Luther - On Paul's Portrait of False Teachers

False Teachers Use Work of Others

J-635.1

"Note the master hand wherewith Paul portrays the character of false teachers, showing how they betray their avarice and ambition. First, they permit true teachers to lay the foundation and perform the labor; then they come and desire to do the work over, to reap the honors and the benefits. They bring about that the name and the work of the true teachers receive no regard and credit; what they themselves have brought—that is the thing. They make the poor simple-minded people to stare open-mouthed while they win them with flowery words and seduce them with fair speeches, as mentioned in Romans 16:18. These are the idle drones that consume the honey they will not and cannot make." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 110. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9; Romans 16:18.

False Doctrine Tolerated

J-636.1

"And such false teachers have the good fortune that all their folly is tolerated, even though the people realize how these act the fool, and rather rudely at that. They have success with it all, and people bear with them. But no patience is to be exercised toward true teachers! Their words and their works are watched with the intent of entrapping them, as complained of in Psalm 17:9 and elsewhere. When only apparently a mote is found, it is exaggerated to a very great beam. No toleration is granted. There is only judgment, condemnation and scorn. Hence the office of preaching is a grievous one. He who has not for his sole motive the benefit of his neighbor and the glory of God cannot continue therein. The true teacher must labor, and permit others to have the honor and profit of his efforts, while he receives injury and derision for his reward."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 110f. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9. Psalm 17:9.

God Punishes Ingratitude by Allowing False Teachers

J-637.1

"In the second place such teachers are disposed to bring the people into downright bondage and to bind their conscience by forcing laws upon them and teaching works-righteousness. The effect is that fear impels them to do what has been pounded into them, as if they were bondslaves, while their teachers command fear and attention. But the true teachers, they who give us freedom of conscience and create us lords, we soon forget, even despise. The dominion of false teachers is willingly tolerated and patiently endured; indeed, it is given high repute. All those conditions are punishments sent by God upon them who do not receive the Gospel with love and gratitude."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 111. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9. John 5:43.

False Teachers Flay Disciples to Bone

J-638.1

"In the third place, false teachers flay their disciples to the bone, and cut them out of house and home, but even this is taken and endured. Such, I opine, has been our experience under the Papacy. But true preachers are even denied their bread. Yet this all perfectly squares with justice! For, since men fail to give unto those from whom they receive the Word of God, and permit the latter to serve them at their own expense, it is but fair they should give the more unto preachers of lies, whose instruction redounds to their injury. What is withheld from Christ must be given in tenfold proportion to the devil. They who refuse to give the servant of truth a single thread, must be oppressed by liars."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 111f. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.

Avarice in False Teachers

J-639.1

"Fourth, false apostles forcibly take more than is given them. They seize whatever and whenever they can, thus enhancing their insatiable avarice. This, too, is excused in them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.

They Lord It Over Us

J-640.1

"Fifth, these deceitful teachers, not satisfied with having acquired our property, must exalt themselves above us and lord it over us...We bow our knees before them, worship them and kiss their feet. And we suffer it all, yes, with fearful reverence regard it as just and right. And it is just and right, for why did we not honor the Gospel by accepting and preserving it?"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.

We Are Dogs and Foot-Rags

J-641.1

"Sixth, our false apostles justly reward us by smiting us in the face. That is, they consider us inferior to dogs; they abuse us, and treat us as foot-rags."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.

False Teachers Are Peacocks

J-642.1

"The peacock is an image of heretics and fanatical spirits. For on the order of the peacock they, too, show themselves and strut about in their gifts, which never are outstanding. But if they could see their feet, that is the foundation of their doctrine, they would be stricken with terror, lower their crests, and humble themselves. To be sure, they, too, suffer from jealousy, because they cannot bear honest and true teachers. They want to be the whole show and want to put up with no one next to them. And they are immeasurably envious, as peacocks are. Finally, they have a raucous and unpleasant voice, that is, their doctrine is bitter and sad for afflicted and godly minds; for it casts consciences down more than it lifts them up and strengthens them."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 642.

