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 downright malice. That is the reason why such theologians are loved and praised by few men during their lifetime. Most men 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.

from the Fourth Evening Lecture of C.F.W. Walther, translated by W. H. T Dau in The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel; St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1929, 1986; page 28.

The Kurt Marquart Fund for Theological Education in Haiti was recently announced. Initiated by the CTSFW class of 2007, information on the fund may be found by going here.

God Works Through Means

(Article V.)

(#6) in the series:
What implications or applications may be drawn

from a quia subscription to the Book of Concord?

The faith that saves is obtained through the ways and means that God employs. The ways and means that God employs for mankind's salvation is "the Gospel and the Sacraments". The Holy Spirit is imparted through the Gospel and the Sacraments, to work faith where and when He pleases in those who hear the Gospel, the teaching that "through the merits of Christ, and not through our own merits, we have a merciful God, if we believe these things".

All of this is to say that God works to save us through His Word. The merits of the suffering and death of Jesus are applied in the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. Speaking of "the Gospel and the Sacraments" is to speak twice of the same thing, because the Sacraments are nothing less than the Gospel in an elemental form. For example, Holy Baptism is the Gospel made watery and applied to men. It wets the baptized, not simply as an outward washing, but as a watery, heavenly flood of salvation and regeneration - because God's powerful Word is attached to that water in Baptism. God's Word makes the water of Baptism powerful, so that those who are baptized in it receive the benefits of what Christ merited upon the cross - the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the power of the devil. This is how God works through His Holy Spirit for our salvation.

The contrary position condemned (censured) in this article is the teaching that the Holy Spirit is received by means (as a result) of "our own preparation, our thoughts and works, without the external word of the Gospel".

Implications and Applications?

Considered with the preceding articles, this article talks about how we receive faith and the mercy of God. In consequence of original sin, we are unable to make ourselves right before God (being filled with "evil desires and propensities", having "no true fear of God, no true faith in God"). The good and righteous works which men are able to do by nature (works of charity for the welfare of others, for example) are only such in the eyes of men; these works do not avail for righteousness before God (see Article XVIII.).

Those who subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions have such a view of fallen humanity, that among them, it should be considered futile to try to persuade fallen people to "make a decision to follow Jesus" or to "accept Jesus into their hearts" (who by nature are unable to do these things anyway). Instead, such Lutherans look for the Holy Spirit to work through the preaching of repentance and remission of sins to convert people to fear of God and faith in God; this preaching of the Gospel speaks about and delivers the mercy that God shows us for the sake of the suffering and death of His Son. The Sacraments do the same thing, putting the old flesh to death and raising souls and bodies to new life in Christ. This is where the working of the Holy Spirit for conversion and salvation is to be sought: in the "means" of grace, the Gospel and the Sacraments.

God the Son became Man

(Article III.)

(#5) in the series:
What implications or applications may be drawn

from a quia subscription to the Book of Concord?

The two natures of Christ is foundational for Christian faith and life. Before one is able to believe or teach rightly about salvation or good works (compare the "whosoever will be saved" from the Athanasian Creed), one must first have the right Christ. The Augsburg Confession maintains that its adherents teach

that God the Son became man, and was born of the blessed Virgin Mary; and that the two natures, human and divine, inseparably united in one person, are one Christ, who is true God and man, etc."

What are the implications of this union? One Christ - true God and true Man, "was really born," "truly suffered," "was crucified, died, and was buried" (emphasis added). No separation of the two natures is possible, so that one who subscribes to this confession might say that "only the humanity died," etc.

It was necessary for this one Christ (true God and true Man) to do all of these things so that He should be "a sacrifice, not only for original sin, but also for all other sins," and "appease the wrath of God". The sacrifical death of anyone less would disqualify the sacrifice.

The article continues, "this same Christ descended into hell, and truly rose from the dead on the third day, ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God". This He has done,

that he may perpetually reign over all creatures, and govern them, through the Holy Spirit sanctify, purify, strengthen, and console all those who believe in him, and give unto them life and various gifts and blessings, and protect and defend them against the devil and the power of sin.

