Quinquagesima Sunday, 2013
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn # 195 Christ Lay in Death’s 1:46
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 305:1-5 Soul Adorn Thyself 4:23
This
Is My Body
The Hymn # 305:6-9 Soul, Adorn Thyself 4:23
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
The Epistle. 1 Corinthians
13
THOUGH I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding
brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I
bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is
kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth
not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall
fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge,
it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when
that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a
child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then
shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity,
these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
The Gospel. St. Luke 18. 31.
THEN Jesus took unto him the
twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that
are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and
spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him
to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of
these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things
which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho,
a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass
by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth
by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me. And they
which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so
much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood. and commanded
him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying,
What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive
my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved
thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God:
and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Quinquagesima Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father,
who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at
the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath
borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us,
we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in
accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to
strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and
salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
This Is My Body
KJV 1 Corinthians 11:23 For
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord
Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he
had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner
also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new
testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance
of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the
Lord's death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and
drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that
bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body.
11:23 For I have received
of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same
night in which he was betrayed took bread:
The setting for the Words of
Institution in Corinthians is the abuse of the Agape Meal, which was a human
tradition built around the sacrament. The tradition itself was distorted by
rude and selfish behavior, so Paul used the sacrament as the foundation for
improving this behavior. We can find other situations where the problems moved
Paul to cite the Gospel foundations, so we can be happy that the early Christians
provided so many opportunities for correction.
We can see from this
situation and others that he was not teaching them for the first time but
reminding them of words that they probably memorized. Where writing was
relatively rare and written materials were valuable, memory was the original
e-book.
Memorizing has declined with
the growth of printed materials, notes, minutes, and contracts. As someone
said, printing did to memory what the stirrup did to horsemanship. (The ancient
warriors rode into battle without stirrups, but now we hate to ride old
sway-backed oat-burners without those stabilizers.)
11:23 For I have received
of the Lord
Paul cited his apostolic
authority at the beginning of each letter. In this phrase he is showing that
the words following were taught by the risen Lord to him, directly. Paul did
not learn about Holy Communion from the Twelve, but from the Son of God.
Abuse of the sacrament is
abuse of God’s visible Word, and our practical application of Holy Communion
must show respect for its divine origin. It is not a toy or a gimmick for
making a point - such as the social activists serving the elements are garbage
can lids to show “solidarity with the poor.” Or dressing as clowns, as many
mainline ministers have done for the sacrament and for worship. Many of these
gimmicks are offered up as something new when they are only repetitions of
cliché left-wing posturing.
What God gives us directly
is not to be despised and His own Word must be honored as His Word, not as
man’s improvement upon it.
that which also I
delivered unto you,
Paul the Apostle writes here
that he taught exactly what he received from the risen Christ. We live in an
era where the visiting expert is given the greatest possible honor. If he says
so, it must be true.
This example is far greater,
since Paul was an undisputed apostle, chosen by God for teaching the Gospel,
and the Savior taught him directly. In last week’s epistle, where he alluded to
his special vision and learning “My power is made perfect in weakness, to show
that My grace is sufficient,”
This phrase is in complete
harmony with Luther’s constant admonition that we take God’s Word for what it
is, a direct revelation of God to us in the written Word, not something to be
watered down, changed, sugar-coated, reversed, and explained in an appeal to
human reason.
KJV Isaiah 55:8 For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as
the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to
the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out
of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Thus the power of the Holy
Spirit is always present when the Word is taught. In some, who listen to it
with sincerity, it brings enlightenment and salvation. In others, who reject it
obstinately, the Word brings blindness and hardness of heart. The Sword of the
Spirit quotation from Hebrews should always be remembered. The Word of God is
discerning and penetrating.
That the Lord Jesus the same
night in which he was betrayed took bread:
This phrase locates the
practice of Holy Communion in a specific moment of crisis, the Last Supper, and
there is a play on words.
The noun tradition comes
from the verb “to hand over.” Depending on context, hand over can mean to
teach the same that was received or to betray. Judas identified
Jesus in dark, when the authorities came to arrest him at night - thus he handed Him over, or betrayed Him.
So this is the irony – that
Jesus handed over the Sacrament of Forgiveness on the same night He was handed
over (betrayed) to the authorities for His crucifixion.
This makes Holy Communion
doubly solemn and important. Jesus gave Himself up to atone for our sins just
when the disciples were at their weakest. Where man would rail against man’s
weakness, God provided forgiveness and strength for the Shepherd’s wandering
sheep.