A Man Spoke, But the LCMS-WELS World Is No Longer Listening. "Justification by Faith Together with its Twin Truth, the Inerrancy of Holy Scripture, Are the Keystone and the Cornerstone of Protestantism."

Wiki:

Maier was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 4, 1893, the fourth of five children to German immigrants Emil William and Anna Katherine 'Grossie' Maier.^[1] Maier grew up in Boston as an integral part of this large, close-knit, devoutly Christian family, spending his summers at the family farm near Canaan, New Hampshire. Maier planned to enter the ministry from an early age. His family supported his goals by arranging for him to attend the Concordia Collegiate Institute in New York, an academy combining both high school and junior college in the fashion of a European Gymnasium. Here, young Maier learned Greek, Latin, and German, along with other background materials suitable for an aspiring Lutheran minister. And here he first developed his love for studies in Hebrew, the language of the Christian Old Testament.^[2]

After graduating as valedictorian of the Concordia Institute, Maier obtained his B.A. from Boston University in 1913. From there, he went directly to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he supported himself by selling Oliver typewriters. Here, once again, it was the Hebrew language and Old Testament studies that engrossed Maier. And once again, his love for the subject caused him to excel in it. Upon graduation in 1916, and in recognition of his proficiency in the field, young Maier was awarded a graduate fellowship in Old Testament studies at Harvard Divinity School.^[3][4]

Due to the breadth of his academic goals, Maier studied at Harvard Divinity School from 1916 to 1918, and at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 1918 to 1920. These four years saw the completion of course requirements for both Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, and the creation of a first draft of his doctoral dissertation, Slavery in the Time of the Hammurabi Dynasty. His perspicacity concerning Biblical Hebrew led to the mastery of other Semitic languages such as Arabic, Assyrian, and Babylonian, as well as the Hittite and Sumerian languages; and included the ability to read ancient cuneiform. The study of Semitics also led to his deep understanding of the history, literature, and culture of the ancient societies associated with these languages. In 1917, Harvard Divinity School awarded Maier the Billings Prize for oratory. He received an M.A. in Semitic language, literature and history from Harvard University in 1920; and in 1929 became the twentieth person to ever receive his doctorate from Harvard in Semitics.^[5][6] 

LoserQuest

Minus the muscles

American Lutheran History in One Post

The actual history is quite exciting, from the Walther brothers kidnapping their own niece and nephew, to electing Martin Stephan as their bishop, just before robbing and kidnapping him.

They forced him across the river to Illinois - at gunpoint, which is described today as "giving Stephan three options."

Zion on the Mississippi is quite informative.

So is In Search of Religious Freedom, by a Stephan family member.

The Muhlenberg tradition (General Synod, General Council, ULCA, LCA) - Began in Pietism - at Halle University. Rationalism and radical political activism are the natural progression of Pietism.

LCMS founder Martin Stephan never graduated from college (like Pope John the Malefactor) but he did attend Halle University, home of rationalistic Pietism and UOJ - OJ and SJ (Knapp). PS - Pope John rushed to finish his college degree after he was named Knapp Professor of New Testament at Bethany Lutheran Seminary.

WELS dogmatician Adolph Hoenecke graduated from Halle University, but nobody reads him, so it does not matter. WELS was unionistic and Pietistic to a fault and now celebrates those orgins with their loyalty to Fuller Seminary, Willow Creek, and other cesspools.

The Norwegians were Pietists, which is why so many found UOJ to be their mother's milk.

The Augustana Synod has an interesting history. Started in unionism and Pietism, since they were united against the corruption of the state church, they were influenced by W. Passavant and their own seminary professor (who studied at Cap Seminary) to be be Augsburg Confession Lutherans. That is where they got the name Augustana, the Latin name for Augsburg. Augustana opposed the UOJ of the Norwegians, which became the fourth statement of the Kokomo Statements, which WELS regards as canonical.

