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.
29The Benediction p. 31The Hymn
#657 Beautiful
Savior
The Lutheran
Reformation – The Word Changed the World
Many speak about the
Reformation by discussing the facts about Luther’s life, an approach that misses
the meaning of the Reformation entirely. Others reflect the power of the
Reformation (in reverse) by being defensive and cowardly, calling it
“Reconciliation Sunday.” That may be going too far for some, so they would
rather crab-walk backwards into the Middle Ages by editing out the doctrinal war
verses from hymns. After all, the Methodists removed the Virgin Birth from
Wesley’s “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” – offspring of the Chosen One, rather
than offspring of the Virgin’s womb. Why not pretend there is no war between
sound and false doctrine?
Whether one is a
Lutheran or not, a believer or not,
these characteristics are true of the Word of God. These characteristics all go
well together, because there is only One Unified Truth, which goes by many
names. We call this Truth – the Gospel, the Word of God, the Scriptures, and so
forth. The characteristics are a convenient way of discussing what is true and
false in teaching the Bible.
1. Authority
2. Power and
efficacy
3. Inerrancy
4. Clarity or
perspicuity
5. Justification and
absolution
6. Word/Spirit
The authority of the
Word places it about all other authorities, not just in making a declaration,
which is so easy to do, but in consistent and unyielding practice. Many
side-roads take people away from the authority of the Scriptures, because they
say,
In our circles, it
means this…
According to our
tradition, where we give reason and tradition equal weight with the
Scriptures…
Our denomination has
voted in its highest legislative gathering (the convention!)…
Our doctrinal board
has stated…
Strangely, like the
Church of the Middle Ages, many denominations consider themselves the final
authority, even when changing dogma as often as the professional baseball teams change World Series
winners.
The authority of the
Scripture was a vital matter during the Reformation because the Scriptures were
buried so deep between layers of tradition and claims of authority. The papacy
was beginning a long series of battles between papal authority and the councils,
which the papacy largely won. When Vatican II made a certain pronouncement, the
pope insisted on making it alone, to show his supremacy over all
others.
The Middle Ages also
looked to such authorities as Aquinas and Augustine, Jerome and
Ambrose.
The authority of the
Scriptures can only mean that all other authorities are set aside and
subordinate to the revealed Word of God – whether they are
· Reason
· Tradition
or
· Ecclesiastical powers
and authors
Therefore, the
Scriptures judge all books and the Bible is not judged by any other book. That
is quite different from “the pope is infallible and is judged by no one and is
supreme above all councils.”
The Word created the
universe, so how can the Word be subordinate to man, man’s authority, or man’s
books?
Power and
Efficacy
The authority of the
Scriptures is given lip-service, but the efficacy of the Word is ignored
altogether. Everything is effective except the Word in our modern age of
apostasy, so people must learn the efficacy of the Word in order to make any
sense of the Christian Faith.
Like a scandal in the
past, efficacy is not mentioned, not taught, not applied in any discussion
because the concept - clearly used both Testaments - brings down the entire
rotten edifice of false doctrine, triumphalism, clericalism, and
legalism.
Unlike theologians who
followed Luther, the German Reformer did not change doctrine but taught
consistently throughout his career, which is quite an accomplishment. He shook
off the remnants of Medieval piety, but taught the efficacy of the Word at the
beginning and throughout. When people understand how all this goes together,
they understand how comforting but also how dangerous this is.
Giving God the glory
for what He does through the Word takes away from the glory of man, which is a
terrible threat. Jesus did not rejoice in vast crowds (as so many clergy clowns
do today) but rejoiced in the faith of a single person and exalted that faith.
Likewise, Paul treated a tiny knot of faithful believers as the greatest
treasure and proof of the efficacy of the Gospel.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-17King James Version (KJV)
13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye
received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in
you that believe.
