THY STRONG WORD:

The Efficacy of the Word

in the Scriptures
and the Lutheran Confessions
by
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Copyright, 2010, Gregory L. Jackson

ISBN #

Preface

I have written Thy Strong Word for one purpose, to teach the Biblical
doctrine of the efficacy of the Word and thereby utterly destroy the Church
Growth Movement in the Lutheran Church. I have puzzled over how this could
be accomplished. One pastor noted a few years ago that identifying the errors of
the Church Growth Movement did not solve the problem of Fuller
Seminary enthusiasm. Nevertheless, I wrote Truth on the Scaffold as the first
chapter to this book to identify the false doctrines inherent in the Pasadena
disease. The chapter was removed because the abundant Church Growth
quotations polluted an otherwise worthwhile book.
A second delay developed upon realizing that the book required a
Biblical foundation and not just a group of chapters based upon my doctrinal
database. One pastor correctly observed that the Lutheran Church has suffered
from too many propositions unsupported by Biblical exegesis. When I began
working on the Biblical chapters, I found that the material supporting them was
rather scanty in the Lutheran literature and naturally absent among the
Reformed. Until recently, the efficacy of the Word was taken for granted by all
Lutherans, even by the liberals who went to war over open communion, Biblical
errancy, womens ordination, and unionism. Lutheran doctrinal books did not
deal with the efficacy of the Word to the same degree as they dealt with other
conflicts. Other difficulties were more important at the time.
Now we have a generation or two of pastors and laity who cannot
refute the Reformed errors cunningly promoted by their own synodical leaders
and seminary professors. This book was written to provide pastors and laity
with the material to counter the official rejection of the Means of Grace. I
welcome partial Xeroxing of the printed version. If a congregation or pastor has
purchased a copy, copying sections for study is encouraged as a means of
spreading the Word.
Some people will object that Thy Strong Word is not an ordinary
theology book. I intended to collect and use as much material as possible, from
as many sources as possible, to promote confidence in the efficacy of the Word.
For that reason I decided to use quotations and hymn verses in the text so they
could be copied easily without losing the reference. Conventional quoting of
sources divides the statement itself from the publication information by using
footnotes. Doubtless several more years of work would allow me to have a
broader and fairer representation of all the authors, but I never wished to write
the last or the only book on efficacy. I would like pastors and laity to become
acquainted with the many Lutheran authorsLuther most of allwho have
remained faithful to the Word on this topic.
I hope that the numbering of the quotations will allow people to
suggest to others that they consult certain sections of the book. After many
years of working with quotations, I know how easy it is to lose a favorite
statement. I began entering the quotations in this book about 10 years ago,
using an old database program known as Professional File. Our son Martin
showed me the value of a database many years before that by entering the
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values of his Transformer toys into an Atari database. Suddenly I realized that a
database was a fast, efficient, and organized note-card file for writing papers and
books. The 3,000 verbatim quotations in my database, support articles, letters,
and discussions all over the Lutheran Church, much to the dismay of false
teachers everywhere.
Quotations are not a substitute for individual study, but we receive
spiritual wisdom by knowing and remembering what faithful Lutherans have
said in the past about these topics. In my first parish, Sig Rein gave me What
Luther Says, and I often relied on the work to develop sermons. The same set is
right above my head at my desk, worn, marked, underlined. Later, I bought
Luthers Sermons and read them. It is far better to know the best of Lutheran
doctrine than to read dozens of books where Gods Word is mocked as dead
and lifeless unless marketed by slickers armed with graph paper and believer
beaver puppets.
I have worked to destroy the influence of Reformed doctrine in the
Lutheran Church because false teachers destroy faith and murder souls. Many
Lutheran congregations and pastors have been wrecked to facilitate the goals of
men who hate the Gospel of Jesus Christ but cannot make a living without it.
They say Lord, Lord and perform many signs and wonders in His Name, as
they constantly remind us, but the thoughts of their hearts are revealed by what
they say against the Scriptures, against Christ, against the Holy Spirit. Those
Lutherans under the sway of Reformed doctrine are nothing but self-centered
Law salesmen.
Thanks are due to many who made this work necessary. The so-called
Columbus circuit of the Michigan District, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran
Synod, was my Harvard and Yale College. The entire circuit never met for five
years, except for the two times when I insisted. Paul Kuske, Roger Kovaciny,
Floyd Stolzenburg, Roger Zehms, Marc Schroeder, and Robert Schumann all
motivated me to undertake a thorough study of Luther and the Confessions by
their constant attack on Lutheran doctrine and their support of Reformed
doctrine. When I had a chance to discuss the Means of Grace in a paper at an
Ohio Conference, the Columbus pastors were joined by Wally Oelhaven and
Fred Adrian in their outrage that I supported the Confessions rather than their
beloved Church Growth Movement. Oelhaven and Adrian said, Just because
we went to Fuller does not mean that we agree with their doctrine. Moreover,
Gerald Schroer, John Seifert, and Richard Krause were fully informed about the
situation. Nevertheless, they completely supported Stolzenburg and Church
Growth doctrine when it mattered most.
Eventually I found that the Ohio Conference, in harmony with WELS
and the ELS, would not tolerate the efficacy of the Word or the Means of
Grace when they could have tricks, gimmicks, and fads instead. In addition, no
other pastor that I know of had a problem with Stolzenburg being removed
from the ministry for infidelity and then serving as a WELS Church Growth
consultant, preaching and teaching without a divine call, colloquy, or even
joining the synod. At this writing, Stolzenburg remains actively involved and
3

recognized as an independent pastor with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod

and WELS, and the two conservative synods praise him as a fine, orthodox
pastor. In other words, they take his congregations money through Thoughts
of Faith (WELS/ELS), with Roger Kovaciny, John Shep, and Jay Webber
serving as the collection agents.
Many people have had similar experiences with the established synods.
However, I believe the Columbus circuit and Michigan District Mission Board
set a record in their violations of the Ten Commandments and their
contemptuous scorn for civil behavior. I have spent hundreds of hours talking
and writing to people who have also been betrayed by their supposedly
conservative synods. We now belong to the largest Lutheran synod of all, the
5,000,000 people who are Lutherans but refuse to attend the synodical franchise
congregations. Some of us have started independent congregations. A number
of us are actively engaged in publishing. The Internet allows us to publish all
over the world for little or no cost.
Many people who ordered this book do not know me, so I will mention
some of the teachers I have had in the past. I either took classes from or
attended the lectures of: Roland Bainton, Sydney Ahlstrom, Martin Marty, John
Howard Yoder (church history); Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza, Nils Dahl,
Robert Wilson, Abraham Malherbe (Biblical studies); Stanley Hauerwas, Paul L.
Holmer, (ethics); Robert Preus, David Scaer, Kurt Marquart, Klemet Preus
(theology). My purpose has always been to gain a better understanding of what
we believe and to convey this in the clearest possible language.
Many phone calls and letters from laity and pastors from all the synods
have shown me how horrible the situation is today. Decades of political activity
have resulted only in entrenching the apostates, not surprisingly, since one
cannot win Gods war using Satans weapons. Jesus told us to be as innocent as
doves and as crafty as serpents, but conservative Lutheran politicians are as
innocent as serpents and as crafty as doves. The only way to win this battle is to
use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word. For that reason I have prepared a reading
list to use with this book in general and for each chapter. If the reader buys the
books I suggest, he will be too broke and too smart to buy another Reformed
book for the rest of his life.
Suggested Reading List
Reference works for the whole book
1. The King James Version.
2. BibleWorks software. This remarkable software program allows
someone to search most translations, the Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and
various foreign language texts, with grammar, vocabulary, and many
other essential aids.
3. Lenskis New Testament Commentaries. Available for about $150 from
Christian Book Distributors (CBD), this set covers all the basic
doctrinal and grammatical issues in the New Testament.
4

4. Kretzmanns Popular Commentary. Out of print but well distributed

among conservative Lutherans. The four volumes cover the entire
Bible.
5. Concordia Triglotta. Printed by Northwestern Publishing House, this
version includes English, German, and Latin versions, plus the
outstanding Historical Introductions by Bente, also in print separately.
Recommended by Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min. (Fuller Seminary) the
Triglotta is the ultimate reference work. Northwestern Publishing House
has a software version.
6. English only Triglotta. Heisers English version reproduces the best
English translation by itself, much lower in cost and easier to carry than
the complete work. Repristination Press.
7. The Sermons of Luther, edited by John N. Lenker. Order from CBD.
8. Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, edited by Eugene Klug. These
are the practical sermons given by Luther to his household. Order from
Concordia Publishing House.
9. What Luther Says. I have the old three volume set. The current version is
one huge volume, edited by Ewald Plass. Statements by Luther are
arranged by topic and explained to some extent. CPH.
10. Luthers Family Devotions is a wonderful way to have a reading in Luther
for every day of the church year. This work is far better than any
synodical devotional series. Order from Pastor Joel Basely.
Chapters One and Two Biblical Texts
1. The Englishmans Greek Concordance is a handy tool for anyone who
knows a little Greek. The Greek words are listed in alphabetical order
but the verses are in English, making the text easier to scan.
2. Word Pictures in the New Testament, A. T. Robertson. A multi-volume but
inexpensive set (CBD), WPNT provides a thorough discussion of
Greek words to help us understand their history and meaning.
3. Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament. This single
volume (CBD) can be used to supplement the Robertson work.
4. Keil-Delitsch Old Testament Commentaries. These are aimed at Hebrew
students, a classic, conservative work sold by CBD.
5. Isaiah II by August Pieper. For Hebrew students, Isaiah II covers Isaiah
40-66. The other author never completed Isaiah I. NPH.
6. Light on the Path was written to encourage ministers to study a little
Greek and Hebrew each day.
Chapter Three Creation
1. Use a concordance to look up every example of Creation and creature.
2. Go to a large library and check out every childrens book on nature
(not on the same day) and read them. Childrens books about nature
preserve the sense of wonder in the Creation and answer only the
important questions.
5

3. Robert D. Preus, The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, two

volumes, has a long section on the doctrine of Creation, volume II.
CPH.
4. The Wormhaven Gardening Book is one of the few Lutheran books on
Creation. The book shows how the earthworm illustrates the principles
of Gods Six Day Creation. Martin Chemnitz Press.
5. Alfred Rehwinkel, The Flood, bridges the areas of science and faith, but
not from a rationalistic viewpoint. Rehwinkel taught at Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis. CPH.
Chapter Four Catechism
1. Chemnitz Enchiridion. Prepared for the examination of ministers, this
small volume is a fine summary of the Christian faith. CPH.
2. Chytraeus A Summary of the Christian Faith. This slender volume by a
contributor to the Formula of Concord is a rare gem, now available
from Repristination Press.
3. Henry E. Jacobs Outline of the Christian Faith. Out of print and loved by
seminary students ($50 at auctions), Jacobs work was also produced for
the examination of ministers.
Chapter Five Justification by Faith
1. Concordance to the Book of Concord. This NPH book is perfect for looking
up every example of a word and finding it by page number. The book
was based upon the Tappert edition, but includes Triglotta page
numbers. Out of print.
2. Book of Concord Outline. The entire Book of Concord is outlined, to make
study and reading easier. NPH.
3. Robert Preus Justification and Rome was his final work, concise and well
written, a real masterpiece. CPH.
4. Richard Curias typescript on justification is fascinating as an all out
effort to defend Kokomo justification in WELS. Some libraries in
WELS should have a copy. The book is a goldmine of information and
very useful.
Chapter Six False Doctrine
Francis Piepers booklet, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox
Congregations, is a classic on false doctrine, as true today as when it was
written. Anchor Publications has this essay and many old Synodical
Conference works.
2. Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure explains how apostasy took over the
mainline denominations. NPH.
3. Whats Going on among the Lutherans? by Leppien and Smith, explains the
false doctrine of the ELCA and where it came from, with abundant
documentation. ELCA has boycotted several bookstores for selling this
book. NPH.
1.

4.

Kurt Marquarts Anatomy of an Explosion is an excellent treatment of the

Seminex adventure in the Missouri Synod. Order from CPH.
5. Marquarts Church Growth as Mission Paradigm is the best treatment of the
Church Growth Movement. Available from Christian News.
6. Chemnitz Examination of the Council of Trent is an outstanding example of
how to refute false doctrine. Concordia Publishing House.
Chapter Seven Zwingli, Calvin, and Pietism
1. Christian Dogmatics, volume II, by Francis Pieper. This is a good
introduction to the errors of Zwingli and Calvin. CPH.
2. Walthers Law and Gospel is especially good in its treatment of Zwingli,
Calvin, and Pietism. CPH.
3. The Means of Grace chapter in Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant shows how
the Reformed are at war with the Biblical doctrines. Martin Chemnitz
Press.
4. The Complete Timotheus Verinus, by Valentin Ernst Loescher, is an expose
of Pietism and a scholarly refutation of that movement. NPH.
Chapter Eight The Visible Word
1. Johann Gerhards Baptism and the Lords Supper, Repristination Press, is a
masterpiece covering all the doctrinal issues from a Biblical viewpoint.
2. A. Andrew Das Baptized into Gods Family is a good basic book on
Baptism from Northwestern Publishing House. The basic questions of
the Reformed are discussed and answered. NPH.
3. The Two Natures of Christ, by Martin Chemnitz, will give the reader a
complete understanding of what the Scriptures teach about Christ.
What we believe about Christ will be reflected in our understanding of
the Sacraments. CPH.
Chapters Nine and Ten Law, Gospel, and Application
1. C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, is the best
summary of Luthers doctrine, the best book on counseling, and the
best book on preaching. CPH.
2. Pastor Martin Kalish, "The Legitimacy of the Independent Evangelical
Lutheran Congregation and Her Divine Call." Holy Cross Lutheran
Press, Midland, Michigan.
Sources:
Repristination Press
Pastor James Heiser
254-533-2710
RR1, Box 285
Malone, Texas 76660-9720
hunnius@aol.com

Northwestern Publishing House

800-662-6022
Concordia Publishing House
800-325-3040
7

Christian News
537-237-3110

Christian Book Distributors

978-977-5080

Luthers Family Devotions

Pastor Joel Baseley
BibleWorks
http://www.bibleworks.com
800-742-4253
Abbreviations and Numbers
I abbreviated very little, except for the names of Lenskis
commentaries, which are quoted often. For example, instead of The Interpretation
of the Gospel of John, I have written only John. For the convenience of the readers I
have included the page numbers for the Tappert edition of the Book of
Concord and the Heiser reprint of the English-only Concordia Triglotta. When a
spelling or grammatical error is in the quotation, I have added [sic], meaning that
is the way the author wrote it. Square brackets in the Concordia Triglotta are in the
original, because of variations in the German and Latin versions.
The numbering system was created for the quotations in the body of
the text, to make it easy for people to locate and compare the statements. Initial
readers have already used the system in their email messages to me. The first
digit on the left indicates the chapter number, so J-101 is the first quotation in
Chapter One. Extensions had to be used in two chapters, because the
quotations exceeded 99.
Special Thanks
Many people have helped in writing and editing Thy Strong Word,
although they do not deserve any blame for what I have written, since I made
the final decision on what was going to be published. The members of A
Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church in Phoenix and Bethany Lutheran Church in
New Ulm, Minnesota, were most encouraging throughout this long project.
Starting two independent Lutheran congregations and building two chapels
took extra time, and I trust that the Church Growth expertswho rule from
their offices and avoid pastoral workwill understand. My wife Chris has been
a constant source of encouragement during the 12 years I have gathered
information and worked on this project. My mother, thrown out of the Church
of the Lutheran Confession parsonage with us in New Ulm, has taken the
changes in stride and helped generously with everything, in spite of her failing
health at age 87. My brother Allen and his family have shown great friendship
and help when others did not. I have also benefited from his legal advice.
Our son Martin, his wife Tammy, and their three wonderful children,
Josephine, Danielle, and Alexander, are a constant source of joy, proving the
blessing of the Biblical passage: Children's children are the crown of old men;
8

and the glory of children are their fathers. (KJV Proverbs 17:6) My wife and I
have enjoyed 41 years of marriage and consider our grandchildren to be our
greatest source of happiness, the thrill of a roller coaster ride but without the
fear.
Generous gifts to help this publication came from Mr. and Mrs. John
Popp, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Boeckler, and Dr. and Mrs. Peter Moeller.
Various friends have helped me in the earlier version of Thy Strong
Word: Pastor and Mrs. Martin Kalish, Pastor and Mrs. James Heiser, Mr. and
Mrs. Dieter Becker, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Boeckler. Chapter Five is the result of
many years of discussion with Dr. Peter Moeller, Gerald Parker, and others. A
number of WELS and ELS pastors and laity have helped me, but I am omitting
their names because of the certainty of synodical retribution. Dr. Stanley
Radford and Pastor William Terjesen also provided good advice during the
earlier drafts. Pastor Mark Ochsankehl edited this version. Without him, these
books would not be appearing.
Many of my contacts come exclusively through the Internet, since I
send out doctrinal bulletins and publish blogs. Often when I thought this book
was too obvious, too difficult to finish, or too unpopular to finance, email
would arrive from various parts of the world: Australia, Japan, England,
Finland, Canada, and Germany, thanking me for something recently sent out or
posted on a website. So I trudged on, hoping that the worst reviews would say,
Badly conceived, poorly written, but well documented. Like it or not, the false
teachers of the Lutheran Church now have a standard by which they will be
judged. Most will say, My synod right or wrong, but some will have a chance
to study hundreds of clearly documented statements and compare them to
current synodical offscourings.

Dedicated to:
Brenda Kiehler,
Our Friend, Helper, Humorist, Internet Specialist
And
Cliff and Cleo Kiehler,
Carpenter, Baker, Hosts, Friends
KJV Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for
adversity.

10

Table of Contents
Preface1
SUGGESTED READING LIST4
Introduction:15
LOWER CRITICISM15
HIGHER CRITICISM THE HISTORICAL CRITICAL METHOD28
THE KING JAMES VERSION38
SUMMARY61
APPENDIX ONE: MAKE DISCIPLES67
APPENDIX TWO:72
COMPARISON OF TRANSLATIONS72
Chapter One: Efficacy89
THE PAULINE EXAMPLE90
ENERGEIA, ENERGEIA94
CONVERSION OF GRACE FULLER95
THE WORD AS A SWORDHEBREWS 4:1297
CONVERSION OF JOHN NEWTON98
EFFECTIVE PRAYER IN JAMES 5:16100
SATAN EFFECTIVE2 THESSALONIANS 2:7, 9, 11101
THE EFFECTIVE DOOR, 1 CORINTHIANS 16:9104
THE GREAT DOXOLOGY IN EPHESIANS 1:3-14105
THE GREAT QUICKENING IN EPHESIANS 2:1-10107
DIVINE UNITY IN EPHESIANS 4:16109
CONVERSION OF ST. AUGUSTINE109
THE CONVERSION OF PAUL, EPHESIANS 3:7111
ENERGIES ENERGIZED BY GOD; 1 CORINTHIANS 12113
NOTE THE SPIRIT, NOT THE GIFT, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:11113
THE WORD AND THE CROSS114
EFFECTIVE IN GALATIA117
FAITH WORKS BY LOVE, GALATIANS 5:6118
TO WILL AND TO DO GODS WILL, PHILIPIANS 2:13119
EFFECTIVE IN TRANSFORMING, PHILIPIANS 3:20120
ACTIVE IN COLOSSE; 1:28, 2:12121
EFFECTUAL IN ACKNOWLEDGING, PHILEMON 1:6122
SYNOPTIC ENERGY, MATTHEW 14:2; MARK 6:14123
APPENDIX ONE: THE WORD AS A SWORD124
EFFICACY IN THE BOOK OF CONCORD125
Chapter Two: Efficacy Passages136
THE MEANS OF GRACE CHAPTER ISAIAH 55136
THE SOWER AND THE SEED IN MARK 4:3-9148
INCORRUPTIBLE SEED IN 1 PETER 1:23152
THE ENGRAFTED WORD IN JAMES 1:21154
THE PARABLE OF THE TARES IN MATTHEW 13:24-30158
PARABLE OF THE TARES EXPLAINED IN MATTHEW 13:36-43158
JONAH, THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY TO THE GENTILES161
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GOD GIVES THE INCREASE IN 1 CORINTHIANS 3:4-9163

THE TRUE VINE IN JOHN 15:1-8166
INEVITABLE GROWTH IN MATTHEW 13:33169
THE MUSTARD SEED IN MATTHEW 13:31-32170
WORD OF GOD MORE POWERFUL THAN GODLESS
PREACHERSERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
Chapter Three: Creation177
EFFICACY DENIED177
CREATION FROM NOTHING181
GARDEN SEEDS FOR MARY AND MATTHEW187
SEED GROWING SECRETLY194
BULBS FOR MIRANDA, ROBERT, AND TOMMY195
THE CREATION IN GENESIS197
ROSES FOR JOSEPHINE AND DANIELLE198
THE BIBLICAL WITNESS TO CREATION201
CREATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT203
NEW TESTAMENT AND CREATION206
CREATION AND FAITH208
NEW CREATURE209
MISUSE OF CREATION226
Chapter Four: A Catechism230
1. IS GOD ALWAYS ACTIVE THROUGH THE WORD?231
2. WHAT NEW TESTAMENT TEXT SUPPORTS THIS CLAIM?232
3. WHAT OTHER PASSAGES IN THE SCRIPTURES SUPPORT
THIS?233
4. WHY DO WE USE THE TERMS EFFICACIOUS OR
EFFECTIVE?235
5. IS SATAN ALSO EFFECTIVE?236
6. HOW CAN WE CLAIM THAT THE WORD ALONE IS
EFFECTIVE?237
7. WHY DO SOME CLAIM THEY CAN ADD TO OR DETRACT
FROM THE WORD?238
8. DO WE CREATE OBSTACLES TO GODS WORD?238
9. DID JESUS BELIEVE IN THE EFFICACY OF THE WORD?239
10. DID JESUS USE MIRACLES TO CONVERT PEOPLE TO
FAITH?240
11. DOES LOVE MAKE US EFFECTIVE?240
12. CAN UNFRIENDLY USHERS NEUTRALIZE A LAW/GOSPEL
SERMON?243
13. DOES GOD LIMIT HIMSELF TO THE WORD?244
14. SUCCESSFUL SERMONS245
15. HOW DO WE NUMBER THE SACRAMENTS?254
16. WHY IS INFANT BAPTISM SUCH A GREAT COMFORT?255
17. WHY DO WE SAY THAT GOD ACTS THROUGH BAPTISM?255
18. HOW IS THE WORD EFFECTIVE IN HOLY COMMUNION?257
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19. HOW CAN WE IMAGINE CHRIST BEING BODILY PRESENT IN

HOLY COMMUNION?257
LUTHERS CATECHISM259
Chapter Five: Justification by Faith265
INTRODUCTION:265
LUTHERANS ABANDON JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH265
PART TWO: THE BIBLE269
PART THREE: JUSTIFICATION IN THE BOOK OF CONCORD284
PART FOUR: THE KOKOMO/LCMS ERROR, FORGIVENESS
WITHOUT FAITH297
PART FIVE: THE CTCR DOCUMENT AS THE ABOMINATION OF
DESOLATION319
PART SIX: A SUMMARY OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH323
APPENDIX: SYNONYMS FOR ATONEMENT334
Chapter Six: The Efficacy Of False Doctrine354
FALSE TEACHERS ARE PEACOCKS374
SATAN THE EXEGETE374
SATANS WORK379
USING THE SCRIPTURES TO DESTROY THE WORD OF GOD386
FALSE DOCTRINE PROMOTED BY CONSERVATIVE
LUTHERANS390
PART TWO399
IN THE NAME OF LOVE407
CLOSING OF THE FORMULA OF CONCORD411
UNIONISM412
FELLOWSHIP418
LUTHERS REBUKE TO GEORGE MAJOR420
APPENDIX: JOINT WORK IN WELS, ELCA, LCMS423
Chapter Seven: Zwingli, Calvin, Pietism The Dead Word440
INTRODUCTION TO ENTHUSIASM440
PART ONE: HULDREICH ZWINGLI443
PART TWO: JOHN CALVIN450
PART THREE: JACOB SPENER AND PIETISM466
APPENDIX: CELL GROUP QUOTATIONS492
Chapter Eight: The Visible Word,510
INTRODUCTION510
THE VISIBLE WORD511
PART ONE: BAPTISM517
PART TWO: HOLY COMMUNION547
Chapter Nine: The Law574
INTRODUCTION574
PART ONE: ATTRIBUTES OF THE LAW586
PART TWO: LAWLESS LEGALISTS602
APPENDIX: THE MORE GLORIOUS MINISTRY OF THE
GOSPEL609
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Right and Wrong613

Chapter Ten: Practical Applications618
A PYRAMID OF LAPDOGS618
WORSHIP GOD IN THE BEAUTY OF HIS HOLINESS619
LUTHERAN HYMNS623
THE SERMON631
LUTHERANS WRITE ABOUT THE SERMON635
THE PASTORS ROLE638
CRISIS: THE PASTORAL SHORTAGE642
THINGS TO DO DURING THE COLLAPSE OF THE LUTHERAN
CHURCH647
PROCLAIMING THE EFFICACIOUS WORD651
WORDS OF COMFORT651
MARTIN LUTHERS GOSPEL ADMONITION662
Lutherans We Should KnowError! Bookmark not defined.
Martin Chemnitz Press Order FormError! Bookmark not defined.
Repristination Press Order FormError! Bookmark not defined.

14

Introduction:
Lower Criticism,
Higher Criticism, and the
King James Version
Many discussions about the Bible take place today without an
understanding of the basic issues of interpretation. This introduction is not
intended to provide a complete review of these issues but to introduce the
material in an attempt to inform orthodox Lutherans and curious outsiders.
Lower criticism deals exclusively with the manuscripts of the Bible. Higher
criticism (literary criticism, the historical-critical method) concerns itself with
the content of the text. Translation issues concern both areas of interpretation,
since the text and the translation of the text both reflect to some extent the
doctrinal perspective of the individual. The Authorized Version, commonly
called the King James Version, came into being because of doctrinal conflicts
and the need for one, superior Bible in the English language.1
Lower Criticism
No one should consider this topic without realizing a basic and
indisputable factthe Bible is the most reliable ancient text we have. The
Biblical manuscripts are quite numerous and precise with very few problems.
Most of the problems are from obvious causes, such as misspelled words, or
lapses from confusing similar words and phrases. We hear similar lapses every
day on TV, when someone reads from a text. His eyes wander ahead, since he
can read faster than he can speak, and he blends two words together. When he
corrects himself and reads on, it is often easy to discover why he made the
mistake. He may say awful instead of often because he is reading awful to
himself in the next line. The initial lapse may sound like this: This awful
repeated sentiment has been expressed by the governor. Not everyone catches
his own errors, especially when we omit not or un from the spoken or
written word. In the process of copying, the same kinds of errors creep into
texts, although less frequently with works of great import and among scribes
who work with great precision.2
Almost all the Biblical text problems fall into the categories mentioned
above. Nevertheless, the total number of manuscript variations are quite small, a
fraction of what we find in other ancient works. If the Bible has relatively few
manuscript problems, in comparison with works of the same age, and most of
those errors can be explained as copying mistakes, then we end up with a tiny
fraction of the entire Bible having any word, phrase, or verse disputed. In the
15

New Testament, one tenth of one percent of all the words are disputed. The
text is 99.9% certain.
Lower criticism is a legitimate concern for scholars, but it should not be
carried out in an arbitrary, capricious manner in order to support preconceived,
political notions.
Old Testament
Those who previously scorned the precision of the Biblical texts were
dealt a severe blow by the accidental discovery of the Dead Sea Scroll
manuscripts in 1947. A boy threw a rock at an errant goat in a cave near the
Dead Sea. He heard pottery crash, investigated, and stumbled upon the greatest
Biblical find of the century. Previously, the most ancient Old Testament texts
were dated about eight centuries after Christ. The Old Testament texts found at
the Dead Sea site were dated at the time of Christ or before, older by 800 years.
This discovery generated a number of interesting questions. For example, how
much did the Isaiah scroll from the Dead Sea area differ from the next oldest
one? The difference was almost zero, showing that the zeal of the copyists,
during a time of great stress for Judaism, prevented Isaiahs text from being
corrupted. When Hebrew texts were copied, every word and letter was counted
to make sure the copy matched the master document. Anyone who has seen
errors multiply in the printed page can appreciate the meticulous care required
to preserve the Word in manuscripts for centuries.
Most scholars realize that the text of the Old Testament is extremely
reliable. Some words remain a mystery to translators today. The language is so
far removed from modern English that the exact meaning of certain phrases can
be debated. If we can compare the same words and phrases in another
document from the same era, the work is easier. The Old Testament has many
ancient translations, which help us understand what earlier scholars thought.
The Old Testament was translated into many languages, including Greek (the
Septuagint) and Latin (the Vulgate). Early translations and paraphrases also
introduce variations in the text, but they give us many more examples of the
disputed words. The amount of actual data for the Old Testament text is quite
remarkable, considering the relative obscurity of the language and the instability
of the nation.
Manuscripts
Most scholars have never looked at or touched an ancient manuscript.
Notre Dame hired one professor, Gene Ulrich, who specialized in the Dead Sea
Scrolls. He worked with the actual text (most likely through photographic
images). The rest of the theology department did not, and that included New
Testament Professor Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza, who founded a feminist
theology journal and became a professor at Harvard University.3 Manuscript
work is very specialized, so few academic positions are funded. Bruce
Metzger at Princeton University was famous for working with the New
Testament manuscripts. He enjoyed a near monopoly in that area. For this
16

reason, people should remember that few statements about manuscripts,

whether from pastors, theologians, or church officials, are based upon actual
experience with them. I took an interest in Biblical manuscripts and studied the
issue for some time but never worked with manuscripts or photographic
reproductions, even while earning four degrees in theology.4 Therefore, liberal
claims about Biblical manuscripts are almost always based upon lecture notes,
wisecracks, and light reading. To coin a phrase, an oral tradition has sprung up,
mythological in origin, not entirely divorced from fact, but quite fanciful and
misleading. Bits and pieces from lower criticism have been fashioned into a
minor religion about all the manuscript errors in the New Testament. However,
the Biblical manuscripts are the most reliable of all the ancient texts, a fact
usually left unstated when liberal critics wage their war on the Bible.
New Testament
Textual evidence from the New Testament era is vast and harmonious.
The New Testament was written in Greek and completed no later than 100 AD.
Liberals used to date the New Testament as late as 300 AD to accommodate
their theories about pagan influence upon the writers. Johns Gospel was a
frequent target of the late-date theorists. Once in the Revelation class at Notre
Dame, E. Fiorenza stated that conservatives dated the Gospel of John early
while liberals dated the work around 300 AD. The earliest physical evidence
from the New Testament comes from Johns Gospel and dates that fragment
no later than 100 AD, making it very difficult for the Gospel to have been
written two centuries later. Decades after everyone knew about the fragment of
Johns Gospel dating as early as 100 AD, if not earlier, Fiorenza offered a
possible date 200 years later. I am not claiming that as her own opinion but
illustrating the latitude of Biblical dating in the academic world.
Use of the Greek New Testament gave way to the Latin version, the
Vulgate, in the Roman Empire, but Greek continued to be used in the Eastern
Orthodox Church. The Roman Empire gradually came unglued, so the western
empire was ruled from Rome with Latin as its language. The eastern, the
Byzantine Empire, was ruled from Constantinople, the Greek language and
Eastern Orthodoxy dominating. The Greek New Testament was preserved by
Eastern Orthodoxy and edited by Erasmus in 1516, just as the Reformation
began. In fact, the printing of the Greek New Testament was a catalyst for the
Reformation, for Biblical studies, and for the study of the Greek language. The
text of the traditional New Testament is based upon the Majority Text, because
almost all manuscripts agree upon the wording of the New Testament books.
Other names associated with the King James Version are the Received
Text (Textus Receptus, sometimes abbreviated as TR) or the Byzantine Text
(since the text was preserved in the old Byzantine, or Greek empire).
The miraculous spread of the Gospel was accompanied by many
different translations of the text, as well as church lectionaries or pericopes for
reading the appointed lessons. Our congregation has an old Missouri Synod
lectionary, which preserves those King James texts for the entire church year
17

but contains nothing else from the Bible. The early church lectionaries were
very much the same. Until lately, worship has been very traditional, so liturgical
texts much later in date are considered very reliable, as if they were copied
centuries earlier. That is because worship was very slow to change in ancient
times. When people do not own books, they memorize great works.
Memorization makes it difficult to slip changes into the Church. The Christian
Church was not assaulted with a new slang translation and faddish theme every
month.
Although the Christian Church has endured many persecutions, the
manuscripts of the Bible were preserved. Some were scattered and burned. One
of the best manuscripts was erased to make room for the writings of one
Ephraem, since manuscript paper was rare and expensive. Ephraem is
remembered now, not so much for his writings, but for the New Testament text
underneath, which can be brought out through photography. The manuscript is
named Ephraem Rescriptus (Ephraem re-written).
We can compare the care of copying the New Testament with the
reverence given the Old Testament. Jews and Christians copied and kept their
Scriptures diligently in the face of many trials, travels, persecutions, sects, and
heresies. Translations, versions, and paraphrases abounded. Old manuscripts
were not tossed away when worn and old, but carefully preserved. This kind of
care is difficult for our society to imagine, since anyone can have a huge library
or obtain books for little or nothing at special sales. The apostolic church did
not ask a new mission, Do you have a building yet, but Do you have a Bible
yet? Their capital expense, borne by the mother church, was to get a copy of
the Old Testament. Copies of the apostolic letters were sent around, copied,
and read. The labor involved made manuscripts extremely valuable and
treasured. Before the printing press was invented, hand-copied books were
chained to the library shelves. The Bible was chained to the pulpit in medieval
cathedrals. Now the Bible is unchained and in the language of the peoples
republic, but gathering dust on the shelf, unread and unloved.
Evolution Was the New Thrill
The development of New Testament text criticism should be viewed in
light of the new intellectual thrill of the 19th century evolution. Religious
leaders thought in terms of the evolution of religion. Man evolved, they
thought, from the primeval ooze, and worshiped many gods among the
creatures of the earth. Then he evolved into a monotheist. Later, Christianity
emerged as an ethical system, although burdened by excessive interest in the
Person of Jesus rather than in the good works of Jesus. In time, Christians
would give up their primitive worship of Jesus and once again worship as gods
the creatures of the earth. Those happy fantasies have been fulfilled today in the
mainline denominations of the National Council of Churches.
In that light, it was impossible for these religious leaders to think of
Jesus as anything other than a good person mistakenly (but with good
intentions) preached as God incarnate. The liberal leaders looked upon
18

Trinitarian orthodoxy as a perversion of Jesus original mission of teaching the

Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God.5 They looked at Christianity
as a core of humanistic truths covered with a veneer of Jesus worship. Liberals
taught each other, and still insist that the Church did not believe in the Trinity
until 500 years after Christ! Although modern literary criticism of the Bible is
often seen as the primary force in setting the Great Apostasy into motion, one
might say that evolutionary philosophy sought and found its expression first in
textual criticism and later in the historical-critical method.6
Modern New Testament Text Criticism
The same Majority Text manuscripts were used for the New
Testament until a revolution, marked by two discoveries, took place. The
Vatican published Codex Vaticanus officially in 1889-90. Vaticanus was
catalogued in 1481 but has no history before that date. Erasmus knew of it and
Napoleon carried it off to Paris for a time. Konstantin von Tischendorf (18151874) got to see the manuscript in 1843. He got into trouble for not obeying the
Vaticans rules about copying, but he was finally able to produce an edition in
1867. In 1844 at a monastery on Mt. Sinai, Tischendorf found another
manuscript, which came to be named Codex Sinaiticus. The two manuscripts
(Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) are sometimes called the Egyptian texts because of
their origin. Codex means that the text was bound more like a book rather than
rolled up as a scroll. Although the two codices disagree with each other in many
readings, they were hailed as superior to the Majority Text. The differences
between the Majority Text and the newly discovered codices are illuminating
when examined in the cool light of reason.
1. The Majority Text manuscripts were dominant and in agreement with
one another, but the Egyptian manuscripts were not used throughout
the ancient church and were not in agreement with each other. Very
few manuscripts agree with Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, and the Egyptian
texts do not always agree with each other.7
2. The Majority Text manuscripts were used in worship for centuries,
establishing their acceptance in the early Christian Church, which was
closer to the original events than we are. In contrast, the two Egyptian
texts popped up rather mysteriously and were not distributed and used
in a huge family of copies within the Christian Church.
3. Many strange, arbitrary, and subjective rules were made up to promote
the new readings of the codices, but the Majority Text has authority
based upon vast use throughout the ages. Some call tradition the
democracy of the dead, meaning that we should pay attention to the
reasons why faithful Christians favored one manuscript family for
almost two thousand years.3
The two Egyptian manuscripts did not by themselves change the New
Testament text used by modern translators. B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort,
19

both from Cambridge University, accomplished this by publishing a two volume

work in 1881. They rejected the Majority Text in favor of the Egyptian
manuscripts, especially Vaticanus. Their work vastly influenced the English
Revised Version of 1881 and all subsequent translations. All the modern New
Testament translations follow Wescott and Hort to a great extent, except for the
revisions of the King James Version.
J-001
The Westcott Hort text, along with the new translation, dealt the final blow to
the old type of text (Received Text) upon which the King James Version is
based.
Neil Lightfoot, How We Got the Bible, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1963, p. 80.
The Rules
Many a novice text critic has been initiated in the rules of the science. It
could be a science. The actual text does not need to be a philosophical issue, but
we can see that people refuse to keep their skeptical agendas out of the issue.
We should only ask, What is the purest form of the original text? Various
rules of doubtful value have been promoted to determine whether one reading
is better than another:
a. The shorter reading is preferred.
b. The more difficult reading is preferred.
c. When in doubt, favor tradition.
When we examine these rules, we can see that they are infinitely flexible and
no more scientific than examining the entrails of sacrificial animals. The rules
were first applied during a time when all ancient works were considered a
patchwork by many different authors and editors.
The Shorter Reading Is Preferred
One can guess the attitude behind this rule. Some people make their
stories longer and longer, the more they tell them. Others abbreviate a story
they have heard before, depending on the circumstances. As far as being a
reliable guide for one reading or another, determining the better reading by
length is no better than walking to the hardware store with arms outstretched
and saying, I need a door this wide.8
We should think over the implications of this single rule. It suggests an
arbitrary attitude setting itself against the data. Implied in this rule and others is
the notion that the Christian Church suppressed the true text, changing it with
additions to express a Trinitarian orthodoxy foreign to Jesus and the apostles. It
is more likely that heretics edited their manuscripts to fit their pet doctrines,
introducing some variant readings easily detected. For example, one man was
trying to prove his case at a church meeting. He read from a document in a loud
20

and outraged tone of voice, but when he came to a section that reflected poorly
on him, he skipped it entirely. Later, his friend read a transcript from an audio
tape. Once again, when material came up not supporting their cause, it was
omitted. In these two cases, the shorter version was the corrupt version.9
The More Difficult Reading Is Preferred
This rule abandons all pretensions of science, when considered
thoughtfully. One question we must ask is, Difficult for whom? The answer
is, Difficult for believers. This rule is a formula for replicating false doctrine.
The Christian Church has determined through the study of the Scriptures that
dozens of heresies are misinterpretations of Gods Word. One example would
be an attack upon the hypostatic union of the two natures (divine and human)
of Christ. Some deny the human nature of Christ. Others deny His divine
nature. Still others are confused about the union of the two natures, as
Zwingli and Calvin were. Applying this rule would mean that a reading denying
the divine nature of Christ would be preferred to one affirming it.
The arrogance of this rule is amazing. It simply assumes that the very
first Biblical texts taught the favorite heresies of the liberals. Then, they think,
over a period of time, the copyists inserted a newly minted orthodoxy into the
pure text. If we choose to believe this liberal fantasy, this plan must have been a
massive and overwhelming conspiracy. Only a few manuscripts preserved the
original, mixed up, heretical Christianity. Liberals can pick those few examples
out, elevate them to a new status, and create another New Testament based
upon them. That is exactly what Wescott and Hort did in England. They were
asked to modernize the King James Version to some extent. They created a
different Greek New Testament, a two-volume work so massive that no one
could easily supplant it with another. A country raised on Shakespeare, Milton,
and the King James Version rejected the new translation based upon their text,
but their Greek New Testament persisted. Today, all modern translations of the
New Testament reject the Majority Text and follow the trends of Wescott and
Hort.
All modern translations, not some of them, but all of them, favor the
Egyptian manuscripts and reject the Majority Text. The New King
James Version, which is really a modest revision rather than a new translation,
does not follow the Egyptian texts and argues against them. The New KJV does
provide variations in footnotes, but these actually help the reader see where the
RSV and NIV omit verses. The omission of words and entire verses is the issue.
The new editions edit out a significant amount of the New Testament. The
omissions are seldom noted in the modern translations, so the verses and words
are forgotten. In time they seem foreign.
When in Doubt, Favor Tradition
This rule may or may not be applied. The radical scholars generally
work against tradition. For instance, they dismiss the reliability of the New
Testament, but they anchor all their dates in the Acts of the Apostles. This is a
21

contradiction. However, if a scholar cannot fix a particular date in time, such as

the trial of Paul, then he cannot date anything else in New Testament history.10
What does in doubt mean? What does tradition mean? Obviously,
if all three rules are applied at the discretion of the scholar, the resulting text
may become anything he imagines it must have been. Because the Bible is
ancient, many contradictory traditions exist about many different subjects. We
have very late traditions (5th century) about the Assumption of Mary. Does that
mean that the silence of the New Testament about the death of Mary implies
her Assumption? The Church of Rome has read the Assumption of Mary into
the First Gospel (Genesis 3:15), making Marys the foot that will crush Satan.
The Church of Rome has used the text of Genesis 3:15 that says, She will
crush his head. Thus, Catholic art often shows Mary trampling the serpent.
The Church of Rome has admitted the error in the translation, but I can go to
any major theological library and still find the error in print.
Liberals will argue correctly that there are almost no complete New
Testament manuscripts. Every Greek New Testament published is a composite
of the ancient witnesses. However, if the available manuscripts overlap, the
complete New Testament is easily assembled. The composite argument works
both ways. Every single printed Greek New Testament today is also a
composite. It is not simply Vaticanus or Sinaiticus, but some of each, plus
Majority Text readings. Various readings are voted upon and graded,
introducing even more subjective opinion into the discussion. Please note that
all ancient works and many modern works have also been gathered and edited
from various manuscripts with gaps, contradictions, and misspellings. The
difference is that the Biblical texts are far more numerous, reliable, and precise.
Textual Work: the Ending of Marks Gospel
Let us look at one text in Mark and see what the manuscript evidence
is. An ordinary Bible will not help. Footnotes mention some ancient witnesses,
as if they were people. The witnesses are manuscripts. Details explaining the
changes are missing. No explanations are offered. And yet, this is not a difficult
matter to discuss.
I was told by my Harvard trained college professor, a Lutheran Church
in America pastor, that the early Church noticed that the ending of the second
Gospel was rather abrupt, stopping at Mark 16:8, so they made up another
ending, Mark 16:9-20. Liberals said, Thank God we now have better
manuscripts than the King James Version had, so we can get rid of the
manufactured ending and stop the Gospel at 16:8. The liberals could not
explain why anyone would end a Gospel with the word for. The Greek word
gar (for) is never found at the end of a sentence, let alone at the end of a
book. This adverb gar is post-positive, meaning that it is not used as the first
word in a phrase. Like the contemporary question, And? it assumes
completion.
22

