the Formula of Concord (formula for peace between the controversial theological points) concerns what power, if any, sinful human beings have to cooperate or participate with God's work of converting to faith in Christ. The following says it all:

In order to explain this controversy in a Christian way, according to the guidance of God's Word, and to decide it by His grace, our doctrine, faith, and confession are as follows:

In spiritual and divine things the unregenerate person's intellect, heart, and will are utterly unable, by his natural powers, to understand, believe, accept, think, will, begin, effect, do, work, or concur in working anything. They are entirely dead to what is good (Ephesians 2:5). They are corrupt. So in mankind's nature since the fall, before regeneration, there is not the least spark of spiritual power remaining or present. No person can prepare himself for God's grace or accept the grace God offers. A person is not capable of grace for and of himself. He cannot apply or accommodate himself to it. By his own powers he is not able to aid, do, work, or agree in working anything toward his conversion. He cannot do this fully, halfway, or even in part—not even in the smallest or most trivial part. He is sin's servant (John 8:34) and the devil's captive, by whom he is moved (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:26). Therefore, the natural free will according its perverted disposition and nature is strong and active only to do what is displeasing and contrary to God (Genesis 6:5).

In other words, there is nothing —absolutely nothing!— we can to bring ourselves to saving faith in Jesus Christ my Lord or even to prepare ourselves for grace. Nothing, nada, nichts, rien, niente! And so what a miracle of God's mercy that He uses His precious means of grace to call us to faith... that (despite all this) we are called by the Gospel, enlightened with His gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith. Glory to God in the highest! Thanks be to God!

Source: Formula, Solid Declaration, II:6-7, "Concordia, the Lutheran Confessions: A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord" (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), first edition, p. 551.

Jesus Wins!

On this day, the opening day of the convention of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LC–MS) in Houston, TX, many are concerned about who will win and who will lose—  in voting about the structure of our synodical organization, in terms of who the next president will be, etc. In light of that, the Rev. Herbert C. Mueller Jr., president of the Southern Illinois District of the LC–MS:
  

God has given me the privilege of serving as pastor of three congregations in my life. Each time I have come as the new pastor, I've asked what they would like to study in adult Bible class. Each time someone has piped up, "Let's look at Revelation! That should be fun!" And so we do.

The second or third time through I came across this idea: get out a modern language Bible, your favorite, then read through the whole Book of Revelation in one sitting (it takes about 90 minutes). Don't sweat the details, but when you're done, reduce the message to two words. Answer? Jesus wins.

Whatever Satan, the world or we sinners try, Jesus wins the final victory. As we hear when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, "The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Every time I read it, there's the same result: Jesus wins!

This is true even now, though it's hidden. But we look forward to the day He will appear and we shall see Him as He is. When the disciples saw Jesus ascend and disappear into the clouds, two angels stood by them and said, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven," that is, visibly, openly, for all to see (Acts 1:11).

Where is Jesus now? He is seated at the right hand of God (which is everywhere, we said last month), ruling over all things for His Church. "From thence," from that position of power, we confess the next line of the creed, "He will come to judge the living and the dead."

Everything for our salvation has been completed, His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven for us. Only this remains. He is coming again. Right now, the Bible says, "He must rule until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:25-26), a victory, the Book of Revelation assures us, Jesus wins. "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and authority and power" (15:24).

That's when He comes again to judge the living and the dead.

What happens to us? If we are still alive when He comes, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). If we have died before He comes, we will be raised from the dead imperishable. Either way, we are given new, glorified, sinless bodies, "for this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?' The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (15:53-57).

See? Jesus wins!

What about the judgment? Remember the Scripture, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Remember the promise of Jesus, "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). Sin, death and the devil are judged and thrown into the lake of fire together with those whose names are not in the book of life (Revelation 20:10-15). But for all who are in Christ by faith, Christ Himself promises, "this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39-40).

You need fear the judgment only if you are not found in Christ. My prayer for all of you is that we may be like St. Paul, writing to the Philippians, seeking to "gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…" (Philippians 3:8-10).

Remember, Jesus wins!