24 And when he had given
thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is
broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
One of our regular listeners
asked me to explain this issue in detail. The language is similar to the
Feeding of the Multitudes
KJV John 6:11 And Jesus took
the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the
disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the
fishes as much as they would.
Jesus multiplied the loaves
and fish miraculously. Some would dispute this happening with the Lord’s
Supper. To deny this in the Lord’s Supper is to deny it being possible with the
Feeding of the Multitude. The
rationalists reject both, of course, starting with the Lord’s Supper or with
the miraculous feeding.
Another part of the argument
against Holy Communion is this command –
Take, eat: this is my
body,
Although there may be a few
exceptions, the only Protestants who teach the Real Presence are the orthodox
Lutherans.
Baptists, Presbyterians,
Methodists, and others make this a memorial meal, only done in remembrance of
the Last Supper.
They say this – “Jesus spoke
in Aramaic, a form of Hebrew. Aramaic has no word for is. Therefore,
Jesus never said these words.”
That argument is based upon
a false assumption and bad information. We only have one text of the New
Testament, which is Greek. And Greek does have the word is.
Did Jesus speak only
Aramaic? No. The universal language of the time was Greek, thanks to Alexander
the Great. We have thousands of Greek New Testament manuscripts from the
earliest times, but no Aramaic New Testament.
So the result of this
argument is to say, among the strictest Evangelicals, the Scriptures are
infallible, inerrant, and they believe in the plenary (complete) inspiration of
the Holy Spirit in giving God’s Word to us – except for “is.” The Gospel
writers and Paul were wrong in claiming that.
My Moline classmate recently
said on Facebook, “I believe it is only symbolic because Jesus never used the
word is.” Then He never said “I am the Good Shepherd” or “I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life.”
So we can test this with
other passages from Scripture. Did Paul indicate the Real Presence anywhere
else.
KJV 1 Corinthians 10:16
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of
Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of
Christ?
This word communion
is the term the unLutherans translations and paraphrases eliminate.
Notice how the Real Presence
is taught in so few words. The cup of blessing (similar to the wine blessed at
Jewish Sabbath meals) is communion with the blood of Christ. It is not merely
wine. It is not just symbolic. It is wine that is also the blood of Christ
through the power of the efficacious, consecrating Word.
[Mainline Protestants and
Synodical Conference “Lutherans” deny the consecration. Mainline Protestants
and the SynCons also teach UOJ. Rejecting the efficacy of the Word does not
stop at one article of faith or another, but affects all aspects of the
Christian faith. Luther consistently taught the Biblical concept of the divine
efficacy of the Word.]
In the same verse –
The bread which we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
Jesus blessed the bread and
broke it at the Feeding of the Multitude. He did not say at that time, “This is
My Body.”
But here, Paul says bread
broken (consecrated by the Word) is also communion with the body of Christ.
Old and New NIV 1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving
for which we give thanks a participation in the
blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation
in the body of Christ?
Likewise, the NIV and other
unLutheran translations cannot abide 1 Peter 3:21, where another apostle
teaches “Baptism now saves you.”
NIV 1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes
baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the
pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ,
False doctrine is so
powerful that it moves people to print and sell Bibles that do not say what the
original text clearly teaches. Instead, words are removed and insert to create
a message that fits the false doctrine.
That is also why the New NIV
is being accepted and adopted by the left-wing denominations and WELS – because
it teaches their favorite dogma – UOJ.
this do in remembrance of
me.
The non-Lutherans have
pixilated this verse. I used to see it carved on the altar in the Disciples of
Christ Church in Moline. The words themselves are good, but they have been
taken to mean only – in remembrance.
Most people realize that
Jewish rituals are largely in remembrance. They involve both remembering and
re-enacting. The seder meal remembers and re-enacts the Exodus, with people
standing and ready to leave (ideally).
Actions drive home the
meaning of the words. But memory does not mean only in memory in this text.
26 For as often as ye eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
In Corinthians we do not
have a specific verse that says – for forgiveness. Since the Lord’s death was
and is for atonement, this is implied.
Forgiveness is explicit in
the Gospels –
KJV Matthew 26:28 For this
is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
To argue against Holy
Communion giving us forgiveness is to say that Matthew clashes with Paul, that
Mark and Luke do the same, even though they say “shed for you.”
When a dogma goes looking
for a text, that dogma finds only what it wants and discards the rest.
The Bible – in a sense – is
One Word. Because we are weak and frail, prone to misunderstand, the Holy
Spirit teaches us from many perspectives, but it is always One unified and
coherent Word.
The Holy Spirit does not
teach the Real Presence in one text, forget, and teach against it in another
place.