KJV Mark 16:8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for
they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they
were afraid.
One theory held that the Gospel was mysteriously broken off at Mark
16:8, letting people imagine death or persecution. Given the value of written
texts in the early Church, the abrupt ending is difficult to explain adequately.
According to Bruce Metzger, the best known textual expert in America, one 12th
century manuscript of Mark broke off at Mark 16:8 with the Greek letter tau
indicating the end of a lection and more text following.11 For this reason he
rejects that particular manuscript as evidence for the abrupt ending.
Nevertheless, Metzger argues very strongly for excluding the traditional ending
of Mark, giving little evidence against his view, but he offers three alternative
explanations for the ending at Mark 16:8
1. The author intended to end his work with they were afraid.
2. The Gospel was not finished.
3. The Gospel lost its last leaf before it was copied. (The most probable in
his opinion.)12
Justin Martyr used vocabulary from the traditional ending in his Apology,
written about 155 AD. Although we do not know exact dates for the New
Testament Gospels, it is likely that the entire New Testament was completed
before 100 AD. That makes the possible allusion to the traditional ending
extremely early. A website about Justin Martyr and other saints made the
observation that the early Roman emperors persecuted the Christian Church
because they were trying to preserve the old Roman ways. The active
persecution of an impoverished and illegal religion might explain the problem
with the ending. Justin Martyr was beheaded with six of his students, one of
them a woman.
My United Bible Society Greek New Testament (Aland third edition)
has notes for the variant readings. Similar decisions about which words or
sections to include or exclude are made about Shakespeare and all important
authors, but most people are not aware of it. The Shakespeare Variorum is an
enormous work with variant readings of the dramas. The Yale Shakespeare, in
one volume, is the result of many different editorial decisions. Although
Shakespeare belongs to the modern age, scholars still argue about the
authorship of the plays. Did he write some or all of them? Or did the Earl of
Oxford? Or Bacon? If a Shakespeare play began with as much uncertainty as
many sermons, no one would pay attention to Shakespeare either. The actor
would begin, Scholars are not sure whether William Shakespeare wrote this
play. We chose which lines we would use in performing the play, but no one
agrees which words are actually his, or Oxfords, or Bacons, depending on
which book you read.13
23

The Aland edition of the New Testament omits the traditional ending
of Mark, supporting this reading with Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and a few additional
witnesses. The traditional ending is supported by Alexandrinus, Epraemi
Rescriptus, Bezae Cantabrigiensis, and many others. The position of Vaticanus
and Sinaiticus looks very lonely, but aha, do not they agree with each other? Are
they not better and earlier? Can we not find it in our hearts to forgive that
forgotten scribe who added a few verses to Mark, just to improve the Gospel?
Vaticanus does not include the traditional ending of Mark, but the
copyist left more than a column of space blank. That was long before the days
of this page intentionally left blank. At the very least we can assume that the
scribe knew of the traditional ending. That leaves Sinaiticus stranded. It is one
thing to say that Marks Gospel ended abruptly, for no known reason, and that
an ending was added. But, if two major witnesses against the traditional ending
do not even agree completely with each other, then snipping off verses nine
through twenty seems arbitrary, arrogant, and deceitful. St. Jerome knew about
manuscripts omitting Mark 16:9-20, but he was convinced of the authenticity of
the traditional ending. W. R. Farmer concluded: In fact, external evidence from
the second century for Mark 16:9-20 is stronger than for most other parts of
that Gospel.14
Now we have a great dividing line on this subject. Most of the
conservatives have surrendered to Westcott and Hort, abandoning the Majority
Text. And yet, an author who accepted the modern theories about the New
Testament text, said this about the ending of Mark:
J-002
In favor of Mark 16:9-20 there are a host of witnesses: the Alexandrian
Manuscript, the Ephraem Manuscript, Codex Bezae, other early uncials, all late
uncials and cursives, a number of old Latin authorities plus the Vulgate, one
Old Syriac manuscript, the Syriac Peshitta version, and many other versions.
Besides, there is a plain statement from Irenaeus (early Christian writer) which
clearly shows the existence of Mark 16:9-20 in the second century and the belief
that Mark was its author. In brief this is the negative and positive data on the
question. On one hand is the unparalleled reliability of the Vatican and Sinaitic
Manuscripts; on the other hand is almost all of the other evidence. J. W.
McGarvey wrote a capable defense of Mark 16:9-20 in his Commentary on
Matthew and Mark. It was first published, however, in 1875, before the great
work of Westcott and Hort on the Greek text was completed. Yet McGarveys,
with a few minor modifications, can stand with credit today.
Neil Lightfoot, How We Got the Bible, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1963, pp. 74f.
Vaticanus and Sinaiticus have unparalleled reliability, except in one of
the most important passages of the New Testamentthe ending of Mark. If
the claim does not match up with the data, then the claim is wrong.15 In light of
the concessions made by Lightfoot above, the treatment of the traditional
24

ending of Mark in the New International Version is worth noting. After Mark
16:8, a line appears in the text, indicating a break. The following heading
appears above Mark 16:9-20:
[The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses
do not have Mark 16:9-20.]16
Someone who has not read the research on the ending of Markand
this material is fairly difficult to findwould conclude from the NIV that Mark
16:9-20 does not belong in the Bible. He would not know that the only major
manuscript unambiguously omitting the ending is Sinaiticus and that this most
reliable manuscript suddenly appeared without a so-called family of copies to
back it up. Since Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod professors participated
with the liberals and tongue-speakers of the NIV translation team, a
conservative Lutheran would assume that the bracketed information is in
harmony with orthodox Lutheran doctrine. In fact, no other Bible translation is
so brassy in disdaining the traditional ending of Mark.
If a modern scholars training goes against the traditional ending of the
Second Gospel, and he still supports the Majority Text conclusion of Mark,
then the untrained person can see that the case against Mark 16:9-20 is very
weak indeed. For the sake of comparison, consider what Westcott and Hort
have done to millions of Christians. The Beck Bible published by Christian News
has also omitted the traditional ending of Mark with a footnote, following
Westcott and Hort.17 When a faithful Lutheran reads this Bible, after being
exposed to the King James Version, he is led to believe that the Christian
Church was deceived for centuries. Luther was wrong. Tyndale was wrong. All
the Reformers were wrong. How can the average Christian check the facts? In
front of him is the latest Bible printed by a conservative Lutheran. He has no
way of discovering, apart from a theological library, that the manuscripts
favored in the new edition have no history at all. If a farmer bred cattle or pigs
without knowing their genetic heritage, he would be considered lazy or foolish.
The ultimate result of Westcott and Hort enthusiasm has planted doubt about
the entire New Testament text.18 Ironically, the Majority Text is rejected by
liberals today because of its heritage, its careful preservation in the Christian
Church, its thousands of manuscript witnesses, its consistency, its harmony in
many different forms. Even the mysterious Vaticanus tips its hat to the Majority
Text, by making room for the traditional ending of Mark.
We must conclude that fidelity to the New Testament text has been
abandoned since the publication of the Revised Version in 1881.19
Biblical Canon
The canon is also used by liberals in arguments against the Scriptures.
Liberals declare that the Bible did not come down from heaven. That
argument is a straw man logical fallacy, because no one has ever said the
25

Scriptures floated down from heaven. Liberals assume a pose of being

scandalized that various men made pronouncements upon what was Scripture
and what was not. However, this information can be used to create a false
impression. More than one liberal Lutheran has even said in a sermon that the
Bible could have only 20 books in it or 100 books in it, since men made
decisions about what should be included.
In the apostolic age, the canon included only the Old Testament. When
Jesus spoke of what was promised in the Scriptures, He referred only to the Old
Testament. The apostles wrote letters first and finally certain authors wrote
down the Gospels. Of course, the spirit of the antichrist had already begun, and
many false teachers arose to make various claims. Not surprisingly, false
scriptures were created to counter the actual scriptures. However, not
everything was written with evil intent.
After the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Old Testament canon was
established by Jewish scholars at Jamnia, around 90 AD. The extra books of the
Old Testament, the Apocrypha, were not accepted as equal to the 39 that are
accepted as inspired. Christians accepted the same 39 books as canonical, not by
voting for which books were inspired, but by setting aside whatever failed to
measure up. Later, when Jerome was asked to translate the Old Testament
apocryphal books into Latin, he refused, stating they did not belong with the
inspired books.
I was in a group of Protestant boys who came upon an old Bible in the
attic of a garage. We were filled with a sense of mystery as we ran across strange
names we had never seen in a Bible: Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, and so
forth. We ran home, telling our parents of this exotic Bible, only to learn that it
was a Roman Catholic Bible and fairly common. The lesson reinforced the
concept that Catholics were very different from the rest of the world. In fact,
few people now read or refer to these books. The Reformation did not accept
them as belonging with the 39 books of the Old Testament, as having an equal
status. However, Luther published the books of the Apocrypha in a separate
section of the Bible. The Book of Concord accepts the Apocrypha as edifying
and useful to read, but not equal to the canon. The books are uneven in quality.
First Maccabees is valuable as a history, but Second Maccabees is considered
quite inferior. The Wisdom of Solomon is cited often.
The New Testament canon was gradually established over a period of
time when the Christian faith was illegal and persecuted in the Roman Empire.
The debates closed with the Easter letter of Bishop Athanasius in 367, when the
27 books we now have were accepted as the New Testament. They do not all
have the same status in historical documents. Seven (James, 2 Peter, Hebrews, 2
John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation) were anti-legomena spoken against by some
early church fathers as not being of apostolic origin. Believers should not be
shocked by this fact of history. The origin of James, for instance, is obscure.
Hebrews does not claim an author. Revelation is strange and difficult to
interpret. Luther dealt with the arguments about Hebrews, considered that
Apollos might be the author, and still referred to Paul as the author.20 The effect
26

of the Easter letter was to exclude those works falsely claiming to rank with the
New Testament. Another kind of canon was created when a subway train had a
crash in Chicago. Many people arrived at the site and climbed onto the train,
hoping to share in the proceeds of a juicy lawsuit. They had to be excluded
from all claims. Therefore, the first step was not voting on who was in the crash
but getting rid of those who were not.
The spoken against (anti-legomena) books have fueled many silly
arguments. The Christian Church has always recognized some New
Testament works as more significant than others. Romans is the most important
doctrinal epistle. Philemon is not. Yet Paul wrote both letters and both are
found in the canon. Romans is at the beginning of the list of Pauline letters,
because of its doctrinal importance. In the Church, Matthew is generally
favored over Mark and Luke, but not in the sense of excluding the second and
third Gospels. Liberals have pitted one book of the New Testament against
another and left many with the impression that the documents of Christianity
are unreliable. For example, one ELCA pastor preached from the pulpit that the
Bible could have 20 books in it or 100. The books included in the Bible are
purely a matter of human decision, he claimed. The canonical issue has also
encouraged professors to question whether Paul wrote the letters attributed to
him, especially 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, called the Pastoral Epistles. Liberals
consider the Pastoral Epistles too conservative and churchly to be Pauls.
The Gospel of John has the greatest claims to apostolic authorship, but
it has also been used most by heretics and scorned by liberals as inauthentic.
Johns Gospel, in supplementing Matthew, Mark, and Luke, leaves out much of
what we find in the synoptic (seen together) Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke.
The synoptic Gospels have a relationship with one another because of their
similar structure and many identical or nearly-identical verses. The relationships
between the first three Gospels have been studied for 15 centuries.
Nevertheless, one of the greatest New Testament scholars of this century, Nils
A. Dahl, said at Yale, I dont think we will ever know how the synoptic
Gospels were composed.21 We have four different Evangelists but these four
voices have the same message. The Gospels are remarkably different; yet they
agree in substance and in detail without conspiring to tell the same story
verbatim, as liars always do.22
James has served as an excuse for the anti-canon arguments of the
liberals. Although liberals never pay attention to the main body of Luthers
works, they misquote him on this subject, fail to acknowledge the use of
polemics, and try to make believers think that the New Testament is expandable
and collapsible. Luther did call James a right, strawy epistle but he said that
compared to the others. If we read James next to Ephesians, the second work
is simply brimming with Gospel proclamation. In contrast, James is more of a
letter admonishing the churches about their sinful behavior. James does not lack
the Gospel, but cannot compare in glorious Gospel declarations to Ephesians.
Luther also reacted to James because the work was misused by the Roman party
to advocate salvation through works. Thus many were misled by the citation of
27

James on this subject. Therefore, it is not shocking that Luther would throw
Jimmie in the fire. Obviously, he did not. Critics of Luther and the Epistle of
James would be well advised to study James as thoroughly as Luther did and
watch their tongues.
The New Testament canon accepts only the Four Gospels, even
though many more Gospels were written in later times. The knowledge of other
Gospels is exciting to people, until they read a few, showing Jesus sliding down
a sunbeam or killing childhood friends. False books were circulated to advocate
doctrinal positions, so they were relatively easy to discern as being discordant.
In addition, apostolic letters were preserved with great care. They were valuable
as possessions, since so much time was expended upon copying them correctly.
But they were valued even more for their inspired message. No one confused an
apostolic letter from Paul with an ordinary message. In addition, messages were
sent without the formality of an epistle. Not every letter was preserved. Not
every letter was considered Scripture.
Initial arguments against the Bible were used by the Church of Rome to
make the pope the sole authority in matters of faith and practice. Liberals use
the same kind of arguments to make themselves little popes in the Christian
Church. Most of the Biblical scholars of Christianity reject the divinity of Christ
altogether and teach their enthusiastic charges to speak about Biblical matters
without believing in them. Some of this heresy began developing through lower
criticism but reached its highpoint of apostasy through higher criticism.23
Higher Criticism The Historical Critical Method
One may practice a legitimate form of Biblical study, the historicalgrammatical approach, or an illegitimate form, the historical critical method
(often abbreviated as HCM). The historical-grammatical approach to the
Scriptures seeks the clearest possible understanding of the Word of God, based
upon our knowledge of the times and the language used. Liberals provided a
great deal of energy for conservative studies of all areas related to the Bible,
from archeology to textual criticism, simply by their constant promotion of old
heresies. A student of the Biblehe does not need to be a Ph.D.will face
questions of apparent contradictions and errors in the Scriptures and address
them.
Liberals whine that those who advocate the traditional approach to the
Scriptures are engaged in begging the question. Believing Christian students of
the Bible begin with the understanding that the Holy Spirit has inspired the
Scriptures, that the Word is one unified truth without any errors or
contradictions. They allow the Scriptures to interpret the Scriptures and do not
place any book by man above the Bible. They assume that difficult passages
may be illuminated by the clearest passages and that any difficulties are due to
the limitations of the reader rather than the deficiencies of the Author.
One might be forgiven for thinking that a book written for faith might
be understood best through faith. However, liberals cry out that they are
scientific, rational, and interested only in finding out the truth. They begin with
28

their own assumptions. The Bible is just a book created by men, they say. For
that reason, they argue that the Bible tells us a lot about the individual authors
but little about God. That is like claiming that Moby Dick is a book about
whaling. The liberals dismiss traditional Biblical studies as prejudiced, they view
the Old Testament as primitive, the Son of God as a bastard child, the entire
Bible as mythological, and believers as pathetic stooges. And yet, the liberals do
not blush to make a living from the Biblical piety of the American people. Their
theories are riddled with actual contradictions rather than apparent
contradictions. For instance, they agree that the Gospels began as preaching
texts. They also claim that their historical-critical method will discover the
original meaning of the text. Nevertheless, they admit that the historical-critical
method is useless for the preparation of sermons.24 The only practical use seems
to be for the training of future seminary professors. In fact, the historical-critical
method is sterile and fruitless, a fact being quietly admitted in academic circles.
In the face of the new radicalism of seminaries, the historical-critical method
seems rather tepid.
Most people think the Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Synod
defeated the historical-critical method in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, doctrinal
indifference has allowed the same influences back into the Lutheran Church,
now with the opiate that The good guys won and there is no longer a
problem! In his arrogantly titled and horribly written Biblical Interpretation: The
Only Right Way, Wisconsin Synod seminary professor David Kuske has a
bulleted list that might have been copied from the liberal textbooks I threw
away many years ago: Situations that may be important as background to what
a passage says and means:25 Kuske also participated in the Biblical
translation disaster variously titled Gods Word to the Nations and the New
Evangelical Translation.
Kuskes colleague, John Jeske, one of the godfathers of the NIV,
promoted the Calvinist interpretation of Genesis 3:15 in his Peoples Bible
Commentary on Genesis. In this case, the issue is the interpretation of seed in
the verse.
KJV Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel.
NIV Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will
strike his heel."
Jeske agrees with John Calvins interpretation, claiming that the enmity will
exist between coming generations of both Satans offspring and Eves
offspring.26 Luther and the Confessions interpret the word as applying to
Christ alone.27 Indeed, Jeske allows for Christ as well, but the First Gospel is
watered down considerably by dreaming that God predicted general enmity
29

between snakes and people or even between Satan and people in general.28 The
point of the First Gospel is that Satan will hate the future Messiah and pursue
Israel until he finds Him. We see that fulfilled, according to Luther, in the
gradual destruction of Israel and the appearance of Satan as the antagonist of
the temptation in the wilderness. Jesus is not one more opponent of the devil in
Genesis 3:15, as Calvin and Jeske teach, but the One who will oppose and
defeat Satan.29
Origin of the Historical-Critical Method
Higher criticism can be given many labels, including that of literary
criticism. The new approach began in the Church of Rome shortly after the
Reformation, as described by Martin Chemnitz. This is an extremely important
quotation to remember, because Lutherans are now using the same Roman view
of the Scriptures. (See Chapter 10)
J-003
"The method of debate on the part of the papalists is far different now than it
was at the time of Eck, Emser, and others like them. These men did not refuse
to fight with us with the weapons of the Scripture. Pighius, however, has
perceived that this arrangement has done the papal kingdom more harm than
good. Therefore he has shown a different and shorter way by which, provided
they stuck to it, they could obtain practically anything without trouble. It
consists in this that they bring together every oratorical device and then declaim
loudly about the shortness, the incompleteness, the insufficiency, ambiguity, and
obscurity of the Scripture and strenuously fight for the necessity, authority,
perfection, certainty, and clarity of the unwritten traditions."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 71.30
J-004
"The Catholic Church existed before the Bible; it is possible for the Catholic
Church to exist without the Bible, for the Catholic Church is altogether
independent of the Bible. The Bible does not give any systematic, complete, and
exhaustive treatment of the doctrine of Christ. In many respects it is, like a
stenographer's notebook, partial and fragmentary, to be supplemented later on
in more elaborate detail by other agencies. Christ never wrote a word of the
Bible. One might naturally expect Him to have set the example by writing at
least some portions of the Bible as if He intended His followers to take their
entire religion from it." [Thomas F. Coakley, Inside Facts about the Catholic Church,
Catholic Truth Society, p. 21f.]
Cited in Edwin E. Pieplow, "The Means of Grace," The Abiding Word,
ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 338.
Irenaeus described this approach to the Bible, which was not new.
J-005
30

"When they are proved wrong from the Scriptures, they turn and accuse the
Scriptures themselves, as if they were not correct and were without authority,
both because they speak now one way, now another, and also because the truth
cannot be found from Scripture by those who do not know the tradition; for
(so they say) the truth was not given through epistles, but through the living
voice, etc." [Irenaeus, Contra haereses, chapter 2]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 82.
Zwingli and Calvin
Although the Church of Rome invented modern Biblical criticism, the
Vatican did not have a direct influence on Protestants until recent decades.31
Nevertheless, both Zwingli and Calvin began the momentum toward
Unitarianism by introducing rationalism into their doctrinal systems. The
strictest Calvinist will never denounce rationalism, since the magisterial use of
reason is essential to Calvins theology. In short, the magisterial use of reason
places it above the Word of God, judging it. Both in understanding and
teaching, the effort to make Gods Word reasonable is the first step in
abandoning the Scriptures and turning them into a rabbits foot.
The strictest Protestants would say. Have we not argued inerrancy?
Have we not proved the errors of evolution? Have we not published enormous
works of orthodoxy? How can you paint us as traitors when we have done so
much to make Christianity reasonable? The Calvinist defense is the indictment.
As soon as human reason is placed above the Word, or equal with the Word,
the process of displacing the Word begins. For example, if the exotic and
amazing bombardier beetle is used to prove Creation and disprove evolution,
then our faith in Creation rests upon a bug that makes and mixes explosive
chemicals in his tiny bowels. Although knowledge about our natural world is
important, our Christian faith rests upon the revelation of God in the
Scriptures and not upon the chemical factories we find in bugs, earthworms,
herbs, and fish.
One creationist wrote that the Trinity can be proved with mathematics!
One can easily see that John Calvin himself was a rationalist, so we should not
be surprised that his followers have carried out his program. For instance,
Calvin could not understand how the risen Lord appeared in the locked room.
His assumption, that the finite could not contain the infinite, did not allow God
Incarnate to pass through walls. Instead, Jesus had to come into the locked
room through a secret passage.
J-006
"Reformed theologians, in order to support their denial of the illocalis modus
subsistendi of Christ's human nature, have sought, in their exposition of John 20,
an opening in the closed doors, or a window, or an aperture in the roof or in the
walls, in order to explain the possibility of Christ's appearance in the room
where the disciples were assembled."
31

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, II, p. 127. John 20:19.
In his Institutes, Calvin made fun of the Real Presence of Christ in
communion. Zwingli and Calvin both rid their churches, of God acting through
Baptism and Holy Communion, making the Sacraments symbolic. Of course,
the Sacraments are symbolic, but they are not merely symbolic. The Sacraments
also give what God promises in the Word. Once Zwingli and Calvin introduced
these rationalistic elements, a defense of divine activity became increasingly
muted until it was extinguished by human reason. The seduction was magnified
in its power by several elements. Satan encourages our sinful flesh to rebel
against Gods Word. In addition, as Western Europe developed, the highly
trained theologians were surrounded by the new priesthood of science and
technology. It became doubly appealing to defend the Scriptures in a way which
might satisfy the doubts of the new intellectuals. If human reason is placed
above the Scriptures, one longs for approval from the ultimate advocates of
human reason today, the scientists.
Ministerial versus Magisterial Use of Reason
Siegbert Beckers great work, The Foolishness of God, distinguished
between the ministerial and the magisterial use of reason in the work of Dr.
Martin Luther. The ministerial use of reason does not abandon or oppose human
intelligence and higher learning, but subordinates the intellect to the Word of
God, following Luther. One can spend a lifetime learning the meaning of the
Scriptures, studying the ancient languages, reading historical works, comparing
passages. And yet, no one can explain the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Virgin
Birth, the miracles, the forgiveness of sins, or the resurrection. One of the
simplest acts of the believer, the silent prayer, transcends all human reason.
How can God hear our thoughts, or for that matter, our quiet table prayer? The
ministerial use of reason should be viewed as another expression for the
traditional Christian view of the Scriptures, as the Book above all books, the
judge of all human wisdom. Whatever powers and abilities God has given us
should be placed in the service of Gods Word, subject to the Holy Spirit, as
Isaiah spoke.
KJV Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those
things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him
that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
J-007
"Melanchthon lacked the simple faith in, and the firm adherence and implicit
submission to, the Word of God which made Luther the undaunted and
invincible hero of the Reformation... Melanchthon, devoid of Luther's singledminded and whole-hearted devotion to the Word of God, endeavored to satisfy
his reason as well."32
32

F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical

Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 105.
The magisterial use of reason places an emphasis upon human
understanding and seeks to answer doubt with rationalism. That is like drinking
brine to satisfy thirst. Allowing human reason to rule over the Scriptures, or
even to defend the Word of God, introduces a cancer that will not stop growing
until it has completely taken over the faith. Those who defend the Scriptures
with reason do not realize that they have also placed the human mind on an
equal basis with God, as if He did not say:
KJV Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Triumph of Rationalism
The historical-critical method crept into Christianity on little cats feet.
The three influences during the 16th century Reformation era were: 1)
Calvinism; 2) the Church of Rome; 3) the Socinians, who were early Unitarians.
Although the weeds were planted during the Reformation and immediately
afterwards, little effect was seen until the 18th century. Several key publications
marked the beginning of the historical-critical method during the Age of
Rationalism. Note that Schweitzer was later acclaimed throughout the world for
making the heretics Reimarus and Strauss acceptable. Schweitzer was lauded for
his sanctity of life teaching until the abortion age dumped him, for obvious
reasons.
A. The Reimarus Fragments. The author was Hermann Samuel Reimarus
(1694-1768). The work was published posthumously, for fear of
reprisals, in 1774 and 1778, through the famous German author
Gotthold E. Lessing (1729-1781). The book, reprinted by the liberal
Lutheran Church in America, argued that the disciples turned Jesus into
God after His death, so they would not have to return to their former
occupations. Lessing used his enormous influence to defend the
publication of the work, and this began the process of making
Germany the center of the historical-critical method. Scholars today
consider the Fragments the pioneering work in the Life of Jesus research.
B. The Life of Jesus, published in 1835, by David Friederich Strauss (18081872). Strauss became famous for the work, but his career went into an
immediate decline because of the controversy. Scholars consider the
Strauss work more subtle than that of Reimarus, because this two
volume Life of Jesus introduced the concept of mythology, allowing
apostate theologians to talk about the meaning of the text without
accepting the historical basis of the Scriptures. Strauss discussion of
myth in the Bible began a process that eventually permeated all
33

denominations. Two Roman Catholic theology students in the Ph. D.

program at Notre Dame were furious that a visiting lecturer attributed
myth to the Old Testament, but not to the New Testament! Both men
were angered that I believed in the resurrection and Virgin Birth of
Christ. They are typical of Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy in
America today.33
C. The Life of Jesus, by various authors, culminating in The Quest for the
Historical Jesus, 1906, by Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965). The original
title of Schweitzers work was much duller: History of the Life of Jesus
Research. Schweitzer reviewed the many lives of Jesus and threw in a few
pet theories of his own. Because Schweitzer was a media hero for
decades through his organ concerts in Europe and his medical
missionary work in Africa, his seldom read but often mentioned work
had great credibility.
Classical Scholarship and Biblical Research
Dr. Robert Preus, an expert in Greek and Latin, made a good point
about the influence of classical studies (Greek and Latin literature). He said, and
I paraphrase, The classical scholars tore apart all the Greek and Latin works.
When they had nothing left to work on, they applied the same methods to the
Bible. In fact, the classical scholars dithered and argued over the authorship of
Homers Iliad and Odyssey to such an extent, with so many authors and editors
proposed, that one wit finally declared, The Iliad and Odyssey were not written
by Homer, but by another man with exactly the same name. The fodder for a
Ph.D. in classical studies is rather limited, so the modern scholars had little to
add to research in order to claim their doctorates. Once they wore out the
subject matter, it was easy to apply the same theories to the Bible. Experts in
ancient languages are very specialized and uniquely talented. Once they learn a
few languages, additional languages are relatively easy. Even now a man may
earn a Ph.D. in Greek literature and teach New Testament studies at a seminary.
If he is trained in Hebrew, he will probably know quite a few ancient languages
as well. The Yale Ph.D. in Old Testament is more of a language degree than
anything else. Dr. Robert Wilson described his graduate study at Yale as
working on a number of ancient languages and texts until it was time to
graduate.
Concentrated scholarship in a narrowly defined field of study can make
people bored rather easily. The orthodox positions were well established by
Reformed and Lutheran scholars of the past. It was more interesting to ask,
Was Paul married? or Was Jesus a homosexual? The highly acclaimed
Society for Biblical Literature became a creative writing seminar according to
one Lutheran professor, David Scaer, Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne. Anyone
could make up any theory, publish it, and add the article to his resume list.
The spread of rationalistic influence was given great impetus by the
prestige of the degree, the university, and the country where it was earned.
American scholars in the late 19th century wanted to earn a degree in Germany,
34

where the historical-critical method was fully developed. Relatively few could
study in Germany. When they returned to America, they could claim a
prestigious position at a great university. The few who earned a doctorate under
the American professor would also have a claim to a top position. Princeton,
Harvard, and Yale trained seminary professors from the mainline
denominations. The Lutherans were slower to covet an Ivy League degree, but
they also arrived on the scene.
The process of graduate education in America tends to mold a
fraternity out of its graduates, not surprisingly. The small group of doctoral
students share the same classrooms, the same section of the library, the same
lounges, the same housing, and attend the same parties. These bonds continue
throughout life, even if classes do not overlap. Having the same dissertation
advisor is sure to create some bond, even if it is based upon complaints or
funny stories. Hamma Divinity School was looking for a young New
Testament professor. Someone visited Krister Stendahl, the Lutheran dean at
Harvard Divinity at that time. Stendahl pointed out a man in the cafeteria and
said, Thats Ben Johnson. Take him. That is how Ben Johnson was hired to
teach New Testament at a Lutheran seminary. The process can be more
complicated, but one cannot overemphasize the impact of a well known leader
making a personal reference. These contacts also lead to publishing
opportunities, research grants, and other perks of academic life.
Although much is made of academic freedom, the doctoral student
must obtain his references from his professors, who often have an axe to grind.
One must agree with the professor in order to earn a good grade and finish.
When I wrote a paper about Paul Tillich, who taught the head of my program
when he studied at Harvard, I dared to say Tillich was a pantheist who rejected
all the doctrines of Christianity.34 The professor said, If this is your paper, you
will fail this course. Rewrite it. I wrote a second paper dealing with some of
Tillichs favorite fads in psychology. That received a sullen passing grade, but
my goose was cooked. I made similar points in class with the professors
colleague, another Tillich fan, by reading out loud from the official Tillich
biography. That earned me double jeopardy, and I was condemned by two
members of the faculty who were friends. When I disagreed with the wife of
one of these men, one student sadly bid me goodbye, assuming I would be
kicked out for expressing my own opinion just once in her class.35
My sainted dissertation advisor, John Howard Yoder, a Mennonite
pacifist, was visibly disturbed that I received a call to Midland, Michigan, where
Dow Chemical was headquartered. He said, Midland is where they used to
demonstrate how to make napalm. I thought to myself, This is taking guilt by
association to a new level. Yoder delayed my work repeatedly, pointing out
that his degree was not granted for 15 years for lack of publication. The old rule
in Europe was that a man did not earn a doctorate by writing a dissertation, but
by getting it published as a book. When I got to wear the heavy black robe,
rented of course, I learned that Yoder had whisked a pacifist Mennonite
35

through the program in half the time.36 The man was headed for Goshen to
teach at the Mennonite college there.
The personal details are not offered as a complaint, but to give some
perspective about the way in which the historical-critical method invaded
America. Pioneers such as Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) studied in
Germany and brought back the reinterpretation of the Bible, Unitarian
philosophy dressed in the words of Biblical piety. Although it was not likely that
the average person would read Adolph Harnacks What Is Christianity, 18991900, they could read the same thoughts in Rauschenbuschs Theology for the
Social Gospel, his famous Yale lectures.37 More importantly, they could hear
similar thoughts in the sermons of liberal Protestant ministers trained in the
Social Gospel Movement by Rauschenbusch and other professors.38 Later,
Rauschenbusch became a litmus test for whether a Lutheran leader was
sensitive about political concerns. If he read and quoted Rauschenbusch, and
adopted the Kingdom of God concept of Rauschenbusch, he was a progressive,
intelligent, sensitive leader. Mutatis mutandi, the same thing could be said later
about the Church Growth Movement and the Baptist, C. Peter Wagner, except
the key phrase became Church Growth Eyes instead of the Kingdom of
God.39
Rudolph Bultmann
Rudolph Bultmann (1884-1976) is by no means the greatest of the
historical-critical method authors, but he became the best known. He was not
very original and tended to use what others had written before him. As Nils
Dahl, a student of Bultmann, pointed out, the famous professor gained in
reputation by outliving many other European professors. The late Donald
McGavran, father of the Church Growth Movement, has proven that one may
be a little known failure for decades and yet become famous by outliving and
out-publishing others.40
By living to the age of 92 and training many American professors,
Bultmann established himself as normative for New Testament scholarship.
Anyone who doubted the historical-critical method was pitting himself against
the invulnerable army of Bultmann students. Some of them were second
generation trainees, not studying under the master himself, but earning a
doctorate from one of his famous students at Harvard. In addition, because
theological fads take so long to die away, a German professor of the Victorian
Age with archaic ideas about science could influence New Testament professors
in America in the 1970s and beyond. Bultmann argued that the New Testament
claims about Jesus were mythological, good in their dealing with universal
truths, but not able to stand the scrutiny of modern (that is, 19th century)
science. One of his famous sentiments was that any schoolboy knows a body
cannot resuscitate itself and rise from the grave. Obviously, from this
statement, someone who believes in the resurrection of Christ is dumber than
any schoolboy.
36

The mythological interpretation of the Bible, begun as a scandal by D.

F. Strauss, was promoted by Bultmann and his followers as a way to talk about
the events of the Bible without believing in them. The mythological approach
takes itself very seriously but does not deal with the text or content of the Bible
except as an anchor for its pagan philosophies. For someone who accepts the
mythological view of the Scriptures, inerrancy is a joke. The old Missouri Synod
knew the Bultmann school was wrong and rejected it during the Seminex crisis,
which had its beginnings in the 1930s and reached its public relations glory in
the 1970s. Soon after, the newly revised Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
adopted Fuller Seminary as its Mecca, even though Fuller advocated
unionism and rejected Biblical inerrancy with scorn and derision. WELS had
already broken with the Missouri Synod in the 1960s over the issue of unionism
and inerrancy, then adopted Fuller as its favorite seminary for training world
and home missionary leaders.41 The American Association of Lutheran
Churches broke with The ALC over the issue of inerrancy and officially
adopted Fuller Seminary as its own seminary.42 The so-called Church of the
Lutheran Confession broke with WELS over a lax attitude toward unionism but
later made criticism of the Church Growth Movement in WELS a reason for
doctrinal discipline and expulsion.43 Although the Church Growth enthusiasts
are more interested in graph paper than New Testament studies, The Battle for the
Bible and its sequel prove that Fuller has been a hotbed for the historical-critical
methodand worseeven before the installation of the McGavran Church
Growth faculty.44
Biblical Studies as a Toxic Influence
If John or Mary goes to a major school and earns a Ph.D. in Biblical
studies, whether Old Testament or New Testament, most people will be
impressed and think something good has happened. Not every graduate is a
ranting Bultmann advocate. Various names enter and exit the approved list of
authors, even in Biblical studies. The style of the historical-critical method lends
itself to remaining in the about mode, as Paul L. Holmer described it.45
Doctoral students at Notre Dame were more vivid in their description of the
dissertation process, calling it digging up bones to be gathered so they can be
buried again. Few academic theologians have anything original to write, but
they must publish or get a parish. In Biblical studies, considerable time and
energy are expended in describing and comparing previous theories about every
subject. If an article or book is written about the Gospel of Mark, for example,
all previous major works must be addressed, and then supported or critiqued.
For those who have trouble keeping track of all these works, there is a journal
providing a Readers Digest view of the literature on many topics, albeit with the
stately name of Theologische Rundschau (theological overview). Some summaries
are 100 pages long. This style of addressing a topic means that the student must
deal with a verse in Talmudic style, commenting on a commentary of a
commentary of a commentary. He does not need to believe anything, because
he can remain in the about mode. In fact, he is almost compelled to remain in
37

the about mode. As Holmer observed, the author does not need to address the
actual content of the Gospel of Mark, but writes about Gospel of Mark research
with a few tidbits of his own added.
Once a Ph.D. in Biblical studies is hired for the college or seminary
classroom, he is wedded to a style of thinking. If he wrote his dissertation
arguing that Mark was written after Matthew and Luke, then lift holy hands in
prayer for the student who suggests otherwise. Because the professor is
saturated in the literature about Mark, he may teach his classes mostly by talking
about the theories involved in the Synoptic Gospels. If the reader is lucky
enough to own Ylvisakers The Gospels, he will see that a genuine Lutheran
approach is quite different. Luther, too, could argue theories, but he spent little
time on them and did not draw himself into the fine points of medieval
scholarship unless he wanted to destroy a faulty position, as he did for 100
pages in his Galatians commentary, dealing with congruent grace.
Professorial tyranny is not limited to Biblical studies. Nevertheless,
what is more dangerous than a system that keeps professors and students
focused on the history of research on a given topic rather than on the main
topicGod? Nils Dahl gave a paper to the Yale Divinity faculty, pointing out
that Biblical professors seldom deal with God, even though He is a significant
figure in the Bible. Dahl was ignored by the faculty. In fact, the Lutherans on
the faculty of Yale Divinity School were so conservative, compared to the rest,
that the dean vowed never to hire another Lutheran.46 A famous worship expert
lost his chance to teach at Yale because of the conservative reputation earned by
his fellow Lutherans.47
Another factor in the spread of error is professorial laziness.
Orthodoxy requires study, thought, and prayer, but apostasy floats along on
greed, sloth, and ambition. Dr. Robert Wilson, an Old Testament professor at
Yale, did a study about a peculiar citation. He found that the original work cited
in a footnote was The Birth of Israel. A typographical error turned this footnote
into The Bird of Israel. Obviously, the misprinted title of the book was silly, but
no one seemed to notice as numerous scholars copied the footnote rather than
look for the original work. Using a footnote suggests that the author read the
work cited, not that he copied someone elses footnote, giving a false
appearance of scholarship without the work involved.
The King James Version
Many people think of the King James Version, or Authorized Version,
as the first and only English Bible for a long period of time. Also, when we talk
about the translators, we think of a group of men creating a completely new
translation. In addition, some claim that the King James Version we use today is
exactly the same as the one produced in 1611. All these notions need some
correction.
England enjoyed the only Reformation based upon a kings need for a
male heir. King Henry VIII married six wives in his ambitious life and moved
from being Defensor Fidei (defender of the Faith) to wresting control of the
38

English Catholic Church from the pope.48 The messiness of the English
Reformation makes the history of the English Bible equally complicated. Much
more could be written than the brief remarks in this section. But we weary the
unlearned, who need not know so much, and trouble the learned, who know it
already. (Original Preface, 1611 edition of the KJV)
Luther was not the first to translate the Bible into German, but his
translation became the official translation used by everyone, forever shaping the
German language. Luther did not work alone in translating the Bible, but he was
the guiding genius of the work. Even today German Bibles acknowledge
Luthers work by name on the title page, a tribute to his astonishing work.
Similarly, the King James Version was not the first or only English Bible. The
purpose of the work was to create a Bible for all English people to use. The
translators were remarkably successful in accomplishing this purpose, not only
for unifying the English Bible, but also for creating a masterpiece of the English
language. Shakespeare and the King James Version are credited with being the
two great forces that originally molded our language and continue to influence
our mother tongue today.
God moved Gutenberg in Germany and Caxton in England to invent
the printing press. The Greek New Testament of Erasmus in 1516 created
enormous excitement for all Christians involved with Biblical studies. The
Greek New Testament was made possible by the fall of Constantinople to
Moslem forces in 1453. Greek scholars fled into Europe from the Byzantine
Empire and brought their ancient texts with them. Suddenly the Church was
faced with the Greek text of the New Testament at a time when each nation
was discovering its own language and breaking away from Latin. The Latin
Vulgate, the Latin liturgy, and Latin as the universal language of theologyall
this changed in a relatively brief time.
Many English Bibles were created during this time. Some of the better
known versions are the Wycliffe translation, the Coverdale, the Geneva, the
Bishops, and Tyndales. All these existed before the King James came into
being. William Tyndale was the pioneering genius who first translated the Greek
New Testament of Erasmus into English and also translated much of the
Hebrew Old Testament. He tried to work with church officials, but he was
spurned. The English Bible was actually banned from the realm. Translating the
Bible was associated with Martin Luther, and Luther refused to go along with
the marital merry-go-round of Henry VIII. Tyndale, though not a Lutheran,
studied under Luther and Melanchthon at Wittenberg for a year. Tyndale
moved around Europe, had his work printed, and smuggled it into England
with the help of friends. He had to translate, raise money, print, ship, and
escape the authorities, all to give us the Bible in our tongue. As always, the
religious enemies proved to be the most dangerous. A friend betrayed Tyndale,
who was arrested, strangled to death, and burnt at the stake. Before he died in
1536, Tyndale cried out, Lord, open the King of Englands eyes.
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The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
KJV49
A lifetime passed before Tyndales dying prayer in 1536 was answered
through another king in 1611. England and Europe suffered terrible religious
conflicts. Finally, when James of Scotland became King of England, the
Hampton Court Conference in 1604 was called to deal with problems in the
English church.50 Dr. John Reynolds, a prominent Puritan, asked for a new
translation of the Bible. Not everyone was enthusiastic about the idea. Bishop
Bancroft of London exclaimed, If every mans humour should be followed,
there would be no ende of translating.51 The bishops dour prediction was
fulfilled in the 20th century, where we not only have a growing collection of
translations, but also ever new editions of those versions. The Revised Standard
Version and the New International Version both have their feminist
improvements. An American Translation has had five different versions: 1) the
original Beck translation, 2) the revision published by Pastor Herman Otten, 3)
Gods Word to the Nations (also known as the New Evangelical Translation),
4) Gods Wordlargely disowned by its Lutheran sponsors, and 5) yet another
version of the Beck.52
Only a minority of the clergy at the Hampton Court Conference
supported the new translation. The work began after a delay of a few years.
Groups of scholars were gathered together. Their intention was to unify and
purify the collection of English work available. That intention does not demean
their effort at all. Anyone who has worked on a minor project with a synodical
committee can only marvel that the Authorized Version was even finished, that
the project was completed in a few years, and that the new Bible was a
masterpiece instead of an Edsel.53
Double Inspiration
Some people, with good intentions, argue for a second inspiration,
saying that the King James Version was inspired in the same way as the Bible.
This false claim is not fair to the Scriptures or to the King James translators and
editors. We can certainly see Gods hand in the work, but we have to distinguish
between the work of men faithful to God and the revelation of God to man.
When we use the term inspiration loosely, the Biblical sense of the word is lost.
One Baptist held up his Bible in class and said, I believe even the covers of this
book are inspired. In Greek, inspiration means God breathed. The word
inspiration is based upon the Latin root for the same concept: God breathed. The
Bible tells us that all Scriptures are inspired.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Only the God-given Scriptures are called inspired in this sense, so applying
the term to anything other than the Bible implies a power and infallibility that
40

belongs to the revealed Word alone. Advocating a double inspiration also fails
to acknowledge the various changes in the King James Version since it was first
published. These changes are slight, involving spelling and punctuation, as well
as a few words, but they nullify the theory of double inspiration. A Lutheran
does not argue double inspiration because of his faith in the efficacy of the
Word. A bad translation diminishes the power of the Word; a good translation
reflects the original sense of the Word. The only questions we need to ask are:
1. Is this the best text available?
2. Is this the most precise translation?
It is much fairer to the King James translators to say that the work was
blessed by God and providential. God saw to it that the pioneeringbut
persecutedwork of Tyndale would be preserved in a new form, thus honoring
the man who gave his life for the English Bible.
The Luther-Centric Reformation
Before we turn to actual translation comparisons, let me emphasize
something lost on most people today. The Reformation was Luther-centric.54
Many other Reformers had a significant influence in their territories and
countries, but Luther dominated the Reformation through the force of his
writing, both in quality and quantity. Luthers influence also permeates the
efforts of his opponents, even when they argue against him. His collected works
equal the size of a 100 volume set of encyclopedias. If he had maintained his
publishing rights, he would have been one of the richest men in the world. His
works were best sellers and immediately translated all over Christendom.
Luthers work was the gold standard in theology, especially when lesser lights
fought against him. Therefore, the King James Bible reflects that influence, just
as John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress does.55 Some WELS pastors have argued
fatuously that the King James Version was not a Lutheran translation, therefore
the Reformed and Pentecostal New International Version is no worse for being
non-Lutheran. This particular talking point is worthless, because the issue is the
accuracy of the text and translation.56 The NIV fails miserably in both areas.
The KJV is clearly superior and belongs to an age when Puritans, too, read
Luther with delight and edification. The King James scholars labored to create a
Bible that would be read from the pulpit, used in the liturgy, paraphrased in
sermons, cited in essays and books. They sought to employ the majesty of the
spoken Word as well as precision of language. The King James is a triumph of
the Tyndale translation effort. Pastor Henry A. Koch cited the English scholar
F. F. Bruce, stating that 90% of the King James is from Tyndale, and that the
revisers in 1881 returned to the Tyndale language which had been changed.57
Because Tyndale studied and worked in Germany during the Reformation, he
was directly influenced by Luther and his translation. In other words, the King
James Version has a direct, historical relationship to Luthers Bible.58
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The Revised Standard Version

The Revised Standard Version arrived after World War II, at a time
when the mainline denominations were enjoying their swan song: building new
additions on churches, starting new missions, glorying in their ability to fool
most of the people most of the time. The National Council of Churches worked
with academic stars of the Left to produce a translation promised to be faithful
to the substance of the King James Version but with much needed
improvements in the text and wording.59 The Bible no longer said, A virgin
will conceive in Isaiah 7:14, but a young woman would conceive. I was in
grade school when the new Bible came out, and I remember the RSV being
promoted and the muted discussion of the Virgin Birth error. We heard, and
this was repeated later, in college classes, that the Hebrew word (almah), always
translated previously as virgin, really only meant young woman. Liberal experts
claimed, There is no word for virgin in Hebrew. This error has also
influenced conservative Lutherans to some degree.60
The RSV has been overshadowed by the flood of new translations, but
it accomplished as much for the modern versions as the King James did for
unifying the English Bible. The RSV reversed the work of the KJV, even
though the KJV continued to outsell it for many years. Church leaders defended
the elimination of the Virgin Birth prophesy, as if all the translators in history
had been universally wrong about the meaning of almah. Any bad translation,
any fad was hailed, as a progression of newer translations came off the presses.
A few in my memory, the biggest hits of the moment were: Cottonpatch
(Southern dialect), New Jerusalem, New English, Living Bible, Good News for
Modern Man, and New American Bible. Bibles were printed and sold by the
boxcar, in the name of making Gods Word come alive for the first time.
However, even though we have a motley collection of new versions, Biblical
literacy has plummeted during the same period, especially among the young,
who were the intended beneficiaries.
Feminist language is the newest fad in Biblical translating, to use the
term in its broadest possible sense. Whenever possible, male terms for God the
Father and God the Son are avoided. Male pronouns also disappear. Megachurches like Willow Creek are encouraging the trend by demanding feminist
translations for their parishes. The Wisconsin Synod took this to a new level in
their new hymnal, Christian Worship, by replacing and became man in the
Nicene Creed with fully human, a term that falls harshly on the un-waxed ear.
Only a generation of Lutherans fed the NIV could tolerate a confession of faith
so completely corrupted.
King James versus New International Version
In the following comparisons, the New International Version will be
used, because the NIV is widely used and typifies the worst of what is
happening in modern translations, including the adoption of feminist language.
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Matthew 28:19-20
KJV Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
NIV Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Lutherans of the Church Growth persuasion love the NIV rendering,
make disciples, turning a Gospel mandate into Law.61 They believe that the
key to numerical growth is making disciples.62 They claim that a disciple is a
soul-winner, a better Christian than ordinary Christians.63 They would like to
argue that the verb translated as teach in the KJV has the same root as disciple,
so the word disciple should be used. Actually, the root of the word is teach and
the noun form suggests learning, or, to use the same root, a teacher has students
who are taught. The grammar of the sentence is clear enough. The direct object
of teach is all nations. We could make better sense of the Greek by saying, Go
and disciple all nations. Then it would be clear that God will accomplish His
will through His Word. Jesus did not tell His disciples to make disciples, and
yet this is explained by Church Growth experts as the true meaning of the
closing of St. Matthew. That translation has placed a terrible burden on
ministers and members. The WELS Church Growth guru and former seminary
professor said this about the passage, after studying at Fuller Seminary:
J-008
"Jesus did not send his disciples out to make disciples without first making them
disciples. He gave them a course in disciple making by making them disciples.
He knew that you have to be a disciple yourself before you can help someone
else to become a disciple."
Pastor Joel C. Gerlach, "The Call into the Discipling Ministry," Yahara
Center, April 24-25, 1987, p. 6.64
Those who defend bad translations can blame themselves for the way
in which false teachers use the modern versions to destroy the meaning of a
text.65 One is forced to conclude from the following dictum that the Great
Commission involves making something.
J-009
"But when our Lord told us what our mission should be, he was quite clear:
Make disciples.
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, The Evangelism Life
Line (WELS), Summer, 1988, p. 3.
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A sincere student of the Scriptures will ask what the word disciple
means in the New Testament. The Valleskey/Gerlach spin cannot possibly be
correct, since we have many examples that are contrary to their agenda. In John
9:28, disciple simply means a student or follower, not specifically a Christian or
a soul-winning Christian.
KJV John 9:28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple;
but we are Moses' disciples.
faith.