Why Luther Is Not Protestant

Today's post is a re-post from Pastor Peters, wherein he comments ably on the article "Why Luther Is Not Quite Protestant," by Phillip Carey of Eastern University. Enjoy...  

[In the article,] Carey examines the logic of faith in a sacramental promise.  In other words, he spends his time comparing and contrasting the role of faith and the promises of God that form the means of grace.  He sees in Luther something not quite in keeping with the way Protestants generally see things.  This is the catholic Luther (the only real Luther) who does not make faith itself the primary foundation upon which conversion, baptismal regeneration, absolution, and the Lord's Supper are based.  According to Carey this is, at least in part, the reason why there is "no revivalist tradition native to Lutheranism" and why the revivalist tradition of Protestantism is foreign to Lutheran understanding of the working of God and the faith that apprehends His work.

For Protestants (read this Calvinists, especially), the certainty of salvation rests upon faith.  Carey has put it this way:  Whoever believes in Christ is saved (major premise); I believe in Christ (minor premise); therefore, I am saved (conclusion).  But for Luther it did not work this way.  For Luther, justification does not require either a conversion experience or a decision.  These are acts of the will that detract from Christ and His work.  The minor premise in all of Luther's approach is "Christ never lies but only tells the truth" - not "I believe..."

So for Luther the certainty rests not on MY faith but on CHRIST and His Word/Promise:  It looks like this, according to Carey:  Christ said "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (major premise); Christ never lies but always tells the truth (minor premise); therefore, I am baptized (I have new life in Christ, I am saved, etc.) -- conclusion.

The sacramental Word is wholly external.  There is a great difference between having faith in Christ and depending upon that faith for your new life, justification, and salvation.  The efficacy is in the sacramental Word and not in the faith itself.  This is key to Luther and the key difference between Lutherans and the Protestants.

This is especially pointed when it comes to sacramental absolution.  Calvin thought it wise and good pastoral practice to offer private absolution but not as a sacramental act.  Instead, Calvin saw this as a conditional statement -- conditional upon faith in Christ -- but for Luther this is the unconditional Word of Christ that does what it promises.

Calvin:

    Christ promises absolution to those who believe in Him.

    I believe in Christ.

    [Therefore,] I am absolved of all my sins.

Luther:

    Christ says "I absolve you of all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

    Christ never lies but always tells the truth.

    [Therefore,] I am absolved of all my sins.

For Luther, to NOT believe in this absolution is to call Christ a liar while for Calvin the priest can never say these words unconditionally and the absolved must posit his assurance in his or her faith to know that he or she is forgiven.

We could go on and on.... in the end, Carey sees Luther's understanding of justification tied to sacramental piety -- a very catholic understanding, indeed.  While there is much to consider in this article, it does highlight the issues within the LCMS about borrowing from those whose revivalist traditions are in direct conflict with our understanding of the means of grace and the efficacy of Christ's Word and promise.  It goes to the heart of what takes place on Sunday morning and to the nature of what should be sung as the hymns or songs of the faithful.  It challenges those who use the language or vocabulary of Protestantism to speak to those outside the Church and the duplicity of a witness which says one thing and means something other (or maybe not, if, indeed, those who do this have lost touch with the efficacy of Christ's Word and promise as the minor premise of this sacramental piety and liturgical life).

HT: Catching Up On My Reading

Commemoration of Isaiah, prophet

Today, July 6th, is set aside in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LC–MS) for the commemoration of Isaiah the prophet. This is what our LC–MS Commission on Worship says about him:

Isaiah son of Amoz is often considered to be the greatest of the writing prophets and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament prophet. His name means "Yahweh [the Lord] saves." Isaiah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem and Judah from about 740 B.C. to 700 B.C. and was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah.

Isaiah was a fierce preacher of God's Law, condemning the sin of idolatry. He was also a comforting proclaimer of the Gospel, repeatedly emphasizing God's grace and forgiveness. For this he is sometimes called the “Evangelist of the Old Testament.” No prophet more clearly prophesied about the coming Messiah and his saving kingdom. He foretold the Messiah's miraculous birth (Is 7:14; 9:6), his endless reign (Is 2:1–5; 11:1–16), and his public ministry (Is 61:1–3), but most notably his “Suffering Servant” role and atoning death (52:13—53:12). The apostle John's description of Isaiah, that Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and spoke of him (John 12:41), is an apt summary of Isaiah's prophetic ministry.

