Bethany is providing a series of sessions on the Book of Concord. The files are saved on the same page as the link. In time they may be presented in a more orderly fashion.
I am going to summarize the essence of Christian theology, which is presented most clearly in Luther's doctrine. Luther was not trying to create a new brand name, and the Concordists were not trying to protect the reputation of Holy Mother Synod. Luther and the Concordists taught Christian doctrine from the perspective of Scriptural revelation, with an appeal to the best of theology from the Church's past.
Roman Catholics quote theologians from the past, only when they are in error. Baptists do not acknowledge these Patristic theologians. For generic Protestants, church history stopped during the Apostolic Age and began again during the Reformation.
Summary
The Holy Spirit works exclusively through the Word and never apart from the Word. When the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit at work, the Word may be substituted for Holy Spirit, although they are not the same. This is crucial, since Roman Catholics and Baptist/Pentecostals diverge from the Scripture on the fundamental point.
Because God has pledged to work only through the Word, His Word is always efficacious or effective. To use plain English, God's Word works. I found it very difficult to locate any treatment of the efficacy of the Word in the New Testament in all the Biblical journals and dictionaries I searched (including microfilm at Concordia, St. Louis). The efficacy of the Word was always assumed in the early Church, but lost through layers of man-made tradition and base error, until Luther taught it again with great clarity.
God appointed the Means of Grace to carry out His will. The Word comes to us in two forms, invisible and visible. Preaching and teaching are the invisible Word. The sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are the visible Word.
God designed the pastoral ministry to provide preaching and the administration of the sacraments throughout the world.
No one should ever doubt the effectiveness of the Word, whether invisible or visible. Anyone who does blasphemes God's Name, because this efficacy is taught throughout the Scriptures.
Instead, we should constantly extol the work of God through the Means of Grace and be diligent in providing them. Looking for tangible results that please us is another way of demeaning God's will and questioning His goodness. The Lutheran Reformation was a statistical flop. At first everyone clamored to join. When things got tough, as Luther observed, it was like a high wind going through an orchard, with all the apples falling out of the trees.
The efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace is the greatest possible comfort for the Christian. He knows that abiding with the True Vine is the cause of fruitfulness (John 15). He never questions where to obtain God's love, favor, and forgiveness, because he knows God has provided these instruments or means to distribute the treasure of His grace. Moreover, he knows that man-made methods are nothing but Satan's way of aping the Means of Grace to deceive the simple.
A faithful pastor knows that his work is only to carry out this ministry of the Word, in preaching, teaching, and administering the Sacraments. His divinely designed work does not extend beyond this and Word-centered visitation. He is not the social activities director of the Love Boat. He is not the cheerleader and apologist for Holy Mother Synod. He is not measured by the bottom line. Although a faithful pastor's work may seem ridiculous and ineffective to the world, he has the most powerful influence in the world, because he distributes the treasures of God's grace and serves as the steward (manager) of the mysteries of God.