John 1:35 portrays disciples as followers of yet another confession of

KJV John 1:35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his
disciples;
If disciples are a special kind of Christian, then why did some disciples
stop following Jesus?
KJV John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him.
Most modern translationsincluding the New King James Version
have employed make disciples in the Great Commission, In contrast, Luthers
Bible and the Vulgate render the passage teach all nations, while one modern
German translation has make disciples, a clumsy phrase in German. A feeble
excuse for make disciples is preventing the use of teach twice in two verses,
even though Gerlach used disciples seven times in two sentences! The issue is
not the repetition of a single word, but whether the original text is obscured or
clarified by the translation. An orthodox rule of Biblical study, Scripture
interprets Scripture, reveals how erroneous the translation make disciples is.
Acts 14:21
The Fuller enthusiasm can also be found in the following passage. The
NIV is once again deceptive, because the participles simply say that the apostles
preached the Gospel and instructed many. The text does not suggest winning
disciples, because the passage in Greek does not contain a word for winning
nor does it use disciples as a direct object.66 The object of teach is many. In
brief, they taught many.
Jackson Literal Acts 14:21: After Gospeling that city and after teaching
many, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.
KJV Acts 14:21 And when they had preached the Gospel to that city,
and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and
Antioch.
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NIV Acts 14:21 They preached the good news in that city and won a
large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and
Antioch.
Matthew 13:52
This verse uses the same Greek word for teaching or being taught
that we find in Matthew 28:19 and Acts 14:21. The strain of using an instruction
or teaching verb as a making disciples verb can be seen in the key passage,
Matthew 13:52. The NIV cannot shoehorn the word disciple into this verse so
the translation must give in to good English. If the NIV followed the pattern of
the previously discussed passages, this verse would have to say every scribe
discipled about the kingdom of heaven, or every scribe made into a disciple
about the kingdom of heaven.
KJV Matthew 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe
which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an
householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
NIV Matthew 13:52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the
law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of
a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
1 Corinthians 10:16
The vast majority of NIV translators reject the Means of Grace,
because all non-Lutheran Protestants reject the Means of Grace.67 Baptism and
communion are symbolic acts to them, ordinances they must obey as a witness
to their faith, not Sacraments through which God imparts the forgiveness of
sin. The Greek word for communion, koinonia, is commonly but wrongly used
in the church today. One bad use of the term is for Pietistic cell groups. A
koinonia group sounds Biblical. However, the New Testament uses the term only
in the sense of fellowship with God. Therefore, communion is an excellent term
to use. For that reason, the Reformed have avoided the word. They seldom use
the term Holy Communion, preferring the Lords Supper instead. This is not a
minor passage, but a key doctrinal passage. Interpretation of it has divided the
Lutherans from the Reformed. Switching from communion to participation
obscures the meaning and impact of the passage. Communing with God is the
Gospel, while participation is Law in the guise of human cooperation.
We should not be surprised that the same section of 1 Corinthians is
used for the dreadful term Church Growth Eyes. The Fuller students think,
in their foolishness, that discerning the body refers to the visible Church.
They are blinded by their own ignorance from seeing that the passage concerns
the Real Presence of Christ. It is comical to read their blather about Church
Growth Eyes.68
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?
45

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?
1 Peter 3:20-21
Many times the Reformed side-step the issue of Holy Communion,
preferring to damn the Sacrament with faint praise and infrequent usage.
Baptism fills some Protestants with a special rage. That attitude is not true of all
the non-Lutheran Protestants, but one can find a remarkable animosity among
the Pentecostals, especially against infant baptism. Once again, a key doctrinal
passage is altered by the NIV to obscure or eliminate what Gods Word clearly
teaches. In this case, the clear teaching of God is eliminated entirely, turning a
Sacrament into a symbol, cutting out the word Baptism and adding
symbolizes without cause or merit! At this point, the Missouri Synod and
Wisconsin Synod men should have tossed down their pens and stormed out.
They did not. They stayed on the team, giving a tremendous boost to the
marketing of the NIV in both synods, which have tied all their instruction
material to the NIV. Several WELS pastors who objected to this betrayal were
kicked out of the synod. It is ironic that being KJV-only is reason enough for
removal from the ministry, although the leaders who do this are NIV-only.
WELS and the Missouri Synod should have waited for the New King
James Version, if they had to have a modern Bible. But that would not have
served the agenda of the Church Growth agitators in both synods. They wanted
the Means of Grace passages erased to further their unionistic efforts. That is
why the Pentecostals and the so-called conservative Lutherans can agree that
Jesus told us to make disciples. My database can identify many different
denominational quotations about making disciples, but only Lutheran authors
speak about the Means of Grace and the efficacy of the Word.
KJV 1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ:
NIV 1 Peter 3:20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently
in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight
in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that
now saves you alsonot 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.
When I joined WELS as a pastor, the NIV was relatively new to me.
Everywhere I looked, the NIV was the official Bible of WELS and the Missouri
Synod, in spite of their denials. Fresh from the Lutheran Church in America, I
saw that the NIV readings were no different from what I had learned in liberal
schools. Writing Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant made me aware of the doctrinal
46

problems of the NIV, as shown above. Finally, an elderly engineer in St. Louis
asked me why I used the NIV in articles and not the KJV. I said, I have an
NIV Bible program and nothing else. When I need to search for citations, the
computer program is easy to use. Instead of attacking me, he said, I will give
you my computer copy of the King James, if you will use it. I accepted his gift
and began using the King James Version in all my publications. At the same
time my son was learning Greek and Hebrew. He often commented on what a
terrible translation the NIV was. A third reason for avoiding the modern
versions came up during the writing of another book. If an author uses a
modern translation extensively, such as in writing a commentary, he must pay
royalties to the company owning the translation. This converts into big money
for publishers. They have not only the Bible sales to swell their coffers but also
a stream of money from Biblical books using their version. The NIV used great
cunning in gathering all the so-called conservative denominations together. The
joint project enabled one publishing company to dominate the Evangelical,
Pentecostal, and Lutheran markets and to link all the catechetical works
together with the same translation.
Previously, one translation, the King James Version, kept all the
English speaking churches closer to Luther and orthodoxy. Now the successful
marketing of the NIV has united all Protestant denominations in a dumbeddown, inaccurate, anti-Means of Grace Bible. The capitulation of the
conservative scholars to the theories of Westcott and Hort paved the way for
the apostasy and mainline malaise we find in all denominations today.
Wordiness as a Warning Sign
As we can see from the 1 Peter 3:21 NIV example, a translation must
become wordy and vague when the clarity of the Holy Spirit is being obscured.
The same symptoms can be seen when a guilty person tries to explain
everything away without saying yes or no to questions demanding a simple
yes or no. When a fad rolls through the Christian Church, authority for the
fad must follow. What better way to support a fad than to change the Bible?
Once upon a time, church leaders read 1 Timothy 2:12 as preventing women
from teaching men and from replacing men in positions of leadership. The
sentence structure is quite clear in Greek. Two infinitives express what is not
allowed by the apostle. Paul does not allow a woman to teach or to usurp
authority over a man.
KJV 1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp
authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Gods Word to the Nations (Revision of the Beck Bible, AAT) 1
Timothy 2:12 I do not allow a woman to teach in such a way as to have
authority over a man; rather, she is to conduct herself quietly.
47

NIV 1 Timothy 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have

authority over a man; she must be silent.
NRS 1 Timothy 2:12 I permit no woman to teach or to have
authority over a man; she is to keep silent.
Once again, this is not a difficult passage for anyone to understand in
Greek. There is no excuse to multiply words. Nevertheless, a new way of
translating the passage has been invented, in a project promoted, rather loudly,
as a way to give the world an orthodox Lutheran Bible: I do not allow a
woman to teach in such a way as to have authority over a man. The two simple
infinitives have been replaced with a smokescreen of verbiage. What does it
mean? The Lutheran feminist version, Gods Word to the Nations, funded by
the Schwan Foundation, could easily be interpreted as supporting womens
ordination. Subjective opinion has replaced objective truth. The original
NIV translated the verse correctly and concisely, but Church Growth ministers
are demanding feminist Bibles. Look for the continually changing modern
versions to adopt the GWN reading and call it the most accurate rendition.
Arguments against the King James Version Refuted
Statements against the King James Version are many and varied. Some of
those frequently heard are:
1. New translations have a better text.
Answer: All new translations, outside of the King James updates, have a
text shortened by arbitrary and contradictory rules. Textual research has proven
the remarkable precision of manuscript transmission, both in the Old
Testament and the New Testament. Enthusiasm for Vaticanus and Sinaiticus is
no longer so great, although the modern translations still follow the quirky
approach of Westcott and Hort. Because the modern New Testaments have
trimmed verses and words away, people generally do not know what is missing.
An honest text would offer the traditional readings and identify where the
Egyptian manuscripts differ.
2. The Authorized Version uses old-fashioned English.
Answer: So does Shakespeare. And yet, Shakespeare remains the English
author most appreciated in the Western world. I have found very few
Shakespeare editions lacking information about the meaning of unusual words.
A gentleman does not mind being challenged to learn Shakespeares vocabulary,
cadences, and images. He may start with a childrens Shakespeare as a youth,
but he will insist on the complete plays when he matures. A Christian always
uses old-fashioned English in worship, especially in hymns. No one has found a
way to worship in a solemn and dignified way using the latest English.
48

3. Modern versions are easier for children to follow.

Answer: The Bible was the first major work to be dumbed-down for
children. So many easy versions of the Bible are now in print that children and
adults cannot remember any given verse the same way... or at all. Rather than
simplifying matters, the unending supply of new translations has created the
exact situation which the KJV was created to solve. Someone who prefers
modern verb endings for children can use the New King James and keep the
child or the family in the same Tyndale-Luther style of precise Biblical readings.
4. The Authorized Version is a challenge to read.
Answer: A challenging work is usually more interesting over a long period
of time, increasing our capacity to understand. Changing from the Revised
Standard Version to the NIV is easy. Using the King James Version and going
back to the New International Version is something like drinking warm
dishwater.69
Poor arguments for the King James Version have stigmatized the
translation, but the Authorized Version should not be blamed for its less
enlightened advocates.
5. The King James Version has never changed since 1611.
Answer: This is not true. Modest changes have been made from time to
time, since spelling has changed and punctuation is different, using fewer
commas. One can buy the 1611 version from Christian Book Distributors.
6. The Lutheran Church began going downhill with the abandonment of
the Authorized Version, so the King James Version will keep us
orthodox.
Answer: Many Protestant groups advocate inerrancy without being
Lutheran or orthodox. Many use the King James Version exclusively without
being Lutheran. Obviously, inerrancy and the King James Version alone will not
preserve the truth. Lutherans need to have a genuine love for the best Scriptural
materials and a thorough understanding of their confessions. Forcing the KJV
with the Law reminds me of the man who beat his children when they did not
learn their catechism properly. The son said, It worked, but I am afraid it
worked in turning Luthers doctrine into a grim hell of the Law alone.
7. We should never read any other translation than the King James.
Answer: This is a Fundamentalist rather than a Lutheran position. Few
insights can be gained by using many different translations, but other versions
do need to be consulted at times for various reasons. One of the strangest ideas,
49

opposite of this argument, is to have a book filled with all the variant
translations, inducing a type of Scriptural motion sickness upon the reader.
Those who prefer a modern translation can use the New King James Version.
In time they will feel comfortable with the Authorized Version. Rather than
pour hatred and contempt on those who use other translations, we should point
out why the King James Version has stood the test of time. Many KJV
advocates do not know the history of their favorite translation and therefore fail
to motivate others with the Gospel. When I moved to Canada with my wife, I
enjoyed our adopted country, where we were landed immigrants (without land).
However, we developed a special appreciation for the United States, a love we
did not forget upon returning to America. In the same way, while I grew up
with the KJV and moved with the tide to the RSV and NIV, I later gained a
new respect for the Authorized Version, especially since I tried translating on
my own.
Biblical Inerrancy
David Preus, Bishop of The American Lutheran Church before it
merged into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, observed once that
Biblical inerrancy was a new term, never used by Lutherans until the 1930s. The
context was a brief and failed effort to have The ALC carry forward its
inerrancy position into the ELCA constitution, perhaps as a way of honoring
the dead, since the denominational leaders no longer even paid lip service to the
issue. Preus, first cousin of Dr. Robert Preus, said less than he must have
known.70 Inerrancy was a new term for Lutherans, but it was new for a reason.
Before the 1930s, Lutherans always used the term infallible for the Bible and
knew what it meant. The influence of the historical-critical method and quirky
textual criticism influenced Lutheran leaders to teach that the Bible was
infallible in its doctrinal content, while crossing their fingers over such issues as
history and geography. Confessing the Bible as the infallible Word of God no
longer meant very much, so the term inerrant was used. Someone who used the
term infallible loosely would quail at the thought of using inerrant. Similar games
were played with the concept of inspiration, as if certain parts of the Bible were
inspired by the Holy Spirit, while the rest was filler. The term plenary inspiration
came into fashion to explain that the entire Bible was inspired.
The behavior of the Lutheran synods since the 1930s has been nothing
less than disgraceful. Not one, but all of the synods have abandoned the
authority of the Scriptures, at least in practice. In spite of the posturing of the
Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod, and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod,
inerrancy has become a minority position, irrelevant and an obstacle to church
growth. Many Lutherans have chattered endlessly about which politician to elect
next or which program to promote to reverse the obvious decline of their synod
and congregations, but few seem to realize that genuine reform depends on the
Word rather than the man or the program.
The inerrancy of the Bible does not need to be debated here. Many
liberals have acknowledged that the inerrancy of the Scriptures was the clear
teaching of the entire Christian Church until the modern era. In the mid-19th
50

century, Yale Divinity School taught the historical reality of Adam and Eve and
the apostolic origin of Johns Gospel. By the turn of the century, the leading
New Testament scholar, Benjamin Bacon, was given a mock trial by the
students, where he was accused of believing in the Virgin Birth of Christ. It
must have been a funny skit, enjoyed by all present, the future leaders of
Protestantism in America.
One of the shameful traits of the Lutheran leaders has been a
willingness to accept inerrancy as a bad characteristic of a hidebound Lutheran
orthodoxy that hardened and ossified after the death of Luther. Anyone who
claims such a position is unfamiliar with Luthers work and the Book of
Concord. Luthers Large Catechism is drawn from his sermons. The Formula of
Concord and the Book of Concord do not argue the issue of inerrancy because
it was not disputed at that time. Nevertheless, inerrancy is implicit throughout
the Lutheran Symbols and explicit in the following statement by Luther.
J-010
"Thus we do also in infant baptism. We bring the child in the conviction and
hope that it believes, and we pray that God may grant it faith; but we do not
baptize it upon that, but solely upon the command of God. Why so? Because
we know that God does not lie. I and my neighbor and, in short, all men, may
err and deceive, but the Word of God cannot err."
Large Catechism, Infant Baptism, 57, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 747. Tappert, p. 444. Heiser, p. 208.
The Latin version of this statement contains the roots of the words we
use to define the inspiration of the Scriptures: inerrant and infallible. Man errs
and deceives. The Word of God cannot err or deceive. Anyone who excludes
Biblical inerrancy from Luther and the Book of Concord commits fraud.
Doubtless many liberal scholars believe Luther rejected inerrancy because they
have been taught this way. Therefore, they err. Others know better but lead
Lutherans away from the truth about Lutheran doctrine. They deceive.
Quotations about the Scriptures
KJV Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto
my path.
KJV John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God
came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
KJV Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed.
KJV 2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
51

profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in

righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works.
J-011
"The Bible is... the actual word of God to be taken literally, word for word, laity
13.5%, clergy .7%. Inspired word of God without errors but some verses are
symbolic, laity 46.5%, clergy 18.2%. Inspired word of God but with historical
and factual errors, laity 34.1%, clergy 80.3%. Not inspired word of God but best
understanding of God's nature, laity 4.4%, clergy .7%. Ancient book of fables,
legends, history and moral precepts, laity 1.5%, clergy .1%."
David L. Miller, "Is there any word from the Lord?" The Lutheran
(ELCA), March, 1995 p. 8-9.71
J-012
"It is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit which is set forth in the canonical writings,
and if the councils declare anything against it, I hold it to be wicked." [Jerome,
commenting on Galatians]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 152.
J-013
"All things are clear and plain from the divine Scriptures; whatever things are
necessary are manifest." [Chrysostom, commenting on 2 Thessalonians 2]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 152.
J-014
"The holy and divinely inspired Scriptures suffice for all instruction in the
truth." [Athanasius, Contra gentes]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 152.
J-015
"What more shall I teach you than what we read in the apostle? For Holy
Scripture fixes the rule for our doctrine, lest we dare to be wiser than we ought.
Therefore I should not teach you anything else except to expound to you the
words of the Teacher." [Augustine, De bono viduitatis, chap. 2]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 152.
J-016
"Wherever the place has been determined, let us see to it that the canonical
codices are on hand and if any proofs can be produced on either side, let us set
52

everything else aside and bring so important a matter to a conclusion."

[Augustine, Letter no. 163, about private disputations about religion]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
J-017
"And Cusanus writes that the custom of the ancient ecumenical synods was to
place the holy Gospels in their midst."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
J-018
"For the book of the evangelist and apostles and the oracles of the ancient
prophets plainly teach us what we are to think concerning divine matters.
Therefore let us cease our hostile discord and take the solutions of the
questions out of the divinely inspired sayings." [Constantine at Nicea]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
J-019
"If anything is said without Scripture, the thinking of the hearers limps. But
where the testimony proceeds from the divinely given Scripture, it confirms
both the speech of the preacher and the soul of the hearer." [Chrysostom,
commenting on Psalm 95]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 156.
J-020
"Whatever is required for salvation is already completely fulfilled in the
Scriptures." [Chrysostom, commenting on Matthew 22]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 157.
J-021
"There is a short way for pious minds both to dethrone error and to find and
bring out the truth. For when we return to the source and origin of the divine
tradition, human error ceases." [Cyprian, Ad Pompejum]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 158.
J-022
"He speaks with us in this way, that we may understand his speech." [Ambrose,
Book 3, Letter 5]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 167.
53

J-023
"God wanted this same word to be complete and brief, and not obscure: brief,
lest men should not have time to read it; clear, lest someone might say: I could
not understand it." [Augustine]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 167.
J-024
"In Contra Faustum, Book 13, chapter 5, we read that although the Manichaeans
did not accept the Scripture, they maintained that they believed the report
concerning Christ. Augustine replies: 'If you believe the report about Christ, see
whether this is a proper witness; consider what disaster you are headed for. You
reject the Scriptures which are confirmed and commended by such great
authority; you perform no miracles, and if you performed any, we would shun
even those in your case according to the Lord's instruction, Mt. 24:24.' He
wanted absolutely nothing to be believed against the confirmed authority of the
Scriptures, etc."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 172. Matthew 24:24.
J-025
"However, it had slipped my mind that the faith of the papalists stands outside
of and beyond the Scripture; therefore they are able to teach without a
translation of Scripture into vernacular languages."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 200.
J-026
"Beautiful is the statement of Cyprian, which Augustine declares to be the best
without any doubt, showing what ought to be done when examples and
customs are held up to us which do not have the authority of the canonical
Scripture. 'If,' says he, 'we return to the head and origin of the divine tradition,
human error will cease. For if the channel of water, which before flowed
copiously and purely, either fails or brings muddy water, then certainly one goes
to the source in order to find out whether there is something wrong in the veins
or in the source, or whether something got in midway.' So also it is rightly,
necessarily, and indeed safely done when things that happened in later times in
matters of religion must be examined."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, III, p. 237.
J-027
"Don't let the world paint us into a corner of antiquarianism on subjects like a
six-day creation or verbal inspiration."
54

Rev. Paul Kelm, WELS, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good
to Mission Prospects," p. 13.72
J-028
"We resent unnecessary distractions; we resist unbiblical diversions. Can anyone
believe that all other activities should be suspended until all evangelicals agree
on precise doctrinal statements? We certainly cannot."
David Allan Hubbard, "What We Believe and Teach," Pasadena,
California: Fuller Theological Seminary.
J-029
"Where inerrancy refers to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches
through the biblical writers, we support its use. Where the focus switches to an
undue emphasis on matters like chronological details, the precise sequence of
events, and numerical allusions, we would consider the term misleading and
inappropriate. Its dangers, when improperly defined, are: 1) that it implies a
precision alien to the minds of the Bible writers and their own use of Scriptures;
2) that it diverts attention from the message of salvation and the instruction in
righteousness which are the Bible's key themes;... 5) that too often it has
undermined our confidence in the Bible we have... 6)that it prompts us to an
inordinate defensiveness of Scripture which seems out of keeping with the bold
confidence with which the prophets, the apostles and our Lord proclaimed it."
David Allan Hubbard, "What We Believe and Teach," Pasadena, California:
Fuller Theological Seminary, 1-800-235-2222.
J-030
"The New Testament is the inerrant record of the revelation of Jesus Christ in
word and deed, and of the truths and principles proceeding, under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, from that revelation. The Old Testament is in like manner an
inerrant record, having the express and often repeated testimony and authority
of Christ, of the preparatory and partial revelations made concerning Him
before His coming. Hebrews 1:1."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia:
General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 3. Hebrews 1:1.
J-031
"The Holy Scriptures are the infallible and inerrant record of God's revelation
of His saving grace to men."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, The Elements of Religion, Decatur: Repristination
Press, 1997, p. 23.
J-032
"Holy Scripture carries with it its own evidence of its divine source and
authority. While the historical evidence of its claims is to be gratefully cherished,
and affords the proof of highest probability, Holy Scripture speaks with
55

absolute certainty to those to whom it portrays the deepest secrets of their

hearts, and whose felt wants it completely supplies. The inner testimony of the
Spirit is the strongest and most convincing of all arguments. The fact that this is
always at hand and universally applicable, raises it above all arguments that
depend upon the researches of the learned. Here is an argument that the
humblest and most unlettered apprehend with no less force than the
profoundest of scholars."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, The Elements of Religion, Decatur: Repristination
Press, 1997, p. 28.
J-033
"As no man ever spoke like this man Jesus (John 7:46), so no book ever spoke
like this Book. None was ever scrutinized down to its every particle like this
one; none has had such intensive and extensive commentaries written about it,
the last of which is not yet in sight. None has experienced such assaults and has
after every surge of attack appeared only the more as 'the impregnable rock of
Holy Scripture' (Gladstone), a Gibraltar that only smiles at attack."
R. C. H. Lenski, Peter, John, Jude, Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1945,
p. 300. 2 Peter 1:21.
J-034
"Finally our congregations everywhere must learn thoroughly that they are built
upon God and Gods Word only, and not upon men and human ability and
work. Though thousands fall and err, God and His Word remain unchanged to
all eternity. The world ever seeks something new. What is praised as progress
today, it casts aside as old-fashioned tomorrow. But the foundation of our faith,
the rule and norm of our life as Christians and children of God remains the
same for all ages and all time."
R. C. H. Lenski, 1909. R. C. H. Lenski, cited by his nephew or great-nephew,
Trinity Seminary Library, unpublished essay.
J-035
"Modernists regard the whole Bible as outmoded Jewish literature, and pick and
choose from its contents what they need for their moralizing lectures."
R. C. H. Lenski, James, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938, p.
524.
J-036
"Rationalists want to be rational; but is it rational to select a single sentence out
of an epistle or a discourse and ignore the context?"
R. C. H. Lenski, James, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938, p.
570.
J-037
56

"Paul offers no excuse for preachers who desire to eliminate certain teachings
of the Gospel on the plea that they can thus reach and attract more people than
if they insisted also on these teachings. Paul intends to omit, even in his own
mind, any addition to the Gospel, any admixture, any sugar-coating of it by
human, worldly wisdom."
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1946, p. 89. 1
Corinthians 2:2.
J-038
"It is the same thought as that expressed in 2:17. Some preachers, like hucksters,
are ready to dicker about the Word of God as though they can discount
something to make a sale, as though the deal is between them and men alone.
This is what Paul also means by adulterating the Word of God, mixing in
unrealities to make the Word acceptable to men."
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1957, p. 957. 2
Corinthians 4:2. 2 Corinthians 2:17.
J-039
"Thus we do also in infant baptism. We bring the child in the conviction and
hope that it believes, and we pray that God may grant it faith; but we do not
baptize it upon that, but solely upon the command of God. Why so? Because
we know that God does not lie. I and my neighbor and, in short, all men, may
err and deceive, but the Word of God cannot err."
Large Catechism, Infant Baptism, 57, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 747. Tappert, p. 444. Heiser, p. 208.
J-040
"It is written in the book of Nehemiah (chapter 4) that the Jews, in rebuilding
Jerusalem, wrought with one hand and with the other held the sword, because
of the enemy who sought to hinder the building. Paul in Titus 1:9 carries out
the thought of the symbol in this teaching that a bishop, a pastor, or a preacher,
should be mighty in the Holy Scriptures to instruct and admonish as well as to
resist the gainsayers. Accordingly, we are to make a two-fold use of the Word of
God: as both bread and weapon; for feeding and for resisting; in peace and in
war. With one hand we must build, improve, teach and feed all Christendom;
with the other, oppose the devil, the heretics, the world. For where the pasture
is not defended, the devil will soon destroy it; he is bitterly opposed to Gods
Word."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 113.73
J-041
"Therefore we must cling alone to the Scriptures and to the Word of God,
which say He is not here or there. Where He is, there I shall be... Now whoever
teaches me otherwise deceives me..."
57

Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicolas

Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 V, p. 376. Matthew 24:15-28.
J-042
"Observe, however, what the devil has accomplished through the Papists. It was
not enough for them to throw the Bible under the table, to make it so rare that
few doctors of the holy Scriptures possessed a copy, much less read it; but lest it
be brought to public notice they have branded it with infamy. For they
blasphemously say it is obscure; we must follow the interpretations of men and
not the pure Scriptures. What else is their proceeding but giving Paul the lie
here where he says the Bible is our manual of instruction? They say it is obscure
and calculated to mislead."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 41. Romans 15:4-13.
J-043
"Other books may have power to slay us, indeed, but no book except the holy
Scriptures has power to comfort us. No other bears the title here given by
Paulbook of comfortone that can support the soul in all tribulations,
helping it not to despair but to maintain hope. For thereby the soul apprehends
Gods Word and, learning His gracious will, cleaves to it, continuing steadfast in
life and death."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 43. Romans 13:11-14.
J-044
"Mark you, the real mission of the Scriptures is to comfort the suffering,
distressed and dying. Then he who has had no experience of suffering or death
cannot at all understand the comfort of the Bible... It is the province of the
Word alone to comfort. It must therefore meet with patience first. It is jealous
and will not permit human relief on a level with itself, which would be to
frustrate the purpose of patience and suffering."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 44. Romans 15:4-13.
J-045
"But here you come to the Word of God which is sure and infallible, where you
shall certainly find Christ and the Holy Spirit, and can be and remain firmly
fortified against sin, death, and the devil."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 51. Luke 2:41-52.
J-046
"The Bible, or Scripture, is not the kind of book which human reason and
wisdom produce. The jurists' and poets' arts derive from human reason and are
58

by the same token to be understood and grasped by reason. But Moses' and the
Prophets' teaching does not originate out of human wisdom and reason."
Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, 3 vols., ed., Eugene Klug,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, II, p. 20. Easter Tuesday Luke 24:1335.
J-047
"I have undertaken to translate the Bible into German. This was good for me;
otherwise I might have died in the mistaken notion that I was a learned fellow.
All those who think that they are learned ought to do some such work."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 105.
J-048
"It is most scandalous for us to attempt to defend Gods Word with our reason,
whereas we are to defend ourselves against all enemies with the Word of God,
as St. Paul teaches (Ephesians 6:7). Would he not be a great fool who in battle
would seek to protect his helmet and sword with bare hand or head? But that is
the situation when we try, with our reason, to defend God's Law, which is our
weapon."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1475. Ephesians 6:7.
J-049
"This Mr. Wiseacre is a shameful, disgusting fellow. If he is able to discover a
word that we perchance have overlooked (for who would be so presumptuous
as to maintain that he has not erred in any word, as though he were Christ and
the Holy Spirit?)...
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 64.
J-050
"If every form of verbal inspiration... is to be eliminated from Luther's
theology... that simply does not agree with the facts."
M. Reu, Luther and the Scriptures, p. 115. Cited in Martin Luther, What
Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 65n.74
J-051
"It is not the Word of God because the church says so; but that the Word of
God might be spoken, therefore the church comes into being. The church does
not make the Word, but it is made by the Word."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 87.
59

J-052
"The Holy Scripture is Gods Word, written and, so to speak, lettered and put
into the form of letters, just as Christ, the eternal Word of God, is clothed in
humanity. And men regard and treat the written Word of God in this world just
as they do Christ. It is a worm and no book compared with other books; for the
honor people accord other writings of men by studying, reading, pondering,
keeping, and using them they do not accord Scripture. If it is treated well, it lies
there in neglect. Others tear it to pieces, scourge and crucify it, and subject it to
all manner of torture until they stretch it sufficiently to apply to their heresy,
meaning, and whim...It is a good sign, therefore, if a man has the precious gift
of loving and liking Scripture, of gladly reading it, of highly esteeming and
treasuring it. Such a man God, in turn, will surely honor...
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. p. 71f. Psalm 22:6.
J-053
"For him who believes and keeps Christ's Word heaven stands open and hell is
locked. The devil is also taken captive, sin is forgiven, and the believer is a child
of life eternal. This is taught by this Book, Holy Scripture, and by no other book
on earth. For this reason let him who would live forever study in it diligently.
He who does not do so and does not want to do so is and remains in death
eternal."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. p. 82. John 8:51.
J-054
"It is self-evident that if the perfectio, or sufficientia, of Scripture be surrendered,
the Scripture principle is given up. If a deficiency in the Bible must be supplied
from some outside source, the Christian Church is eo ipso moved off its
foundation, the Word of the Apostles and Prophets, and based on the Ego of
the alleged supplementers."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1950, I, p. 319.
J-055
"Other writings, however, of ancient or modern teachers, whatever name they
bear, must not be regarded as equal to the Holy Scriptures, but all of them
together be subjected to them, and should not be received otherwise or further
than as witnesses, [which are to show] in what manner after the time of the
apostles, and at what places, this [pure] doctrine of the prophets and apostles
was preserved."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Part I, 2, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 777. Tappert, p. 465. Heiser, p. 216.
J-056
60

"We believe, teach, and confess that the sole rule and standard according to
which all dogmas together with [all] teachers should be estimated and judged are
the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and the New
Testament alone, as it is written in Psalm 119:105: 'Thy Word is a lamp unto my
feet and a light unto my path.' And St. Paul: 'Though an angel from heaven
preach any other Gospel unto you, let him be accursed,' Galatians 1:8."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Part I, 1, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 777. Tappert, p. 464. Heiser, p. 216.
J-057
"...and He has revealed it in His Word, as much as is needful for us to know of
it in this life. Now, everything for which we have in this instance clear, certain
testimonies in the Scriptures, we must simply believe, and in no way argue
against it, as though the human nature in Christ could not be capable of the
same."
Solid Declaration, Article VIII., Person of Christ, Formula of Concord,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1033.
Tappert, p. 601. Heiser, p. 279.
J-058
"That is the reason why nearly all of them reject the verbal inspiration of the
Bible and subject all books of the Bible to criticism such as only enemies of the
Bible would engage in. Of course, they are not conscious of being enemies of
the Bible. They have turned the Christian religion into a religious philosophy."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 235.

Summary
Lower Criticism
A Christian is in a better position now to understand the Bible than
ever before. First of all, he can be completely confident about the text of the
Scriptures. At one time our earliest manuscript of the Old Testament was born
approximately 800 years after the time of Christ. Although no one needed to
doubt the credibility of the Old Testament text, many scholars questioned
whether a group, which they viewed as primitive, could transmit literature
accurately. They imagined how easily a manuscript could be corrupted,
disregarding the value of the written word at that time, forgetting how the
Scriptures were treated with awe and reverence. Many different discoveries after
World War II have shown us how accurate the text of the Bible is. The Dead
Sea Scroll copy of Isaiah moved the date of our earliest Old Testament
manuscript to the time of Christ. In addition, the Isaiah scroll proved that
Jewish scribes copied the Scriptures with amazing precision for 800 years, at a
time when no advantages were available to the nation. In contrast, a modern
61

printed book about textual criticism had this obvious mistake on its cover page:
Sovereign Grace Trsut [sic] Fund.75
The twentieth century saw an accumulation of ancient evidence, from
the earliest text of the New Testament, a fragment of Johns Gospel, to the
tablets of Ebla. Although these discoveries did not have the dramatic appeal of
Noahs ark, they meant much more than the elusive ship. We now have a
mountain of information about the ancient world and perhaps a new sense of
humility about what we still do not know. Lutherans do not need to search out
facts to prove that the Bible is actually true. They do get some satisfaction from
seeing the restless rationalists confirming what Luther knew and the ancient
Church Fathers confessed: Gods Word never lies or deceives.
We can set aside the old cowardly claim of believing that only the lost
original text of the Bible was inerrant. We have the original, inerrant text of
the Bible, Old and New Testament. The worst liberals concede that 99.9% of
the Bible is undisputed, and they love to tilt at every imagined problem,
especially those solved centuries ago by their moral and intellectual superiors.
When we look at the New Testament manuscripts, where the attacks have been
the most savage, the worst we can say is that two recent discoveries, Vaticanus
and Sinaiticus, both lacking a history, have some significant omissions but do
not even agree with each other. It is much more likely that Vaticanus and
Sinaiticus originated among heretical groups.76 Ideologues like to remove
material. When I was leaving the Lutheran Church in America, the
denomination asked me to review a book for their pastoral magazine, Partners. I
used the opportunity to make a pro-life statement in the review. My antiabortion statement was removed from the book review by the editor. If two
copies of the review were compared by a modern liberal scholar, he might say
that the pro-life statement was added in a later copy rather than admitting it was
cut out of the original. A true liberal would probably debate whether I ever
existed.77
Higher Criticism
Modern criticism of the Bible has fallen on hard times, at an
inauspicious time, with so much new data in harmony with the Scriptures. One
seminary professor conceded, No one believes in the historical-critical method
anymore. It is sterile. Everyone knows it. The parade of fools was rather
comical. After World War II, Bultmann was still alive, sounding forth his musty
scientific views of the Bible. Unfortunately, his concept of science came from
the 19th century. Bultmann and his colleagues wanted to de-mythologize the
Bible, reflecting the program of D. F. Strauss. If we can set aside for a moment
our own faith in the Scriptures, we can see why this method was bound to be
sterile. Any schoolboy knows that the Bible was written from faith to faith. If
another approach is used, ignoring the intention and the faith of the authors,
the results will be pathetic. I might as well look for great literature in my
computer manual for MS Office 97.
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The only scholars who gain from studying the Scriptures are those who
begin and end with the meaning of the original text, in its historical context,
trusting in the Word. This approach can be used by anyone, even without
knowledge of the ancient languages. Scripture interprets Scripture, and the
clear passages of the Bible are used to illuminate those which are more
obscure. For instance, we have clear testimony that Jesus was born of a Virgin.
Therefore, when we read Genesis 3:15, we can see that the phrase seed of a
woman implies the Virgin Birth. Later, in Isaiah 7:14 the Virgin Birth is
explicitly foretold. Many centuries later, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, as
described in two different but harmonious accounts, in Matthew and Luke.
If we study all the best Biblical scholarship of the higher critics in this
century, we will learn a host of contradictory theories but very little content.
A) In one area, for instance, we might line up with the old Two Source
hypothesis and argue that Matthew and Luke used a document
nicknamed Q, adding parts of it to the Marcan outline, but in a
different way, to create their Gospels. The proponents of this theory
saw Mark as the earliest Gospel, preserving a basic story about a
miracle worker who was fashioned into Gods Son by the later church.
The key to knowledge is finding the original kernel of truth behind
Marks Gospel.78
B) Or, we might fall back on the old Griesbach hypothesis and claim that
Mark conflated Matthew and Luke, editing a harmony of the two
Gospels. This group of scholars view Mark as very late in origin, with
obvious Latinisms. In other words, Mark knew more Latin than Greek,
so he tended to use a Latin form of a Greek word. Centurion is one
example.
C) Or, we might use the apostolic tradition of Johns authorship, the poetic
structure of the sermons of Jesus, the Aramaic behind the Greek text,
the geographical details, the early date of the fragment of John, and
theorize that The Fourth Gospel was the first written. In my office, I
have an entire book devoted to theories about Johns Gospel by
Benjamin Bacon, a Yale professor who was humorously charged during
a student skit with believing in the Virgin Birth. His book is: The Fourth
Gospel in Research and Debate, A Series of Essays Concerning the Origin and
Value of the Anonymous Writings Attributed to the Apostle John, 1910. This is
simply one of hundreds of titles concerning the authorship of the four
Gospels.
In my studies at Augustana College, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary,
Yale University, and Notre Dame, I found various authors and professors who
agreed with one of three theories and argued against the others.
At Yale, Nils Dahl stunned our doctoral seminar in New
Testament Christology by asking, What do we know for certain about the New
Testament?79 In the 1970s, all of us had been thoroughly trained in the
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radicalism of Rudolph Bultmann, who stated that almost nothing could be said
for certain about anything in the New Testament because of its mythological
view of the world. Dahl knew this question would strip our gears and leave our
mouths hanging open, since he studied under Bultmann, S. Mowinkel, and
many of the great scholars of Europe. After staring around the seminar table in
the decrepit room, Dahl exclaimed, The text! The text! We have the text of the
New Testament. Stuttering and shoving his glasses in his mouth to obscure his
words even more, he said, Why spend all our time on what we do not know
when we could spend it on what we do know the text. He asked our class to
study and compare theories about the New Testament, but he insisted that our
papers concentrate on the actual text.
Abraham Malherbe taught the Thessalonians class at Yale, succeeding
Dahl as Buckingham Professor. Malherbe was trained by skeptics at Harvard,
but he said in class, All the Biblical scholars make fun of the reliability of the
New Testament, dont they? We had to agree. He then asked, We cannot trust
the Acts of the Apostles, they say. But what do they use for all their dates? The
Acts of the Apostles! The rest of the semester was devoted to the Greek text
of Thessalonians, word for word, phrase for phrase. The course was a classic
example of the traditional historical-grammatical interpretation of the
Scriptures.
Robert Wilson taught the Genesis class. He was then a new Ph.D. and
fresh from an eyeball-rolling year of teaching at the radical left-wing Union
Seminary in New York, nicknamed The Devils Playground. One student said,
Professor Wilson. According to the Documentary Hypothesis, the names for
God should be consistent with certain texts. Wilson asked, And what have
you found? The student went on, Well, the names for God do not match up
the way they should. Wilson asked, And what do we say when the data does
not support the theory? The student replied meekly, The theory is wrong?
Silence hovered in the air as we thought about the implications. All of us had
been trained in mainline schools where we were informed that Moses did not
write the books of Moses.80 One author used Jahweh as a name for God.
Another used Elohim for God. Another author was the Deuteronomist. And
then the Priestly editor put it all together, rather well, so adroitly that no one
discovered this patchwork until the Germans revealed it to the scholarly world
in the 19th century. Old Testament scholarship called this the Documentary
Hypothesis, and Americans tended to use JEDP as shorthand for the theory.81
Wilson allowed the blasphemy to be spoken. He was brilliant in the Biblical
languages, earning a position in a school where language ability mattered most.
He knew the theories and yet he allowed the foundational theory of Biblical
studies to be sliced up. Furthermore, he graded papers down for dwelling on
theory. Like Malherbe and Dahl, he insisted on knowledge of the original text.
Although faith is required to understand the meaning of the Bible,
using the text and its historical setting as the norm for study has a profound
effect on any theory about Biblical origins. When theories are foremost, the
content is irrelevant. Expressing faith in the message of the Bible, among
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modern Biblical scholars, is tantamount to being the village idiot. Creative

scholars are not bogged down by content and creeds. They walk on the clouds
and soar in the wind. For that reason it is doubly tragic that the conservative
Lutherans synodsthe Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Synod, and the
Evangelical Lutheran Synodnot only allowed but encouraged their leadership
to attend Fuller Seminary, where inerrancy was ousted in favor of the bankrupt
historical-critical method.82
Fuller Seminary flattered the conservative Lutheran leaders by
promising them unbelievable membership growth83 and teaching them that the
Lutheran Church was not evangelistic. The conservative Lutherans created their
own little Masonic Lodge by sending people through Fuller Seminary. Their
pan-Lutheran network, which includes the radical Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, is secretive and difficult to identify, but the Church Growth leaders
know their opponents.84
Anyone who thinks that the historical-critical method was repudiated
and rejected by the Wisconsin Synod in the 1960s and the Missouri Synod in the
1970s is delusional. The doctrinal apostasy of the old Synodical Conference, and
its break-away groups, includes an embrace of the dying historical-critical
method, but it is not limited to that area of theology. This trend cannot be
countered simply by identifying what is wrong and denouncing it. If the
conservative Lutheran pastors and laity are not willing to apply themselves to
the Word and apply the Word to themselves, the cause is lost. Various
informants have told me that their pastoral conferences refuse to deal with
doctrinal issues, because the participants are terrified of the conflict that will
surely follow.
King James Version
The King James Version is triumphing over its competition, chiefly
because the alternative translations published with increasing frequency are so
bad. The existence of five different Beck Bible versions in my lifetime
including a feminist versionargues persuasively for one reliable translation
and stable translation, the Authorized Version. Most of the successful new
translations also have their newer versions as well. However, each publisher
changes a particular translation whenever it seems to be a good idea, so two
Bibles with the same label will not necessarily have the same readings. Once,
when I was leading two worship services in two different towns every Sunday, I
tripped over the first lesson from the New King James Version. I wondered if I
remembered the wording correctly from the first service, so I checked the New
King James Version Bibles in each church the next Sunday. Each NKJV had a
slightly different version of the epistle lesson. That may not seem to matter to
most people, but since millions of people are using dozens of translations that
vary from printing to printing, we have a new Tower of Babel, a confusion of
tongues created by our own careless handling of the Word.
The post-WWII Bible business has also promoted a new philosophy of
translating. The standards for the King James Version were: precision of
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language, elegance in the spoken Word, and a single English Bible. This
benefited the publication of Biblical works, since theologians and laity could
refer to the same standard Bible. Today, the doctrinal passages are translated in
so many different ways that no one can make sense of 1 Peter 3:21. Does
Baptism now save us? Or is the water symbolic? We know which scholars were
assigned to the King James Version, but we do not usually know who translated
the new versions, or the nameless editors who continue to change the new
translations in subsequent printings. Many people have complained that the
King James Version is difficult, but how can anyone memorize a translation that
changes from year to year? Grade school children used to memorize all the state
capitals. What if some states changed capitals every so often? The teacher would
say, No, the capital of Michigan is no longer Lansing. It is now Saginaw. That
would end any effort to learn the state capitals. For the same reason,
memorization of the Bible has declined among all age groups because of our
modern Tower of Babel.
The former standard was precision, but Bibles are now being marketed
the way vacuum cleaners and autos are. Therefore, Bibles do not need to be
accurate. They need to be trendy. The standards are so pathetic among Bible
publishers that they are responding to demands for feminist language. The New
Revised Standard Version is willing to change words to avoid using his. One
of many examples is listed below.
KJV John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
NRS John 3:20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to
the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.
How far we have strayed from the memory of William Tyndale, who
sacrificed his life to give us the English Bible! King James Version is preferred
by orthodox Lutherans, not because it is oldmany versions are olderbut
because it is better than all the alternatives. The Authorized Version established
the wording and cadences of Tyndale, a brilliant man who studied under Luther.
Just as Luther established the German language by the force of his Bible, so
Tyndale created the English language through the Authorized Version. The
question is not whether Tyndale was a Lutheran or whether the King James
scholars were Lutherans, but whether they were faithful in their task. No
translation is infallible or clear to all who read it. But all of us have a
responsibility to study the Scriptures. Ministers should be especially diligent in
studying the Scriptures and in explaining the Bible for young and old alike.

