Bailing Water, Quoting a Church and Change Cheerleader (Kelm?)
We do want to seek to be effective as we share THE efficacious. To fail to differentiate these two will likely cause one to either fall into the liberal left ditch of "Church Growth Theology" or into the loveless right ditch of "Us Four, No More, Shut the Door" or "All I Have To Be Is Faithful" mentality.
Luther, quoted by Walther:
Luther: "For if it were possible that the devil were to preach this truth, the preaching would not be false or made up of lies and a person believing it would have what it promises.--After this fruit, which is the principal and most reliable one and cannot deceive, there follow in the course of time other fruits, namely, a life in beautiful harmony with this doctrine and in no way contrary to it. But these fruits are to be regarded as genuine fruits only where the first fruit, namely, the doctrine of Christ, already exists." Martin Luther, St. L., XIII, pp. 800ff.
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 413. Matthew 7:21.
Luther: "Now, the Lord in this passage speaks, in particular, of preachers or prophets, whose real and proper fruit is nothing else that this, that they diligently proclaim this will of God to the people and teach them that God is gracious and merciful and has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but wants him to live, moreover, that God has manifested His mercy by having His only-begotten Son become man. Whoever, now, receives Him and believes in Him, that is, whoever takes comfort in the fact for the sake of His Son, God will be merciful to him, will forgive his sins, and grant him eternal salvation, etc.,--whoever is engaged in this preaching of the pure Gospel and thus directs men to Christ, the only Mediator between God and men, he, as a preacher, is doing the will of God. That is the genuine fruit by which no is deceived or duped." C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 413. St. L. XIII, 800 ff. Matthew 7:21.
"For the devil at all times assaults the grace of God; no heresy can bear the teaching of divine grace." Martin Luther (on Deut 4:24; St. L. III, 1691 ff.)
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 160.
"Luther's remark about the enmity of all heretics against the grace of God is an important axiomatic statement. Every heresy that has sprung up was caused by the heretic's inability to believe that man becomes righteous in the sight of God, and is saved, by grace alone. That is the real rock of offense against which all heretics, all false teachers, dash their head."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 163.
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GJ - Does anyone else detect loathing in the Church and Change quotation?
- The Word of God is not effective until we make it effective. The ignorant lobbyist tries to hair-split about effective and efficacious, essentially the same words.
- Loveless right ditch! The pure Word of God is so loveless, unlike Church and Change with its overflowing love for...Leonard Sweet.
- Us four, no more, shut the door! Ahem. Has this apostate lobby noticed that their takeover of WELS has coincided with rapid decline in membership, closing of schools, and financial insolvency? Financial insolvency while getting the largest charitable gift ever.