We hear more of this last work in the articles that follow.

* 02/08/07 Update: An interesting discussion related to this post may be found here.*

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No Creed But...

Paul McCain's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions blog began one of its early discussions by looking at the popular perception of the historic creeds. As an illustration, a graphic was posted featuring "lost souls" holding a Bible, unable to see the Bible because a clergyman has placed his hand over the “lost souls’” eyes. The clergyman does not look at the Bible; instead he reads from a book titled "Human Creeds" and says: "What else would you like me to teach you about God's Word?"

The illustration reminds me of a popular phrase: "No creed but the Bible!" The statement is piously intended, wanting to place a high view on the authority of the Sacred Scriptures for Christian faith and life. But there is a problem: There is no such thing as a creedless view of the Bible. If you maintain “no creed but the Bible”, then I have to ask you: “What do you believe that the Bible says? Is it necessary for others to believe as you do, or not?” “What interpretation(s) are biblically acceptable and which are unacceptable?” “What teachings of the Bible are authoritative for what we say and do today; please explain how such biblical teachings are to be applied?”

As soon as any attempt is made to answer any of these questions – a creed (an “I believe”) has been formulated. That creed may fall in line with the ancient and historic creeds, what has been believed, taught, and confessed by others for a long time; or it may be something new and original that no one else in the history of the whole world to the present time has believed, taught, or confessed. Whatever the case, some formulation of a creed or confession accompanies the Bible to explain and apply what the Bible says.

Perhaps those who use the phrase “no creed but the Bible” really intend to say that the historic creeds and confessions are not biblical. I have frequently heard that my communion fellowship, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, is not biblical, because that particular phrase does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Response: If this is how we are to understand what it means to be biblical, then the only biblically mentioned church (still in existence) to which a person may belong is the one mentioned in Romans 1:7.

The historic creeds and confessions are not found word-for-word in the Bible, yet this fact alone does not make them “unbiblical". A different question must be asked to determine whether such creeds and confessions are biblical, whether they are a faithful exposition of the Sacred Scriptures, whether they teach and confess the same Faith handed down by the holy prophets and apostles in the sacred writings.

What is helpful in lumping together...

(Articles III.-V.)

(#4) in the series:
What implications or applications may be drawn

from a quia subscription to the Book of Concord?

Articles III.-V. of the Augsburg Confession flow (and fit) quite naturally together.

* Article III. explains what we confess of Christ - who He is, what He did, and what He continues to do. It ends by explaining that, through the Holy Spirit, Christ sanctifies, purifies, strengthens, and consoles all those who believe in him, etc.

* Article IV. continues the progression. "It is taught further..." links the two articles together. Since "we cannot obtain righteousness and the forgiveness of sins before God", we are directed to the one who can and does obtain the remission of sins for us - Christ (prercisely the one that is confessed in Art. III.) We "are justified before God, by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith, if we believe that Christ suffered for us, and that for his sake our sins are remitted unto us, etc."

* Article V. explains "for the purpose of obtaining this faith". When those who subscribe to the Augsburg Confession are asked, "How is it that you receive whatever it was that Christ did for you?", they give this answer: "The ministry, that is, the Gospel and the sacraments." Article V. explains where it is that Christ sends the Holy Spirit to give faith, to forgive sins, and to make men righteous before God. Where and when He pleases, the Holy Spirit "works faith in those who hear the Gospel, which teaches that through the merits of Christ [cf. Art. III.], and not our own merits [cf. Art. IV.], we have a merciful God, if we believe these things."

What the condemnation at the end of this sequence makes clear is that we do not look for the Holy Spirit "in consequence of our own preparation, our thoughts and works, without the external word of the Gospel." The external word of the Gospel - preached, and administered in the Sacraments - is precisely where the Holy Spirit is pleased to come to us.

You can draw your own applications and implications from these articles and post them in the comments, or if you would rather post your thoughts on your own blog, kindly provide a link back to this post.