66

Appendix One: Make Disciples

The False Translation That Unites
Church Growth Advocates of All Denominations
J-059
"Lutheran Parish Resources, Inc. (LPR) is dedicated to the concepts of the
Church Growth movement only insofar as they agree with the Scriptures and as
taught by the WELSthat is, Church Growth with Lutheran theology rather
than Evangelical, and without the typical Church Growth emphasis on
quantitative measurement of growth. Kent R. Hunter's definition of 'Church
Growth' justifies the use of this term in describing LPR: 'Church Growth: That
science which investigates the nature, function and health of Christian churches
as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God's commission
to make disciples of all peoples (Matthew 28:19). Church Growth is
simultaneously a theological conviction and an applied science,...' Foundations for
Church Growth, p. 187.
David G. Peters, "Lutheran Parish Resources: Pilot Program in Church
Growth," Mequon: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, April 27, 1987 p. 1.
J-060
"In the Great Commission, Jesus makes clear that the command to 'go and
make disciples' includes the concept of winning. Today the term discipling has
almost universally evolved to mean the process of spiritual perfecting
tutoring, learning, growing, maturing. Few 'discipling' programs in churches
today accurately reflect Christ's vision to make disciples, or measure their
success on the basis of new disciples they produce."
Win and Charles Arn, The Master's Plan for Making Disciples, How Every
Christian Can Be an Effective Witness through an Enabling Church, Pasadena: Church
Growth Press, 1982, 10. Matthew 28:19.
J-061
"His words, now called the Great Commission, were simply a restatement of
His entire life and teaching, as He endeavored to make the matter as simple and
easy to understand as possible...'go and make disciples.'"
Win and Charles Arn, The Master's Plan for Making Disciples, How Every
Christian Can Be an Effective Witness through an Enabling Church, Pasadena: Church
Growth Press, 1982, p. 20. Matthew 28:19.
J-062
"While the goal of the early Christian was, as Christ had commanded, to make
disciples, there was a definite process by which the early church grew so
67

explosively. The means of church growth was through the individual Christian's
interlocking social systemthe family, friends, and associates."
Win and Charles Arn, The Master's Plan for Making Disciples, How Every
Christian Can Be an Effective Witness through an Enabling Church, Pasadena: Church
Growth Press, 1982, p. 25f.
J-063
"If I were asked: What is the key thing in the disciple making process that
demands our special attention in our effort to become better disciple makers,
without hesitation I'd say it's the role of modeling. We need more disciple
maker models in our classrooms. It isn't enough just to tell others to go and
make disciples. We need to show and tell them. Modeling is an essential, integral
part of showing and telling."
Pastor Joel C. Gerlach "The Call into the Discipling Ministry," Yahara
Center, April 24-25, 1987, p. 18. Matthew 28:18-20.
J-064
"Jesus did not send his disciples out to make disciples without first making them
disciples. He gave them a course in disciple making by making them disciples.
He knew that you have to be a disciple yourself before you can help someone
else to become a disciple."
Pastor Joel C. Gerlach "The Call into the Discipling Ministry," Yahara
Center, April 24-25, 1987, p. 6.85
J-065
"Firstly, we read that this was the disciple whom Christ loved. This means that
faith alone makes the truly beloved disciples of Christ, who receive the Holy
Spirit through this very same faith, not through their works. Works indeed also
make disciples, but not beloved disciples: only temporary hypocrites who do not
persevere. God's love does not uphold and keep them, for the reason that they
do not believe."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 250. John 21:19-24.
J-066
"But when our Lord told us what our mission should be, he was quite clear:
'Make disciples.'
Lawrence Otto Olson, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Summer, 1988,
p. 3. Matthew 28:19.
J-067
"Pastors become disciples so they can make disciples. As a proud Pentecostal I
thought I had everything because I belonged to a Full Gospel church. Little did
I know how much I had to learn until I came together with other pastors
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Baptists, Presbyterians, Plymouth Brethren, and Catholics. As a proud

Pentecostal I had to become a humble elder of the church."
Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International,
1975, p. 100.
J-068
"In this way, the entire church is comprised of ministers. The ministers are not
a special breed of sheep coming from the seminary. They are simply believers
who go on growing. Thus the purpose of the pastor is to make disciples who
make disciples who make disciples who make disciples."
Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International,
1975, p. 18.
J-069
Make disciples, not members. Our mission is more than baptism, more than
bring people in through water and the word. The scripture mandates us to make
disciplesto move people into a life of meeting Jesus and experiencing faith.
Pastor Per Nilsen, Director of Ministry, Prince of Peace, ELCA.
Website at: www.changingchurch.org/perspec/vol28/nilsen.htm.
J-070
Make Disciples, What would it mean if we were to become disciple-making
churches? Homiletics website at:
http://dev.homileticsonline.com/Installments/jun1696.htm.
J-071
Bring A Friend Sunday introduced the Core Process of Making Disciples for
Jesus Christ to the North Texas Conference in 1993. Making Disciples 2000
continues the process through the year 2000 with each of the 323 local churches
in the conference invited to participate in the four expressions of that Core
Process Making Disciples 2000, Matthew 28:16-20.
United Methodist Church, North Texas Conference, website,
http://www.ntcumc.org/ListMake.html.
J-072
Making Disciples.
Website for the United Pentecostal Church International.
J-073
"Accordingly, when Christ says, Disciple (matheteusate) all nations by baptizing
them, matheteusate can mean nothing other than to make disciples, to turn
unbelievers into believers; for that is the Spirit-produced effect of baptism."
David J. Valleskey, We BelieveTherefore We Speak, The Theology and
Practice of Evangelism, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1995, p. 127.
Matthew 28:18-20.
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J-074
"Is the mission of the church to preach the Gospel or to make disciples? The
twopreaching the Gospel and making disciplesare closely connected.
Making disciples is the goal, or end result, our Lord had in mind. He does not
want any to perish, but all to come to repentance and faith. He wants all to be
saved, to come to a heart knowledge of the truth. Preaching the Gospel
(employing the means of grace) is the means by which the Lord will achieve his
goal of making disciples and so of gathering in his elect before he returns."
David J. Valleskey, We BelieveTherefore We Speak, The Theology and
Practice of Evangelism, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1995, p. 134.
J-075
"It is true that only God the Holy Spirit can effect the end result of making a
disciple out of an unbeliever; all we can do is sow the seed. But it is also true
that our Lord, by speaking specifically of making disciples in his commission to
his church, is encouraging it to keep that intended goal in mind when it does its
seed sowing."
David J. Valleskey, We BelieveTherefore We Speak, The Theology and
Practice of Evangelism, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1995, p. 135.
Matthew 28:18-20.
J-076
"Church growth is that science which investigates the planting, multiplication,
function and health of Christian churches as they relate specifically to the
effective implementation of God's-commission to 'make disciples of all nations'
(Matthew 28:19-20 RSV). Church growth strives to combine the eternal
theological principles of Gods Word concerning the expansion of the church
with the best insights of contemporary social and behavioral sciences,
employing as its initial frame of reference, the foundational work done by
Donald McGavran."
Constitution, Academy for American Church Growth, cited by C. Peter
Wagner, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel, New York: Harper and Row, 1981,
p. 75.
J-077
"Body Evangelism. A perspective which emphasizes the goal of evangelism as
making disciples who are incorporated into the body of Christ, the result of
which is church growth."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth:
The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 283.
J-078
"Follow-up Gap. The difference between the number of persons who make
decisions for Christ in a given evangelistic effort and those who go on to
become disciples."
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C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth:
The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 290.
J-079
"Church. An assembly of professed believers under the discipline of the Word
of God, organized to carry out the Great Commission, administer the
ordinances, and minister with spiritual gifts."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth:
The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 283f.
J-080
"Your church will grow by God's grace because members will want it to grow in
obedience to God's will and because you are using strategy and methodology in
making disciples. Then nongrowth will be called nongrowth, and growth will be
accepted as a gift from God."
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes
Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena:
William Carey Library, 1975, p. 159.

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Appendix Two:
Comparison of Translations
The following comparisons reveal the basics of the Reformed tendency
to distort the translation away from the Biblical doctrine of the Means of Grace.
The New King James Version tends to agree with the New International
Version in these passages because a major force behind the use of the King
James Version (or the NKJV) is Baptist. Obviously the New King James
Version is not merely a modernization of the Authorized Version language in
these selections. Something else has happened. These passages are difficult for
the Reformed, so the New King James Version provides an attachment to the
old language without the Lutheran (they would say Catholic) wording.
Teach All Nations
Briefly, the original text has the verb for teaching and all nations as the
direct object. The concept of making disciples has been shoe-horned into the
translation. The Reformed like the concept of disciples because the influence of
Pietism leads them to think that there are levels of Christianity. The Church
Growth Movement teaches the gullible that disciples are soul-winners and the
key to membership growth. WELS leader Joel Gerlach bit on that concept hard
and published a wretched essay arguing the point. Thus make disciples is an
erroneous translation easily used to promote false doctrine.
KJV Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
NIV Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
NKJ Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
Jesus Trapped in Heaven
The Reformed deny the Real Presence of Christ because of their doubt
that Jesus could be in heaven and yet also in, with, and under the elements of
Holy Communion. In this example, the NIV makes it seem as if Jesus is trapped
in heaven until the End Times. The verb in the original text is commonly
translated as receive rather than remain. Note 2 Corinthians 6:1 and 11:16,
and many other examples. That is the argument used against Luthers doctrine,
that Christ cannot be in heaven and also on earth. The NIV supports the
Zwinglian position, while the King James has an entirely different message.
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Jesus was welcomed and received into heaven in His glory, but not imprisoned
there. The rationalistic attitude toward the Two Natures of Christ, expressed by
Zwingli and Calvin, reveals their inability to allow that the divine nature is not
limited in any respect by the human nature of Christ. This imaginary limitation
has always led the Calvinists into Unitarianism.
KJV Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of
restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy
prophets since the world began.
NIV Acts 3:21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God
to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
NKJ Acts 3:21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of
restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy
prophets since the world began.
Communion with God or Something Vague
The non-Lutheran Protestants all teach that Holy Communion is
merely symbolic, an ordinance to be obeyed, the reception of ordinary bread
and ordinary grape juice (Pietism motivated the Temperance Movement, which
succeeded in removing alcoholic beverages only from worship services, not
anywhere else.) Lutherans will use the term Lords Supper, but the
Reformed seldom use the term communion. The Greek word koinonia means
fellowship with God in the New Testament (See 2 Corinthians 13:14). It is
significant that the Church Growth Movement uses Koinonia as a name for
Pietistic cell groups, a distinctly anti-Means of Grace institution. Communion
with the blood of Christ means that the Son of God is present in both natures
during the Lords Supper. Participation lends itself to symbolic interpretation.
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?
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?
NKJ 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?
Everyone a Minister, or the Ministry?
The favorite slogan of the Lutheran Church Growth gurus has been
everyone a minister, and the Ephesians passage has been their favorite
73

mistranslation. The modern translators discovered to their mock surprise that

the KJV had supposedly been wrong for centuries, just like the erroneous
translation of virgin in Isaiah 7:14. Although the King James translatorsand
William Tyndale before themdid not belong to Lutheranism, they knew
enough Greek to realize that Paul did not think everyone was a minister. The
more we degrade the Means of Grace and the efficacy of the Word, the more
we shun the meaning and value of worship in favor of turning everyone into a
jabbering evangelist with a God-story to tell. The influence of the unionistic
and hyperactive Church Growth Movement has created a hybrid universal
confession, merging the Jehovahs Witness activism with the doctrinal vacuum
of the Unitarians, sending people out to knock on doors with nothing to say.
One very active laywoman pointed out that the value of the NIV translation is
to transfer responsibility and labor from the ordained pastor to the members,
blaming them for the lack of growth of the congregation.
The LCMS, WELS, and ELS will use the NIV to move from calling
teachers (and everyone else) ministers to ordaining women pastors. The
Wisconsin Synod already boasts that its teachers college, Martin Luther College
in New Ulm, Minnesota, is their School of Ministry. All MLC students are listed
as ministers in a WELS brochure in my filing system.
The King James and the original text list offices through which the
Means of Grace are administered. Apostles preached, taught, and administered
the Sacraments, but they had a greater level of responsibility and were eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Christ. An apostle would train and appoint a
pastor through a local congregation. The pastor was educated and bore the
responsibility for the flock, but he was not an apostle. Each type of pastoral
ministry shared in perfecting the saints, the work of the ministry, the edifying of
the body of Christ. However, the new modern translations make it seem as if
the professional clergy are in charge of turning everyone (since saints are
believers) into mini-ministers. That is the goal of the cell group swamis: to call
each cell group leader, man or woman, a pastor. They are disciples making
disciples making disciples making disciples, according to the elegant English of
Joel Gerlach.
KJV Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
NIV Ephesians 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to
be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to
prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up.
NKJ Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the
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equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ.
Drowning Baptism in a Sea of Symbolism
This passage is treated at greater length in the chapter on the Visible
Word. The Greek text and the King James clearly teach that baptism, like
Noahs Ark, saves people. The message that baptism doth now save us is
horrifying to Baptists and Pentecostals. If baptism is a cleansing, a rebirth, a
resurrection from death, new life, then the answer of a good conscience is the
knowledge of forgiveness wrought by God in the Sacrament. But those who
deny any efficacy in baptism must make the individual worthy of an initiation
rite, so we have a pledge of a good conscience toward God. The New King
James, with an eye focused on its anti-sacrament market, has an antitype saving
us, proof that highly educated people can have every translating tool at their
disposal and turn a clear passage into hash.
KJV 1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also
now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a
good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
NIV 1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves
you alsonot 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.
NKJ 1 Peter 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us
baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Having the best translation does not release a pastor or congregation
from diligent study of the Scriptures. In fact, problems and conflicts in
translations are good in keeping us aware of the difficulties and the doctrinal
causes of variations from the truth. Some advocates of the Authorized
Version get frothy about the implication of any difficulty in their favorite
translation. That should not be. The same translation will not be equally clear in
all places to every person. In addition, no translation has the unchanging clarity
of the original text. English has changed for the worse in the last hundred years,
but the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible remain exactly the same as they
were in ancient times. Many people use the changing nature of our language as a
warrant for new translations, and I would be convinced if they did not keep
getting more Pentecostal, more gender bender, and more Churchgrowthy.

75

A Garden of Roses
He allows the affliction to remain and to oppress; yet
He employs different tactics to bestow peace; He changes the
heart, removing it from the affliction, not the affliction from
the heart. This is the way it is done: When you are sunk in
affliction He so turns your mind from it and gives you such
consolation that you imagine you are dwelling in a garden of
roses.
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas
Lender, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 285.
John 14:23-31.

76

Notes
1Purists

prefer to call it the Authorized Version, but title pages often

designate it as the Authorized King James Version. There is some irony in
having a king more famous for allowing a new Bible translation than for any
other act during his reign.
2When

the original version of this paragraph was sent around to various

readers, one person noticed that a word was missing. The omission was
obvious, but it turned the sentence into nonsense. Most of the manuscript
errors fall into the same categoryobvious copying mistakes.
3I

took her course in Revelation and her husbands course in

Ecclesiology at Notre Dame.
4I wanted to study under Metzger at Princeton. Instead, I studied under
three professors at Yale who emphasized the text of the Bible: Robert Wilson,
Nils A. Dahl, and Abraham Malherbe.
5Unitarianism

is limited to the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of

Man, and the neighborhood of Boston. That used to be true. Now all the
mainline denominations are Unitarian in doctrine, teaching the Bible as
mythical, especially in regards to Christ.
6Pastor

W. Terjesen wrote: T. Letis, The Ecclesiastical Text, points out

that it was B.B. Warfield who brought the presuppositions of modern textual
criticism into conservative Protestantism. Francis Pieper didnt buy into it, as is
obvious from his comments in Christian Dogmatics, Vol. 1. Warfields ideas were
brought into the LCMS by William Arndt. Conservatives accepted the
assumptions of the liberals in order to defeat the liberals, and failed to beat
them. The faculty of Concordia Lutheran Seminary, St. Louis, even the old
conservatives, accepted the theories of Westcott and Hort. See Christian News
Encyclopedia.
7It

is difficult to convey the excitement felt by all Biblical scholars

concerning the Egyptian texts. Significant text variations from orthodox
Christianity fulfilled the liberal agenda of a true text devoid of faith in
mythological concepts (as they imagined them), even though the total number
of variations was extremely small. In this case especially, the facts did not
matter. A capricious attitude toward the text was followed by arbitrary
declarations of what really happened in the New Testament, in spite of the text.
8We

may think of the New Testament characters as primitive and

superstitious. They might magnify stories and embroider the details. However, it
is more realistic to consider the vast amount of memorization they disciplined
77

themselves to accomplish. In addition, a man who copied manuscripts had to be

precise and meticulous in his work. The modern scoffers are the people skilled
in the invention of imaginary details.
9If we apply a similar rule for judging schools, we would have to say,
The smaller university is the better university. Some would say erroneously,
No, the older college is the better one. The shorter reading rule is
understandable only when we concede that traditional standards of quality must
be omitted because they weigh in favor of the traditional text, which cannot
stand, in the opinion of the skeptics.
10My

New Testament professor at Yale University, Abraham Malherbe,

made this point about the skeptics at Harvard. Malherbe treated the text with
great respect and expressed contempt for many theories and fads in New
Testament studies. My thesis advisor, Nils A. Dahl, argued this point in his
doctoral seminar at Yale: What do we know for certain about the New
Testament? The text! Why speculate about what we do not know when we can
study what we do know. The text! (I have paraphrased his comments.)
11Bruce

M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament,

German Bible Society, 1971, p. 122. This work was used in the textual criticism
class at Bethany Lutheran Seminary. Metzger has been extremely influential
through his teaching position at Princeton Seminary, his publications, and his
work with the United Bible Societies.
12Metzger,

footnote.

A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, p. 126,

13I

attended a liberal ordination where a woman introduced the Old

Testament reading by stating that scholars were not sure about the origin or
meaning of the text.
14W.

R. Farmer, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark, Society for New

Testament Studies, Cambridge: University Press, 1974, p. 31. Cited in Jakob
Van Bruggen, The Future of the Bible, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1978, p. 131.
15Robert Wilson pointed this out about the Documentary Hypothesis,
in his Genesis course at Yale. Charles Primus, a professor of Judaism at Notre
Dame, made me very cautious about the tendency of scholars to favor theories
in conflict with the facts.
16Holy

Bible, New International Version, Grand Rapids: Zondervan

Publishing Company, 1984, p. 760.
78

17One

often finds the argument that a man who is a faithful Christian in

his work, as Beck was, should also be believed when he adopts the errors of
modern textual criticism. However, this is faulty thinking. A man does not
receive the crown of infallibility by teaching the Virgin Birth of Christ in
opposition to the liberals. That is his duty and not a guarantee of being correct
on all other topics. The same may be said for Luther, Lenski, Sig Becker, and all
authors. We can love and appreciate faithful authors without giving up spiritual
discernment.
18When

homosexual activists in the LCA studied the issue of sodomy,

their New Testament expert suggested in print that they adopt Pauls authorship
of Romans as a working hypothesis. One is reminded of the man appointed
Bishop of Paris because he was the only cleric left who still believed in God.
Pauls authorship of Romans has never been doubted by any serious scholar,
liberal or conservative.
19Jakob Van Bruggen, The Future of the Bible, Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
1978, p. 132.
20Professor

Josephine Forde, at Notre Dame, taught that the Virgin

Mary wrote Hebrews.
21Liberals

argued that Matthew and Luke built their Gospels upon Mark
as an historical framework. Others have argued for the primacy of Matthew,
saying that Mark is a Readers Digest composite of Matthew and Luke. John has
also been put forward as the very first Gospel. It is relatively easy to repeat all
the arguments and supporting evidence about authorship without any
knowledge of the content of the Gospels.
22Police

look for verbatim testimony as a sign of a rehearsed story. Two

people do not tell the same story in the same words, unless they have worked
on a common version. The Gospels do not agree verbatim but their accounts
can be harmonized. The more we read the Gospels, the more credit we give to
the Holy Spirit for their composition and their miraculous consistency.
23Concordia Seminary in St. Louis was comfortable with modern
textual criticism first, later with destructive higher criticism. I would argue that a
gullible attitude toward the Egyptian texts, the Wescott and
Hort pronouncements, and the theory of evolution all contributed to
undermining faith in the Word, as Rehwinkel noted in addressing his own
colleagues. Concordia in St. Louis capitulated to the spirit of modernism,
followed by Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary a few years later. The
ELCA seminaries began converting in the 1930s.

79

24Father

Richard J. Neuhaus has conceded this point, even though he

has supported the use of the historical-critical method.
25Milwaukee:

Northwestern Publishing House, 1997, p. 64.

26John C. Jeske, Genesis, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House,

1991, p. 52. Old Testament editor of the series John C. Jeske. See The First
Promise, by Martin H. Jackson, an unpublished paper from Bethany Lutheran
Seminary. See also Ken Schurb, Sixteenth Century Lutheran-Calvinist Conflict
on the Proto-Evangelium, Concordia Theological Monthly, January, 1990.
27For

the descendants of the venerated patriarchs, as also the patriarchs

themselves, not only called to mind constantly how in the beginning man had
been created righteous and holy by God, and through the fraud of the Serpent
had transgressed God's command, had become a sinner, and had corrupted and
precipitated himself with all his posterity into death and eternal condemnation,
but also encouraged and comforted themselves again by the preaching
concerning the Seed of the Woman, who would bruise the Serpent's head, Gen. 3:15..."
Concordia Triglotta, Formula of Concord, SD, 5, #23, p. 959. Tappert, p. 562.
Heiser, p. 261.
28Adie

Harstad has taught the Calvinist version of Genesis 3:15 at

Bethany Seminary. The students opposed his false doctrine, so Harstad went to
other seminary professors, who agreed with Luther.
29Similarly, at Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, the professors teach that
Isaiah 7:14 is a general prophesy and not specific to Christ. That means that
God announced through the prophet, Behold, a married woman is pregnant!
ELS Ukraine seminary rector Jay Webber doggedly argued for this
interpretation, even though he knew little or no Hebrew. Webber would get
very annoyed that Christian News brought up the almah issue. Study of the
passage shows that Isaiah 7:14 is a rectilinear prophecy of one, unique Virgin
Birth. Watering down Messianic prophesies is the first stage in denying them
altogether.
30The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Church of the
Lutheran Confession both use the Roman view of the Scripture to promote
their views, claiming that the Scriptures are not clear about the subject, allowing
the synods to invent new doctrines in opposition to Gods Word. This
invocation of gray areas of Scripture is an obvious attack against the clarity of
the revealed Word of God. In addition, WELS and the CLC claim that certain
officials have the authority to declare the synods position, especially when it
is erroneous, as if the synod was the ruling norm of faith and practice. The
Missouri Synod uses their doctrinal board for the same purpose, an appointed

80

College of Cardinals, to relieve the ministerium of the responsibility of studying

the Scriptures and Confessions.
31Apostate Lutheran and Reformed scholars developed what the
Church of Rome began as a method of interpreting the Bible. Roman Catholics
were relatively late in their endorsement and application of the historical-critical
method. Now liberal Protestants, liberal Lutherans, and liberal Roman Catholics
are united in their lack of faith.
32Note

Krauth on Melanchthon, p. 291. Schmauk, p. 748.

33In

the 1970s, Notre Dames theology faculty was ecumenical and

favored liberal Protestant doctrine, especially Karl Barth (Charlotte
Kirschbaum) and Paul Tillich. Karl Rahner was the preferred Roman Catholic
theologian, although Hans Kueng was admired. One parish priest summed up
the lessons being taught, How can you call yourselves Catholics and believe
that? My professors were: Mennonite, Dutch Reformed, Jewish, Methodist,
Lutheran, and Roman Catholic, including two former nuns who were married.
More importantly, Joe Montana was the quarterback of the football team.
34Two

professors at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, where I earned a

degree, also studied under Tillich when he was at the University of Chicago.
Tillich is largely forgotten today, although he remains famous for his adulterous
flings, which included the wives of his own theology students.
35In fact, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza later commended me for having
an independent opinion. She said, The mature students are better at thinking
on their own than those who have never left school.
36Yoder

was an early critic of the Church Growth Movement.

37Rauschenbusch

was a pacifist in World War I, so he lost a lot of

prestige soon after the lectures were published. However, his arguments for
social activism in the Church became normative for all mainline denominations.
38The Social Gospel leaders organized a group named the Brotherhood
of the Kingdom. They worked together to achieve their goals, which were
institutionalized in the Social Creed of the Federal Council of Churches and its
successor the National Council of Churches.
39The

Latin expression means that the situation is not exactly the same,
but quite similar.

81

40As

I recall, McGavran was ready to give up when someone

encouraged him to soldier on, according to a Festschrift published in honor of
McGavran.
41"I did attend a Pasadena forum on Church Growth featuring Win Arn
and others." Rev. Norman W. Berg, former District President and Home
Mission Executive, WELS Letter to Gregory L. Jackson, 3-27-96. "Incidentally,
during my mission counselor days in California during the 80's, I did take a
course at Fuller from Carl George and Peter Wagner." Rev. Joel C. Gerlach
(WELS) to Pastor Herman Otten, no date. [Gerlach taught at Wisconsin
Lutheran Seminary] "To the best of my knowledge, only three WELS pastors
have ever taken classes at Fuller Seminary: Reuel Schulz in the 1970s, and
Robert Koester and I in the 1980s." Prof. Lawrence Otto. Olson, "A Response
to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23. "The church
growth movement has made inroads into nearly every denomination in
America The LCMS has more pastors enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry
program at Fuller Theological Seminary, the seedbed of the movement, than are
enrolled in the graduate programs at their Fort Wayne and St. Louis seminaries
combined, and most of them include church growth as part of their studies."
Prof. Lawrence Otto Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "See How It Grows: Perspectives
on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, p. 1. "In late
1976, 80 district mission and evangelism executives and board members
attended special Fuller Seminary sessions and by the late 1970s, courses on
Church Growth principles were taught at both LCMS seminaries." Toward a
Theological Basis, Understanding and Use of Church Growth Principles in the LCMS.
1991. p. 1. Cited in Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board,
"A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors
Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 10. Peterson left the
ministry.
42The

official designation of Fuller was reversed, but those who won

the reversal also left the AALC soon afterwards. Another irony is that a group
(Fellowship of Evangelical Lutheran Laity and Pastors) was formed during these
stormy years to fight for conservative issues, including inerrancy. FELLP issued
a statement on inerrancy, a document signed by a number of men who did not
agree with inerrancy! And yet they claimed they left The American Lutheran
Church because of doctrinal deception!
43No

one can make sense of the CLC, except to say that it has definite
cult tendencies encouraged by years of inter-marriage and self-congratulation.
Certainly one of the oddest characteristics is the need for Dan Fleischer, Paul
Tiefel Jr., and David Koenig to defend another denomination, WELS, in
Christian News.
82

44"From

the beginning it was declared that one of the chief purposes of

the founding of the seminary was that it should be an apologetic institution...It
was agreed from the inception of the school that through the seminary
curriculum the faculty would provide the finest theological defense of biblical
infallibility or inerrancy. It was agreed in addition that the faculty would publish
joint works that would present to the world the best of evangelical scholarship
on inerrancy at a time when there was a dearth of such scholarship and when
there were few learned works promoting biblical inerrancy." Harold Lindsell,
The Battle for the Bible, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976, p. 106f. [Inerrancy
advocates left Fuller: Charles Woodbridge in 1957, Wilbur Smith in 1963,
Harold Lindsell in 1964, and Gleason Archer in 1965.] "The departure of all
four was directly related to the question of biblical inerrancy." Harold Lindsell,
The Battle for the Bible, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976, p. 111f.
45The about mode was treated in Holmers summer lectures at Yale.
Most academics, he observed, limit themselves to describing the consensus of
the moment. Few original thoughts are published, but many publications fill the
libraries to earn tenure for professors.
46In

the 1970s, one progressive put a statue of Buddha in the

Meditation Room. The dean found out about it rather late. Holmer was doubly
upset, that a pagan statue was installed and that it took the dean so long to find
his way to the Meditation Room.
47Nils

A. Dahl taught Biblical theories but insisted on the study of the

text. Paul L. Holmer made fun of popular liberal trends, including Black
theology. George Lindbeck and Jaroslav Pelikan were considered conservatives
on the faculty. All four attended Bethesda Lutheran Church, where I served as a
student assistant. The church history professor, Sydney Ahlstrom, also attended
Bethesda. Another Bethesda student assistant was John Stendahl, son of the
Harvard Divinity School dean, Krister Stendahl. Roland Bainton, an honorary
Lutheran, often gave lectures on the Reformation at the divinity school.
48Henry

published an essay against Martin Luther to earn the title.

When his loyalties changed, Henry kept the title given to him by the pope.
Today the English monarchs still use the title.
49This

is one of many uses of efficacy in the New Testament.

50Clergy

are more likely to think of Hampton motel conferences than

one at a royal residence.
51Charles

C. Butterworth, The Literary Lineage of the King James Bible,

Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1941, p. 206.
83

52WELS

and the ELS wanted to distance themselves from Gods Word,

but WELS bought and distributed large numbers of the translation.
53Fords Edsel became famous for looking good to management while
failing utterly as a car.
54In

contrast, the ELS, LCMS, and WELS are Fuller-centric. The

unionism and Reformed doctrine of Fuller Seminary in Pasadena have become
normative for the old Synodical Conference. A few dissent, but the burden is
upon them to prove that Fuller is wrong about anything or that the Word alone
is efficacious.
55Bunyan

said of Luthers Commentary on Galatians, Next to the Bible, it

is the book I have read the most. How many Lutheran leaders today can say
they have read the Galatians commentary once?
56Some of the worst examples of poor translating come from the five
versions of the so-called Lutheran Bible, the Beck-AAT, GWN, NET, GW, and
I fear, the born-again Beck.
57Henry

A. Koch, The 450th Anniversary of Luthers Translation,

Christian News Encyclopedia, Washington, Missouri: Missourian Publishing
Company, 1982, II, p. 1662. Christian News, 1-1-73.
58I

have seen several modern revisions of the King James Version,

including The 21st Century King James Version, The Modern King James
Version, and the King James Version II. The New King James Version is
probably the best known.
59The

RSV committee, selected from the radical left National Council

of Churches, met at Yale Divinity School, where a room was designated the
RSV room. Yale was embarrassed when the all star committee met and
discovered many expensive Biblical reference works had been stolen by Yale
Divinity students.
60Some pseudo-Lutherans falsely claim that the Isaiah prophesy is not a
unique prediction of the Virgin Birth, but a typological prophesy that was
later applied to Jesus. How easy it is to set aside the Incarnation with a few
silken words! Christian News has covered this topic well, with a special
almah edition.
61See

Appendix One for a list of authors and denominations favoring

make disciples.
84

62"In

this way, the entire church is comprised of ministers. The

ministers are not a special breed of sheep coming from the seminary. They are
simply believers who go on growing. Thus the purpose of the pastor is to make
disciples who make disciples who make disciples who make disciples." Juan
Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International, 1975, p. 18.
63I

attended the vicarage assignment worship service at Concordia

Seminary, St. Louis, around 1992. The Lutheran preacher made this distinction,
which he had just learned at a Church Growth conference.
64These

two sentences set broke the record for the use of making
disciples, previously held by Juan Carlos Ortiz.
65WELS

seminary professor David Kuske supported "make disciples"

in Matthew 28:19 "Exegetical Brief: The Meaning of matheteusate in Matthew
28:19," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1997, p. 115ff. "Accordingly, when
Christ says, Disciple (matheteusate) all nations by baptizing them, matheteusate can
mean nothing other than to make disciples, to turn unbelievers into believers;
for that is the Spirit-produced effect of baptism." David J. Valleskey, We
BelieveTherefore We Speak, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, Milwaukee:
Northwestern Publishing House, 1995, p. 127.
66One

of the Church Growth pioneers, Winfred Arn, chose to shorten

his name to Win Arn, a good marketing move for Evangelicals. "a receptivity
rating scale (adapted by Win and Charles Arn in 'The Master's Plan for Making
Disciples,' p. 91...." Prof. David J. Valleskey, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary,
Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, Pastoral Theology
358A, p. 58.
67Some

Lutheran-Reformed unions will exhibit Lutheran tendencies for

a period of time, but no union has ever been created at the expense of
Reformed doctrine. The Reformed have never conceded the efficacy of the
Word alone or God working exclusively through the Means of Grace.
68"The

Institute for American Church Growth has created a card game

called 'Church Growth Eyes.' The game may be used in groups to learn how to
see through church growth eyes." Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River,
Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 51.
"Church Growth is not another program. It is a process. The pastor
and people who have 'Church Growth eyes' make up a church that sees the task
of ministry as an outreach process that affects every aspect of the church: from
ladies' aid to elders." Kent R. Hunter, LCMS, Launching Growth in the Local
Congregation, A Workbook for Focusing Church Growth Eyes, Detroit: Church
Growth Analysis and Learning Center, 1980, p. 11.
85

"As we consider various factors and principles relating to Church

Growth we need abundant, accurate information about the members of our
churches. This basic principle of Church Growth is called Discerning the Body .
Pastors and lay people need to discern the Body in the congregation in which
they are serving. For this, Church Growth eyes are essential." Donald A.
McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper
and Row, 1977, p. 61.
"This is not a handbook on how to do certain things, not offering us
gimmicks, procedures, models, and the like, although there is much of practical
material to be found throughout. It is rather a theology of church growth and
missions." [foreword by Robert Preus] Waldo J. Werning, LCMS, The Radical
Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the
Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 9.
69Pastor William Terjesen wrote: A young mother in my congregation
said a while back: The King James Version is like shooting a bullet; the NIV is
like throwing a bullet.
70The

ALC of 1960 attacked Biblical inerrancy with a series of

educational forums using a book ironically titled The Bible, Book of Faith. The
author later complained about liberalism in the ELCA. More details can be
found in the excellent book Whats Going on among the Lutherans?, by Patsy
Leppien and Kincaid Smith, Northwestern Publishing House.
71The

definitions are difficult to understand, but the results show that

the majority of laity fall into the first two conservative definitions while the
clergy responses are mostly in the second and third categories.
72Notice

how close this statement is to the one following by David

Hubbard, the late impresario of Fuller Seminary.
73"Everybody

brings his testimony. That is why the cell meetings last

four or five or six hours with only five people. We no longer have time for
Sunday morning services. We're too busy learning sound doctrine to listen to
sermons about Nehemiah." Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield:
Logos International, 1975, p. 113.
74Reus metamorphosis was complete by 1943. His book, Luther and the
Scriptures, in which he alleged that the Reformer was an advocate of inerrancy,
was the end-point of his theological back-tracking. E. Clifford Nelson,
Lutheranism in North America, 1914-1970, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing
House, 1972, p. 86. Reu traveled to Europe and became an expert on Luthers
Small Catechism, earning international respect as a scholar. He equivocated
about inerrancy early in his career, adversely affecting the American Lutheran
Church merger of 1930. Apparently his Luther studies converted him to a

86

correct understanding. Luther and the Scriptures, is out of print. Lenski fought the
1930 ALC waffling on inerrancy and was silenced by his synod. Lenskis
successor as a seminary professor opposed inerrancy. Lenskis commentaries
were published by the Ohio Synod, later by The ALC of 1960, and finally by
ELCA. However, the bookstore at Lenksis seminary did not sell his books, did
not know how to spell his name, and did not know that ELCA published his
works. ELCA sold or gave away the rights to another publisher. Lenskis
commentaries are now available at a good price from Christian Book
Distributors.
75Many

typographical errors have been found in the early versions of

this book, and doubtless some mistakes remain, in spite of the automatic
checking of the computer program and strenuous efforts by various readers.
Thus we should approach the subject of Biblical manuscript errors with
humility about our own limitations and awe about the almost perfect
transmission of the Biblical text over the centuries.
76Do

we know without a doubt that Vaticanus and Sinaiticus are

genuine and ancient? Vaticanus was logged into the Vatican library in the 15th
century. Before that time, the manuscript has no history. Sinaiticus was
discovered at a monastery in the 19th century. Why not direct some healthy
skepticism toward these late discoveries?
77An

insightful joke has various liberals reacting to the discovery of

the body of Jesus in a tomb. No one knows what to say. Finally, Paul
Tillich says, Wonderful. That means He actually did live.
78The

obvious failings of the disciples are more vividly portrayed in

Mark, leading liberals to conclude that the later writers cleaned up the bad
public relations by eliminating some of the harsher details.
79Dahl

was the Buckingham Professor of New Testament Studies, the

same endowed chair occupied by Benjamin Bacon 60 years before.
80I

first learned this in the adult class at Salem Lutheran Church,

Moline, Illinois, where the text was The Mighty Acts of God, by the future LCA
president, Robert Marshall, a failed Ph.D. student, Old Testament. Next, I
learned the theory again in the required Old Testament class at Augustana
College, Rock Island, Illinois, from Arnold G. Levin, an LCA pastor and
Harvard Th.D. The same theory was taught at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary,
LCA, in Ontario, Canada.
81One

LCMS journal is called Journal of the English District Pastors, so it

will spell out JEDP.
87

82"Donald

C. McGavran died at home home in Altadena, California, on

July 10, 1990. He was 92 years old. Dr. McGavran is widely recognized as the
founder of the church growth movement, a movement which has sought to put
the social sciences at the service of theology in order to foster the growth of the
church. In August of 1989 I borrowed a bicycle and pedaled several miles uphill
up from Pasadena to Altadena. I found Dr. McGavran in his front yard with a
hose in hand, watering flowers." Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min.,
Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church,"
EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Professor, Martin Luther College (WELS), p.
1. "Make no mistake; I am under no illusions here. I fully expect to be publicly
pilloried in print again. You will no doubt do so with some wit, with a good
selection of quotations instantly imported into your world processor from your
ready-to-go database, and with my own words twisted and used against me. So
be it; I can live with that." Lawrence Otto Olson, "A Response to Gregory L.
Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.
83Unbelievable is the perfect term. When WELS and Missouri adopted
the Church Growth Movement, they started rapidly losing members, in spite of
general population growth. Kent Hunter, among others, advises congregations
to use graph paper to chart their membership trends, asking tough questions.
The synods should be a good example and carry out what they have asked their
congregations to do.
84ELCA

graduates of Fuller chatter about the same fads as the

conservative Lutherans trained at Fuller: user friendly liturgies, felt needs,
receptivity scale, management by objective, how to sermons. Waldo Werning,
Forrest Bivens, and David Valleskey have all admitted to studying at Fuller and
have all denied studying at Fuller. The Pasadena school will not identify who
has studied there. Its too controversial, they said on the phone.
85This

article supports "make disciples" in Matthew 28:19. David

Kuske, "Exegetical Brief: The Meaning of matheteusate in Matthew 28:19,"
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1997, p. 115ff. Matthew 28:19. Kuske also
supported cell groups in another article in the WLQ.

