Luther's Smalcald - Against Enthusiasm, III

Book of Concord, Smalcald Articles, VIII, Of Confession

9] In a word, enthusiasm inheres in Adam and his children from the beginning [from the first fall] to the end of the world, [its poison] having been implanted and infused into them by the old dragon, and is the origin, power [life], and strength of all heresy, especially of that of the Papacy and Mahomet. 10] Therefore we ought and must constantly maintain this point, that God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. 11] It is the devil himself whatsoever is extolled as Spirit without the Word and Sacraments. For God wished to appear even to Moses through the burning bush and spoken Word; and no prophet neither Elijah nor Elisha, received the Spirit without the Ten Commandments [or spoken Word]. 12] Neither was John the Baptist conceived without the preceding word of Gabriel, nor did he leap in his mother's womb without the voice of Mary. 13] And Peter says, 2 Pet. 1, 21: The prophecy came not by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Without the outward Word, however, they were not holy, much less would the Holy Ghost have moved them to speak when they still were unholy [or profane]; for they were holy, says he, since the Holy Ghost spake through them.

The Church of Rome vests its authority in its age, its centuries of tradition, its pope, and its historic and self-serving titles. All these claims are false, but they appeal to restless spirits. The Church Growth Movement (Purpose-Driven, Willow Creek) claims to be making the visible church grow, yet C. Peter Wagner has admitted in print that CG Principles "do not work." Whether they did or not, CG would still be false.

Zwingli and John Calvin separate the work of the Holy Spirit from the Word, contrary to Isaiah 55 and the entire Bible. Calvin said that a sermon would have no effect if the Holy Spirit was not present. That is why Calvinists use the term Sovereign Lord. God may or may not choose to accompany the Word with His Holy Spirit. So some Calvinists argue that man must make the Word of God appealing, germane, or relevant to man. A modern crypto-Calvinist like Floyd Luther Stolzenburg argues that the users must be friendly to make the sermon effective.

Both errors (Rome and Pasadena) appeal to the emotions. Our emotions are good but they vary more than the weather. Our emotions can never be the anchor of our faith. We must base our salvation on the objective Word of God, not on our emotions. Then our volatile emotions can be strengthened and harnassed with the assurrance of salvation in Christ.

Both errors also lead to salvation by works alone. Listen to their dreary heroes for a few minutes. They crow about Mass every Sunday and all the Romanizing tendencies they have introduced (ala Fenton before he jumped the fence). They brag about their paved parking lots and new buildings, as if God coveted one more acre of parking for His people. If their doctrine is questioned, the claws come out, the fangs moisten, and they shout, "Do you know what I have done?"

Luther Wrote
"In short, wherever the Word of Christ is found and held, that is, believed, have no doubt that there the church is, even though he who administers the Sacraments and teaches the Word is godless and blasphemous; for the Word of the Lord does not return void but bears fruit, just as the rain waters the earth and makes it fruitful (Isaiah 55:10-11)."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1469. Exposition of Genesis 21. Isaiah 55:10-11.