Kokomo Statement IV

IV. "At the time of the resurrection of Christ, God looked down in hell and declared Judas, the people destroyed in the flood, and all the ungodly, innocent, not guilty, and forgiven of all sin and gave unto them the status of saints."²³³

The Lutherans of America came over as Pietists. Some genuinely struggled to recover the Lutheran Confessions, as the Henkelites and General Council did.

The LCMS was burdened with the CFW Walther myth of his infallible and inerrant teaching. Just as Calvin branded everyone else an Arminian, so Walther labeled any threat "a false teacher." As many admit, he dismantled the Old Synodical Conference with his predestination fanaticism, which John Sparky Brenner admits was another volley of UOJ.

 Knapp's label-maker - OJ and SJ - was a Calvinist.
And Woods was not just any Calvinist but a celebrity superstar Calvinist, very influential at the time and from henceforth forevermore. Knapp is still in print, and it was the dominant theology textbook in the 19th century.

Note that Pietism tends to re-assert itself in time, when people seek the truth of Luther's Biblical doctrine. Pietism is unmoored from any kind of confession of faith, so it moves from cell-group intimacy to rationalism.

Watch all the Church Growth congregations assert their left-wing political activism - as if they invented compassion - while they go rapidly downhill.

The Methodist Church? - born in Zinzendorf Pietism, radical and almost empty today.

Advice from My Peritus

 Note the meaning of success.
Weep and moan, sectarian splinter groups.

My peritus has offered some advice, which is really for the good of others.

He reminded me that I have the Apostolic Succession, which they utterly lack. Yes, I was ordained by a pastor of the Augustana Synod, whose pastors were ordained by the Church of Sweden. They trace their ordination back to the Apostles.

Catholic Encyclopedia - McCain's Source for All Wisdom:
The principle underlying the Roman claim is contained in the idea of succession. "To succeed" is to be the successor of, especially to be the heir of, or to occupy an official position just after, as Victoria succeeded William IV. Now the Roman Pontiffs come immediately after, occupy the position, and perform the functions of St. Peter; they are, therefore, his successors.

Sweden and Apostolic Succession:

The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History states that "In Sweden the apostolic succession was preserved because the Catholic bishops were allowed to stay in office, but they had to approve changes in the ceremonies."^[97]

What made the Church of Sweden an evangelical-catholic church was to Archbishop Söderblom the fact that the Reformation in Sweden was a 'church improvement' and a 'process of purification' which did not create a new church.

We knew Dr. Conrad Bergendoff quite well. He was a protoge of  Archbishop Söderblom.

My bride, whose birthday is today, even wore the traditional Swedish bridal crown at our wedding, a gift from a Swedish jeweler to Augustana College. She says the King of Sweden brought the gift to our college.

Sadly, the Missouri sect can only trace its ordinations back to thin air. They lost their bishop when CFW Walther organized a mob to threaten, rob, and kidnap him. CFW put on a big show about being a layman and a sorrowful felon - until he assumed the airs and the infallibility of a pope. Habemus papam!

Wisconsin's sect is not much better, as a collection of union congregations that had Reformed services one week, "Lutheran" services the next, even two kinds of confirmation. Fortunately, for the sake of unity, they have switched to Reformed only, under the wise and highly trained Fuller staff and professors. So they trace their ordination back to the Apostates.

Unbidden, a friend from Moline appointed me the Pope of Donuts, but I abdicated for fear of being connected with the ELDONUTs.

Instead, I am just another pastor in the Church of the Augsburg Confession. We are quite large in size, but there are no fees, dues, membership fees, or meetings. We include all those who agree with the Augsburg Confession. That includes the famous statement on the Chief Article, so our organization by definition excludes the leaders of Missouri, WELS, ELS, CLC sic, etc.