88

Chapter One: Efficacy

The Power Behind A Peculiar
Glory
of Lutheran Theology
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to explore every example of the efficacy
word-group (energeia, energew, energhs, energhma) in the New Testament. In
every single New Testament use, we find either God or Satan at work.
However, most uses of the word-group in the New Testament are divine rather
than demonic.86 Lutherans are unique among Christian confessions in teaching
that the Holy Spirit works only through the Word and never apart from the
Word: the invisible Word of preaching and the visible Word of Baptism and
Holy Communion. The only way to test the soundness of Lutheran doctrine is
to study those passages that relate to the Means of Grace, the Gospel in Word
and Sacrament. The foundation for all assertions about how God works must
be grounded in the Scriptures.
J-101
"The doctrine of the means of grace is a peculiar glory of Lutheran theology. To
this central teaching it owes its sanity and strong appeal, its freedom from
sectarian tendencies and morbid fanaticism, its coherence and practicalness, and
its adaptation to men of every race and every degree of culture. The Lutheran
Confessions bring out with great clearness the thought of the Reformers upon
this subject."
"Grace, Means of," The Concordia Cyclopedia, L. Fuerbringer, Th.
Engelder, P. E. Kretzmann, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1927, p.
299.
The literature is singularly lacking in its treatment of the efficacy wordgroup, perhaps because the spirit of this age has promised to leave so many
modernists widowed in the age to come. An academic wrote with some
discernment about the misunderstanding of the efficacy word-group in the New
Testament, complaining about recent translations:
J-102
89

"Our contention is that these are all under-translations, short of the mark,
modernizations not only in language but in idea. They do not live in the first
century Christian experience. They all apparently refer to an inner human
capacity, rather than to that external supernatural divine spirit which had
possessed both Peter and Paul. The translations live in the realm of humanism,
rather than of supernaturalism. Yet no quality is more characteristic of the first
century than its supernatural imagery and belief."
Kenneth W. Clark, "The Meaning of Energeo and Katargeo in the New
Testament," Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 54, 1935, p. 93.
The Pauline Example
1 Thessalonians 2:13 Power in Conversion
When the apostle Paul preached in Thessalonica (Act 17:1-10), a new
congregation was created within four weeks by proclaiming the Gospel. A
mission board would have given the apostle high marks for starting a new
congregation so quickly in a major seaport, but they would have censured him
for starting a riot (Acts 17:5). Pauls deeply personal remarks to the church of
the Thessalonians not only reflect his intimate experience with them but also
proclaim the theme of this volume:
KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 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.
The apostle emphasizes two spiritual truths in this verse:
A) The Word of God is not the word of men;
B) The Word of God works effectively.
Many church leaders are desperately seeking effective methods today
for accomplishing their ecclesiastical work. This verse clearly reveals Gods
unique method and its power. Paul is saying here that he, Timothy, and Silvanus
are just as thankful as the Thessalonians for the conversions that took place
through preaching the Gospel. The townspeople did not hear and receive mens
opinions, but the Word of God. Then, as now, the opponents of sound
doctrine attacked the preaching of the Word by making personal attacks upon
the preachers. Unbelievers, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd
fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an
uproar (Acts 17:5) Gods methods and Satans methods never change.
The Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 seems to be literally the
Word of hearing of God (logon akoestou theou;). The phrase does not
90

emphasize the act of hearing, but rather the preaching which is heard. Arndt
and Gingrich87 translate the phrases using akoe thus:
Galatians 3:2 I wish to learn this only from you, did you receive the
Spirit from the works of the Law or as the result of preaching which demanded only
faith.
KJV Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the
Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
faith:

Professor R. C. H. Lenski makes the same point about the hearing of

J-103
Works of the law and hearing of faith are exclusively opposites; neither
tolerates the other. Works are such as we do, and they are many so that no man
can know whether he has done enough of them. The opposite is akoe, but not in
the active sense, the actus audiendi [act of hearing], but as Cremer-Koegel 106,
etc., shows, in the passive sense: being made to hear what God wants us to
hear This belongs to faith in the sense of being intended for us to believe.
When God speaks and makes us hear, He wants us to believe. As law calls for
works, so our being made to hear calls for faith. Compare Romans 1:16-17; also
Hebrews 4:2.
R. C. H. Lenski, Galatians, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1961, pp. 126f.88
KJV Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto
them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
in them that heard it.
In this context, lest there be confusion, the preached Word also causes
hardness of heart among those who reject the Gospel. The Word is always at
work with Gods power, converting or hardening, enlightening or blinding.
J-104
The Word did its utmost to accomplish this, beating upon their ears constantly
so as to enter their hearts by faith. They indeed hear it, but hardened their
hearts, the very thing the Word warned them not to do (3:8 etc.). That is why
they perished in the wilderness. Their tragedy was their unbelief (3:19).
R. C. H. Lenski, Hebrews, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938, p.
128.
So when we read that faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), the text
does not intend to teach us that it is primarily the act of hearing, but Gods
proclamation of the Gospel which creates faith. Isaiah 53:1 asks, Who has
believed our report? (akoe) Paul quotes the same passage in Romans, as a
foundation for how we begin to believe:
91

Jackson Literal Version. Romans 10:16 But not all obeyed the Gospel.
For Isaiah said, Lord, who believed our preaching (akoe)? 17 Therefore, faith
comes from preaching (akoe), and preaching (akoe) from the Word of God.
KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For
Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
J-105
This whole chapter [Romans 10], let us repeat, hinges on the Word, on this
means of grace, which is applied by preaching, by commissioning preachers, by
making men hear and enabling them to hearken and to believe (v. 14, 15). It is
the main thought, and it should not be overlooked that then (ara) Isaiah, too,
makes the faith of which he speaks (hence the article) a result (ek) of what one
is made to hear (akoe); and here the thing the Jews were made to hear (akoe, now
properly with the article) is mediated by (dia) Christs own uttered Word.
R. C. H. Lenksi, Romans, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1963, p. 667.
The faithful commentators show that these passages use akoe as a
technical word, to mean the preached Word of God. Works do not convert
people to faith in Christ. Love, friendship, and cultivated relationships do not
convert anyone. Buildings, chancel drama, and programs do not convert a single
soul. God has given us a singular method, the proclamation of the Gospel, and
no other. Jesus Himself used the preached Word to convert people to faith
during His earthly ministry. This Word belongs to God and no one else.
J-106
"It is God alone who may speak the word of pardon, who can produce faith,
but it is God who is speaking in the Gospel and the Sacraments (Luke 24:47: 'in
His name') and creating faith through them (Acts 16:14Lydia; James 1:18; 1
Thessalonians 2:13). The word of the Gospel is therefore not a dead letter, nor
are the Sacraments empty symbols, but they are the power of God. The power
of God is inseparably connected with, is inherent in, the means of grace."
Edwin E. Pieplow, "The Means of Grace," The Abiding Word, 3 vols.,
ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 335.
J-1001.
J-107
The efficacy of the Bible is that property by which the Bible has indissolubly
united [Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13] with the true and genuine sense
[Ephesians 3:3-4; Acts 8:30, 31, 34] expressed in its words the power of the
Holy Spirit, [Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5] who has made it for all times
the ordinary means by which He operates [Psalm 19:8; Psalm 119:105, 130; 2
92

Peter 1:19; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17] on and in the hearts and minds of those who
properly hear and read it [Revelation 1:3; Ephesians 3:3-4; John 7:17].
A. L. Graebner, Outlines of Doctrinal Theology, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1910, p. 12. J-1002.
J-108
"Thou holy Light, Guide Divine, Oh, cause the Word of Life to shine!
Teach us to know our God aright And call Him Father with delight.
From every error keep us free; Let none but Christ our Master be
That we in living faith abide, In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
Martin Luther, 1524, "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord!", The
Lutheran Hymnal, #224, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-109
"God would not have the sinner die,
His Son with saving grace is nigh,
His Spirit in the Word doth teach
How man the blessed goal may reach."
Author unknown, 1719, "God Loved the World So That He Gave,"
The Lutheran Hymnal, #245, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. (John
3:16)
J-110
"Besides, it is an exceedingly effectual help against the devil, the world, and the
flesh and all evil thoughts to be occupied with the Word of God, and to speak
of it, and meditate upon it, so that the First Psalm declares those blessed who
meditate upon the Law of God day and night. Undoubtedly, you will not start a
stronger incense or other fumigation against the devil than by being engaged
upon God's commandments and words, and speaking, singing, or thinking of
them. For this is indeed the true holy water and holy sign from which he flees,
and by which he may be driven away."
The Large Catechism, Preface, #10, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 570f. Tappert, p. 359f. Heiser, p. 167.
In this era of confusion and ambiguity, the Scriptures teach us that
Gods Word alone creates and sustains faith. To make this especially clear, God
shows us that the Word is efficacious, effective, energetic, always at work.
Although the concept of efficacy is not confined to one word or word group in
the Bible, the New Testament does have a word group that precisely expresses
how God works through the Word. The following list should help those who
do not have a Greek concordance of the New Testament, so that students of
the Word may see and study the passages associated with this word group.

93

Energeia
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
2 Thess.

1:19
3:7
4:16
3:21
1:29
2:12
2:9
2:11

Energeo, energew
Matthew
14:2
Mark
6:14
Romans
7:5
1 Corinthians 12:6
12:11
2 Corinthians 1:6
4:12
Galatians
2:8

Philipians

3:5
5:6
1:11
1:20
2:2
3:20
2:13

Colossians
1 Thess.
2 Thess.
James

1:29
2:13
2:7
5:16

Ephesians

Energema
1 Corinthians

works do shew forth themselves in him

mighty works do shew forth themselves
did work in our members
God which worketh all in all
all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit
which is effectual (literally, that worketh) in the enduring
So then death worketh in us,
For he that wrought effectually in Peter
The same was mighty in me
and worketh miracles among you,
faith which worketh by love,
of him who worketh all things
Which he wrought in Christ
the spirit that now worketh in
the power that worketh in us
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His
good
which worketh in me mightily
which effectually worketh also in you
mystery of iniquity doth already work:
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.

12:6 there are diversities of operations

12:10 To another the working of miracles;

Energes, energhs
1 Corinthians 16:9
Philemon
6
Hebrews
4:12

94

the working of His mighty power,

by the effectual working of His power,
the effectual working in the
according to the working whereby
striving according to His working,
through the faith of the operation of
is after the working of Satan
shall send them strong delusion (working of error)

a great door and effectual is opened

become effectual by the acknowledging
word of God is quick, and powerful

According to Kittel, the Greek word energeia , energia is derived from

to be at work. The words are found in the pre-Socratic period in the sense of
activity or energy.89 Although we cannot make automatic conclusions from the
previous use of the word, as shown in the English word gay, it is worth
noting that Moulton and Milligan list a few examples of the word-group before
New Testament times.90 More importantly, as the list above shows, the word
group is used exclusively for divine and demonic activity. Therefore, Paul
distinguishes between the word of man and the Word of Proclamation (akoe).
The miraculous creation of the Thessalonian mission congregation is proof of
the divine power of the Word. They received the Word and the Word converted
them to faith in Christ, making them thankful and Paul ceaselessly grateful.
Nothing in the Scriptures suggests that people make a decision for Christ after
weighing a carefully crafted and skillfully executed presentation.
J-111
"This Word works in the Thessalonians what Paul states in 1:3; it came to them
with the power of the Holy Spirit and much assurance (1:5); it turned them
from the idols to the living God, to Him who raised up Jesus from the dead, the
Savior from the wrath to come (1: 9, 10). This effect, wrought by the Word,
convinces all believers, all who experience this blessed effect, that this is, indeed,
Gods Word."
R. C. H. Lenski, Thessalonians, Columbus: The Wartburg Press,1937, p.
261.
The conversion of Grace Fuller, wife of the founder of Fuller
Seminary, is told with great force and conviction, illustrating the very point
made by Paul in this passage.91
Conversion of Grace Fuller

J-112
"Mrs. Barnhill looked at me and said, with such a loving look in her gray eyes,
'Oh, Grace, Christ said, 'No man cometh unto the Father but by Me,' and, my
dear, you have no way of approach to a holy God unless you come through
Christ, His Son, as your Saviour.' "The Scripture which she quoted," Mrs. Fuller
continues, "was the Sword of the Spirit, and at that moment Unitarianism was
killed forever in my heart. I saw the light like a flash and believed at that
moment, though I said nothing. She had quoted Gods Word, the Spirit had
used it, and, believing, I instantly became a new creation in Christ Jesus. She
might have talked and even argued with me about it, but instead she just used
the Word."
J. Elwin Wright, The Old Fashioned Revival Hour and the Broadcasters,
Boston: The Fellowship Press, 1940, p. 54.
As Grace Fuller realized, the proclaimed Word has the power to slay
the elegant doubts of Unitarianism and to energize faith in the Gospel in an
instant. Therefore, believers have an abundant witness in the Scriptures about
95

the power, clarity, and effectiveness of the Word, but they also have the added
benefit of experiencing the energy of the Law and Gospel, which work together
to kill the dead old skeptical sinner and to create a new man who loves God and
wants to serve Him. The Old Adam remains, but the leaven of the Gospel
continues to work in those who hear the Word.
Unbelievers can never understand that Christians subordinate their
intellectual powers, and their human reason, to the faith divinely created by
God. Likewise, unbelievers cannot perceive that faith does not oppose reason,
nor does it become irrational. Instead, reason serves faith. Many of those who
are quoted in this volume are the leading intellectuals of all time as shown in
their vast learning, their demonstrated ability in many languages, and their
timeless writings. One nun asked me, How can Martin Luther, who lived 500
years ago, write things which touch me so deeply today? The answer is He
lived in the Word, more than any other religious leader of any era, so his
utterances have the divine power of the Word today. Under the Law, he
experienced all the terrors of Hell as he dwelt upon the wrath of God. When
the Holy Spirit worked through the Word to penetrate the medieval legalism
and philosophy which the Reformer knew so well, the comfort of the Gospel
burst upon him, giving him mercy, peace, joy, and a genuine love of God.
J-113
"It is the assurance of the writers (1:1) that this is truly 'Gods Word,' but the
relative clause: 'which is also effective in you, the believers,' adds the evidence in
support of the fact that this is truly Gods Word, namely its divine effectiveness
in the Thessalonians believers."
R. C. H. Lenski, Thessalonians, Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1937, p.
261.
J-114
"To me He spake: Hold fast to Me, I am thy Rock and Castle;
Thy Ransom I Myself will be, For thee I strive and wrestle;
For I am with thee, I am thine,
And evermore thou shalt be Mine:
The Foe shall not divide us.
The Foe shall shed My precious blood, Me of My life bereaving.
All this I suffer for thy good; Be steadfast and believing.
Life shall from death the victory win, My innocence shall bear thy sin;
So art thou blest forever.
Martin Luther, Dear Christians One, and All, Rejoice, The Lutheran
Hymnal, #387, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.

96

Scriptural Examples
The Word as a SwordHebrews 4:12
For the Word of God is (1) quick, and (2) powerful, and (3) sharper
than any twoedged sword, (4) piercing even to the (5) dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, (6) and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.
(1) Quick (living) - The effectiveness of the Word is revealed in this wellknown passage, where the KJV translates the word for effective as powerful.
Two groups of three indicate this is the divine work of the Trinity.92 In Greek
the verse begins with living for emphasis. Living is the Word of God and
effective and sharper than any two-edged sword Just as God is often called
the living God in Pauls letters and in the Bible in general, so here the use of
living with the Word of God reminds all believers of the intimate connection
between God and His Word.93 One might say that the force of this word is life
giving.
(2) Powerful (effective)
J-115
"Energes = full of living energy to carry out the will of God by either blessing or
cursing as the case may be. What folly to treat the Word of God as though it is
subject to our minds, our 'views,' our opinions! It is electric and smites him who
tampers with it; it is electric to light him who bows beneath it. Who can escape
its blasting power when he scorns its threats? Read, for example, Psalm 95:1194
and look at the Jews of the Exodus. Read Matthew 23:38 and look at the
'desolate house,' desolate for almost 2,000 years. But the blessings of the Word
are equally 'effective' and energetic. Eternity rings with their praise."
R. C. H. Lenski, Hebrews, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1966, p. 141.
(3) Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword
The sword of the Word has three-fold power. First of all, it is sharper
than any two-edged sword, a striking visual image for those who know
weapons. The Roman sword had to be razor sharp to cause the maximum
amount of damage to the enemy, who was armored both with hardened leather
and metal equipment. Those who preach and teach the Word of God correctly
are wielding a sword against hearts hardened by sin and willful rejection of God.
The contrary images of man seeking God, making a decision for God, or
cooperating with God in his conversion all are impossible to harmonize with
the active, living, and cutting Word. Man does not seek the sword, decide for
the sword, or cooperate with the sword. Man receives the full effect of the
sword. He who swings the swordwho knows the Wordhas no doubt of its
effect.
97

J-116
"This surgeon goes into and through the joints and marrow, not cleaving
between them The surgeon carries a bright and powerful light for every dark
crevice and a sharp knife for the removal of all the pus revealed by the light. It
is a powerful picture here drawn."
Archibald T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, 6 vols.,
Nashville: Broadman Press, 1932, V, p. 363f.
J-117
"Machaira was commonly used as a designation for the short, two-edged sword
of the Roman hoplite or legionary (Ephesians 6:17) although other types of
swords could be called thus. 'Piercing,' etc., makes a comparison with the
penetrating power of the Word and thus uses an instrument which penetrates
most quickly and effectually, the Word even exceeds any such instrument. The
figurative sword is repeatedly used in this way: Isaiah 49:2; Revelation 1:16; 2:12;
19:15."
R. C. H. Lenkski, Hebrews, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938 p.
142.
(4) Piercing The image of the Word as sword becomes more vivid when the
author moves from the power of the sword to the effect of the sword. No
armor can withstand the Word, whether it is the armor of our image or the
hardness of our hearts. Doubts are destroyed and replaced by trust in the living
God. The worst blasphemers, such as Paul and Augustine, and the most
obvious sinners, such as the prostitutes and tax-collectors, know best the
converting energy of Gods Word. The verb means to penetrate, to go all the
way through. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he called upon them to
remember the dramatic effect of their conversion.
Conversion of John Newton
The mother of John Newton (1725-1807) taught her son the Word of
God and hoped he would become a minister. Newton wrote of her in his
autobiography: She stored my memory with many Scripture portions and
chapters, catechisms, hymns, and poems.95 His father cared for him, but he
was often away at sea. Newtons mother died when John was only seven, so he
followed in his fathers wake and became a sailor. Newton grew in opposition
to the Scriptures and became increasingly dissipated. He was an outcast even on
slave ships, work considered to be the worst kind of duty at sea with the least
reputable crews. A deadly storm at sea and a miraculous rescue brought the
prodigal son to his senses. The ships cargo, beeswax and wood, kept the vessel
floating. The trip back to a safe harbor was long and arduous, made worse by
the captains expressed wish to throw Newton overboard, suspecting him of
being a Jonah. Gradually, after the return to shore, Newton came to an
understanding of the Gospel through many long conversations with a kindly
98

believer.96 The shipwreck convinced him that the Scriptures were the Word of
God, because they described his condition exactly while the ship threatened to
sink.
KJV Proverbs 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have
stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all
my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your
calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and
anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not
answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they
hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would
none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of
the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Newton became an ordained minister at last, as his sainted mother
wished. Only the power of the Gospel could have pierced his heart, doublyhardened from willful rejection of his mothers teaching and his energetic
pursuit of pleasure. The name of the Savior was a curse on his lips until the
taught and remembered Word of God converted him, showing him his sin and
recalling the Gospel promises. Newtons hymns are known for their ethereal
joy, because he remembered so well his former state and the contrasting peace
that followed contrition and faith in the atoning death of Christ.
J-118
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believers ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away all fear.
How sweet the name, The Lutheran Hymnal, #364, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
John Newton wrote his own epitaph, which reads:
J-119
John Newton, clerk, once an Infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in
Africa, was, by the rich Mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved,
restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to
destroy.
For many, Newtons epitaph is sung almost daily: Amazing grace, how
sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I was once lost, but now am
found, was blind but now I see.
(5) Dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow A hunter will not take an
ordinary knife with him, nor will he burden himself with a fairly good knife. He
99

will take the sharpest and strongest knife to slice through the hide and cut into
joints or through tendons.
The distinction made here in the Greek text is between the natural
(soul) and the spiritual (spirit). The Greek word for soul does not translate
properly into the English for soul. Here soul means all of our life forces, while
spirit equates to our concept of soul. The Word converts the natural man so that
the spirit takes control of his thoughts, emotions, drives, and activities. The
unconverted or natural man has no struggle between soul and spirit, because the
natural urges dominate the spirit.97 As one believer expressed it, I was never
tempted when I was a pagan. I did whatever I wanted. There was no struggle.
Worldly wisdom attacks the natural man and tells him what he must do to be
better, but the sword of the Word distinguishes between the natural and the
spiritual and converts the spirit.98
In Acts 2:14-36, the Sword of the Spirit was used against the crowds
who were stabbed in their heart after hearing that the man they had killed was
the promised Messiah. Mans wisdom would have led the apostles to address a
more receptive audience than those who had the blood of Christ on their hands,
especially since they had hailed His entrance to Jerusalem.
KJV Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto
Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost.
(6) A discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart - The Word judges
or sees what the inmost man is like. The discerner is the critic judging both the
good and the bad. The same root is used for judge.99 Because God has bound
His Spirit to His Word (Isaiah 55:8-11), there is no difference between God
judging and the Word judging. All of us manufacture the impressions we want
to give, offer excuses, deny our sinful nature, and promote all our words and
deeds as beyond reproach, but the living, active Word, sharper than any
weapon, pierces our armor, converts our spirit, and judges our thoughts with
divine wisdom.
Effective Prayer in James 5:16
KJV James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.
When the Word of God converts someone to faith in Christ, one effect
is a child-like trust in God, manifested in prayer. Although we are urged to pray
without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), God Himself moves us to pray to Him,
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to praise Him, give Him thanks, and cast all our cares upon Him, through
hundreds of promises. These promises are another way of saying, the Gospel,
the Good News. We are not only given promises of comfort, peace,
forgiveness, eternal life, and joy, but we enjoy an abundance of promises:
KJV John 15:7-8 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 This is to my Father's glory,
that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
The righteous man is the one who by faith in Christ receives complete
and full forgiveness for his sins. The prayer is effectual or effective because of
Gods promises, not because of mans exuberance, verbosity, or piety. God has
promised to glorify His Name by answering our prayers. Some misguided
Christians will try to make the effectual prayer one which is louder or longer,
but the word group in the New Testament is used for divine activity (or
Satans), not mans.100
J-120
"It is not human effort, sincerity, fervor nor persistency that matters, it is rather
that the prayer be energoumene, supernaturally operative."
Kenneth W. Clark, "The Meaning of Energeo and Katargeo in the New
Testament," Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 54, 1935, p. 99.
Satan Effective2 Thessalonians 2:7, 9, 11
KJV 2 Thessalonians 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him,
whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie:
Simply by focusing on the same word-group in the New Testament, we
find that effectiveness, energy, and power are also used to describe the ministry
of Satan. The word-group is used three times in a few verses to describe the
time of apostasy and the man of iniquity, the Antichrist.
J-121
Clark translation: "By the very epiphany attendant upon the Lord's parousia he
will render powerless (or exorcise) that one whose parousia is accomplished by
the energeia of Satan attended by dunamis, semeia, and terata pseudous."
Kenneth W. Clark, "The Meaning of Energeo and Katargeo in the New
Testament," Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 54, 1935, p. 100.
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Few books describe the Biblical concept of time better than Siegbert
Beckers A Distant Triumph Song. Most of us think only in terms of linear history,
the unfolding of events, one after another. But in the Word of God we have
Gods view of history, where a thousand years is like a day (2 Peter 3:8 But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.) Thus we not only see distant
prophecies embedded in descriptions of daily events, but we also discern abrupt
transitions from the present to the future. For instance, the unique Virgin Birth
prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 occurs in the middle of a discussion between King
Ahab and the prophet. Liberals cannot imagine God knowing the distant future,
so they are forced by their own limitations to see the prophecy as a prediction
of King Ahab's wife or another married woman having a child! Believers, in
contrast, marvel that God would tell Adam and Eve about the Messiah (Genesis
3:15), fill the Old Testament with Messianic prophecies, declare the Virgin Birth
to an evil king, then fulfill all of the promises perfectly in the birth of Christ.
Gods promises fill us with faith.
Paul taught the Thessalonians about the end of time, we learn, because
they were caught up in current questions about what to do during the wait. Out
of the current debate Paul reveals what we need to know about the Man of
Iniquity.
First of all, he began his activity (2 Thessalonians 2:7) in the apostolic
times, when wolves from within, Christian leaders, tried to rip the flock into
pieces with their false doctrine.101 But God held back the Antichrist, allowing
the saving proclamation of forgiveness through Christ to reach the entire world.
Secondly, when the Lawless one is revealed, his Parousia will be the
working of Satan, This activity will involve lying power, wonders, and signs.
The three-fold work of Satans Antichrist mocks the three-fold saving work of
the Trinity.102
Thirdly, the wrath of God will be revealed when those who reject the
truth (2:10) will be sent a strong delusion or supernatural deception, so
people will believe a lie. The largest Christian Church in the world, the Church
of Rome, has literally damned to Hell anyone who trusts only in the merits of
Christ in order to receive complete forgiveness and eternal life. The Church of
Rome, in opposition to the Word of God, demands good works added to faith
to merit salvation. This oppressive teaching offers a sad fate for most, who are
taught they will spend centuries being tortured in Purgatory along with their
best friends, their parish priest, and we are promised, a few cardinals and popes.
Pauls description of the end of time reveals essential information about
the trials ahead for the Church.
The falling away, the Great Apostasy, must take place first (2:3).
This falling away can only happen within the visible Church. When unbelievers
attack the Word from the outside, they actually strengthen the Church and
spread the Gospel. Only former believers within the visible Church can fulfill
the falling away by turning away from the ruling norm of the Scriptures, the
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norm they were taught. They destroy the Church from the inside, as called and
ordained traitors.
J-122
"In the Papacy we have the most pronounced and greatest imaginable 'falling
away' from the Christian religion. Christians know that man is justified and
saved only by faith in Christ, without the deeds of the Law."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,1953, III, p. 465.
J-123
"This teaching shows forcefully that the Pope is the very Antichrist, who has
exalted himself above, and opposed himself against Christ, because he will not
permit Christians to be saved without his power, which, nevertheless, is
nothing, and is neither ordained nor commanded by God. That is, properly
speaking, to exalt himself above all that is called God, as Paul says, 2
Thessalonians 2:4. Even the Turks or the Tartars, great enemies of Christians as
they are, do not do this, but they allow whoever wishes to believe in Christ, and
take bodily tribute and obedience from Christians."
Smalcald Articles, Part II, Article IV, The Papacy, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 475. Tappert, p. 300. Heiser, p.
141.
The Man of Iniquity will come and set himself up within the Church,
opposing what really belongs to God while having himself exalted as God (2:34).
J-124
"According to an ancient saying, 'the First See is judged by no one.' The reason
is that there is no higher spiritual judge on earth than the pope. He has the right
to decide all Church disputes. For the same reason, there is no right of appeal
from a decision of the Holy Father to a higher court. No such court exists, not
even a General Council. These points were all clearly spelled out by the First
Vatican Council in 1870."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1982, III, p. 116.103
J-125
"I should never finish, my venerable brethren, if I were to put before your eyes
the contradictions of the popes in their teaching. If then you proclaim the
infallibility of the actual pope, you must either prove that which is impossible that the popes never contradicted each other - or else you must declare that the
Holy Spirit has revealed to you that the infallibility of the papacy only dates
from 1870. Are you bold enough to do this?" (Bishop Strossmayer's speech,
1870)
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Henry T. Hudson, Papal Power, Its Origins and Development, Hertfordshire,

England: Evangelical Press, 1981, p. 128.
J-126
This infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed His Church to be
endowed in defining a doctrine of faith and morals extends as far as the deposit
of divine revelation, which must be religiously guarded and faithfully
expounded. [Note: cf. Verbum Dei, Article X.] This is the infallibility which the
Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his office,
when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his
brethren in their faith (cf. Luke 22:32), he proclaims by a definitive act some
doctrine of faith or morals." [Note: "Cf. Vatican Council I, the dogmatic
constitution "Pastor Aeternus," Denzinger, 1839, (3074)."]
Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, III, 25, The
Documents of Vatican II, Walter M. Abbott, S.J., New York: Herder and Herder,
1966, p. 48f.
God is holding back the Antichrist, who will be revealed in time (2:7),
but the Man of Iniquity is already at work.
The Antichrist will be destroyed by the spirit of His mouth when the
Lord returns (2:8).
The final days will be a festival of lawlessness and deception.
Lawlessness is used twice (2:3, 7). Lawless is used once as an adjective (2:8). It
will be a time of lies (2:9, 11), unrighteousness (2:9, 12), and deception (2:11).
The Effective Door, 1 Corinthians 16:9
KJV 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. 9
For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many
adversaries.
When people use the expression, God opened a door, they are
reflecting Pauls language in this letter. The door is symbolic for the opportunity
afforded. The combination of two adjectives tells us that this is a significant
opportunity, effective because God will work through the Gospel when the
door is entered. The great and effectual door is described in Acts 19:1ff.
Paul went to Ephesus (Acts 19:1) a second time (Acts 18:19 the first
time) and had a dramatic encounter with opponents, when a demoniac (19:1516) chased fraudulent exorcists out of a home.
KJV Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know,
and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was
leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they
fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the
Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the
name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many that believed came, and
confessed, and shewed their deeds. 19 Many of them also which used curious
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arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they
counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So
mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
The climax of the narrative shows us that the great door was effective
because the Word of God would be active in converting unbelievers and in
stirring up trouble.
The Great Doxology in Ephesians 1:3-14
Ephesians 1:3-14 comprises the Great Doxology, considered by Lenski
the greatest doxology in the Bible. When the verses are set up in poetic stanzas,
as suggested by Lenski, we can see how God is glorified in Christ through
simple but powerful phrases. Paul E. Kretzmann wrote: Few passages in the
Bible surpass these verses in lofty and sustained solemnity.104
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the Beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in
Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
Gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Verse 11 expresses the power of God in His activity through Christ: 105
105

KJV Ephesians 1: 11 a) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,

b) being predestinated c) according to the purpose of him d) who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will:
All of the schemes, illusions, and ambitions of man are overshadowed
and brought to nothing by the majestic truth of this single verse,
A. In Christ we, both Paul and the readers, have received a wealthy
estate as a gift.
B. God looked over the horizon (pro-horizo )and predestined believers.106
J-127
"For few receive the Word and follow it; the greatest number despise the Word,
and will not come to the wedding, Matthew 22:3ff. The cause for this contempt
for the Word is not God's foreknowledge [or predestination], but the perverse
will of man, which rejects or perverts the means and instrument of the Holy
Ghost, which God offers him through the call, and resists the Holy Ghost, who
wishes to be efficacious, and works through the Word, as Christ says, 'How
often would I have gathered you together, and ye would not!' Matthew 23:37."
Solid Declaration, Article XI, Election, 41, Formula of Concord,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1077.
Tappert, p. 623. Heiser, p. 290.
J-128
"But this resolve is then also infallibly executed, that fact is especially
emphasized in this place. That is a characteristicum of God's, God is (o ta panta
energon), etc. We humans resolve upon many things, we make many resolutions,
but by no means is all that is thus resolved upon carried out. Whatever God
resolves upon, that He also carries out, that He executes in spite of all
opposition or obstacles. God's determination cannot fail and cannot be avoided.
Whatever God has purposed with Himself and what He wills, that must finally
be accomplished. Just this is emphatically true also of His resolve in our election
and predestination. All those whom God has elected and predestinated will
certainly, infallibly arrive at the goal fixed for them."
G. Stoeckhardt, Commentary on St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, trans.
Martin S. Sommer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1952, p. 75.
KJV Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
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C. Gods predestination has a purpose, as shown in Romans 8:28. Faith

in Christ reveals to us that God predestined us. We know, then, that we have a
purpose, because predestination is not a sign of Gods arbitrary and senseless
will, but a sign of His loving purpose.
D. Gods predestination and purpose are linked to His working all
things according to the counsel of His will. God alone is effective in carrying
out His plans. The greatness of His power is revealed in the singular divine act
known to all people, even to scoffers, raising Christ from the dead and placing
Him above all creatures in heaven, on earth, and below the earth (Philippians
2:10).
KJV Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places,
God accomplishes a similar miracle with us, when we Christians die:
KJV Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Divine energy is also experienced in the Church, portrayed as a body
where each and every part builds up in a unified whole, growing together
through Gods grace.
The Great Quickening in Ephesians 2:1-10
KJV Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
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Satans war against Gods Word is clarified when we see how the same
word-group is used for God at work through the Gospel and for the devils
work in maintaining and expanding his power. The entire passage, Ephesians
2:1-10, is reproduced above because its extended, single sentence in the Greek
text summarizes how God alone has converted people who once were dead to
Him. Therefore, since church leaders are consumed with effective methods, we
are obliged to study exactly how God works.
The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, tells us that we were dead
because of trespasses and sins before our conversion to faith. The Ephesian
Christians once walked with Satan, the same spirit who now effectively works
(2:2) in the children of disobedience. When we belonged to the same group
of unbelievers, our cooperation with the Prince of this world was three-fold:
following the desires of our flesh, the will of our flesh, and our human reason.
J-129
Hence the natural free will according to its perverted disposition and nature is
strong and active only with respect to what is displeasing and contrary to God.
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, Article II, Of Free Will,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 883. Tappert,
p. 521. Heiser, p. 242.
All this is revealed not only to warn Christians about falling back into
doubt and sin but also to show the reality of the continuing warfare between
Christ and Satan, whose spirit is also active, energetic, powerful, and effective.
J-130
"And the devil, who is efficacious in the godless, as Paul says, Ephesians 2:2,
does not cease to incite this feeble nature to various offenses."
Apology to the Augsburg Confession, XVIII, #5, Free Will, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 335. Tappert, p. 225.
Heiser, p. 102.
The objective nature of the Gospel shines with a special brilliance in
verses four and five because the love, mercy, and grace of God are not deserved
or sought by man. Salvation does not rest upon man seeking, deciding, or being
worthy of Christs forgiveness. Quite the contrary! God makes dead people alive
with Christ through the Means of Grace. One could hardly find a more passive
role in conversion. A dead person cannot cooperate.107 Our quickening with
Christ calls to mind the quickening of Jesus corpse in the grave. The spiritually
dead cannot believe or begin to believe, but spiritual life causes movement.
Christ, made alive, left the sealed tomb and later entered the locked room where
the disciples unsuccessfully hid. The unbeliever, made alive in Christ, is moved
by his converted spirit to worship, study the Word, pray, and glorify God in
good works. However, salvation is accomplished by Gods grace and received
through faith, apart from the works of the Law. If mans merit were a cause of
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salvation, those who have faith would boast of their worthiness, a condition we
find in all false religions and among those who misunderstand the Christian
faith. The Great Quickening teaches us the monergism of God, His work alone,
in making the dead alive in Christ to glorify the Father though good works done
in thankfulness to their Creator.
Divine Unity in Ephesians 4:16
KJV Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together
and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love.
Those who feel compelled to make all accomplishments dependent
upon mans ability can only bow their heads in shame at this brief summary of
why we should pray with complete confidence: 108
KJV Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh
in us.
Gods power is so great He can do far more than we imagine or dare to
ask in prayer. The power working in us is not what charismatics and
Pentecostals try to display with shakes, tongue-speaking, and rigged miracles,
but the power of the Gospel to set off a chain reaction of blessings into distant
lands and far into the future.
Conversion of St. Augustine
People think of St. Augustine (354-430) as a religious leader of the
distant past, but he was once a famous, hedonistic pagan. His mother Monica
gave him Christian instruction as a child and prayed for his conversion to the
faith. Augustines unique intellectual gifts made him a powerful intellectual
leader and the finest orator at a time when rhetoric was the pathway to fame.
He was so brilliant that he felt the Scriptures were beneath him. In addition,
Christianity was one of many religions of his day and not very successful in the
marketplace of ideas. Monica never ceased her prayers. Another burden in her
life was an unbelieving husband. One day, as Augustine felt the weight of his
sins, he was overwhelmed with a sense of contrition. Weeping under a fig tree,
he heard a childs voice sing out a Latin song, Tolle, lege. Take and read. The
song had no religious content, but Augustine felt compelled to pick up the
Scriptures where he read the damning words of the Law and the comfort of the
Gospel:
KJV Romans 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting
and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
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J-131
Augustine wrote: I wanted to read no further, nor did I need to. For instantly,
as the sentence ended, there was infused in my heart something like the light of
full certainty and all the gloom of doubt vanished away. Augustine then went
to tell his mother Monica, who leaped for joy triumphant, and she blessed
Thee, Who art able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think. (Ephesians 3:20)109
Monica prayed to have a believing son, but God gave her something
she never imagined, a son who became one of the greatest of all teachers of
Christianity. Augustine became a bishop and served the African church, writing
such classics of the faith as his Confessions and The City of God. It is impossible to
study Christian thought apart from Augustine or find a topic he did not write
about, using the gifts abundantly given him by God. At the last bookstore I
visited, not long ago, I saw a well known highly respected biography of
Augustine in paperback, a testimony to the kind and loving Father Who blessed
Monica far beyond her ability to think or ask. That power gave her, like many
heart-broken mothers afterwards, the faith to pray, the hope to find comfort in
waiting, and the patience to wait for the effectual working of the Triune God,
who can use a child and a secular song to fashion a bishop and theologian out
of a rogue.
J-131
"In like manner, St. Paul says that God's ability is thus proved, in that He does
exceeding abundantly above and better than we ask or think. Ephesians 3:20.
Therefore, we should know we are too finite to be able to name, picture or
designate the time, place, way, measure and other circumstances for that which
we ask of God. Let us leave that entirely to Him, and immovably and steadfastly
believe that He will hear us."110
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p.179f.
J-132
"A very fine example of the power of prayer is provided by Monica, the mother
of St. Augustine. She asked for nothing in her prayer for her son except that he
might be liberated from the madness of the Manichaeans [pagans] and be
baptized... But the more she prayed, the more stiff-necked and stubborn the son
became, and her prayer seemed to her to have become a sin. But when the time
for hearing her solicitous prayer had come (for God usually defers His help),
Augustine is not only converted and baptized but devotes himself entirely to the
study of theology and turns out to be such a teacher that he shines in the church
to this day, teaching and instructing the church. Monica had never asked for
this. It would have been enough for her if her son had been freed from error
and had turned Christian. But God wants to give us greater blessings than we
can ask for, as long as we do not weaken in our prayer."
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What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959 II, p. 1094. Genesis 17:19-22.
The Conversion of Paul, Ephesians 3:7
KJV Ephesians 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the
gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
The monergism of God is also manifested in how Paul was called to be
an apostle, and most significantly, the apostle to the Gentiles. No one would
have predicted that the man who checked the cloaks at the stoning of Stephen
(Acts 8:1) would one day write the inspired letters of the New Testament. That
God chose a hardened persecutor of the Gospel to proclaim the saving grace of
God is a testimony to the unexplainable ways of the Creator. (Romans 11:34
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his
counsellor?) The hardest materials make the finest instruments, as we see with
the popularity of modern surgical knives made from stone, which work so well
that doctors must wait six months to receive their order. In the same way, God
took the hardness and energy of the self-righteous persecutor and used those
qualities for preaching the mercy of Christ across the civilized world. The risen
Christ appeared before Saul (Acts 9:4) and addressed him, sending him for a
colloquy with the skeptical Ananias, who had heard only evil things about Saul.
But God told Ananias:
KJV Acts 9:15 Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear
my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will
shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
J-133
"Finally Paul, v. 7, returns to the thought expressed in vv. 1-3, namely, that the
specific grace which God has bestowed upon him is this, that through him and
his service the Gospel is to be made known among the Gentiles and is to draw
them into the Kingdom of God. In speaking of this he calls attention to the fact
that in this his service of preaching the Gospel of the Gentiles the effectual
working of God's power is demonstrated. The transcendant greatness of God's
power and might is effective both in those who preach and in those who hear
and believe the Gospel, 1:19."
G. Stoeckhardt, Commentary on St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, trans.
Martin S. Sommer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1952, p. 161.
Pauls earlier life as a persecutor of the Gospel serves as a source of
comfort for new Christians who may think they have committed such great sins
that they do not deserve to be forgiven. In fact, no one deserves mercy, but
Jesus has given us His worthiness. We have a special sense of Gods mercy
111

when we consider how He converted Paul instead of allowing him to run

heedless into Hell, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord... (Acts 9:1). We then are able to consider the dramatic
change in Pauls life, due to Gods grace alone, and the profound sense of joy he
experienced in knowing his sins were forgiven, eternal life promised, and Satan
defeated.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans
11:33111
Law and Gospel, Romans 7:5
In these last days of mad old worldly thinking, sin is simply a choice
made, a clarified value, an option. In the Bible, however, sin belongs to the
kingdom of Satan. The Law works through the power of the Holy Spirit and by
itself can only awaken man to his sinfulness.
KJV Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins,
which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto
death.
J-134
"The Apostle here refers to the Law of Moses. Through this Law the old man
was made alive; for this, while leading to the knowledge of sin, increases sin all
the more as long as (divine) grace is lacking. The old man, revealed and made
manifest by the Law, now does what the corrupt nature desires, as we read in
7:13: 'Sin by the commandment (becomes) exceeding sinful.' By divine grace,
however, the old man dies and the Law can no longer bring him forth and make
him manifest. In this way we die to the condemnation and dominion of the
Law, though not to the Law itself, or absolutely, for we have the law, even when
we are no longer under the Law."
Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, trans. J. Theodore Mueller,
Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1954, p. 109.
J-135
In another place, Romans 7:5, he calls it concupiscence, working in our
members to bring forth fruit unto death.
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article II, #30. Of Original Sin,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 113. Tappert,
p. 104. Heiser, p. 30.
J-136
"If we had the Law onlyas we have it nowand nothing besides, we should
have to perish forever and go to hell. The smiting effects and the curse of the
divine Law will first be felt in hell; for the Law must be fulfilled; it must
preserve its divine authority."
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C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 14f. Romans 7:7-9.
J-137
"The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.
(2) Its light of holiness imparts
The knowledge of our sinful hearts
That we may see our lost estate
And seek deliverance ere too late."
Matthias Loy, 1863, "The Law of God Is Good and Wise," The Lutheran
Hymnal, #295, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Psalm 19:8.
Energies Energized by God; 1 Corinthians 12
KJV 1 Corinthians 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it
is the same God which worketh all in all.
The word play in Greek is bypassed in most translations. If we use the
transliteration of the word-group, as Lenski does, the gifts of the Spirit are
energies energized by God. Paul uses three terms: charismata (gifts),
administrations (diakonia), and energies (energemata), indicating the unity of the
Triune God at work. Paul labors to create a sense of unity in the Spirit among
the divided, destructive, and unloving Corinthians who boast so much about the
Holy Spirit. Believers serve in many different ways, but the same God is at work
in all genuine manifestations of the Spirit.112
J-138
"The term workings, or operations, has reference to remarkable works of God
wrought through certain individuals in an exceptional way. For instance, He
grants to Paul a ministerial office of unusual influence: Paul is permitted to
convert more souls than other apostles, to perform more wonders and to
accomplish more. He says himself (1 Corinthians 15:10) that by the grace of
God he labored more abundantly than all."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicolaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 214.
Note the Spirit, Not the Gift, 1 Corinthians 12:11
KJV 1 Corinthians 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the
selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
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One is tempted to think of the gift rather than of the Spirit. Then
people will compare their gifts and either will feel proud or short-changed. We
must consider that the power and energy of the one Spirit is always at work.
J-139
"Person and office may be apparently inferior, but the office is of God and God
is no inferior being. His greatness cannot be equaled by a hundred thousand
worlds. He accomplishes things incomprehensible to the world and impossible
to angels."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicolaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 218.
KJV 2 Corinthians 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your
consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same
sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your
consolation and salvation.
The difficulties associated with believing and teaching the pure Word of
God are described as the experience of the cross. These afflictions need to be
distinguished from the normal difficulties of life, such as illness, economic
hardship, and emotional stress. Taking up the cross daily means accepting the
hardships directly associated with the Word of God, when friends turn into
enemies, or a job is lost, or slander runs rampant, solely because of the Word
and not due to our own sinfulness.113
KJV 2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of
our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the
Gospel according to the power of God
The afflictions described by Paul are not known precisely to us, which
is good, but they are associated with his work as an apostle. Experiences of the
cross work (create) endurance. The cross and the Word cannot be separated, so
the Holy Spirit is effective in times of difficulties.
KJV Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the
LORD delivereth him out of them all.
J-140
The Word and the Cross
"Patient continuance is so altogether necessary that no work can be good in
which patient continuance is lacking. The world is so utterly perverse and Satan
is so heinously wicked that he cannot allow any good work to be done, but he
must persecute it. However, in this very way God, in His wonderful wisdom,
proves what work is good and pleasing to Him. Here the rule holds: As long as
we do good and for our good do not encounter contradiction, hatred, and all
manner of disagreeable and disadvantageous things, so we must fear that our
good work as yet is not pleasing to God; for just so long it is not yet done with
114

patient continuance. But when our good work is followed by persecution, let us
rejoice and firmly believe that it is pleasing to God; indeed, then let us be
assured that it comes from God, for whatever is of God is bound to be
crucified by the world. As long as it does not bring the cross, that is, as long as
it does not bring shame and contempt as we patiently continue in it, it cannot
be esteemed as a divine work since even the Son of God was not free from it
(suffering for the sake of the good He did)but left us an example in this. He
Himself tells us in Matthew 5:10, 12: 'Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness sake... Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven.'"
Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, Romans 2:6-10, trans. J. Theodore
Mueller, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1976, p. 55.
Treasure in Earthen Vessels, 2 Corinthians 4
KJV 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that
the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on
every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted,
but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the
body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made
manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for
Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal
flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
The classic passage, Treasure in Earthen Vessels, expresses the power of
Gods Word with great force and clarity. Paul describes his ministry in four
great contrasts:114
A. Afflicted, but not hopelessly trapped,
B. Perplexed, but not in despair,
C. Persecuted, but not abandoned (to Hell),
D. Cast down, but not destroyed.
A difference must be noted between the lower concept of life (psyche)115,
which means our mortal life; and eternal life (I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life zoe). Paul cannot defeat the forces that will end his mortal life, so death is
working effectively in him, whether disease or violence brings about his death.
But the use of death is deliberately ironic, since Paul does not offer himself as
anything other than a fragile, clay vessel containing the great treasure of the lifegiving Gospel. Believers are the living ones (verb of zoe), delivered to death in
Jesus in order to portray publicly the eternal life of Jesus offered to believers in
the midst of death.
No greater opportunity for evangelism is offered a pastor and
congregation than the funeral of a faithful member. Many people will find
reasons to skip a Baptism or wedding, but a funeral demands respectful
attendance by the greatest scoundrels and scoffers. The audience will include a
115

rainbow coalition of all denominations and varieties of religious experience,

unified by the common experience of death. A great and effectual door is
opened for the pastor and congregation trusting in the energy, power, and
operation of the Law and Gospel. The hymns, Scriptures, and sermon can
present a worship service that expresses the personal faith of the believer, the
relationship between sin and death, and the promise of eternal life through the
death and resurrection of Christ. A funeral bulletin printed with the Scripture
and hymn texts will be a source of comfort for uncounted souls. The death of a
Christian is at work bringing eternal life to others.
J-141
"Despised and scorned, they sojourned here
But now, how glorious they appear!
Those martyrs stand a priestly band,
Gods throne forever near.
So oft, in troubled days gone by,
In anguish they would weep and sigh.
At home, above the God of love
For aye their tears shall dry.
They now enjoy their Sabbath rest,
The paschal banquet of the blest;
The Lamb, their Lord, at festal board
Himself is Host and Guest."
Hans A. Brorson, Behold a Host, Arrayed in White, The Lutheran
Hymnal, #656, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.116
J-142
"But Christ was given for this purpose, namely, that for His sake there might be
bestowed on us the remission of sins, and the Holy Ghost to bring forth in us
new and eternal life, and eternal righteousness [to manifest Christ in our hearts,
as it is written John 16:15: He shall take of the things of Mine, and show them
unto you. Likewise, He works also other gifts, love, thanksgiving, charity,
patience, etc.]. Wherefore the Law cannot be truly kept unless the Holy Ghost is
received through faith... Then we learn to know how flesh, in security and
indifference, does not fear God, and is not fully certain that we are regarded by
God, but imagines that men are born and die by chance. Then we experience
that we do not believe that God forgives and hears us. But when, on hearing the
Gospel and the remission of sins, we are consoled by faith, we receive the Holy
Ghost, so that now we are able to think aright."
Augsburg Confession, Article III, #11, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 159. Tappert, p. 125. Heiser, p. 42.