We were discussing Spener
and Pietism last night. A translator for WELS said to me, “Spener teaches this
doctrine and that one. It is hard to pin him down because he wrote so much and
took different positions.”
27 Wherefore whosoever
shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall
be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For
he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to
himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
Holy Communion is giving the
visible Word of God to people. To give it to mockers is to mock the Word of
God. When someone mocked the institution of marriage, I offered a blessing but
no communion. I followed that with a pastor visit on marriage as created by
God’s Word and not to be despised.
Closed communion means
giving the sacrament only to those who are well known to the pastor, normally
to members only. This must be God-pleasing because it riles people up only
where it is stated. In open communion churches, few non-members ever take the
sacrament, even when invited. But when something is in the bulletin or put into
practice – BOOM. People walk out and slam the doors.
Application
Holy Communion is a memorial
meal and it is symbolic, but it also a sacrament where the grace of God is distributed
through the Gospel Word and elements.
Why so many means?
Why do we have trophies,
certificates, awards, monuments? We enjoy having physical reminders of reality,
and there are often many of them for the same identical purpose – to honor veterans,
civic leaders, founders of institutions.
We need forgiveness, and
forgiveness is the power of the life of every Christian.
When we reflect upon
communion, we can think about the the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the
prodigal son.
God lavishes forgiveness and
rejoices in repentance.
Faith in Christ is
forgiveness. Believing in Him is salvation.
Holy Communion
"And just as the Word has been given in order to excite this faith, so the Sacrament has been instituted in order that the outward appearance meeting the eyes might move the heart to believe [and strengthen faith]. For through these, namely, through Word and Sacrament, the Holy Ghost works."
Apology Augsburg Confession, XXIV (XII), #70. The Mass. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 409. Tappert, p. 262. Heiser, p. 123.
"Our adversaries have no testimonies and no command from Scripture for defending the application of the ceremony for liberating the souls of the dead, although from this they derive infinite revenue. Nor, indeed, is it a light sin to establish such services in the Church without the command of God and without the example of Scripture, and to apply to the dead the Lord's Supper, which was instituted for commemoration and preaching among the living [for the purpose of strengthening the faith of those who use the ceremony]. This is to violate the Second Commandment, by abusing God's name."
Apology Augsburg Confession, XXIV. #89. The Mass. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 413f. Tappert, p. 265f. Heiser, p. 124.
"Whoever denies the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper must pervert the words of Institution where Christ the Lord, speaking of that which He gives His Christians to eat, says: 'This is My body,' and, speaking of that which He gives them to drink, says: 'This is My blood.' [Also 1 Corinthians 10:16]
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 40. 1 Corinthians 10:16.
"If Reformed theology wishes to free itself from the confusion of self-contradiction and its other Christological errors, it must by all means eliminate its rationalistic principle that the finite is not capable of the infinite."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1951, II, p. p. 275.
"And all these are established by the words by which Christ has instituted it, and which every one who desires to be a Christian and go to the Sacrament should know. For it is not our intention to admit to it and to administer it to those who know not what they seek, or why they come."
Large Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar. #2. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 447. Heiser, p. 210.
"For it is not founded upon the holiness of men, but upon the Word of God. And as no saint upon earth, yea, no angel in heaven, can make bread and wine to be the body and blood of Christ, so also can no one change or alter it, even though it be misused. For the Word by which it became a Sacrament and was instituted does not become false because of the person or his unbelief. For He does not say: If you believe or are worthy you receive My body and blood, but: Take, eat and drink; this is My body and blood."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #16-17. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 757. Tappert, p. 448. Heiser, p. 211.
"On this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes and strengthens the new man. For by Baptism we are first born anew; but (as we said before) there still remains, besides, the old vicious nature of flesh and blood in man, and there are so many hindrances and temptations of the devil and of the world that we often become weary and faint, and sometimes also stumble."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #23. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 757. Tappert, p. 449. Heiser, p. 211f.
"Therefore it {communion}is given for a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself so as not to fall back in such a battle, but become every stronger and stronger. For the new life must be so regulated that it continually increase and progress; but it must suffer much opposition. For the devil is such a furious enemy that when he sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot topple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides, tries all devices, and does not desist, until he finally wearies us, so that we either renounce our faith or yield hands and feet and become listless or impatient. Now to this end the consolation is here given when the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, that it may here obtain new power and refreshment."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #24-27. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 449. Heiser, p. 211.
"For here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin, which contains and brings with it the grace of God and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #70. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 769. Tappert, p. 454. Heiser, p. 214.