Inerrancy
The inerrancy of the
Scriptures was always taught in the Christian Church but compromised in the
counter-Reformation after the papalists lost their debates using the Word of
God. From that time on the papalists argued for the incompleteness and ambiguity
of the Word. As they say in WELS today, “That is a graaaaaaay area of
Scriptures.” Gray is stretched out to show how vague and incomplete the Word is
(to them). Notice how this overlaps the issue of the clarity of the Scriptures.
All of Christian doctrine is taught in the Word of God – it does not rely on any
books to clarify the issues. The Word is best interpreted by the Word
itself.
The rationalists of
all ages have said or implied contradictions in the Word. Some of them are
obvious. Some are subtle (at first). When they argue for the world being
declared righteous – without faith – they are contradicting the Bible or saying
that the Bible contradicts itself hundreds of times. But – no matter – they can
cite authorities who agree with them. If they need to change the text of the
Bible, as the new NIV does, that makes it official.
Inerrancy means –
without error or contradiction – no exceptions. No inerrant except in history,
except in geography, except in Creation, except in the divinity, atonement, and
resurrection of Christ.
Clarity or
Perspicuity
The priestly guild
does not want anyone to dwell on this issue, because their very strict union of
lazy fat-bellies would go under if too many people realized the Scriptures are
so clearly taught through the power of the Spirit that anyone can learn all of
Christian doctrine through the Bible alone. The individual does not need formal
training, ordination, or certification from a given denomination, sect, or cult.
The Word belongs to God alone and does His work.
If a passage seems
dark or difficult, it is clarified by the simple, easy, or bright passages. Some
ask me in Old Testament, the MA program, “Where is the Trinity in Genesis 1?” I
tell them. Read John 1 and you see the Creating Word is Jesus. The Holy Spirit
hovers over Creation and witnesses to Creation. The Father commands through the
Word (Logos – the Son) and what God commands (efficacy) immediately comes
about.
Clarity is absolutely
necessary to maintain against its priestly, often high-church nitwits, because
no one is enslaved by their solemn declarations of superiority. We all
subordinate our will and reason to the Word and shape our words, actions, reason
by the Word.
Justification and
Absolution
We know God declares
believers forgiven through faith because the Word is clear, powerful, and
effective. The Word that fashioned the universe and raised the dead also
declares us forgiven through faith.
The Gospel of the
atoning sacrifice, fully explained in Isaiah 53, is the power that creates and
sustains our faith in God’s grace. And it is more than maintenance. This power
of justification by faith continues to enrich our lives, bear fruit, and grow
with the challenges we face, the crosses and afflictions we
bear.
Absolution means that
when the Word says, often through the pastor, “Your sins are forgiven,” they are
indeed forgiven and removed. We do not measure forgiveness by feelings, by
regret, by payment made by us, but by the objective truth of the Gospel, that
God’s own Son has paid for our sins and become our righteousness. We receive
this righteousness through faith alone.
When people apologize
a second time to me for the same thing, which can happen among friends, I say,
“Don’t you believe in absolution?” That is good for a chuckle, because repeating
an apology is like saying that the absolution was incomplete. To tell the truth,
I cannot remember the incidents where
that has happened because the Gospel should wipe that from our minds (great or
small). We should let it go as God does.
But that also means
the unrepentant are not forgiven. That is the point of discipline, which is
almost entirely erased in this age of universal absolution and cheap
grace.
Word/Spirit
The constant
connection of the Word and Holy Spirit is the foundation for all the
characteristics of the Word. This is spelled out in Isaiah 55:8-11, with a
comparison between the rain and snow, which always have an effect. The Word,
which:
1. Is never void, always
effective.
2. Accomplishes God’s
purpose.
3. Prospers God’s
purpose.
If the Word always has
an effect, it is always divine, driven by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
The Spirit and Word
are expressed by the word sword.
This concept, almost
forgotten, completely releases the bondage of the visible church from fads,
marketing, and anxiety about success.
The reason why the
denomination presidents, seminary presidents, and agency heads are always at
Fuller Seminary is this – they do not believe. They are apostates. They have
some attachment to the religious words, but they do not
believe.