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Effective in Galatia
KJV Galatians 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the
apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the
Gentiles:)
In this passage Paul is presenting his case against the Judaizers in
Galatia, establishing his status as the apostle to the Gentiles and destroying the
necessity of circumcision. While Peter worked among the Jews and Paul among
the non-Jews, God was actively at work in both men, because the effect of the
Gospel does not depend on man. Therefore, the argument of the false teachers,
that Peter alone worked miracles, is false.
J-143
Clark's translation: "For he who infused the supernatural spirit for Peter in
order that he might authoritatively preach among the Jews, infused me too with
that same spirit, so that I might as authoritatively preach among the pagans."
Kenneth W. Clark, "The Meaning of Energeo and Katargeo in the New
Testament," Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 54, 1935, p. 94.
KJV Galatians 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and
worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
The question posed by Paul about the circumcision party offers a
comparison that needs no answer.
1. God provided all of the effort in giving you the Spirit. The verb form is
related to the act of outfitting a chorus, that is, providing all of the expenses
of a drama or pageant. God provided all of the cost in bringing the Spirit
through the Word to the Galatians, sending His Son and commissioning
the apostles.
2. God also worked (erg is the root for work) great miracles, which are
recorded in Acts 14:3. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in
the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted
signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
3. Did He work miracles (energon dynameis) through the works (ergoi) of the
Law or the preaching of faith? The Judaizers could not teach the Gospel,
could not therefore provide the Spirit, and could not perform any miracles
or wonders. The works of the Judaizers do not work.
J-144
Since Paul, then, clearly testifies that he did not even wish to seek for the
confirmation of Peter [for permission to preach] even when he had come to
him, he teaches that the authority of the ministry depends upon the Word of
God, and that Peter was not superior to the other apostles, and that it was not
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from this one individual Peter that ordination or confirmation was to be sought
[that the office of the ministry proceeds from the general call of the apostles,
and that it is not necessary for all to have the call or confirmation of this one
person, Peter, alone].
The Smalcald Articles, Of the Power and Primacy of the Pope, IV,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 507. Tappert,
p. 321. Heiser, p. 150.
Faith Works by Love, Galatians 5:6
KJV Galatians 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any
thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
J-145
"But after man has been justified by faith, then a true living faith worketh by
love, Galatians 5:6, so that thus good works always follow justifying faith, and
are surely found with it, if it be true and living; for it never is alone, but always
has with it love and hope."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, III, #11. Righteousness of Faith,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 795. Tappert,
p. 474. Heiser, p. 220.
This verse refutes the error of Roman Catholics, who damn to Hell
those who teach that faith means trust in God, that faith alone receives Gods
forgiveness.117
J-146
"If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than trust in divine mercy,
which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this trust alone by which we are
justified, let him be anathema [damned to Hell]." [Session Six, Canon XII]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 460.
J-147
"If anyone says that a man is absolved from sins and justified because of this
that he confidently believes that he is absolved and justified, or that no one is
truly justified except he who believes that he is justified, and that through this
faith alone absolution and justification is effected, let him be anathema [damned
to Hell]." [Sixth Session, Canon XIV]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 551.
The law-merchants win if we think the energy of Gods salvation
comes from circumcision or non-circumcision. They can even turn faith into a
work of the Law, by making trust in God into a decision for Christ, or
cooperation with God (synergism), or as the Church of Rome teaches, faith
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requiring good works to make the believer pleasing to God. Although the
Roman concept seems to be the worst perversion, any addition of the Law to
the Gospel destroys salvation by grace alone. The proper understanding of
Galatians 5:6 is that the justified sinner, receiving forgiveness through faith, will
be active in the works of love, in the spirit of gratitude rather than obligation
toward God.118
J-148
Therefore justification does not require the works of the Law; but it does
require a living faith, which performs its works.
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 721.
J-149
He that hears the Word of Christ in all sincerity, and adheres to it in faith, will
also soon be clothed with the spirit of love.
Martin Luther, 8, 1572, cited in P. E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of
the Bible, New Testament, 2 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, II, p.
251.
J-150
"At this point, Paul uses the antonym katargoumai, in the aorist passive, of which
notice may be taken here. All of you who seek to be pronounced dikaios through
the Law, he says, katergethete apo christou, i.e. 'have been deprived of the
efficacious spirit of Christ.' No longer is He in you, nor you in Him; you have
been exorcised from him."
Kenneth W. Clark, "The Meaning of Energeo and Katargeo in the New
Testament," Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 54, 1935, p. 99.
To Will and to Do Gods Will, Philipians 2:13
KJV Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will
and to do of his good pleasure.
Kittel considers Philippians 2:13 the only instance of the word-group
being used for human activity.119 Non-Lutherans have trouble with this verse,
since they think in terms of the Arminian position of free will or the Calvinistic
position of double predestination.120 However, Lutherans understand that the
Holy Spirit works in the Word and Sacraments not only to make us love His
will, but also to move us in serving Him willingly. Therefore, good works done
by Christians are motivated by the Triune God and also activated by divine
power. Walther: We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling
for the very reason that our heavenly Father must do everything that is
necessary for our salvation.121
J-151
119

"Paul is not using law but Gospel. He is assuring his Christian readers that, in
their complete dependence on God for their salvation, this God will never,
never disappoint them but by working in them by means of Word and
Sacrament will ever bring them to keep on in their willing and to keep on in
their working, both object infinitives being present and durative."
R. C. H. Lenski, Philippians, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House:
1962, p. 800.
J-152
"And Paul, Philippians 2:13: It is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of His good pleasure. To all godly Christians who feel and experience in
their hearts a small spark or longing for divine grace and eternal salvation this
precious passage is very comforting; for they know that God has kindled in
their hearts this beginning of true godliness, and that He will further strengthen
and help them in their great weakness to persevere in true faith unto the end."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, II, #14, Of Free Will.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 885. Tappert,
p. 523. Heiser, p. 242.
J-153
And although the regenerate even in this life advance so far that they will what
is good, and love it, and even do good and grow in it, nevertheless this (as
above stated) is not of our will and ability, but the Holy Ghost, as Paul himself
speaks concerning this, works such willing and doing, Philippians 2:12. As also
in Ephesians 2:10 he ascribes this work to God alone, when he says: For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, II, #39, Of Free Will.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 895. Tappert,
p. 528. Heiser, p. 245.
Effective in Transforming, Philipians 3:20
KJV Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Here Paul contrasts the city to which we belong, in Heaven, to the
earthly nature of those who are sworn enemies of Christ (verse 19) whose God
is their belly, whose end is destruction, whose glory is their shame, because they
think only about the things on the earth. Believers, in contrast, belong to the
City of God, where our Savior will come from at the end of time. He will call
our bodies from the dead, (John 5), giving believers a glorious body which is
like His glorified body, through His activity in subordinating every created thing
and all powers to Himself.
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J-154
"From this earthly city issue the enemies against whom the City of God must be
defended. Some of them, it is true, abjure their worldly error and become
worthy members in God's City. But many others, alas, break out in blazing
hatred against it and are utterly ungrateful, notwithstanding its Redeemer's
signal gifts. For, they would no longer have a voice to raise against it, had not its
sanctuaries given them asylum as they fled before the invaders' swords, and
made it possible for them to save the life of which they are so proud."
Augustine, The City of God, Garden City: Image Books, 1962, p. 40.
Active in Colosse; 1:28, 2:12
KJV Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and
teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working,
which worketh in me mightily.
Paul had to strive against Judaizers in Colosse, so he preached the
Gospel and also warned against the false teachers. He could present every soul
perfect in Christ only if the leaven of salvation by the Law was completely
removed in all respects. His task is not easy; for he speaks of hard labor and
agonizing according to the divine energy God has given him to work miracles.
We can see that the old Pharisaical pride of Paul in being such a hard worker is
now converted into praising God for working through him. The style of selfcongratulations is still present, but Paul is now only the instrument.
KJV Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are
risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him
from the dead.
The monergism of the Bible is repeatedly connected to this wordgroup. In this passage we have the utter defeat of synergism, that is, any notion
that man cooperates with God in salvation, even if it only means to complete
what God has begun. Baptism is symbolic, but the Sacrament is not merely
symbolic. Baptism is the energy of God in burying the old Adam and raising up
the new Creation. Water represents our burial, our washing, our rebirth, but the
power of Baptism comes from the Holy Spirit at work in the Word. We are
raised through the faith worked by God who raised Him from the dead. The
creation of faith by One so powerful cannot be denied, especially since the
actual resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith.122
J-155
"Luther heads the list of those who regard the genitive as a genitive of cause:
'the faith which God works,' etc., 'of the operation of God' (KJV), i.e., produced
in us by His work. So this passage has come to be a dictum probans against
121

synergism. The fact that faith is in toto God's production is the teaching of all
Scripture."123
R. C. H. Lenski, Colossians, Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1937, p.
109f.
J-156
Just as Paul says to the Colossians, 2:12, that faith is efficacious through the
power of God, and overcomes death: Wherein also ye are risen with Him
through the faith of the operation of God. Since this faith is a new life, it
necessarily produces new movements and works. [Because it is a new light and
life in the heart, whereby we obtain another mind and spirit, it is living,
productive, and rich in good works.
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, #250, Justification.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 191. Tappert,
p. 143. Heiser, p. 53.
J-157
Paul almost everywhere, when he describes conversion or renewal, designates
these two parts, mortification and quickening, as in Colossians 2:11: In whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, namely, by
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh. And afterward, v. 12: Wherein also
ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God. Here are two
parts. [Of these two parts he speaks plainly Romans 6:2, 4, 11, that we are dead
to sin, which takes place by contrition and its terrors, and that we should rise
again with Christ, which takes place when by faith we again obtain consolation
and life.
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XII, #46. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 263. Tappert, p. 188.
Heiser, p. 81.
Effectual in Acknowledging, Philemon 1:6
Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become
effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ
Jesus.
Communication (koinonia) is used exclusively in the New Testament for
fellowship with God. The English term, koinonia, has degenerated into a name
for socializing and cell groups. In the New Testament, koinonia means
fellowship with God:
KJV 1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not
the communion (koinonia) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is
it not the communion (koinonia) of the body of Christ?
When we understand that koinonia means fellowship with God, then we
can see how Philemons faith can become energetic, divinely active, in being
122

aware of all worthwhile things in him in Christ. The letter is a Gospel-centered

plea by Paul to a rich man, Philemon, to accept back his runaway slave,
Onesimus. The request in Philemon 1:6 is for Philemon to show mercy, which
will then be influential among all the Christians, when they see someone give up
his rights under the law in order to show forgiveness through Christ. This
would also be a way of acknowledging the good things, the blessings, of
Christian fellowship. In contrast, non-believers lord it over one another
(Matthew 20:25).
Synoptic Energy, Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:14
KJV Matthew 14:2 (parallel: Mark 6:14) And said unto his servants,
This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works
do shew forth themselves in him.
Herod the Tetrarch, in a guilty panic after he murdered John the
Baptist, claimed that Jesus was John come back to life. While others saw
wonderful miracles attesting the divinity of Jesus, Gods only-begotten Son,
Herod saw a haunting memory of a dead prophet. If we did not have the
efficacious verb in this passage, we would still be struck by the terror induced in
Herod by the presence of the Savior. The mighty works active in Christ have
the effect of the Law for Herod, because he only knows the agony of the
unrepentant sinner who has hardened his own heart against the Gospel.
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are
bold as a lion.

123

Appendix One: The Word As a Sword

KJV Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
KJV Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming.
KJV Revelation 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out
of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the
sun shineth in his strength.
KJV Revelation 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write;
These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.
KJV Revelation 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and
will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
KJV Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by
the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the
beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
KJV Revelation 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
KJV Revelation 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of
him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all
the fowls were filled with their flesh.

124

Efficacy In The Book Of Concord124

Augsburg Confession
J-158
"Although the Church properly is the congregation of saints and true believers,
nevertheless, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled
therewith, it is lawful to use Sacraments administered by evil men, according to
the saying of Christ: 'The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, etc.'
Matthew 23:2. Both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the
institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered
by evil men."
Augsburg Confession, VIII. What the Church Is, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 47. Matthew 23:2. Tappert, p. 33.
Heiser, p. 13.
Apology of the Augsburg Confession
J-159
"For Christ wishes to assure us, as was necessary, that we should know that the
Word delivered by men is efficacious, and that no other word from heaven
ought to be sought. 'He that heareth you heareth Me,' cannot be understood of
traditions. For Christ requires that they teach in such a way that [by their
mouth] He Himself be heard, because He says: 'He heareth Me.' Therefore He
wishes His own voice, His own Word, to be heard, not human traditions."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, XXVIII. #18. Eccles. Power,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 449. Tappert,
p. 284. Heiser, p. 134.
The Large Catechism
J-160
"Besides, it is an exceedingly effectual help against the devil, the world, and the
flesh and all evil thoughts to be occupied with the Word of God, and to speak
of it, and meditate upon it, so that the First Psalm declares those blessed who
meditate upon the Law of God day and night. Undoubtedly, you will not start a
stronger incense or other fumigation against the devil than by being engaged
upon God's commandments and words, and speaking, singing, or thinking of
them. For this is indeed the true holy water and holy sign from which he flees,
and by which he may be driven away."
The Large Catechism, Preface, #10, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 570f. Tappert, p. 359f. Heiser, p. 167.
J-161
"For let me tell you this, even though you know it perfectly and be already
master in all things, still you are daily in the dominion of the devil, who ceases
neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you, to kindle in your heart
125

unbelief and wicked thoughts against the foregoing and all the commandments.
Therefore you must always have Gods Word in your heart, upon your lips, and
in your ears. But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he
breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware. On the other hand,
such is the efficacy of the Word, whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard,
and used, that it is bound never to be without fruit, but always awakens new
understanding, pleasure, and devoutness, and produces a pure heart and pure
thoughts. For these words are not inoperative or dead, but creative, living
words."
The Large Catechism, Third Commandment. #100. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378f. Heiser,
p. 175f.
J-162
"Thus it appears what a great, excellent thing Baptism is, which delivers us from
the jaws of the devil and makes us God's own, suppresses and takes away sin,
and then daily strengthens the new man; and is and remains ever efficacious
until we pass from this estate of misery to eternal glory."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #83. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 751. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p.
209.
Formula of Concord
J-163
"Therefore, before the conversion of man there are only two efficient causes,
namely, the Holy Ghost and the Word of God, as the instrument of the Holy
Ghost, by which He works conversion. This Word man is [indeed] to hear;
however, it is not by his own powers, but only through the grace and working
of the Holy Ghost that he can yield faith to it and accept it."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, II, Of the Free Will, #19, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 791. Tappert, p. 472.
Heiser, p. 219.
J-164
"And although God, according to His just, strict sentence, has utterly cast away
the fallen evil spirits forever, He has nevertheless, out of special, pure mercy,
willed that poor fallen human nature might again become and be capable and
participant of conversion, the grace of God and eternal life; not from its own
natural, active [or effective] skill, aptness, or capacity (for the nature of man is
obstinate enmity against God), but from pure grace, through the gracious
efficacious working of the Holy Ghost." Luther, Psalm 90.
Formula of Concord, SD, II, #20. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1921, p. 889. Tappert, p. 525. Heiser, p.
243.
126

J-165
"Thirdly, in this manner, too, the Holy Scriptures ascribe conversion, faith in
Christ, regeneration, renewal, and all that belongs to their efficacious beginning
and completion, not to the human powers of the natural free will, neither
entirely, nor half, nor in any, even the least or most inconsiderable part, but in
solidum, that is, entirely, solely to the divine working and the Holy Ghost, as
also the Apology teaches."
Formula of Concord, SD II. #25. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 891. Tappert, p. 526. Heiser, p. 244.
J-166
"For this reason we shall now relate, furthermore, from Gods Word how man
is converted to God, how and through what means [namely, through the oral
Word and the holy Sacraments] the Holy Ghost wants to be efficacious in us,
and to work and bestow in our hearts true repentance, faith, and new spiritual
power and ability for good, and how we should conduct ourselves towards
these means, and [how we should] use them."
Formula of Concord SD II. #48. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 901. Tappert, p. 530. Heiser, p. 246.
J-167
"Now, all who wish to be saved ought to hear this preaching [of Gods Word].
For the preaching and hearing of Gods Word are instruments of the Holy
Ghost, by, with, and through which He desires to work efficaciously, and to
convert men to God, and to work in them both to will and to do. This Word
man can externally hear and read, even though he is not yet converted to God
and regenerate; for in these external things, as said above, man even since the
Fall has to a certain extent a free will, so that he can go to church and hear or
not hear the sermon."
Formula of Concord, SD, II, #52. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1921, p. 901f. Tappert, p. 531. Heiser, p.
246.
J-168
"Now, although both, the planting and watering of the preacher, and the
running and willing of the hearer, would be in vain, and no conversion would
follow it if the power and efficacy of the Holy Ghost were not added thereto,
who enlightens and converts the hearts through the Word preached and heard,
so that men believe this Word and assent thereto, still, neither preacher nor
hearer is to doubt this grace and efficacy of the Holy Ghost, but should be
certain that when the Word of God is preached purely and truly, according to
the command and will of God, and men listen attentively and earnestly and
meditate upon it, God is certainly present with His grace, and grants, as has
been said, what otherwise man can neither accept nor give from his own
powers."
127

Formula of Concord SD II. #55-56. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St.

Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 903. Tappert, p. 531f. Heiser, p.
246.
J-169
"The other eating of the body of Christ is oral or sacramental, when the true,
essential body and blood of Christ are also orally received and partaken of in the
Holy Supper, by all who eat and drink the consecrated bread and wine in the
Supperby the believing as a certain pledge and assurance that their sins are
surely forgiven them, and Christ dwells and is efficacious in them, but by the
unbelieving for the judgment and condemnation, as the words of the institution
by Christ expressly declare..."
Formula of Concord, SD, VII. #63. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1921, p. 995. Tappert, p. 581. Heiser, p.
270.
J-170
"For the true and almighty words of Jesus Christ which He spake at the first
institution were efficacious not only at the first Supper, but they endure, are
valid, operate, and are still efficacious [their force, power, and efficacy endure
and avail even to the present], so that in all places where the Supper is
celebrated according to the institution of Christ, and His words are used, the
body and blood of Christ are truly present, distributed, and received, because of
the power and efficacy of the words which Christ spake at the first Supper. For
where His institution is observed and His words are spoken over the bread and
cup [wine], and the consecrated bread and cup [wine] are distributed, Christ
Himself, through the spoken words, is still efficacious by virtue of the first
institution, through His word, which He wishes to be there repeated."
Formula of Concord, SD VII, #75. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 999. Tappert, p. 583. Heiser, p.
270f.
J-171
"Also, Tom. III, Jena, Fol. 446: 'Thus here also, even though I should
pronounce over all the words: This is Christ's body, nothing, of course, would
result therefrom; but when in the Supper we say, according to His institution
and command: 'This is My body,' it is His body, not on account of our speaking
or word uttered [because these words, when uttered, have this efficacy], but
because of His commandthat He has commanded us thus to speak and to do,
and has united His command and act with our speaking."
Formula of Concord, SD VII, #78. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1001. Tappert, p. 583. Heiser, p.
271.
J-172
128

"Now, it is not our faith that makes the Sacrament, but only the true word and
institution of our almighty God and Savior Jesus Christ, which always is and
remains efficacious in the Christian Church, and is not invalidated or rendered
inefficacious by the worthiness or unworthiness of the minister, nor by the
unbelief of the one who receives it."
Formula of Concord, SD VII, #89. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1003. Tappert, p. 585. Heiser, p.
272.
J-173
"1. That the human race is truly redeemed and reconciled with God through
Christ, who, by His faultless [innocence] obedience, suffering, and death, has
merited for us the righteousness which avails before God, and eternal life. 2.
That such merit and benefits of Christ shall be presented, offered, and
distributed to us through His Word and Sacraments. 3. That by His Holy
Ghost, through the Word, when it is preached, heard, and pondered, He will be
efficacious and active in us, convert hearts to true repentance, and preserve
them in the true faith. 4. That He will justify all those who in true repentance
receive Christ by a true faith, and will receive them into grace, the adoption of
sons, and the inheritance of eternal life." ..."God in His purpose and counsel
ordained [decreed]:
Formula of Concord, SD, XI. #15. Of God's Eternal Election.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1069. 2
Corinthians 5:19ff. Tappert, p. 619. Heiser, p. 288.
J-174
"And this call of God, which is made through the preaching of the Word, we
should not regard as jugglery, but know that thereby God reveals His will, that
in those whom He thus calls He will work through the Word, that they may be
enlightened, converted, and saved. For the Word, whereby we are called, is a
ministration of the Spirit, that gives the Spirit, or whereby the Spirit is given, 2
Corinthians 3:8, and a power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16. And since
the Holy Ghost wishes to be efficacious through the Word, and to strengthen
and give power and ability, it is God's will that we should receive the Word,
believe and obey it."
Formula of Concord, SD XI. #29. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1073. 2 Corinthians 3:8; Romans 1:16.
Tappert, p. 621. Heiser, p. 289.
J-175
"For few receive the Word and follow it; the greatest number despise the Word,
and will not come to the wedding, Matthew 22:3ff. The cause for this contempt
for the Word is not God's foreknowledge [or predestination], but the perverse
will of man, which rejects or perverts the means and instrument of the Holy
Ghost, which God offers him through the call, and resists the Holy Ghost, who
129

wishes to be efficacious, and works through the Word, as Christ says, 'How
often would I have gathered you together, and ye would not!' Matthew 23:37."
Formula of Concord, SD XI. #41. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1077. Matthew 22:3ff.; 23:37. Tappert, p.
623. Heiser, p. 290.
J-176
"Moreover, the declaration, John 6:44, that no one can come to Christ except
the Father draw him, is right and true. However, the Father will not do this
without means, but has ordained for this purpose His Word and Sacraments as
ordinary means and instruments; and it is the will neither of the Father nor of
the Son that a man should not hear or should despise the preaching of His
Word, and wait for the drawing of the Father without the Word and
Sacraments. For the Father draws indeed by the power of His Holy Ghost,
however, according to His usual order [the order decreed and instituted by
Himself], by the hearing of His holy, divine Word, as with a net, by which the
elect are plucked from the jaws of the devil. Every poor sinner should therefore
repair thereto [to holy preaching], hear it attentively, and not doubt the drawing
of the Father. For the Holy Ghost will be with His Word in His power, and
work by it..."
Formula of Concord, SD XI. #76-77. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1089. John 6:44. Tappert, p. 629.
Heiser, p. 293.

130

Notes
86"We

observe that energeo in our eleven occurrences is associated twice

with dynamis (once as a subject and once as object), three times with the
cognates energeia and energema, and once with the kratos tes ixchuos of God. But
even when such terms are not present, energeo itself has a supernatural
connotation. Eight times the verb refers to the action of God, and once to the
action of Satan, while the remaining two occurrences (Matthew 14:2 = Mark
6:14; Philippians 2:13) clearly relate to supernatural sources of power. In every
case the context bears the atmosphere of supernatural forces at work, and the
action is at home in the practical dualism of first century thought, where so
much of the conduct of daily life was explained as the operation of good or evil
spirits from outside the human realm." Kenneth W. Clark, "The Meaning of
Energeo and Katargeo in the New Testament," Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 54,
1935, p. 95.
87William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of
the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Chicago: Uinversity of
Chicago Press, 1957, p. 30.
88Lenski

was highly esteemed in all Lutheran synods during his

productive lifetime, but the tide was turning against Biblical inerrancy and the
efficacy of the Word. He opposed the waffling on inerrancy that led to the 1930
merger of the American Lutheran Church. Church officials silenced him.
Augsburg took over publishing rights to Lenskis commentaries but gave them
up during the ELCA Babylonian Captivity.
89G.

Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1964 , II, p. 652.
90James

H. Moulton, George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek New

Testament, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1930, p. 214. The authors state this
about the verb form, that it seems always to have the idea of effective
working... The adjective form is used for a mill in working order, for
wrought iron, and tilled land, as well as tolerably strong medicine.
91Would any faculty member or graduate of Fuller Seminary give such a
clear testimony today about the power of the Word alone? The founder of Fuller
believed in the inerrancy of the Word. His wife believed in the efficacy of the
Word. The Fuller faculty rejects both.
92A

triadic structure is an indication of divine activity. The fruits of the

Spirit are nine-fold in Galatians 5:22ff. Jack Cascione has a fascinating study of
lists in his book, In Search of the Biblical Order, Fairview Park: Biblion Publishing,
1987. We can find many examples of triads - Blessed be the God and Father of
131

our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3).
93KJV 1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they
be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy 1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves
shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to
God from idols to serve the living and true God Psalm 42:2 My soul thirsteth
for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
94KJV

Psalm 95:11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should

not enter into my rest.
95Autobiography,

Letters of a Slave Trader Freed by Gods Grace, Chicago:

Moody Press, 1963, p. 7. Those who doubt the value of memory work at an
early age may want to consider the efficacy of the Word as it continued to
influence Newton, even when he seemed to emulate Jonah in running away
from God.
96Luther

constantly emphasized the value of the external (spoken)

Word in conversion.
97A

scoffer asked a believer how God, who is omnipotent, could lift an

unmovable rock. The believer answered, But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).
98The

introduction to the Means of Grace chapter in Isaiah reminds us

of the weakness of mans weapons: Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed
against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in
judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the
LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
99Matthew

5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in

the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and
the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
100The Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22) and the importunate widow
(Luke 18:1-8) are two examples of prayer answered.
101Paul

wrote sternly to the Galatians specifically about those who

wanted to require circumcision for the faith, thus destroying the Gospel. Acts
20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to
draw away disciples after them.
132

102The

Bible often reveals Gods attributes and works in groups of

three to remind us of the three-fold nature of the Trinity. Some examples are:
The Lord repeated three times in the Aaronic benediction, Numbers 6;
Holy, holy, holy in Isaiah; the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love; 1
Corinthians 13.
103"With

the infallibility bestowed on her by the Lord, the Church

clearly teaches that Jesus appointed Peter to be the first of all the Apostles and
to be the visible head of the whole Church; he also immediately and personally
gave Peter a true primacy of jurisdiction over the Church." [Anyone who denies
this is anathema, damned to Hell, according to Vatican I - Denzinger 1823 Baker, p. 108], Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San
Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1982, III, p. 107. Matthew 16:17-19.
104Popular Commentary of the New Testament, 2 vols., St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, II, p. 262.
105Ephesians

1:11 is cited in the Formula of Concord, Thorough

Declaration, Article XI, Of Gods Eternal Election, Concordia Triglotta, p. 1073.
106Many

erroneously believe that Lutherans and Calvinists agree on

predestination. "Calvin and his adherents boldly rejected the universality of
God's grace, of Christ's redemption, and of the Spirit's efficacious operation
through the means of grace, and taught that, in the last analysis, also the eternal
doom of the damned was solely due to an absolute decree of divine reprobation
(in their estimation the logical complement of election), and this at the very time
when they pretended adherence to the Augsburg Confession and were making
heavy inroads into Lutheran territory with their doctrine concerning the Lord's
Supper and the person of Christ, which in itself was sufficient reason for a
public discussion and determined resentment of their absolute
predestinarianism." F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the
Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1921, p. 195f.
107It

is certain, however, that the wicked are in the power of the devil,
and members of the kingdom of the devil, as Paul teaches, Ephesians 2:2, when
he says that the devil now worketh in the children of disobedience. Apology
of the Augsburg Confession, Article VII and VIII, #16, Of the Church.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 231. Tappert,
p. 170f. Heiser, p. 72.
108"Whatever

THE MIND OF MAN can CONCEIVE and BELIEVE

it can ACHIEVE." Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, New York: Fawcett
Crest Books, 1937, revised 1960, p. 32. [Emphasis in original]
133

109Augustine,

Confessions.

110This

statement is contrary to everything taught by Lutheran followers

of the Church Growth Movement.
111As Kretzmann noted, Paul did not brag about his special role in
Ephesians 3:7, but wrote with great meekness. Sadly, many gifted ministers
stumble because of their inordinate pride in what God has generously bestowed
on them, as if inherited talents and special opportunities grant a license to
jettison sound doctrine to be more popular or to break the Ten
Commandments to have more fun.
112Lutheran

Church Growth advocates have demeaned this chapter and

Romans 12 by turning spiritual gifts into a talent search, the results placed in a
database for getting the congregations housekeeping chores done. The need for
weekly cleaning volunteers is turned into a category in a spiritual gifts
inventory, a cry for help in a doctrinal wasteland.
113Luke

9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
114Four

and Cascione.

is used for completeness, as noted by Lenski, Corinthians, p. 977,

115John

10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down

my life (psyche) that I might take it again.
116Our

daughters Bethany and Erin Joy were often shunned for being
weak and disabled, and they suffered from severe pain and distress from their
neurological degeneration, from medical tests, and from failed experimental
treatments. This hymn combines ethereal beauty with the reality of suffering,
providing comfort for the mourners in a continuing reminder of the Gospel
promises.
117C.

F. W. Walther, Law and Gospel, p. 232.

118The inefficiency of a faith that fails to work by love is not due to a

lack of love, but to the fact that it is not real, honest faith. Love must not be
added to faith but grow out of it. C. F. W. Walther, Law and Gospel, p. 211.
119Gerhard

Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Grand

Rapids: Eerdman's, 1964, II. "In the OT and NT energeia, and in the NT the
verb energein, are used almost exclusively for the work of divine or demonic
powers, so that we almost have a technical use." (p. 652) Only in Philippians
2:13 does the active energein refer to human activity. (p. 653) In the NT the med.
134

energeisthai is found only in Paul and James 5:16 and it is always in the intr (p.
654) "In the NT, then, the word group is used of irrational operations, whether
divine or demonic." (p. 654)
799.

120Robertson

121Law
122C.

does this in his Word Pictures, cited in Lenski, Philippians, p.

and Gospel, p. 369.

F. W. Walther, Law and Gospel, p. 364.

123Lenski

considers this an objective genitive, not a causal genitive, p.

110. Not everyone can discern a difference in types of genitives, and
grammatical rules can be a type of commentary. Is this faith created by God
(causal) or is it faith in the working of God as the One who raised Him from
the dead (objective)? The Bible clearly teaches that God creates faith through
His Word.
124The

quotations below, many of which are used in the book, are all
the significant uses of efficacy in the Book of Concord, where the term efficacy
is explicit. The quotations are listed according to page number.

135

Chapter Two: Efficacy

Passages of the Bible
The Biblical passages using the enegeia-energeo word group, studied in the
first chapter, do not exhaust the category of Scriptural passages about the
efficacy of the Word alone. This chapter explains the most important texts that
teach the efficacy of the Word alone, without using the efficacy word group.
God reveals His will to us in many different ways, so that we can understand
and gain from His wisdom, if not from one passage, then from another. If we
spend time with the Word and meditate about the meaning of different
passages, especially when they are under attack by scoffers, we can begin to see
the miraculous unity of the Scriptures. Many men of different cultures and
times, inspired by the Holy Spirit, speak the same truth, unchanging and
unchanged by the folly of man, without error or contradiction.

The Means of Grace Chapter Isaiah 55

Verses 1-5, Repentance for the Gentiles
KJV Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and
milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that
which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken
diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in
fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and
I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to
the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations
that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for
the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
When a Lutheran pastor was installed in Toledo, Ohio, the circuit
pastor recited all of Isaiah 55 during the laying on of hands, introducing the
passage as the Means of Grace chapter. No other passage in the Old
Testament so clearly defines the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion than
does Isaiah 55. Verses 8-10 are often cited in support of the efficacy of the
Word, but the verses have even greater clarity when read in the context of the
entire chapter. The first section (verses 1-5) addresses the Gentiles, while the
second part is directed at Israel.
Verse 1

The interjection in verse 1 could be translated Alas! rather than

Ho! The Hebrew interjection is used consistently in the sense of a warning (1
136

Kings 13:30; Isaiah 45:10).125 Those who are thirsty are invited to the water. Not
the hungry, but the poor, those without silver are invited to buy and to eat,
reminding us that the Gospel is free. The Law, delivered with all the force of
Gods own prophet, has been taught in all of its severity. The Law of God
affects us by making us thirsty for righteousness and eager for the comfort of
forgiveness. Both the water and food are used in the spiritual sense. The
meaning is lost if we think the prophet is predicting material blessings. The first
verse suggests both the water of Baptism and the food of Holy Communion.
The Scriptures are filled with references to water that is not literal water
and food that is not literal food.126 The Samaritan woman at the well, John 4:142, at first wanted miraculous water to spare her the labor of drawing from the
well. Jesus identified her sin, striking her down with the Law, but afterwards
taught her that He was indeed the promised Messiah. She believed in Him and
immediately told her friends, who also believed, not only because of her
proclaiming the Gospel but also because of Jesus Himself teaching them. In
another example, Jesus taught the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:114), where the dinner represents the invitation of our gracious heavenly Father
to enter His Kingdom, dressed in the robes of the righteousness of Christ.127
Verse two supports the sense of the first verse by asking why anyone
would count their silver for non-bread and labor for something not satisfying.
The question creates a contrast between Gods gracious invitationto buy
without moneyand the normal human condition of working hard for material
goods of no eternal value. In the Scriptures and the Confessions, truth is
emphasized by combining a positive statement with a negative. The value of this
method is shown by false teachers who will say, like the Mormons, that they
believe in the Trinity. The Mormons will never say, We renounce the concept
of three separate gods. In fact, when I said, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God
is one God, two Mormon missionaries became angry, although they had just
claimed that the Book of Mormon never contradicted the Bible.128 The apostle
Peter preached using this confessional form:
KJV Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you
builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation
in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
He not only stated that Christ is the cornerstone of salvation, but also
denied that there is salvation apart from Christ.129
Verses 3-5
The only answer for the individuals hunger and thirst is to listen
carefully to Gods appointed prophet. Here we have the method stipulated by
God to nourish the soul, the external or spoken Word. Through the Word we
eat, that is, receive what is good, and also delight in its blessings.
Verses 3-5 are an invitation followed by three Gospel promises:
1) By listening to the Word, our souls will revive.
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2) God will make an everlasting covenant of mercy.