Consider this fine Martin Luther (A+D 1483-1546) hymn from our new hymnbook, Lutheran Service Book. "Isaiah, Mighty Seer," LSB 960:

Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old,

The Lord of all in spirit did behold

High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright,

With robes that filled the temple courts with light.

Above the throne were flaming seraphim;

Six wings had they, these messengers of Him.

With two they veiled their faces as was right,

With two they humbly hid their feet from sight,

And with the other two aloft they soared;

One to the other called and praised the Lord:

"Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!

Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!

Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!

His glory fills the heavens and the earth!"

The beams and lintels trembled at the cry,

And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high. (for the tune, click here)

Let us pray: Lord God heavenly Father, in the earliest days after the Fall, you immediately proclaimed to our first parents the promise one day of a savior. Through the mouth of your servant Isaiah you reaffirmed that promise and foretold His virgin birth. O Father, we thank you for sending to us your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you that sent Him to be our own suffering servant, that all our sins and sufferings were laid upon Him. Let the words and the example of Isaiah point ever and always to Your Son Jesus Christ, that we might be given faith to receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation that He won for us on the wood of the cross. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

"The Only Remedy is the Diligent Study of the Word of God"

As quoted by Rev. Matthew Harrison, Executive Director of World Relief and Human Care... fascinating, eye-opening words from then-LCMS President F. Pfotenhauer, in his 1923 Synod Address:

Our Confessions, therefore declare: “We believe, teach, and confess that the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with all teachers should be estimated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament alone, as it is written Psalm 119:105: ‘Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,’ and St. Paul: ‘Though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed,’ Galatians 1:8” [Formula of Concord, Epitome, Summary Rule and Norm; Triglotta, 777].

Hence, if a church-body wishes to be preserved from party spirit or be cured of this malady when it has broken out, the only remedy is diligent study of God’s Word. The Word of God has the property of unifying and preserving in unity. Those who say that doctrines should not be discussed in order to avoid divisions within the church do not know what they are talking about. Luther writes in the Smalcald Articles: “Therefore the church can never be better governed and preserved than if we all live under one head, Christ, and all the bishops, equal in office (although they be unequal in gifts), be diligently joined in unity of doctrine, faith, Sacraments, prayer and works of love” [Smalcald Article II/IV, 9; Triglotta, 473].

Our Synod has so far been preserved from party spirit. Although its members are scattered over distant lands and differ much as to conditions and manner of living and external interests, still there are no different tendencies, no divisions, among us despite our many frail- ties and weaknesses. It would be unheard of within our Synod to speak of a liberal party in opposition to a conservative party. We are all joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. One and the same spirit prevails in all our district conventions and in all our educational institutions. That such is the case we owe not to ourselves, but to the Word of God, which has been diligently preached and studied in our midst ever since the organization of our Synod and is still preached and studied in our churches and schools, at our conferences and synodical meetings. In our midst the Word of God has revealed its power to create and preserve unity. On the one hand, in divine matters, it permitted no other voice than that of Jesus to gain authority among us; on the other hand, it prevented the adiaphora from becoming so prominent as to estrange and to divide us inwardly, so that they were decided, often after a spirited debate, either by the minority’s submitting to the majority or by the majority’s yielding to the minority when that was demanded by charity.

May the faithful God restrain and ward off from us all doctrinal indifference which seeks to insinuate itself into our midst, so that we may confess with the fathers of our Synod: “Thy testimonies are my counselors.” Then we shall continue peacefully in one mind in spite of the fury of the devil, the world, and our flesh; we shall prove ourselves a salt in this unionistic age and be able to do the great work of the church in a God-pleasing manner. To this end may the Lord bless our present convention!

Let our prayer be the closing sigh of the authors of the Formula of Concord: “May Almighty God and the Father of our Lord Jesus grant the grace of His Holy Ghost that we all may be one in Him and constantly abide in this Christian unity, which is well-pleasing to Him! Amen” [Formula of Concord, Epitome XI, 23; Triglotta, 837].