"Therefore, if you cannot feel it {the works of the flesh, Galatians 5:199ff. above}, at least believe the Scriptures; they will not lie to you, and they know your flesh better than you yourself...Yet, as we have said, if you are quite dead to all sensibility, still believe the Scriptures, which pronounce sentence upon you. And, in short, the less you feel your sins and infirmities, the more reason have you to go to the Sacrament to seek help and a remedy."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #76-78. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 771. Tappert, p. 455. Heiser, p. 214.
"Calvin was dissatisfied with Zwingli's interpretation of the Lord's Supper, but his own interpretation was also wrong. He said that a person desiring to receive the body and blood of Christ could not get it under the bread and wine, but must by his faith mount up to heaven, where the Holy Spirit would negotiate a way for feeding him with the body and blood of Christ. These are mere vagaries, which originated in Calvin's fancy. But an incident like this shows that men will not believe that God bears us poor sinners such great love that He is willing to come to us."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 185.
"Is the Lord's Supper the place to display my toleration, my Christian sympathy, or my fellowship with another Christian, when that is the very point in which most of all we differ; and in which the difference means for me everything--means for me, the reception of the Savior's atonement? Is this the point to be selected for the display of Christian union, when in fact it is the very point in which Christian union does not exist?"
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 905f.
"For in Confession as in the Lord's Supper you have the additional advantage, that the Word is applied to your person alone. For in preaching it flies out into the whole congregation, and although it strikes you also, yet you are not so sure of it; but here it does not apply to anyone except you. Ought it not to fill your heart with joy to know a place where God is ready to speak to you personally? Yea, if we had a chance to hear an angel speak we would surely run to the ends of the earth."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 199.
"In addition there is this perversion, that whereas Christ instituted the use of His Supper for all who receive it, who take, eat, and drink, the papalist Mass transfers the use and benefit of the celebration of the Lord's Supper in our time to the onlookers, who do not communicate, yes, to those who are absent, and even to the dead."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 498.
"However, you will be sure as to whether the sacrament is efficacious in your heart, if you watch your conduct toward your neighbor. If you discover that the words and he symbol soften and move you to be friendly to your enemy, to take an interest in your neighbor's welfare, and to help him bear his suffering and affliction, then all is well. On the other hand, if you do not find it so, you continue uncertain even if you were to commune a hundred times a day with devotions so great as to move you to tears for very joy; for wonderful devotions like this, very sweet to experience, yet as dangerous as sweet, amount to nothing before God. Therefore we must above all be certain for ourselves, as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:10: 'Give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure.'"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 211. 2 Peter 1:10.
"Hence it is manifest how unjustly and maliciously the Sacramentarian fanatics (Theodore Beza) deride the Lord Christ, St. Paul, and the entire Church in calling this oral partaking, and that of the unworthy, duos pilos caudae equinae et commentum, cuius vel ipsum Satanam pudeat, as also the doctrine concerning the majesty of Christ, excrementum Satanae, quo diabolus sibi ipsi et hominibus illudat, that is, they speak so horribly of it that a godly Christian man should be ashamed to translate it. [two hairs of a horse's tail and an invention of which even Satan himself would be ashamed; Satan's excrement, by which the devil amuses himself and deceives men].
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 67, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 997. Tappert, p. 581f. Heiser, p. 270.
"Dr. Luther, who, above others, certainly understood the true and proper meaning of the Augsburg Confession, and who constantly remained steadfast thereto till his end, and defended it, shortly before his death repeated his faith concerning this article with great zeal in his last Confession, where he writes thus: 'I rate as one concoction, namely, as Sacramentarians and fanatics, which they also are, all who will not believe that the Lord's bread in the Supper is His true natural body, which the godless or Judas received with the mouth, as well as did St. Peter and all [other] saints; he who will not believe this (I say) should let me alone, and hope for no fellowship with me; this is not going to be altered [thus my opinion stands, which I am not going to change]."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 33, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 983. Tappert, p. 575. Heiser, p. 267.
"Besides this, you will also have the devil about you, whom you will not entirely tread under foot, because our Lord Christ Himself could not entirely avoid him. Now, what is the devil? Nothing else than what the Scriptures call him, a liar and murderer. A liar, to lead the heart astray from the Word of God, and blind it, that you cannot feel your distress or come to Christ. A murderer, who cannot bear to see you live one single hour. If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #80-82. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 771f. Tappert, p. 456. Heiser, p. 214.
The resignation of two world religious figures - one the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the other the leader of the Anglican Communion -- highlights two very different men with two very different theologies, worldviews and visions of how the church universal ought to look in a rapidly evolving and changing world.