3) Multitudes from outside of Israel will become believers because of the
Christ.
The remarkable sense of time in the Scriptures can be seen in the
abrupt transition between the past (the sure mercies of David), the Messianic
promise (I have given Him for a witness to the people), and a direct address to
the Messiah (Behold, thou shalt call a nation). In the passage under
consideration, past, present, and future are folded together and unfolded,
according to Gods purpose. The majority of Christians today are from the
Gentiles, thus fulfilling the promise offered in this section, that a people will
run to You that You did not know.
Verses 6-13, Repentance for Israel
KJV Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye
upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 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. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led
forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the
thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the
myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that
shall not be cut off.
The Means of Grace chapter is both a call for repentance and the
promise of mercy through Christ. Knowing our frail nature, our fear of
condemnation, our easy descent into despair when faced with the Law, God
assures us of His readiness to forgive. Many Lutheran churches use this Lenten
sentence after the appointed Epistle: Return to the Lord, Your God, for He is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.130 He
warns and promises: Seek the Lord while He may be found. It is not too late
for Israel.
J-201
"That opportunity is given and remains only so long as the Lord lets Himself be
found, so long as He is near. That opportunity is there whenever and so long as
the Lord calls, 50:2; 65:12; 66:4. Cf. John 12:35; 2 Corinthians 6:2. His voice,
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His call, His inviting word alone has the power to convert. Where that voice no
longer is heard, there is no more opportunity to come to grace."
August Pieper, Isaiah II, trans., E. Kowalke, Milwaukee: Northwestern
Publishing House, 1979, p. 487.
God calls upon the wicked in verse seven to abandon his evil ways and
his evil thoughts, since one cannot be separated from another. When the
contrite sinner approaches the throne of grace, God abundantly pardons, not
because of the sorrow of the sinner, but because of the atoning death of Christ.
Mans nature is sinful and rebellious, turning away from God even when he
knows that God commands what is good. No equation can be found in this
verse. Man sins but God offers His Son as the sole foundation for forgiveness
and eternal life. Isaiah portrays contrition not as feeling bad, but as no longer
thinking and doing evil. The humble sinner returns to the Lord, to the Means of
Grace, knowing that He will have mercy upon him and will abundantly
pardon.
The deeds and thoughts of the evil man are contrasted sharply with the
deeds and thoughts of God in verse 8. The gulf between evil man and the
gracious Heavenly Father is revealed in the greatest possible contrast. The
unreachable distance between the earth and the sky illustrates how far sinful
man is below God (verse 9). Mans thoughts and deeds lead to destruction and
death, while Gods thoughts and works lead to blessings and eternal life. No
one can argue from this verse or any other passage in Scripture that man
contributes to his salvation or to another persons by man-made skills, thoughts,
decisions, methods, or long-range plans.
Efficacy of the Word in Isaiah 55:10-11
KJV Isaiah 55:10-11 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.
The image from Gods Creation, in verses 10 and 11, reveals the power of
Gods Word, especially for those who have gardens and farms.
J-202
(1) "Thy word, O Lord, like gentle dews, Falls soft on hearts that pine;
Lord, to thy garden never refuse This heavenly balm of thine.
Watered by thee, let every tree Then blossom to thy praise,
By grace of thine bear fruit divine Through all the coming days.
(2) Thy word is like a flaming sword, A wedge that cleaveth stone;
Keen as a fire, so burns thy word, And pierceth flesh and bone.
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Let it go forth over all the earth To cleanse our hearts within, To show thy
power in Satan's hour, And break the might of sin." (Garve, 1763-1841)
Carl Bernhard Garve, "Thy Word, O Lord, Like Gentle Dews," Service
Book and Hymnal, Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #254.
The rain and snow come down from heaven, just as the Word descends
to us. No one with any knowledge of plants would argue that snow and rain fall
without effect. The effect is unmistakable and inevitable. The Word condemns
sin and unbelief, brings about contrition in the heart of the sinner, and showers
comfort and peace upon those who believe in the Gospel of salvation. The
Word also damns unbelief and hardens the hearts of those who persistently
reject the Gospel freely offered.
J-203
The word does not return to God in vain, but rather accomplishes what He
has desired and succeeds in that for which He has sent it. What is stressed is the
utter efficaciousness of Gods Word to accomplish the purpose for which He
has sent it forth. In this particular context the element of blessing seems to
predominate (cf. vv. 1-6); but the thought is not thus limited. Just as the word is
efficacious for the salvation of believers, so also is it abundantly efficacious for
condemning the wicked. The word which I have spoken, that shall judge him at
the last day (John 12:48; cf. also Jeremiah 23:29ff.; Romans 1:16).
Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 3 vols., Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972, III, p. 384.131
No one can dispute the divine attributes of the Word from this passage.
The Word is never without these attributes. The Holy Spirit is bound to the
Word by every aspect of the description of its ministry.
The Word comes from the mouth of God, that is, from the Holy Spirit.
The Word comes exclusively from God, not partially from God and partially
from man. The description is three-fold, which we usually find in the work of
the Holy Trinity:
A. The Word never returns empty. Mans words often accomplish nothing,
but Gods Word is incapable of failure.
B. The Word will accomplish what God pleases.
C. The Word prospers Gods intended goal.
J-204
"Rain and snow, too, are God's, and it is He who sends them forth from His
abode. They are His messengers, do His will and carry out His commands, and
only because of His will do they have their wholesome effect. Just so does His
Word go forth from His mouth as His herald, fulfilling the mission assigned to
it by God. That mission is defined in verse 12. It is impossible that the Word
should not fulfill its mission, for it is His creative, commanding Word, alive
with His power. It is the Almighty God Himself in action, even as He performs
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His will in the rain and the snow. Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12f.; Jeremiah
23:29ff."
August Pieper, Isaiah II, trans., E. Kowalke, Milwaukee: Northwestern
Publishing House, 1979, p. 489.
The unique value of rain can be seen with special clarity when
compared to mans best effort to imitate Gods creation. Gardeners and farmers
know that nothing can replace rain for making the soil productive. During a
drought they will water or irrigate. One farmer expressed the limitations of
artificial rain in a few words, You can keep your plants from dying, but you
cant make them grow. City water lacks the dissolved nitrogen of rainwater to
green up plants. When a drought threatens the life of manicured lawns, we see
sprinklers pouring water on brown, lifeless grass. The soil may be soaked, but
the grass still looks dead. The chlorine added to public water systems tends to
retard plant growth as well, so gardeners will keep a barrel of rainwater for their
favorite roses. Farmers irrigate during a drought with some reluctance. They
know that irrigation can slowly destroy the soil by adding too many minerals
from the groundwater. Suddenly, after a windless day of deadly heat and
humidity, a long, soaking rain breaks the drought and turns every lawn green,
every farm productive, showing us once again the difference between mans rain
and Gods rain, mans technology and Gods Creation, mans wisdom from
below and Gods wisdom from above.
We attended the installation of a pastor on a summer evening described
above. I told my wife Chris and son Martin to expect thunder and lightening
during the sermon by Bethany Seminary president Wilhelm Peterson. The heat
and humidity built up during the service in the rural parish. President Peterson
began preaching when the storm broke, punctuated first by soft distant thunder,
later by overhead booms and crashes. Lightening flashed through the church
windows and cool air poured in. Sitting up front with the clergy, I looked across
the pews to watch my family enjoying my prophecy fulfilled. Afterwards, a
retired pastors wife said, That was a million dollar rain, referring to the end
of the drought.
People imagine they understand the value of rain, until they live in the
desert. Moving to a desert valley allowed us to realize the Biblical references to
the burning heat of the sun, the dangers of thirst and heat prostration.132 When
outside temperatures reach 110-115 degrees, salvation and shade are closely
related. KJV Psalm 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade
upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by
night.
Snow has special value in preparing the soil for spring. Far from killing
life, the snow protects plants and animals by placing a warm, moist, translucent
blanket over the earth, acting as a buffer against the drying and freezing winds
of winter. Snowflakes interlock and trap air, providing an environmentally
sound down blanket. By design, snow has a different composition than rain.
When the snow melts, this gives spring plants a boost when needed most.
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During spring, the melting snow and rain combine to allow incredible growth in
the grass, plants, bushes, and trees. However, the vitality of plants would be
impossible apart from the foundation of all biological life in the soil.
No civilization has ever grown or even survived without healthy soil
and vigorous crops. In brief, the pyramid of animal life, with man at the top,
rests upon the fertility of the soil, which is far more than particles of dirt. The
foundation of all plant and animal life includes an army of microscopic
organisms, molds, bacteria, springtails, slugs, sowbugs, ants, centipedes,
millipedes, bees, earthworms, shrews, moles, voles, chipmunks, and rabbits, to
name only a few. All exist in perfect balance, eating and being eaten, breaking
down and building up. All of the life forms need water. When rain and snow no
longer come down, the microscopic creatures die and starve the next higher
order of animals. Animal bodies and dung stop feeding the soil through the
creatures that recycle organic material. Earthworms diminish and the soil loses
its tilth or substance. Plant roots no longer hold the soil in place. The
remorseless winds blow the finest particles of topsoil away, leaving the larger
particles of sand in place. The desert is born from a lack of rain and snow.133
When plants germinate, they are so fragile that a lack of water for one
day can wipe out most of the crop. Like babies, they are vigorous in growth but
demanding of nutrition. Again, when plants are ready to fruit, more water is
needed for their burst of productivity. Many people have seen the dried and
lifeless buds that fall off the plant from lack of moisture. If rain does not fall
during the crucial time of budding, the entire crop will be reduced or fail.
KJV Deuteronomy 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his
due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn,
and thy wine, and thine oil.
KJV James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the
Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and
hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Just as the Creator provides the rain to germinate and produce the
crop, so God gives us His Word to kindle faith in our hearts, to bring forth the
fruits of the Spirit, and to gather us into His eternal habitations. The Word of
God continuously provides blessings in the life of believers as long as they avail
themselves of the Means of Grace. Those who cut themselves off from the
Word by refusing to worship or study, dry up spiritually, just as plants wither
and die in the desert from lack of rain.
We have the technology to understand the cycle of water described by
the prophet in verse ten. Rain and snow come down from heaven but also
return in the form of water vapor. It is a closed system. The weather systems are
so vast, complicated, and unified that a change in the water temperature in the
Pacific can severely affect the weather for half the globe in a phenomenon
known as El Nino. The energy involved is also a closed system, so that heat in
the water is translated into storms that dissipate the heat. The procession of the
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Word from Gods Mouth is portrayed by Isaiah as a closed system. It goes out
and comes back, accomplishing His purpose. Franz Delitzsch wrote: The
return of the word to God also presupposes its divine nature.134 Gods Word
never becomes mans word, never loses its energy.135
seed to the sower, and bread to the eater
Traditional farmers sowed in tears (Psalm 126:5) because they set aside
some of their food as seed to provide crops for the new year. If drought, hail, or
an untimely frost ruined the crop, their food was gone, rotted in the soil. God
provides abundance so that the crop yields enough to feed the family, give some
as a thank-offering, and save some seed for the new year. The Word of God not
only produces believers but also new pastors and teachers to proclaim the
Gospel. When the Gospel is persecuted, even more sowers of the seed are
produced to replace those who are martyred.
J-205
"But if ordination be understood as applying to the ministry of the Word, we
are not unwilling to call ordination a sacrament. For the ministry of the Word
has God's command and glorious promises. Romans 1:16 The Gospel is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Likewise, Isaiah 55:11:
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 is of advantage, so
far as can be done, to adorn the ministry of the Word with every kind of praise
against fanatical men, who dream that the Holy Ghost is given not through the
Word, but because of certain preparations of their own..."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XIII (VII), #11, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 311. Tappert, p. 212.
Heiser, p. 95.
Tertullian is often quoted as saying, The blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the Church. The Word is preached with tears, with many afflictions
falling upon the faithful, yet we reap with joy, seeing the harvest God alone can
provide.
KJV Psalm 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy
Bread is a staple of diets throughout the world, thanks to the ease in
which grain can be converted into flour, then into sourdough bread, which is
convenient to store and carry as well as being satisfying to eat. Although God
provides more than enough to eat, in spite of our anxieties, He shows the
greatest concern for our souls, a gracious Heavenly Father.
KJV Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to
hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy
fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth
man live.136
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The Word of God is bread, feeding the soul and satisfying our hunger
for righteousness, a hunger caused by the Law but satisfied only by the Gospel.
Christ is our bread from heaven.
will not return void
The adverb void is used 15 times in the Old Testament to express
not only literal emptiness, (Jeremiah 14:3), but also symbolic emptiness,
appearing before the Lord empty-handed (Exodus 34:20), being sent away by
God empty-handed (Genesis 31:42) or going to war in vain (Jeremiah 50:9). The
double-negative (not return void) expresses a positive, explained by two
additional states.
1) Exodus 34:20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb:
and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the
firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before
me empty.
2) Ruth 3:17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he
said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
3) 2 Samuel 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not
empty.
shall accomplish
The verb to accomplish is very common in the Old Testament, used
531 times. One example is the fruit tree yielding fruit in Genesis 1:11. The verb
is used many times to express Gods Creation: Genesis 1:31, 2:2, 3:1, 5:1, 6:6.
1) Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is
in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
2) Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
3) Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that
God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.
that which I please
The verb is relatively rare, used 13 times in the Old Testament, both to
express mans delight in serving God, and also Gods delight in caring for man.
1) Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my
heart.
2) Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for
therein do I delight.
3) Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these
things I delight, saith the LORD.
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4) Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of
God more than burnt offerings.
and prosper the thing
The verb for prosper is used 7 times in the Old Testament in two
senses. First, God blesses human efforts with His divine power. King Hezekiah
(2 Chronicles 31:21) served God with his whole heart and prospered because he
sought to live in harmony with Gods will. The Son of God teaches us in
Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you. The second use of prosper
reminds us of the energia-energeo word-group, for the Anti-Christ will also
prosper. In Daniel 8 the prophecy concerns Antiochus Epiphanes (Epiphanes
= God manifest), the future king whose evil would prompt the Maccabean
revolt. He is considered a type of the Antichrist because he used his power to
try to destroy the true worship of Israel. His success foreshadows the success of
the Antichrist, Daniel 11:36, as seen in the power, scope, and prestige of the
papacy. The delusion of the Last Days is manifested in the overwhelming
support of liberal Lutherans to submit to Rome on the doctrine of justification
by faith. The prosperity accomplished by God will last, but the success of His
opponents is only a temporary mirage to scatter the proud in the imagination
of their hearts. (Luke 1:51)
1) Genesis 24:40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk,
will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a
wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
2) 2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the
house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his
God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
3) Isaiah 48:15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought
him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
4) Daniel 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:
and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and
shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
5) Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in
his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall
destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he
shall be broken without hand.
6) Daniel 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall
exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
which he sent
The verb is quite common. The question is whether God has or has
not done the sending.137
1) Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said,
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Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto
you.
2) Jeremiah 29:31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the
LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah
hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust
in a lie:
3) Ezekiel 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The
LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made
others to hope that they would confirm the word.
Results of the Means of Grace, Isaiah 55:12-13
KJV Isaiah 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with
peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come
up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall
be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Delitzsch states: The true point of comparison, however, is the energy
with which the word is realized. Assuredly and irresistibly will the word of
redemption be fulfilled.138 Three manifestations of salvation are given in verse
12:
1) Gods Word replaces fear with joy, turmoil with peace. God is the
vanguard and rearguard of the faithful (Isaiah 52:12).
2) All of Gods Creation rejoices in mans salvation through Christ, for All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that
was made (John 1:3). How can the Creation remain silent when the
Creator is at work?
Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye
lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and
every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in
Israel.
3) Nothing can be silent when God is accomplishing His will:
Psalm 98:8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall
he judge the world, and the people with equity.
A New Testament passage sheds light on this concept. Evil men
demanded a stop to the demonstration around Jesus when He entered
Jerusalem as the Messiah:
Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said
unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them,
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I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out.
Although the invisible church of sincere believers seems to be driven
into the dust at this time, oppressed by massive indifference, persecuted more
from within than from without, a moment will come when no one will debate
the truth. No one will be silent.
Philippians 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
A believer hears the chorus of birds in their living choir-loft. He feels
the wind as it stirs through the branches of the trees, sounding like the soft deep
voices of a vast pipe organ. He cannot keep from singing to himself:
Beautiful Savior, King of Creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly Id love Thee, Truly Id serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
The Lutheran Hymnal, #657, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1941.
Verse 13 might be passed over as poetic license: thorns and briers
replaced by fir-trees and myrtle-trees.139 However, the verse stands out as
another effect of the Means of Grace in addition to the peace and joy
necessarily following salvation. The additional effect of the Gospel in Word and
Sacrament glorifies God through doing good works, not out of obligation, but
solely as a result of thankfulness and love toward God and our neighbor.
Therefore, the thorns and briers of normal sinfulness, which we encounter
every dayeven among idealists, activists, and social revolutionariesare
transformed by the Gospel into the fruits of the Spirit. By himself, man
produces only the following: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Galatians
5:19-21) The Holy Spirit, working through the Word and Sacraments,
produces the following: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).
J-206
"What business is it of mine that many do not esteem it? It must be that many
are called but few are chosen. For the sake of the good ground that brings forth
fruit with patience, the seed must also fall fruitless by the wayside, on the rock
and among the thorns; inasmuch as we are assured that the Word of God does
not go forth without bearing some fruit, but it always finds also good ground; as
Christ says here, some seed of the sower falls also into good ground, and not
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only by the wayside, among the thorns and on stony ground. For wherever the
Gospel goes you will find Christians. 'My Word shall not return unto me void.'
Is. 55:11"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 118.
The Sower and the Seed in Mark 4:3-9 (Luke 8:5; Matthew 13:3)
KJV Mark 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And
it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air
came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not
much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it
withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and
choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield
fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some
sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
Mark 4:14-20 Explanation of the Parable
KJV Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by
the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh
immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And
these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have
heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in
themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or
persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And
these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the
cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things
entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are they
which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and
bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
J-207
"Christ compares the Word of God to a seed, to a grain of wheat sown in the
ground. (Matthew 13:3-23) A seed possesses power and life in itself. Power and
life belong to the properties of the seed. Power is not communicated to the seed
only now and then, under certain circumstances, in peculiar cases. But the Word
of God is an incorruptible seed, that is able to regenerate, a Word which liveth
and abideth forever. (1 Peter 1:23)"
E. Hove, Christian Doctrine, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1930, p. 27. Matthew 13:3-23; 1 Peter 1:23.
The Sower and the Seed is explained by Jesus Himself. In the Means of
Grace chapter of Isaiah, the Word is compared to rain and snow, which
invariably cause growth. In this comparison, the Word is similar to seed, full of
148

potential growth. If God gave us only one illustration, or a few, we would have
more than enough to consider. But our gracious Heavenly Father shows His
abundance in providing many different ways for His Scriptures to illustrate the
whole counsel of God.
The Seed
Seed is a marvel because it is a storehouse of life in a portable package.
Seed will endure heat, cold, storage, travel, and perhaps many years of hardships
before taking root and growing. Seed travels by wind, animal, and human
transportation. Each seed has its own destiny programmed within its genetic
structure. The vitality of seed is easy to appreciate when a few beans or peas are
placed in a damp towel to germinate. The dry, rough seed swells with moisture
at first, and then sends both a root to drink water and absorb moisture, and a
cotyledon (baby plant) to search for the rays of the sun.
J-208
"Preach you the Word and plant it home
To men who like or like it not,
The Word that shall endure and stand
When flowers and men shall be forgot.

1)

2)

We know how hard, O Lord, the task

Your servant bade us undertake:
To preach your Word and never ask
What prideful profit it may make.
3)

The sower sows; his reckless love

Scatters abroad the goodly seed,
Intent alone that men may have
The wholesome loaves that all men need.
4)

Though some be snatched and some be scorched

And some be chocked and matted flat,
The sower sows; his heart cries out,
'Oh, what of that, and what of that?'
5)

Preach you the Word and plant it home

And never faint; the Harvest Lord
Who gave the sower seed to sow
Will watch and tend his planted Word."
Martin H. Franzmann, 1907-76, "Preach You the Word," Lutheran
Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #259.
The parable teaches us about four groups of people who hear the
Word.
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Satan takes away the seed

The first group is represented by those who have the Word snatched
from their hearts by Satan. When the sower casts his seed, some will fall upon
the hard footpaths that border the planting area. These footpaths were well
known to Jesus audience and not unknown today. If a path is worn in grass
from frequent traffic, sowing seed on it alone will not restore the growth. First
the soil must be softened and turned to promote germination. So it is when
people with hardened hearts hear the Gospel but do not grasp it. It goes in one
ear and out the other. They are hearers only and not doers.140 They may
acknowledge the faith in some minor way, even earn a living as ministers or
teachers, but they do not sincerely believe and therefore do not act upon faith.
Luther emphasizes in the strongest terms that synodical unbelievers belong to
Satan.
J-209
"The first class of disciples are those who hear the Word but neither understand
nor esteem it. And these are not the mean people of the world, but the greatest,
wisest and the most saintly, in short they are the greatest part of mankind; for
Christ does not speak here of those who persecute the Word nor of those who
fail to give their ear to it, but of those who hear it and are students of it, who
also wish to be called true Christian and to live in Christian fellowship with
Christians and are partakers of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. But they are of a
carnal heart, and remain so, failing to appropriate the Word of God to
themselves, it goes in one ear and out the other, just like the seed along the
wayside did not fall into the earth, but remained lying on the ground..."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 114.
Satan is always at war against Christianity and never stops stealing faith
from people, just as birds never seem to stop feeding. As Lenksi has noted in
his commentary on Mark, Satan snatches away faith in many different ways:
J-210
Once he tells a man, that the Word which disturbs his conscience is a mere
exaggeration, sin is not so deadly, God cannot have wrath, we must not allow
our enlightened minds to be moved by such outworn notions; again, it is all
uncertain, no uncontested fact in it, and no up-to-date man believes such things;
then, the preachers themselves do not really believe what they say, they preach
only to make an easy living, and are really hypocrites, as their own actions often
show.
R. C. H. Lenski, Mark, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1934, p.
108.

150

Rocky Soil
The second group is similar to seed sown on rocky soil. A grain crop
will send down deep roots, but rocky soil will first promote rapid germination
by soaking up the warmth of the sun and then kill the plant by preventing
proper root growth. Often sunflower seeds will germinate and grow on a flat
roof with some soil blown onto it. But the seedlings quickly die from the heat as
well as the lack of moisture and soil. In the same way, people will hear the
Gospel and rejoice in the forgiveness of their sins. However, they cannot
tolerate any hardship from illness or poverty. They are like Sloth, who falls into
the Slough of Despond in Pilgrims Progress. If this is how the journey begins,
then how can I finish? These people miss the joys of being a Christian during
times of affliction and persecution, for the Light shines all the more brightly in
the dark night of the soul.
J-211
"The second class of hearers are those who receive the Word with joy, but they
do not persevere. These are also a large multitude who understand the Word
correctly and lay hold of it in its purity without any spirit of sect, division or
fanaticism, they rejoice also in that they know the real truth, and are able to
know how they may be saved without works through faith... But when the sun
shines hot it withers, because it has no soil and moisture, and only rock is there.
So these do; in times of persecution they deny or keep silence about the Word
and work, speak and suffer all that their persecutors mention or wish, who
formerly went forth and spoke, and confessed with a fresh and joyful spirit the
same, while there was peace and no heat, so that there was hope they would
bear much fruit and serve the people."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 116.
Lenski adds that the rockiness of the soil is the hidden hardness of
mens hearts, revealed only when persecution comes because of the Word.
Rocky soil can look outwardly soft and fertile, like the front yard of our last
parsonage. Digging a few inches revealed construction trash, rocks, and excess
concrete dumped in the ground. No gardener would expect long-term growth in
such soil.
Thorns

Jesus compares the third group to seed sown where thorns grow and
choke the crop. How many have returned from a long vacation in August to
find their favorite crops choked by weeds? The plants may grow, but they will
not produce well and be fruitful. Thus many different cares push the Gospel
from the hearts of believers: ordinary concerns, lust for money, self-centered
pleasure. Many are too busy working for their daily bread, and luxuries, to thank
their Creator for their material and spiritual blessings. One would be hardpressed to find many faithful and thankful Christians on the Forbes magazine list
151

of the wealthiest people in America. In the parable, not wealth, but the
deceitfulness of riches is compared to the thorns.141 Lenski wrote: Wealth as
such, whether one has it or not, always tends to deceive, by promising a
satisfaction which it can not and does not bring, thus deceiving him who has it
or who longs for it (Mark 10:24, p).142 Weeds have the ability to seem harmless
at first. Many believers have fallen away from the faith by saying to themselves,
This particular evil desire (alcohol, gambling, prestige, power, another persons
spouse, another mans divine call) will not harm me. Slowly the weed chokes
the plant. We are inclined to praise ourselves for withstanding one obvious
temptation while letting our faith be strangled by a different evil desire, one
more subtle.
J-212
"Therefore they [who are fallen among thorns] do not earnestly give themselves
to the Word, but become indifferent and sink in the cares, riches and pleasures
of this life, so that they are of no benefit to anyone. Therefore they are like the
seed that fell among the thorns...They know their duty but do it not, they teach
but do not practice what they teach, and are this year as they were last."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 117.
The three groups are meant to warn listeners to avoid the dangers of 1)
letting go of the Word because of Satans work; 2) running from the Gospel
during difficult and dangerous times; and 3) letting anything displace God from
our hearts.
Good Soil
The fourth comparison, the seed sown on good soil, assures us that the
fruitfulness of the Word will be evident in the yield: 30 fold, 60 fold, 100 fold.
When children are handed packets of sunflower seeds in the spring and told to
plant them, they soon find out how the parable repeats itself in their own
experience. Some seeds are lost on the way home. Others are eaten by the
children. Some plants begin to grow but fail. However, one sunflower seed-head
alone is always more than all the seeds originally given away. When a few
children bring their largest seed-heads to church, they see the power of God in
Creation and in the Gospel. The baptized children themselves are testimony to
the growth of the Gospel through the visible Word. (See Chapter Eight.)
The perfect harmony of the Scriptures is illustrated in St. Peters use of the seed
image:
Incorruptible Seed in 1 Peter 1:23
KJV 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
152

The Vacation Bible School class got into an old musty closet in the
basement of the church in New Ulm, Minnesota. Lining the shelves of the
closet were large glass jars of seed: corn, grass, and wheat. No one knew how
long the jars had been stored there. Two bats had died in the closet and dried
up, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown. So we took the seed outside and
spread it on the ground. The seed retained its appearance but years of storage
robbed it of vitality. Time corrupted the seed and made it unappealing to the
birds. Instead of swarming to the seed, they left it alone.
The born-again language in this passage is a refrain from the
introduction:
KJV 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Baptists walk all over Lutherans with their version of You must be
born again. The apostle Peter does not connect being born again to making a
decision any more than the apostle John does. The spiritually dead are given a
new birth through the preaching of the Word. The opening of the epistle speaks
of being born again by the resurrection of Christ, and verse 23 through the
Word. This is not a contradiction. The power of the resurrection of Christ
comes from the proclamation of that central truth. The Gospel gives life and
defeats death. A corollary is that the resurrection of Christ reveals that death is
defeated through the Savior. The Gospel is both forgiveness of sin and
resurrection, so we are born again by the Word and by the resurrection of our
Lord.
J-213
Through a seed are we born again, for nothing grows as we see except from
seed. Did the old birth spring from a seed? Then must the new birth also spring
from a seed. But what is this seed? Not flesh and blood! What then? It is not a
corruptible, but an eternal Word. It is moreover that on which we live; our food
and nourishment. But especially is it the seed from which we are born again, as
he here says. But how does this take place? After this manner: God lets the
word, the Gospel, be scattered abroad, and the seed falls in the hearts of men.
Now wherever it sticks in the heart, the Holy Spirit is present and makes a new
man. Then there will indeed be another man, of other thoughts, of other words,
and works. Thus you are entirely changed. All that you before avoided you now
seek, and what you before sought that you now avoid. In respect to the birth of
the body, it is a fact that when conception takes place the seed is changed, so
that it is seed no longer. But this is a seed that cannot be changed; it remains
forever. It changes me, so that I am transformed in it, and whatever is evil in me
from my nature passes away. Therefore it is indeed a wonderful birth, and of
extraordinary seed.
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Martin Luther, Commentary on Peter and Jude, ed. John Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1990.
J-214
Just why the fact of our regeneration should prove such a strong motive to us
to give evidence of our faith in love is shown in the description of regeneration,
when the apostle states that this new birth in our hearts is not the result of
perishable, corruptible seed, as the growth of earthly plants would be, but of an
incorruptible, imperishable seed, the Word of God, The Gospel of the Savior
Jesus Christ. This Word of God is in itself living, full of life and of life-giving
power. And it abides in eternity; even after the form of the Word, in Scripture
and preaching, has passed away, the content of the Gospel will remain in
eternity. Thus the life which is wrought in the hearts of men through the
Gospel is a true, divine, and therefore imperishable life, and it will continue in
the life of eternity.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible, The New Testament, 2
vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 19 , II, p. 523.
Many of those who love the classical Lutheran authors of the past find
themselves bewildered by the rejection of these men by their own synodical
publication houses. Superb old volumes go out of print, while dreadful new
books of false doctrine get promoted as required reading. In the last days of a
mad old world, these things must take place. Unbelievers in charge of Lutheran
synods do not want to associate with the imperishable Word. They prefer the
worldly wisdom that promises themnot eternal lifebut material blessings.
Those who love the voice of the Shepherd follow Him. They are not gathered
by the synod or by the newest methods, but by the Word.
J-215
They that trust in the things of this world will find themselves bitterly
disappointed at the last. For only Gods Word has lasting value; it endures
throughout eternity, it alone stands firm and unmoved in the midst of this
world of death. If we but place our trust in this Word, in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, it will lift and take us safe through the uncertainty and decay and misery
and wretchedness of this world to the eternal life of salvation. Once more, then,
the apostle calls out: But this is the Word which in the Gospel is preached to
you. If we place our trust in this Word, in this glorious Gospel, then we are safe,
here in time and hereafter in eternity.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible, The New Testament, 2
vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 19 , II, p. 523.143
The Engrafted Word in James 1:21
KJV James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls.
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Another example of Biblical harmony can be found in James concise

yet powerful reference to the Sower and the Seed. The author urges his listeners
to receive the Word with meekness, the very quality of Christ Himself.144 The
vineyard and orchard workers would understand immediately the image of the
Word grafted onto their hearts and growing, pushing aside the works of the
flesh and promoting the fruits of the Spirit.
J-216
To be sure, the readers are also to hear it [the Word] again and again, James
himself in this epistle continuing this implanting; what he means is that they
shall completely accept the Word, which they have already heard and will
continue to hear. James may, indeed, have in mind the parable of the Sower and
the Seed, and the good soil that produces a hundred fold.
R. C. H. Lenski, James, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938, p.
561.
J-217
It is not the man but the Word that multiplies. The Word indeed, in itself, is a
fixed entity, and as such neither to be increased or decreased. Its multiplication
is in its spread more and more in one heart, and more and more from one heart
to other hearts. It is thus that the hearers bear fruit. When thus the Word
remains and flourishes in a heart, repentance, faith, Christian virtues and works
result, whereby the Word spreads more and more.
R. C. H. Lenski, Mark, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1934, p.
111.
J-218
The disposition of the believers rather is this, that they daily and ever again
receive the implanted Word, accept anew the message of their salvation and
sanctification as it is brought to them in the Gospel. The seed which has
sprouted in their hearts is supposed to grow into a strong, healthy plant, and
therefore it is necessary that they hear and learn the Word, which alone is able
to save their souls, day after day, never growing weary of its wonderful truths.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible, The New Testament, 2
vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, II, p. 501.
J-219
1) Almighty God, thy word is cast
Like seed into the ground,
Now let the dew of heaven descend
And righteous fruits abound.
2) Let not the foe of Christ and man
This holy seed remove,
But give it root in every heart
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To bring forth fruits of love.

3) Let not the world's deceitful cares
The rising plant destroy,
But let it yield a hundredfold
The fruits of peace and joy.
4) Oft as the precious seed is sown
Thy quickening grace bestow,
That all whose souls the truth receive
Its saving power may know."
John Cawood, 1775-1852, "Almighty God, Thy Word Is Cast," Service
Book and Hymnal, Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #196. TLH
Hymn #49.
The parable does not teach that we should test the soil before we
proclaim the Word. A farmer, using this logic, would know which seed and
even what plants would produce well. Those with actual experience in growing
plants are too humble to predict the future, knowing that their field is in Gods
hands, even today, with satellite weather services, advanced drainage, scientific
fertilizers, and hybrid seed. Experienced pastors also realize that they must
preach the Word faithfully without trying to measure when and how God will
bless the labor.
J-220
"The efficacy of the Word, unlike that of the seed, always has a result. The man
to whom the Word of God comes, and who repels it, is not as he was before.
Where long and persistently refused, hardening at last comes, Exodus 8:15; 9:12;
John 12:40; Hebrews 4:1, and the Word becomes a 'savor of death unto death,'
2 Corinthians 2:16. Every word heard or read, every privilege and opportunity
enjoyed, leaves its impress either for good or for evil. It is not so properly the
Word, as man's abuse of the Word; not so much the efficacy of the Word, as
the sin taking occasion of the efficacy that produces this result, Romans 7:8."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, Elements of Religion, Philadelphia, Board of
Publication, General Council , 1919, p. 155.
The parable does not teach the exact percentage of results from
proclaiming the Gospel. The four groups are not meant to represent to us that
one fourth of our work will be fruitful and three fourths unproductive. Instead,
we see that Gods Word will multiply in spite of all the discouraging things that
work against it. Soil-testing, a Church Growth concept, is nonsense based upon
Zwinglian doctrine.
156

J-221
"Soil Testing. An evangelistic strategy that seeks out those people who are open
to receiving the Gospel at the present time."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth:
The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 300.
J-222
"In my opinion, therefore, Church Growth receptivity and 'soil testing'
techniques are often unfairly criticized as if they were by definition synergistic.
It is a fact that some fields are, for various historical and sociological reasons,
more receptive to the preaching of the Gospel and church planting than others.
Our home and world mission boards make these judgments all the time in
deciding where to begin churches or send missionaries."
Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second
and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors
Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 12.
J-223
"Those, however, who set the time, place and measure, tempt God, and believe
not that they are heard or that they have obtained what they asked; therefore,
they also receive nothing."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 172.
J-224
"If the world were willing to take advice from a simple, plain manthat is, our
Lord God (who, after all, has some experience too and knows how to rule)
the best advice would be that in his office and sphere of jurisdiction everybody
simply direct his thoughts and plans to carrying out honestly and doing in good
faith what has been commanded him and that, whatever he does, he depend not
on his own plans and thoughts but commit the care to God. Such a man would
certainly find out in the end who does and accomplishes more, he who trusts
God or he who would bring success to his cause through his own wisdom and
thoughts or his own power and strength."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1151. Luke 5:1-11.
The first three groups of hearers are not enemies of the Gospel, for
Jesus taught this parable to warn us within the visible Church, that many have
no genuine relationship with Him. They have heard the Word, but the Gospel
has been snatched away, scorched, and choked to death. Jesus also taught the
parable to help us realize the abundant harvest that will take place from the
growth of the Word. The parable illustrates the ultimate fate of the proclaimed
Gospel, so we are not to reckon, worry, predict, or assume, but simply to fear,
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love, and trust God above all else. God will accomplish what He has promised,
through His efficacious Word.
J-225
We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by Gods almighty hand.
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain.
Matthias Claudius, 1740-1815, We Plow the Fields, The Lutheran Book
of Worship, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1978, #362.
The Parable of the Tares in Matthew 13:24-30
KJV Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his
field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought
forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder
came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from
whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The
servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But
he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with
them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I
will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in
bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Parable of the Tares Explained in Matthew 13:36-43
KJV Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into
the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable
of the tares of the field. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth
the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are
the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and
the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in
the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send
forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Luther said we would not understand this parable at all if the Lord had
not explained it to us. Sincere Biblical students can become confused between
this parable and the Sower and the Seed. In the earlier parable, the seed is the
Word of God. In this parable the good seed represents genuine Christians.
Tares are the weed seeds that illustrate the work of false Christians who really
belong to Satan.
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An herbalist said, Every plant has a weed that looks exactly like it at
first. Once the weed gets big enough to produce a flower or seed the difference
is obvious, but the weed is a lot harder to remove. A gardener showed me how
to pull weeds from his carefully cultivated flowerbeds at our first parsonage. I
tore away with youthful enthusiasm and a beginners eye for horticulture. The
judgment was swift and absolute. The gardener said to my astonished wife, I
never want your husband to touch the flowerbeds again! I did not, but
overcompensated later by writing a gardening book.
Christ alone sows the good seed, but Satan plants counterfeit seed,
tares, in the Christian Church, so that nothing good, worthwhile, or spiritual is
allowed to remain unpersecuted. Although the parable seems to be depressing
and pessimistic at first, Christ intends to comfort rather than alarm us. This is
an accurate portrayal of the world, where Satans followers are so perfectly
blended with sincere Christians that few can discern the difference. The Word
bristles the hides of Satans disciples, so we should not be shocked that the
cross is never far from the Gospel. The parable does not forbid doctrinal
discipline in the Church, for the field is the world, not the Church (Matthew
13:37). The parable forbids issuing death sentences for heretics, since Gods
angels will make suitable arrangements.
The Anabaptists cited this parable as a reason they should be tolerated.
Luther agreed, stating that the State had no business using the secular sword to
solve religious problems.146 As he wisely noted, death separates the heretic from
any additional ministration of the Word. Anyone who has found the pure Word
of God after spending years among the heterodox will understand and
appreciate the value of giving the Word a chance to accomplish Gods will.
J-226
"For this parable treats not of false Christians, who are so only outwardly in
their lives, but of those who are unchristian in their doctrine and faith under the
name Christian, who beautifully play the hypocrite and work harm. It is a matter
of the conscience and not of the hand. And they must be very spiritual servants
to be able to identify the tares among the wheat. And the sum of all is that we
should not marvel nor be terrified if there spring up among us many different
false teachings and false faiths. Satan is constantly among the children of God.
Job 1:6"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John N. Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 101f.
Another lesson of the parable comes naturally to gardeners and
farmers. Weed seeds are amazingly vital at first. They can last for decades in the
soil and germinate without provocation. They require little water and the plants
develop deep taproots or extensive, invasive shallow roots. Weeds tolerate the
worst soil but thrive in the best soil. The story is told of a blind farmer who is
looking for a new farm in uncultivated land. He said to his son, Tie the mule to
the nearest thistle. The son replied, No thistle is strong enough to hold the
159

mule. The farmer concluded, We will move on. This soil is not healthy
enough for our crops. Therefore, we can observe how Satans disciples are
strongest where the Bible is held in the highest esteem. Their weedy network
grows green and lush. Extraordinary donations confirm them in their error. But
they yield nothing at the harvest. They are sterile.
No one gathers and sells weed seeds. No one values weed seeds. No
one wants to have weed seeds in the good seed they buy. Similarly, no one
wants the Unitarianism, bitter strife, carnality, and destruction predestined by
the work of false teachers, flashy revivals, super churches, movements without
the Means of Grace, and unity movements based on doctrinal compromise.
Impressive religious groups should not intimidate or alarm the ordinary
Christian or faithful congregation. Their boastfulness about themselves should
alert the believer not to covet the weeds for their lush growth.
J-227
"Let us learn more and more to look upon the Lutheran Church with the right
kind of spiritual eyes: it is the most beautiful and glorious Church; for it is
adorned with God's pure Word. This adornment is so precious, that even
though an orthodox congregation were to consist of very poor people - let us
say nothing but woodchoppers - and met in a barn (as the Lord Christ also lay
here on earth in a barn, on hay and straw), every Christian should much, much
rather prefer to affiliate himself with this outwardly so insignificant
congregation, rather than with a heterodox congregation, even if its members
were all bank presidents and assembled in a church built of pure marble. Let us
be sure that our flesh, and the talk of others does not darken the glory of the
orthodox Church, or crowd it out of our sight."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and
Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 47.
J-228
"Today's Gospel also teaches by this parable that our free will amounts to
nothing, since the good seed is sowed only by Christ, and Satan sows nothing
but evil seed; as we also see that the field of itself yields nothing but tares, which
the cattle eat, although the field receives them and they make the field green as
if they were wheat. In the same way the false Christians among the true
Christians are of no use but to feed the world and be food for Satan, and they
are so beautifully green and hypocritical, as if they alone were the saints, and
hold the place in Christendom as if they were lords there, and the government
and highest places belonged to them; and for no other reason than that they
glory that they are Christians and are among Christians in the church of Christ,
although they see and confess that they live unchristian lives."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John N. Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 103.
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Jonah, the Reluctant Missionary to the Gentiles

Some wish to dictate the work of the Holy Spirit, telling Him how
much visible growth they expect from His efforts in the next five years. Others
are inclined to think of God as having no arms but theirs, no hands but theirs,
no legs but theirs. Both types should study the historical example of Jonah, the
reluctant missionary to the Gentiles. The work of Jonah is dated during the
reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-25), whose reign began around 793 BC.
The Word of God commanded Jonah:
Jonah 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for
their wickedness is come up before me.
God said, Go east to Ninevah, and Jonah headed due west on a ship
toward Joppa, at the edge of the world, as far away from his appointed mission
as possible. Jonah had a different mission vision in mind. He may have been
reluctant to see a notorious non-Jewish city enjoy the fruits of repentance and
faith. We know from Jonah 4:1-2 that the prophet was angry over the
conversion of Ninevah, that he had not expected the effectiveness of the Word.
No one is surprised that Jonah was afraid to teach the Word to an alien culture
in a city known for its wickedness. Ninevah was not just one town, but a
complex of four cities (Genesis 10:11-12). Arriving alone in a metropolitan
complex 60 miles across (3 days journey, Jonah 3:3), armed only with the
Wordmost would prefer to pay double-fare for a ticket in the opposite
direction, rather than undergo such a unique mission opportunity.
Here we see how God provides means to carry out His will, even when
men have other plans. God sent such a powerful wind on the sea that the waves
threatened to destroy the ship. The sailors threw all of the cargo, a fortune in
goods, into the sea. Jonah slept in the lowest parts of the ship, exhausted
perhaps from guilt and anxiety. The captain woke him and ordered him to pray
for safety.
When sailors drew lots to discover the cause of the trouble, the lot fell
on Jonah. Everything pointed to him. He had told them he was running away
from God. The supernatural power of the storm and the roll of the dice pointed
toward the prophet. Doubtless his face was more proof of his guilt than the
dice. The sailors resisted the solution of throwing Jonah into the sea, but their
superhuman effort to row towards land was thwarted by an even greater storm.
With the forces of Creation showing such rage, the superstitious sailors
prayerfully threw Jonah into the boiling sea.
The sea becalmed at once, throwing the sailors into a paroxysm of fear.
They offered a sacrifice and took vows.
God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. He could not hide from the
Lord God Almighty, Creator of the seas and the dry land, as Jonah himself had
confessed to the sailors (Jonah 1:9). God sent the storm to stop Jonahs
westward progress, and then appointed the whale to swallow Jonah and vomit
the wayward prophet onto the shores of his mission station. Rationalists
pretend to balk at the notion of a great fish, whether a whale or shark,
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swallowing a man, keeping him alive, and delivering him to the right place.
Jonah was often the subject of debate in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
in the 1970s, since many pastors and professors openly doubted the Biblical
account.147 Some conservatives think that a mounted and stuffed creature,
festooned with a plaque, Jonah slept here, would satisfy all doubters. But the
great fish is not really the focus of doubt and fear. The hidden fear, beneath the
mockery of intellectual evasions, echoes Jonahs discovery in the belly of the
beast we can run, but we cannot hide from God. He has appointed our
mission. His power is so great that all of nature obeys His Word. One miracle
after another can be unleashed to bring us back to the fold.148
God determined that Jonah would preach repentance to the Ninevites,
who must have wondered at the sight of the humbled foreigner in their midst.
Jonah was not powerful, but the Sword of the Lord was so effective that the
entire city repented. The king joined in, showing his contrition, and declared
fasting and sackcloth for man and animal alike (Jonah 3:6-9). Universal
wickedness, which may have included bestiality, indicated universal contrition.
God relented. The threatened disaster was canceled. God turned from His
fierce anger.
Skeptics fail to see the Gospel in Jonahs preaching, but those who
strain out a whale can easily miss Jonah 4:2 as well:
Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a
gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest
thee of the evil.
The attributes of God confessed by Jonah, and certainly preached by
him to Ninevah, (Jonah 3:9) are exclusively from the Gospel. The Law always
condemns and can never offer grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, or peace.
J-229
"All preaching of sin and God's wrath is a preaching of the Law, no matter how
or when it may be done. On the other hand, the Gospel is such preaching as
sets forth and bestows nothing but grace and forgiveness in Christ. And yet it is
true that the Apostles and preachers of the Gospel sanctioned the preaching of
the Law, as Christ Himself did, and began with this in the case of those who
had not yet acknowledged their sins and had felt no fear of God's anger."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 158.
The Book of Jonah is clearly Law and Gospel, because Jonah is a figure
of Christ, as Jesus taught in Matthew 12:40. The ending of the book also
illustrates the Gospel with ironic humor. Jonah was so angry and displeased
about God sparing the repentant city that he wanted to die. God allowed Jonah
his bitter brooding in the hot sun, causing a fast-growing vine to grow up and
shade him, then causing a worm to kill the plant, exposing the prophet to the
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sun and an appointed withering wind. (Jonah 4:8) The prophet wanted to die
rather than endure the heat. He was morbidly angry over the loss of his plant.
God used the loss of the plant to teach Jonah the meaning of mercy. If
Jonah could have pity on a plant he did not work to grow or create, something
so short-lived, then why could he not understand the mercy of God shown to a
city with 120,000 young children (babies too young to know their right hands
from their left)? In this conclusion we see especially the loving-kindness of
God, that He would appoint Jonah to Ninevah for the sake of these children,
send a storm to cut off his escape from the mission, appoint a great fish to
rescue Jonah from the sea, work upon the entire city through the Law and
Gospel, then work upon the bitter prophets heart through a vine and a
worm.149
God Gives the Increase in 1 Corinthians 3:4-9
KJV 1 Corinthians 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I
am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but
ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have
planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he
that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the
increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man
shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are
labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
St. Pauls mission to the Gentiles placed him in danger many times,
even though he did not run away from Gods presence. The apostolic letters to
the Corinthians leave little doubt that he encountered a host of major
problemsfrom childish strife to gross immorality and desecration of the
Lords Supper. This particular passage deals with the party spirit dividing the
congregation, 1 Corinthians 1:11. Some identified with Paul, some with
Apollos.150 It should not surprise us that today conflict in the congregation is
caused by exactly the same probleman emphasis upon the person and a lack
of trust in the efficacy of the Word.
Paul first attacked the problem of strife by negating the effectiveness of
the individual. The ministry does not derive its divine power from personalities
but from the Word. Our temptation to rely upon salvation by works, in spite of
our confession, is revealed by the tendency to compare and contrast men when
they are only instruments of Gods power. One cannot even compare the type
of word, as Paul stated:
KJV 1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave
the increase.
Many people find their gardening efforts thwarted because the seeds
they planted did not germinate well. The proper amount of moisture needed for
germination is taken for granted in America, unlike in Pauls world.151 We do
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not plant the last of our seed (Psalm 126:5) with tears. But where rain is rare and
food is precious, the watering of the sown crop is essential. Pauls comparison
reminds us that planting and watering are both necessary, yet only God can give
the growth.
J-230
"On what has now been sown
Thy blessing, Lord, bestow;
The power is Thine alone
To make it spring and grow.
Do Thou in grace the harvest raise,
And Thou alone shalt have the praise."
John Newton, 1779, cento, alt., "On What Has Now Been Sown," The
Lutheran Hymnal, #46, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-231
The work in Corinth was that of obtaining a spiritual crop. To Pauls lot it fell
to break the ground and to plant the seed of the Word; God caused the seed to
strike root and to spring up. Then came Apollos and tended the young plants by
developing the life of faith, by confirming the believers in their Christian
knowledge; Gods merciful power accompanied his efforts and caused the
plants to bring forth fruit. It follows, then, that neither he that plants nor he
that irrigates is anything; they are mere instruments in the hand of God, the
Lord of the harvest, who alone gives the growth, and to whom, therefore, all
glory must be given: He is everything, He alone remains, all others are
excluded.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible, The New Testament, 2
vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, II, p. 99.
The negation of the person is repeated in 1 Corinthians 3:7. Neither the
sower nor the one who waters is anything. The only One Who causes growth is
God. Pauls inspired argument destroys the foundation for any strife about the
abilities and labor of various people. The missionary who begins a congregation
is nothing. The man who helps to germinate the work of the congregation is
nothing. God causes the increase while we go through the motions.
J-232
"But ye have not the power to create faith. For there is a great difference
between planting and giving the growth; as Paul says to the Corinthians: 'I
planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.' 1 Corinthians 3:6"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 362.
J-233
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The two aorists: I planted, he watered, point into the pastthe men did
their little work and are gone. So it is still: each performs his little instrumental
task and leaves. When he is describing Gods activity Paul writes the imperfect
(gave the increase) which refers to an act begun in the past but going on and on
indefinitely, for the tense is open and sets no terminus. Paul and Apollos have
left Corinth, God is still there and causing the growing. Why quarrel about men
when the Corinthians should unite in praising God?
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1947, p. 128.
Those who doubt the power of the Word alone are exasperated by this
explanation, saying, If God can do everything and does everything, where do
we fit in? Why even try? In a world governed by Law, it does seem strange to
say that God does everything, but nothing is more liberating than realizing we
only need to be faithful. Pharisaical weakness makes us want to glory in our
own deeds and not in Gods power, so we are inclined to adulterate the Gospel,
sell it as a commodity, cheapen it, or make it appealing as a way of proving our
worth.152 The antidote is to boast about God rather than ourselves:
KJV 1 Corinthians 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:24)
J-234
"And it is of advantage, so far as can be done, to adorn the ministry of the
Word with every kind of praise against fanatical men, who dream that the Holy
Ghost is given not through the Word, but because of certain preparations of
their own, if they sit unoccupied and silent in obscure places, waiting for
illumination, as the Enthusiasts formerly taught, and the Anabaptists now
teach."
Article XIII, The Sacraments, 13, Apology of the Augsburg
Confession, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
311. Tappert, p. 213. Heiser, p. 95.
Verse nine concludes the argument with an invocation of the Triune
God. Paul holds the distinct office of the preaching ministry, making him, with
all of his faults, a co-worker with God. He would have been shocked beyond
measure to have all the members considered ministers too. They, with all of
their faults, are the cultivation of God and the building of God. The three-fold
expression emphasizes the preacher employing the power of Gods Word while
the congregation enjoys the growing and the edifying accomplished by the Holy
Spirit working through the Word alone. Thus we have a simple, yet profound
way to remember the faithful work of the Christian Church:
The Word and Sacraments Of God
The Growth of Souls Of God
The Strengthening of the Congregation Of God.
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The True Vine in John 15:1-8