Luther considered himself a theologian of the Augsburg Confession; the editors of the Book of Concord shared that identification.

The real issue is being faithful to the Word, but since the skunkpatches specialize in externals, such as which seminary they attended, or who their grampa was, let them consider the Sucession.

My neighbor from Moline married a Greek Orothodox man, so she reminds me when my name day comes around - 
St. Gregory the Theologian.

Hard To Believe the Venom Mixed with Ignorance and Factual Mistakes - LCMS Outcasts and Misfits On SpenerQuest

 This Luther quotation is at once the best critique of UOJ and the Church Growth Movement. Jay Webber, a Ft. Wayner, failed to cite it in his monstrous paper.

One time, ELS Pastor Kincaid Smith and another ELS pastor phoned our place. They would not identify themselves or speak to Chris, although she knew them quite well. Later, they got me on the line and Kincaid began working me over. One of his choice remarks was this, "I was just telling another pastor - Jackson has no credibility."

I responded, "Then why are two ELS pastors phoning together, long distance, if I have no credibility? There are lots of people I never call, because what they say makes no difference to me."

Kincaid was caught completely off-guard when I told them that I defended the ELS all the time. Those of you with photographic memories may recall that he reviewed Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure, and commended it to others to read. He admitted in that review that my criticism of Church Growth made him angry. But he also allowed it was valid.

 What did they have in common? Heiser and Rolf Preus graduated from Ft. Wayne.

SpenerQuest Ugliness Reminds Me of the ELDONUTs

The ELDONUTs are 93% Fort Wayne graduates and hold themselves as vastly superior to St. Louis seminary grads. That is funny, since Ft. Wayne has lower Biblical language requirements. Maybe St. Louis has caught up. Graduates of The Fort, as they call it, are overly impressed with their Bachelor of Divinity degrees, whose merit would be proven if they knew Lutheran doctrine.

Heiser has his minions pass around blatantly false stories, including one which includes someone with no beef against him or his sect. The synods work the same way. Kincaid Smith (above) howled that the synod officials claimed he had brain cancer. Later he was the official hatchet man for the ELS against Rolf Preus, as I recall. If someone joins a small enough sect, he can be a dean and a professor at the one-student seminary.

I have always wondered about the harshness, the yelling, the angry claims of many LCMS pastors. However, that does not mean they are all bad. Most of my clergy friends - and they are legion - belong to the LCMS. Universal Objective Justification is the reason that graduates of The Fort are narrow-minded bigots who feel no need to progress beyond David Scaer's shouted talking points.

Normally, graduates of a school buy and read the books written by their professors. That may not be 100%, but the habit is common and understandable. But the self-preening Ft. Wayne graduates have not read or understood Justification and Rome by Dr. Robert Preus. Perhaps they think the book is Just a Vacation in Rome. They want to argue their precious UOJ without any hint that he just might have left some antidotes to that thinking. The quotes I have used and illustrated from the Preus book suggest that Calov, Quensted, etc were responding to and criticizing some form of UOJ.

The SpenerQuesters remind me of Gollum complaining about the elvish rope. "It burns. It freezes. It hurtses us." Gollum so identified with the The Ring that he spoke in the first person plural. So the UOJ Stormtroopers react in much the same way - the Chief Article burns, freezes, and hurts them. They identify completely with a dogma from

1. Samuel Huber, a Calvinist; 
2. Halle Pietism, such as Rambach's;
3. The OJ and SJ of a Calvinist translator of Halle lectures!

The only solution for LQ is to vent their bile on me and my little blog with only 6.5 million views and 16,400 posts - "all copied and pasted from the public domain". Does AJ vape?

When Babtists and Pentecostals hear infant baptism mentioned, they become angry and leave the room in a huff, because this Biblical doctrine and practice is something they cannot abide for a moment. I mentioned this anti-Sacrament view to an LCMS woman and she looked peeved. Later, when she brought it up in her cell group, supposedly Lutheran, the leader said, "We will not even talk about it." The previously irritated woman came back to me to say I was right about cell groups turning anti-Sacramental, which like UOJ is one of the "strengths" of Pietism.

PS - Acolite John repented of his previous libel and returned to double-down. The problem is Jack Cascione's, because he and AJ must prove those statements are correct.

SpenerQuest - weighed in the balances and found very lite.

SpinnerQuest Bullies To Issue Calls and Certify People as Lutheran. However, They Still Oppose the Chief Article of Christianity.Therefore, They Are Not Even Christian

For the Calvinists on LutherQuest (sic).

Walter Raffel (Bluebird) (Walt) Intermediate Member Username: Walt Post Number: 226 Registered: 7-2004

Posted on Friday, July 20, 2018 - 4:20 pm:       Dave Schumacher. To make a statement that G. Jackson is not Lutheran is uncalled for. How can you make that statement. Have you read his books? Have you seen the Luther sermons that he has translated? [GJ - edited ] Be careful in what you state.

Alan Lubeck (1431) Senior Member Username: 1431 Post Number: 1701 Registered: 11-2004

Posted on Friday, July 20, 2018 - 5:19 pm:       Mr. Raffel, From my standpoint and confession, I'd consider Jackson to be a heterodox Lutheran. However, if someone is calling himself a pastor and is preaching and teaching/administering the Sacraments apart from a call to/from a congregation, I would consider that very problematic. I know I just can't make myself a pastor apart from a call, if that were to be my desire.

***

GJ - These people cannot grasp the text of the New Testament or the essentials of the Confessions, but they want to sit in judgment in matters where they have no knowledge.

The superficiality of the website shows they have not progressed beyond twitter-style texts and unenlightened opinions.

Gideon Responds in Shock to the Confused Cascione Calvinists

I would add, once again:  What is their point of reference?  What are they trying to conserve?  Walther, Pieper, Preus?  Certainly not Luther.

Twin 1 - UOJ Enthusiast - "He was once pure as the driven snow, but he drifted."
Twin 2 - "Didn't he just publish nine volumes of Luther in one year?"

Pastor,

I hope this statement is tongue in cheek:

David Schumacher:  Whatever else Jackson may, or may not be, he is not Lutheran.  I don't believe he ever was.

Yet they partake of the same feeding bowl with the ELCA?  Never the less, if the above statement were true, one could safely conclude that Martin Luther and the rest of the Reformation fathers were not Lutherans either -- by their definition anyway.

This is simply a pretty stupid thing to say about someone, whose ministry includes publishing entire Luther sermons each week (so that nothing is taken out of context)....which is much more than can be said than their cafeteria Lutheranism.

Ichabod bleeds Luther.  I guess you have to revere Walther or Preus to to be more Lutheran.

SDG,

Gideon

A New Insight from SpenerQuest, Home of Numerology and UOJ.Robert Preus Once Wrote a Book Where He Repudiated Cascione, But Jack Never Read It, So Jack Wrote Second Numbers

 They try to look serious at SpenerQuest,
but their character comes through anyway.

Dave Schumacher (Lex) Senior Member Username: Lex Post Number: 1228 Registered: 6-2003

Posted on Friday, July 20, 2018 - 12:40 am:       Whatever else Jackson may, or may not be, he is not Lutheran. I don't believe he ever was.

Pastor Cascione (Cardinal) Intermediate Member Username: Cardinal Post Number: 417 Registered: 11-2004

Posted on Friday, July 20, 2018 - 10:43 am:       I think he was once absolutely straight arrow, but he is also a reactionary. If all the participants on Luther Quest railed against Objective Justification, he would eventually defend it. Robert Preus once told me that about Alvin Schmidt. When Schmidt was forced out of the Seminary and took a job at a college in (I think) Illinois, within five years he reversed course. I don't think we should try that experiment on Luther Quest.