Cultivation or husbandry is the subject of Jesus sermon on The True
Vine.
Verse 1

KJV John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

To help us understand the relationship of the Father and Son, and our
relationship to God, Jesus has given us a vivid, earthy sermon. Not many people
raise grapes, but many have tried unsuccessfully to grow roses. Roses grow
according to the same rules established by God for grape vines. This section is a
perfect model for growing roses because the Lord of Creation uses His
principles to explain His message. He is, as the Greek text shows us in its
emphasis, the One True Vine. In other words, contrary to popular claims, there
is no other vine, no alternative to salvation. No one comes to the Father,
except through Me.
Verse 2

KJV John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh
away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth
more fruit.
In one verse Jesus describes the principle of two-fold pruning, still
applicable today. Bushes and vines always have deadwood. The deadwood is
not only unproductive, but also injurious to the plant. Most people have poor
luck with roses because they rely on luck and not the principles of Creation.
Roses love to be pruned. When my sister-in-law Kris left me alone for an hour
with her unproductive roses, I pruned two-thirds of each bush away. I also
explained to her, when she came back, while she was still crying, When these
roses bloom, and they will in two weeks, prune the branch as soon as the rose
starts to fade. It is trying to set seed. Pruning will make the branch send out a
new bloom. Read John 15.
Two weeks later, Kris phoned long distance, crying again, to say, The
roses are blooming! They are absolutely filled with blooms! Later, when we
lived on the same block with my brother, we ordered roses together and I
planted them. Now the new roses are tall and productive. Two weeks before
our niece Ida graduated from high school, Kris pruned her roses, cutting off the
blooms. My brother Allen said, What are you doing? Ida is going to graduate
and you are cutting off the flowers! Kris said, Just wait. When we arrived for
the graduation, all the bushes were filled with roses. They were tall and stately
plants with perfect blooms. Kris is now the neighborhood expert on roses,
because her bushes are so productive.
The two-fold pruning is a warning to us. If we turn away from the
Gospel and become unproductive, we will be taken away, cast into Hell. The
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bearing branches will be pruned (purged) so they will be even more

productive.153 This pruning seems mysterious, if not cruel, until it is explained in
the next verse.
Verse 3

KJV John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have
spoken unto you.
The purging takes place through the spoken Word, which is never
separated from the cross. An infinite variety of troubles and persecution will
come from being faithful to the Gospel. While these afflictions seem harsh, and
our Old Adam rebels and complains about them, they make us even more
fruitful. Forgiveness itself is the greatest blessing of the Gospel, yielding the
nine-fold fruits of the Spirit.154 All the blessings of the Christian life come from
the forgiveness of sin.155
Verse 4

KJV John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Jesus Gospel invitation is not to do but to receive. The tender rose bud
receives food from the plant. The cluster of grapes receives the energy needed
to grow. Being a Christian is not defined by working for Gods but by receiving His
grace. When believers hear the Word of God and receive the visible Word of
Holy Communion, they bear the fruit of the Gospel. No one would argue that a
separated branch could grow and produce on its own. Likewise, we should not
imagine a person being fruitful in the Christian faith apart from worship,
studying the Word, and receiving the Sacrament of forgiveness.
Christ promises when we are in Him, the One True Vine, He is also in
us. He is glued to us through the Word, at work in us, guiding and comforting
us.
Verse 5

KJV John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing.
Knowing our weakness and our need to hear the same message in
different words, Christ addresses our tendency to define the Christian faith as
qualifying for acceptance through our merits or good works. When we remain
with the One True Vine, through the Means of Grace, Christ remains with us.
We must never forget that. He is as close to us as the bud is to the plant. Being
fruitful is a necessary consequence of receiving the blessings of Christ through
trust in the Word. To clarify this relationship, Christ also condemns any inkling
that He is merely one of many ways, various truths, and alternative life-styles.
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Verse 6

KJV John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned.
The five-fold warning about removing ourselves from the Means of
Grace parallels the effort of pruning deadwood.157 Pruned branches are
removed and burned because they harbor disease and harmful insects. The
warning of Christ is not against lack of doing but lack of receiving, contrary to
what most church executives today imagine. The person who does not remain
in Christ is:
Thrown away, no longer of value to God;
Withered, that is, spiritually dead from separating himself from Christ;
Gathered, for the Day of Judgment;
Thrown into the fire, condemned for unbelief;
Burned, suffering in Hell for eternity.
Verse 7

KJV John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Our loving Savior encourages us to pray through His gracious
promises. One of the many blessings of the Christian life is asking God to help
us in our emotional, material, and spiritual needs. The Son of God assures us
that what we ask for will be given to us.
Verse 8
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so
shall ye be my disciples.
Fruitfulness necessarily follows from remaining in Christ and His
teaching, not to glorify man, but to glorify God. One cannot divorce a
relationship with Christ from adherence to His Word, contrary to those who
teach that the production of good feelings eliminates the need for sound
doctrine. Resting in the Word alone unites us with Christ, makes us fruitful,
moves us to pray, grants us our requests, and glorifies God the Father. All
comes from God, for God the Son is the True Vine and the vinedresser is God
the Father.
If we cultivate roses with John 15:1-8 in mind, every aspect of pruning,
budding, and blooming reminds us of the power of the Gospel.

168

Inevitable Growth in Matthew 13:33

KJV Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The
kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
One often-neglected parable simply compares the Kingdom to yeast
hidden in dough until the dough is leavened. Those who have worked with
yeast or sour dough can easily imagine what Christ teaches in only 19 words.
Just as we see in the True Vine, Christ gives us such a lively picture that
we can no longer see the same image again without thinking of His words. The
typical picture at the time of Jesus was one of a woman blending sourdough
with the flour to make bread. The amount in the parable is a very large batch, a
bushel basket of dough.
In Kitchener, Ontario, the women at St. Peter Lutheran Church often
talked about Herman. Someone started sourdough, named it Herman, and
passed samples to various women in the congregation. Herman grew and spread
throughout the congregation, a parallel with the visible growth of the Gospel
through the Means of Grace. Sourdough is an easier way to cultivate and
preserve yeast than the yeast we buy in stores today. Yeast, once hidden in the
dough, reveals its power in time.
More than one person has forgotten leavened dough in a warm place
with a heavy metal lid over the pot to keep it moist. Rushing in to check the
dough, the baker finds the dough raised, the lid pushed off the pan. Dough may
even crawl out of the pan and rise on the kitchen floor. Yeast is humble and
tiny but powerful in its mission over time. Professional bakers will save old
dough in the freezer to add to the new batch, simply because it adds to the
quality of the finished product.
Dough without yeast cannot be made into a worthwhile product. Our
lives without the leaven of the Gospel are as spiritually lifeless as unleavened
dough. The progress of the Gospels leaven is slow but unstoppable. If we
remain in Christ, the Gospel permeates every aspect of our lives. We see many
examples of this in the lives of faithful elderly Christians. They have spent so
much time with the Word that their speech is permeated with Biblical wisdom.
They know too well that they are sinners, but their patience, generosity,
gentleness, and wisdom are remarkable to younger generations. When an elderly
saintly person dies, we are to look upon the sight as an example of Christ
displaying to us in advance a foretaste of heaven.
One woman in her nineties had endured extreme hardships, including a
previous husband who had kicked her mercilessly while she was pregnant. She
was filled with cancer and barely able to function at the end of her life, yet she
was filled with love, joy, and peace. Her highpoint each week was receiving the
Lords Supper. She had an uncanny ability to predict the day I would visit to
give her Holy Communion. When she appeared to be wrong once, her kindly
second husband gently kidded her for several days. She smiled with great joy
when she learned that I had driven almost to her house, and then turned
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around, after remembering a medical appointment. For her, death meant giving
up her infirmities while enjoying the fulfillment of all the promises made in
Christ. She was an excellent example of the Gospel yeast working through her
entire being, until she was completely leavened.
In our society, too, we receive the benefit of the slow working of the
leaven of the Gospel. Although our sinful condition remains, sincere believers
reject and suppress sin through the Holy Spirit working in the Law. More
importantly, the Holy Spirit works through the Gospel to make people more
generous, patient, loving, forgiving, and selfless. The leaven of the Gospel in the
preaching of Wilberforce in England moved the English to reject human
slavery.
J-235
Here again we see divine power, again wholly spiritual, and while operating
altogether invisibly, producing any number of tangible effects, every one of them
wholesome. The Gospel cannot but succeed, and the one work of the church is to
preach, teach, and spread it in the world. The parable teaches faith, patience,
hope, and joy.
R. C. H. Lenski, Matthew, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1932, p.
516. [Emphasis in original]
The Mustard Seed in Matthew 13:31-32
KJV Matthew 13:31 (Mark 4:31-32; Luke 13:19) Another parable put he
forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard
seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of
all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a
tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
J-236
This parable shows the Kingdom in its visible growth. A number of thoughts
are directly involved or necessarily implied. The power of this Kingdom is divine.
It is a living organism, and its life and power are undyingall other growths of
earth have the germs of decay and death in them. The growth continues all
through time (Matthew 24:14).
R. C. H. Lenski, Matthew, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1932, p.
513.
History has shown the truth of this parable. The Christian Church began
in its embryonic stage with the promise of the Messiah in Genesis 3:15 when
Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise and deserved nothing but
condemnation for violating Gods clear command. When God became flesh,
born of the Virgin Mary, the first believers were a few shepherds and some
foreign astronomers. Surely no religious group was smaller, weaker, or less
impressive at the birth of Christ. Multitudes flocked to pagan temples with gifts
170

of gold and jewels. Judaism was reaching a highpoint as Jesus grew up, with a
splendid temple in Jerusalem, built by Herod.
Jesus attracted crowds with His loving-kindness, spiritual wisdom, and
astonishing miracles, but His impact was numerically small during His public
ministry. The Christian Church grew miraculously across the civilized world
during the brief lifetimes of the apostles, thanks to the timely construction of
the inter-continental Roman road system and the use of ships. Persecution
spread, rather than hindered the Gospel, by scattering the surviving believers in
world cities like Jerusalem and Rome into new territories. Tertullian said,
literally, The more you mow us down, the faster we grow. Historians have
modified the statement to: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
Church.
The Roman Empire first executed Christians for their belief, then
suffocated the Church with approval, marble temples, and a Roman
bureaucracy. The Gospel persisted in Europe and, according to legend, in India,
where Thomas preached. The growth of Islam during the Medieval Age
threatened to devour Europe and the Church. The Turks were at the gates of
Vienna in 1530, when the tide turned. The newly invented printing press sped
Luthers writings across the world on the heels of ferocious persecution.
The modern age, spurred by the freedom of Luthers Reformation, has
added every technological advantage to the spread of the Gospel, from
television and radio to the Internet and video tapes. The Gospel shelters many
souls, encompassing tribes in Europe that once worshiped trees and natives in
Africa who once dined on their enemies.

171

Word of God More Powerful than Godless Preachers

In short, wherever the Word of Christ is found and
held, that is, believed, have no doubt that there the church is,
even though he who administers the Sacraments and teaches
the Word is godless and blasphemous; for the Word of the
Lord does not return void but bears fruit, just as the rain
waters the earth and makes it fruitful (Isaiah 55:10-11).
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald
M. Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p.
1469. Exposition of Genesis 21. Isaiah 55:10-11.

172

Notes
1251

Kings 13:30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they
mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! Isaiah 45:10 Woe unto him that
saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou
brought forth?
1261

Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
127Matthew

22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in

hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. One hymn
expresses the same truth in the positive sense: When He shall come with
trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness
alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid rock I stand; All
other ground is sinking sand. Edward Mote, My Hope Is Built on Nothing
Less, The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, #370,
verse 4.
128Deuteronomy

6:4. Mormon doctrine is not derived from the Bible or

the Book of Mormon. Latter Day Saints (Mormons) use the Book of Mormon to
begin eroding faith in the Word and the true Christian Church, which they call
The Whore of Babylon.
129In

the movie Oh God, George Burns is on trial as God. He

answers that Jesus is his son, then adds that Moses and Mohammed are also his
sons. Therefore, the confession is meaningless and blasphemous, helping us see
why we need to ask false teachers follow up questions.
130Joel

2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto
the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
131Young

was the Old Testament professor at Westminster Theological

Seminary. Although not a Lutheran, Youngs explanation of this passage is in
perfect harmony with Lutheran doctrine. If only Lutherans today could be so
sure of this passage and place their trust in the Word alone. (However, see
footnote #11.)
132KJV

Matthew 13:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched;
and because they had no root, they withered away. We take soil moisture for
granted in most parts of America. However, in Phoenix, a desert valley, an
unwatered yard will not even support weeds. The burning sunlight of summer
changes every aspect of life. It is illegal in Phoenix to deny anyone a drink of
water.
173

133Psalm

126:4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in

the south . (Negev) Photos from space show that the Negev desert was once
fertile.
134The

Prophecies of Isaiah, p. 359.

135Edward

J. Young wrote in The Book of Isaiah, III, p. 383n., of Isaiah

55:10 There is no reason to assume that the prophet was ignorant of the fact
of evaporation. The patronizing note raises the issue of whether Isaiah is
Gods Word or mans word about God. Even though the explanation of Isaiah
55:10-11 seems to be in harmony with Lutheranism, Youngs rationalistic
concept of inspiration is quite different from Luthers. The issue is not scientific
knowledge, but whether we regard the Bible as the Book of the Holy Spirit.
136Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be
the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered
and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
137Luke

1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he
hath sent empty away. In the New Testament, the Son of God is sent (John
3:17), the apostles are sent (Luke 11:49; the Greek verb for sent is the basis for
our word apostle), and the rich are sent away empty. By reversing normal word
order, the KJV emphasizes that the rich are sent empty, rather than sent
away.
138The

Prophecies of Isaiah, p. 359.

139Thus

Delitzsch, p. 360.

140James

1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.
141See

1 Timothy 6:6-10

142Interpretation

of Mark. 110.

143Kretzmann is out of print and Lenskis commentaries were let go by

the ELCA. My copy of Kretzmann was carefully underlined by a sainted
American Lutheran Church pastor who studied under Lenski.
144Matthew

11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am

meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
174

145Note

the Mark Braun article in Forward (nee The Northwestern Lutheran)

about the sower and the seed, employing this soil testing concept.
146Some will argue that Luther tolerated or even encouraged
persecution of heretics, but it should be noted that many religious heretics, such
as Thomas Muntzer, combined religious fanaticism with sedition. Muntzer
urged the peasants to war, promising Gods blessing upon their task.
147Similar

doubts are expressed in Herman Melvilles Moby Dick, a novel

dependent upon Jonah for its major themes, a foil for the authors skepticism.
148Romans

1 warns us three times (1:24, 26, 28) that God will let us go
if we continue to rebel against Him. It is no surprise that the anti-Jonah
seminary, Seminex, became the designated school for the training of ministers
for the exclusively homosexual denomination called Metropolitan Community
Church.
149The

reaction of the elder brother to the Prodigal Sons return is

similar. Luke 15:25.
150Acts

18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an

eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 1 Corinthians 1:12
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I
of Cephas; and I of Christ. Titus 3:13 Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on
their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.
151James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the
Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and
hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Deuteronomy
11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain
and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine
oil.
1522

Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word
of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in
Christ.
153The same concept is taught in Matthew 13:12 - For whosoever hath,
to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath
not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
154Galatians

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law.
175

155The

Christian character of the United States, while severely

compromised today, has benefited many cultures through the forgiving nature
and generosity of its people. In the past, God blessed this country uniquely
through the Word, but now the population has deserted the Word and is
suffering from the consequences of apostasy.
156A

campus minister told me he did not worship on Sunday because he

did church work all week. He was a former Lutheran.
157The

work of God and His attributes are commonly expressed in

groups of three in the Bible. Groups of five are often associated with judgment.
See J. Cascione, In Search of the Biblical Order.

176

Chapter Three:
Creation and the New
Creation By the Word
Efficacy Denied
Denial of Gods Six-Day Creation can be traced directly to the loss of
faith in the efficacy of Gods Word. If man denies the power of the Word alone
in the Gospel, insisting that human wisdom is necessary to make the Word
effective, then we can also expect that eventually the Creation of the universe by
the Word will also be denied or compromised. Historically, the Calvinists
denied the efficacy of the Word first and then became Unitarian as their
inherent rationalism took over.
Many Christian leaders today do not make a career out of denying the
Creation, but neither do they insist upon the truth of the Genesis account. Ever
since the 19th century, there has been an uneasy feeling among theologians, as if
Dame Science were looking over ones shoulder and scowling. Embarrassed by
the Word, Reformed leaders and crypto-Reformed Lutherans have scurried to
do their homework and offer a science of Creation acceptable to the canons of
our rapidly growing technology. Worst of all, the efficacious Word has been
shelved in favor of that weak little product of mans mind, Modern Science.
Many believers are assaulted with seminars where some aspect of science is
produced to show that the Scriptures are correct after all. Aha! the audience
says, We thought so. Now we know that the spontaneous formation of
proteins would be nearly impossible in the primordial soup. God really did
create life after all. What a relief! A happy audience goes home from their
seminar, relieved of a generous offering but burdened by a new form of
rationalismnot a belief in sciencebut worse, a belief in a science that will
support the Word of God.
I have no scientific credentials to offer, so I cannot prove Creation to
the anxious believer who takes Carl Sagen seriously. But my life-long interest in
astronomy and computers has made me as skeptical about the ephemeral image
of Modern Science as the current synodical leaders are about orthodox
Lutheranism. Not long ago a famous astronomer, Robert Jastrow, was asked to
write an essay for the Yale Divinity School periodical, Reflections. It happened
that the student editor of that issue was someone who attended Notre Dame
with me. I asked him, How could you label Andromeda as a nebula when
everyone has known since the 1930s that it is a galaxy? I had a ten inch
reflector telescope at the time, and I especially enjoyed viewing the Andromeda
galaxy and its two companion galaxies. Good viewing nights for deep sky
objects were always cold and crisp, high pressure zones that added to the
exhilarating feeling of seeing millions of stars in one view. The graduate student
177

said, Jastrow sent us the picture and he captioned it as a nebula. We knew it

was wrong, but we were not about to change it either.
The issue of the Andromeda galaxy or nebula is small but important.
Until we had telescopes large enough to resolve stars in Andromeda, all
astronomers looked at it as an enormous gas cloud, a nebula rather than a galaxy
full of stars. Older astronomers were used to calling Andromeda a nebula, so
the caption was probably a slip based upon the early experiences of the
astronomer. But the caption also reminded me that most scientists thought we
were the only galaxy in the universe until 1930. I remember science lessons in
the 1950s where we were told, due to a lag in education that we were in the
center of the only galaxy in the universe. We were the universe, we thought. In
addition, one science textbook announced that missiles would never be sent
into space, because radio signals could not travel in a vacuum. One text claimed
that all coal reserves would be exhausted by the year I was in the sixth grade,
even though we could smell the stink of coal still being burned in our ancient
Garfield Elementary School furnace. Offended, I called these obvious errors to
the attention of my long-suffering teachers, who said, The textbooks are old
and out of date. Modern Science is not an infallible pope, so we should not be
tempted into enthroning another pope, a creation science that longs to prove
the Creation with facts instead of believing the Creation through the Word.
J-301
"For let me tell you this, even though you know it perfectly and be already
master in all things, still you are daily in the dominion of the devil, who ceases
neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you, to kindle in your heart
unbelief and wicked thoughts against the foregoing and all the commandments.
Therefore you must always have Gods Word in your heart, upon your lips, and
in your ears. But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he
breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware. On the other hand,
such is the efficacy of the Word, whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard,
and used, that it is bound never to be without fruit, but always awakens new
understanding, pleasure, and devoutness, and produces a pure heart and pure
thoughts. For these words are not inoperative or dead, but creative, living
words."
The Large Catechism, #100, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378f. Heiser, p. 175f.
The Retreat from Creation
Luthers thoughts in the Book of Concord ring with the conviction of a
man who lived in the Word. As we will see, his scientific knowledge was as
primitive as his age, just as we are limited by our current understanding. But
Luther did not subordinate his faith in the Word to his societys knowledge of
science. That attitude toward the Scriptures has changed in the last century. As I
have pointed out in Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure, the Evangelicals scrambled to
combine some form of Creation with the hot new theory of evolution. Two
178

modern examples of the retreat from Creation are quoted below. Ockenga is
significant because of his pivotal role in the founding of Fuller Seminary,
Christianity Today magazine, and the Billy Graham Crusades. Fuller began with a
qualified stance on Biblical inerrancy and then repudiated inerrancy completely,
just before the Church Growth Movement took root there. Christianity Today
was begun as a conservative alternative to the weak-kneed mainline magazines
of the day. Now the periodical is identical to its former journalistic opposites.
Billy Graham began his career with certainty about the truth and now seems to
be as agreeable about any and all beliefs as an Anglican archbishop.
J-302
"The evangelical believes that Christianity is intellectually defensible but the
Christian cannot be obscurantist in scientific questions pertaining to the
creation, the age of man, the universality of the flood and other moot Biblical
questions."
Rev. Harold J. Ockenga, 12-8-57, news release quoted in William E.
Ashbrook, Evangelicalism, The New Neutralism, Columbus: Calvary Bible Church,
1963, p. 8.158
Kelm has made a career in the Wisconsin Synod out of following the
Ockenga agenda. Trained at Fuller Seminary, Kelm has championed the Church
Growth Movement in his unique role of pastor without portfolio, but he has
consistently turned down calls to serve as a mission pastor where he might put
his Church Growth theories to work. WELS is quite proud of his essay, which
is an unintentional self-parody of the Lutheran Church Growth Movement:
How To Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects.159 Kelms
retreat on the subject of Creation is almost identical to Ockengas. The six-day
Creation is antiquarian and not relevant, according to Kelm. If we insist on the
Creation, we may lose a grip on that mission prospect. Given the assumptions
of Universal Justification (see chapter five), it is not necessary to get involved in
doctrinal issues with potential members. Most interesting is the revelation that
discussing such topics is the equivalent of being painted into a corner. If
someone does not believe in Creation or verbal inspiration, he would feel
pinned down if he had to confess a faith he did not share with his fellow
Lutherans. Kelms attitude is just the opposite of the admonition in 1 Peter
3:15.
J-303
"Don't let the world paint us into a corner of antiquarianism on subjects like a
six-day creation or verbal inspiration."
Rev. Paul Kelm, WELS, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good
to Mission Prospects," p. 13.

179

KJV 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be
ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the
hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
Although I have never been in charge of evangelism for a synod or led
a spiritual renewal effort, my 24 years of pastoral experience have shown me
that all doctrinal discussions are wonderful openings for the work of the
External (spoken) Word. For instance, when I was working in the front yard of
the parsonage in New Ulm, two women stopped me and asked what kind of
Lutheran I was. Are you as bad as those people? they asked, pointing toward
the spire of St. Paul Lutheran Church (WELS). They wont even pray with
others. From Kelms point of view, I was painted into a corner. However,
from Luthers perspective, I was given an opening for the External Word. I
said, We are worse. Both women exclaimed, Worse? I then asked them,
Would you pray with someone who denied the Virgin Birth of Christ, saying in
effect that you agreed He was a bastard? They said, No. Never. I said, Well,
that is the issue. I have no desire to participate in a worship service with
someone who denies the clear Word of God. We discussed doctrinal matters
longer and they ended up with a copy of Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, since they
wanted to know the actual differences between Roman Catholics and
Lutherans.
J-304
"The Yahwist account of creation expresses the same conviction."
Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, #35, St. Louis: St. Louis Review,
April 7, 1995, p. 8.160
J-305
"Thus, the Teaching of the Church leaves the doctrine of Evolution an open
question, as long as it confines its speculations to the development, from other
living matter already in existence, of the human body. (That souls are
immediately created by God is a view which the Catholic faith imposes on us.)
In the present state of scientific and theological opinion, this question may be
legitimately canvassed by research, and by discussion between experts on both
sides."
Encyclical of Pius XII, Humani generis, August, 1950, #36. Cited in
Remy Collin, Evolution, New York: Hawthorn Books, 1959, p. 117.
J-306
"Many Catholics hold what is known as 'moderate evolutionism,' that is, the
theory that the human body evolved to a certain point from animals, and then
God intervened directly and breathed into this living, animal body a human soul
and so produced the first man and the first woman. Such a theory does not
seem to be contrary to Catholic teaching, and Catholics are free to hold it."
180

Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:

Ignatius Press, 1982, II, p. 142.
Roman Catholics have suffered from an inferiority complex quite
similar to the imaginary burden of conservative Lutherans. Someone from a
purely Roman Catholic parochial school background may imagine that the
liberal intellectuals have a much greater grasp of the truth or at least a liberated
perspective.161 The narrowness of the parochial school experience, whether
Lutheran or Roman Catholic, has made more than one person covet the
expansive horizons of doctrinal apostasy. In fact, the Creation and the Flood
embarrass them, as predicted by the Scriptures.
KJV 2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God
the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the
water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished.
Creation from Nothing
J-307
"Creation is the external action of God by which God, seeing all other things,
visible and invisible, fashioned them out of nothing with this plan of His that
He might establish for Himself an eternal Church to acknowledge and praise
Him and in which He might dwell forever."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 45.
J-308
"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
What does this mean?
I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me body
and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still
preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house
and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He
provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life,
protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and
all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or
worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey
Him. This is most certainly true."
Martin Luther, The Small Catechism, II., The Creed, #1. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 543. Tappert, p. 345.
Heiser, p. 160f.
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J-309
"Our Churches, with common assent, do teach that the decree of the Council of
Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three
Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; that is to say, there is
one Divine Essence which is called, and which is God: eternal, without body,
without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and
Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and yet there are three Persons, of
the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost."
Augsburg Confession, Article I, God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 43. Tappert, p. 27f. Heiser, p. 12.
J-310
"Here we could say much if we were to expatiate, how few there are that believe
this article. For we all pass over it, hear it and say it, but neither see nor consider
what the words teach us. For if we believed it with the heart, we would also act
accordingly, and not stalk about proudly, act defiantly, and boast as though we
had life, riches, power, and honor, etc., of ourselves, so that others must fear
and serve us, as is the practise of the wretched, perverse world, which is
drowned in blindness, and abuses all the good things and gifts of God only for
its own pride, avarice, lust, and luxury, and never once regards God, so as to
thank Him or acknowledge Him as Lord and Creator. Therefore, this article
ought to humble and terrify us all, if we believed it. For we sin daily with eyes,
ears, hands, body and soul, money and possessions, and with everything we
have, especially those who even fight against the Word of God. Yet Christians
have this advantage, that they acknowledge themselves in duty bound to serve
God for all these things, and to be obedient to Him [which the world knows
not how to do]."
Martin Luther, The Large Catechism, The Creed, #22. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 683. Tappert, p. 412f.
Heiser, p. 193.
J-311
"God created heaven and earth and witnessed concerning this article of creation
most splendidly in Scripture and empirical data. Yet more than twenty, yes,
thirty heretics are on record as having attacked this article."
Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, 3 vols., ed., Eugene Klug,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, II, p. 22. Luke 24:13-35.
J-312
"Concerning this creation the Holy Scriptures teach us: that it is a work of God,
which He accomplished without the co-operation or assistance of any creature,
of His own free will, and solely by means of His omnipotent creative Word; a
work of the one true God, a work, therefore, of the Triune God."
182

Heinrich Schmid, ed., The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church, trans. Charles A. Hay, Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: Lutheran
Publication Society, 1889, p. 168.
J-313
This day at Thy creating word
First oer the earth the light was poured:
O Lord, this day upon us shine
And fill our souls with light divine.
Wiilliam W. How, This Day at Thy Creating Word, #12, The Lutheran
Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Genesis 1:5.
A Believer in the Garden
The debate about Creation and evolution has usually been framed as a
scientific discussion, as if one side could marshal enough facts to win the battle
and convince the undecided. Few Christians have the technological training of
the scientists, but obtaining doctorates in science will not advance the cause but
rather increase the temptation to surrender. The believers have often crippled
themselves in this arena by adopting the tools of the modern scientist while
laying aside the only effective weapon of the Christian, the double-edge Sword
of the Spirit, the Word of God.
Nature must not be very persuasive in proving Creation, because many
environmentalists worship the Creation without acknowledging the Creator.162
Science must be even less compelling as a witness to Gods power, since many
scientists live peaceful and prosperous lives without believing in God. Other
scientists and professors may remain secret believers while operating
successfully within a community dominated by evolution.163
A believer digging in their garden looks at the lowly earthworm and
sees in that creature a marvel of design with a special purpose.164 However, this
is not the product of studying and deciding, but the fruit of the Spirit working
through the Word. The youngest Christian child can see what the most noted
scientist cannot imagine, that God created each and every living being with a
special purpose, simply by His Word. Charles Darwin studied the earthworm
for 40 years and published an outstanding collection of careful observations. On
the HMS Beagle he saw more of this earth than many of us could afford to visit
in a lifetime, but he was blind to Creation.
A believer sees the earthworm as life with a special purpose and design.
If he pursues his interest, he will see that the earthworm has a number of
characteristics uniquely suited to his lowly service in making the soil a fertile bed
for trees and plants. The scientific literature will reveal a wealth of information
about the design of the earthworm:
A. glands to make calcium, to sweeten the soil;
B. an all-muscle body to worm through tough layers of earth;
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C. a hardened snout to force passage through obstacles, even asphalt;

D. bristles to propel the body in soil and withstand the vermicidal tug
of hungry robins;
E. digestive grinders to make the soil finer;
F. primitive kidneys to add nitrogen to the soil;
G. a digestive system that produces a gentle fertilizer, called worm
castings.
In addition, the earthworm entertains heartfelt pleasure and love for the
taste of decaying organic matter in the soil while meticulously avoiding living
plants and their fragile root systems.165 Now three university studies have
shown that worm-enriched composts can actually make plants grow faster.
Ohio State expert Jim Metzger, Ph.D., said, Even when we provided all plants
with enough fertilizer for optimum growth, plants still grew better when the soil
was amended with the worm compost.166
As wonderful as the earthworm appears upon examination, as useful as
it is in gardening, farming, fishing, and raising rabbits, the earthworm is only
one small aspect of the divinely orchestrated drama of life in the ordinary
garden, yard, forest, field, or farm. In this drama millions of creatures are born
in abject poverty, limited by design to a thankless and minor role in life, a role
so minute that most never notice it at all. Bacteria go through population
explosions, only to die away from powerful enemies in the soil. Molds creep
along, attacking and devouring. Sowbugs, pillbugs, springtails, millipedes,
centipedes, and spiders battle for dominance, winning and losing, dying and
giving life to a new generation. The larger creatures seem to win over the
smaller by feeding upon the living and dead bodies of their underlings, yet the
tiniest are never defeated. They win by providing or denying strength and health
to the higher levels on the food-chain. The least noted creatures are the most
important, because they remain the foundation of life. The absence of water
stops the growth of mold and bacteria, slowing down the decay that fuels the
lower levels of life. Without water, the lower forms of life die back and deny
food to birds, snakes, frogs, skunks, voles, and foxes. Plants falter without water
and reduce the vast supply of food required by vegetarian mammals. The
mammals feed both predators and the carrion eaters, the hawks and crows, the
wolves and maggots. We look upon predators as controlling the number of
rabbits, for instance. Just the opposite is true. If the rabbit population crashes,
as it does from time to time, the predators are denied meat and decline in
numbers in proportion to the rabbit population.
Skeptics who seldom step into the garden and care little for animals will
smile at this illustration, but it shows the magnificent design of Gods Creation.
The rabbit is the ultimate protein factory. Unless he is overfed by his owners, he
has very little fat in his meat. He loves high nitrogen food, and that nitrogen is
used to build muscles. A pet rabbit will literally turn somersaults for fresh
dandelion greens and flowers, which satisfy his love for greens with the
sweetness of the dandelion flower. I saw a mother rabbit rip a dandelion flower
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from the mouth of her daughter, then lick the daughters back in repentance.
Rabbits eat high nitrogen greens and build high nitrogen muscles, so it is not
surprising that their waste products are also exceptionally high in nitrogen.
Therefore, an ideal companion for the rabbit is the earthworm. He is also
muscular, loves high nitrogen food, and produces nitrogen products. Unlike the
rabbit, the earthworm produces nitrogen immediately useful for plants. When
God sends rain on the earth, dissolved nitrogen greens up the plants and the
earthworm population expands. Moisture fosters composting and the entire
growth process. Therefore, we can see the entire design of the Creation
encapsulated in just one area, the use of nitrogen. Nitrogen gas is the most
abundant in our atmosphere, by Gods design, since a pure oxygen atmosphere
would burn our lungs and turn every spark into a raging fire. Thunderstorms
bring nitrogen into the soil, which is fertilized and tunneled and sweetened by
muscular earthworms. Nitrogen compounds in the soil make plants green, and
the high nitrogen plants feed rabbits, who feed earthworms, who feed plants.167
At the epitome of Creation stands man, a paradoxical witness to Gods
design and purpose. The believer views the created world around him and sees
an infinite amount of complexity working in perfect harmony. If a plant is dying
a host of insects, mold, bacteria, springtails, sowbugs, and earthworms, inter
alia, will turn it into food and finally into compost, to grow another plant. As
one person observed, soil is not a thing but a complicated system of
relationships. Likewise above ground, if a sick rabbit cries out in distress, one of
many predators will end its misery and strengthen the gene-pool by eliminating
the weak. The soil, the air, and the bodies of water are filled with food and
predators, death being turned into life.
To say that all of Creation works together on schedule begs the term
organization. Within the celestial influences provided by the moon, stars, and
magnetic poles is a complexity beyond our comprehension; within each weather
system, ocean current, tidal ebb and flow; within each family, herd, grove, field,
forest, stream, river, lake, and ocean; and even within each microscopic cell of
every living plant and animal is the same complexity. All these systems perfectly
balance one another, without the help of man. They balance each other in spite
of the self-proclaimed wisdom of man, such as the time when the horribly
polluted Cuyahoga River in Cleveland suddenly became pure again during a
lengthy strike by steelworkers who labored on its rust-colored shores. Steel
industry spokesmen had branded the Cuyahoga River permanently polluted and
not worth clean-up efforts. This announcement came after the river caught on
fire and was extinguished only with some effort. Nevertheless, a protracted
labor strike allowed God to do what man could not imagine. Fish appeared
again in the Cuyahoga River, after God cleaned it up, before and without the
prayers of man.
Mans innate organizational abilities are so limited that he has prompted
a highly profitable business in scheduling. Special calendars, computer
programs, and fast-talking motivational gurus try to do for man what God has
done for the rest of Creation, instill a sense of purpose and priorities to get the
185

job done quickly and efficiently. Ants and bees will rapidly build a flawless new
home without thinking or holding committee meetings. A group of Christians
will be lucky to build a new church in two years, after many committee
meetings, lost tempers, tears and threats. The new roof will undoubtedly leak
and the project will definitely exceed the budget. Man at his best, with the
noblest motives, cannot accomplish a fraction of what God accomplishes on a
daily basis with the lowliest creatures working together in perfect harmony.
J-314
"So it is with the rain from heaven, with the grain in the field and with all God's
creatures. They exist in such abundance, and we are daily so overwhelmed by
their abundance that we fail to see them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 130. Luke 7:11-17.
Nevertheless, many people can compare their fumbling efforts with the
perfection of Gods Creation and yet remain indifferent, if not hostile, to an
obvious conclusion: the natural world is created and managed by God. One can
assail the ever-changing theories of evolution at every front, from the beginning
of life itself to the wonders of the human eye, but casting doubt upon the
philosophy of evolution does not by itself instill faith in Gods Creation. God
Himself establishes trust in His Creation through His Word. Luther correctly
stated that we must trust in the revealed Word rather than in human
speculations.
J-315
"The commentators, with their sundry, different, and countless questions, have
so confused everything in the chapter as to make it clear enough that God has
reserved His exalted wisdom and the correct understanding of this chapter for
Himself alone, although He has left us with this general knowledge that the
world had a beginning and that it was created by God out of nothing. This
general knowledge is clearly drawn from the text."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1522. Lectures on Genesis, 1535.
J-316
"When Moses writes that God created heaven and earth and whatever is in
them in six days, then let this period continue to have been six days, and do not
venture to devise any comment according to which six days were one day. But if
you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant
the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1523.
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Garden Seeds for Mary and Matthew

Every winter is a special season for gardeners, because the seed
catalogues arrive by mail and fill our heads with dreams of spring. Many
children like to visit a petting zoo and enjoy the small animals that tolerate
children and beg for food. Gone are the days when children could visit the local
seed store and see bins of seed to buy in bulk. Every container is full of living
things, these seeds, and they seem to beg for attention. When we used to stop at
Teskes in Moline, on the way home from Garfield School, we walked by the
bins and plunged our fingers into the barrels full of seeds. What would it be like
to plant this one or that? Each variety of seed has a different size and shape.
They have an aroma and texture.
Below are some seeds I would plant with Mary and Matthew, two
children in Iowa who loved gardening, and with Josephine and Danielle, our
two granddaughters in Arkansas.
Cold season plants
A. EDIBLE POD PEAS. When the weather is still cold, around Ash
Wednesday, as soon as snow is off the ground and the soil can be
dug a little, edible pod peas are a great way to begin the garden.
Peas like sweet soil and have shallow roots, so they will tolerate
gravely soil. They love cold weather and lots of rain, so early
planting is fun and necessary as well. It may snow on top of the
newly planted peas, but they will think of the snow as a downy
blanket. The snow will keep them warm and moist and soon melt
away. Peas need some support, so I like to nail some chicken wire
against the garage and plant peas there.
B. KALE. This is one vegetable which is fun to grow but not to eat.
Ornamental kale will turn colors when the weather gets cold. In the
summer it is green and almost immune to damage. In the fall and
winter the inner leaves change color. Kale is so cold tolerant that
one can harvest it green underneath a pile of snow on New Years
Day. It is nutritious but tough to eat.
C. SPINACH AND LETTUCE. These are seeds that can be sown like
grass seed. It is easy to scratch up some soil and cast the seed over
the top, then tamp it down with a rake. Both plants tolerate cold
well and bolt with too much sun or heat. Bolting is going to seed, a
bad thing for plants grown for their leaves. Spinach can be planted
in the late fall, allowed to grow an inch tall, then covered with
autumn leaves for the winter. They will survive minus 50-degree
wind chill under a bed of leaves and pop up green and ready to
grow in the early spring, when ice is still on the ground.168
Warm weather seeds
A. DILL. Everyone who has tasted a dill pickle will notice the
distinctive aroma of dill seed and the plant itself. Dill grows
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B.

C.

D.

E.

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somewhat weakly from the seed packet, but seeds itself easily.
Beneficial insects love dill and it is a graceful plant to enjoy. I buy
huge packages of dill and sow it everywhere. Later I grab seedheads
of dill to harvest seed and dip fresh tomatoes in it. Dill belongs to
the family of plants holding their seeds up like little umbrellas.
However, we do not try to grow its cousin, Queen Anns Lace, or
let another cousin, carrot, go to seed.
RADISH. Children love to grow radishes, a pretty little root with a
hot temper. All gardeners appreciate radishes because they mature
in one month. The leaves pop up at once. Those who do not like
the heat of the root can wait for the seed pods to form. The seed
pods have a light flavor of radish but are mild. They can be used in
salads.
BEANS. Large, smooth seeds are easy to hold and plant. Our son
Martin decided that bean seeds were best delivered in bombing
runs, so he dropped them from shoulder height in the hopes they
would land in a furrow. They were not laser guided bombs and
usually missed. Beans make very satisfying plants with lots of
produce. Some adults and children like to eat the pods raw.
Cooked they are far better than anything from a store or market.
i. BUSH BEANS. These beans grow low to the ground but
produce faster than most can eat them. Children like to
push their hands through the foliage and discover pods
small and large. The more they pick, the more the beans
flower and fruit.
ii. POLE BEANS. Pole beans need some support, so they make
a good companion with corn, snaking up the stalks.
iii. FRENCH HORTICULTURAL. These beans are very cultural
with colorful markings on the seeds and attractive pods.
iv. SCARLET RUNNER. This variety of pole bean produces a
small red flower loved by humming birds.
CORN. The key to good corn is warm, fertile soil. Corn is a heavy
feeder, demanding lots of soil food from its huge root system. Like
pea seeds, corn begins very hard and shriveled up. I always soak the
seed before planting it. An ugly necktie or old leather belt on the
ground will keep birds from landing and eating the freshly planted
corn seed. (Birds think a snake is guarding the corn. Move the
device every day so they do not think it died.) A corn patch is
prone to weeds, so pumpkins planted in the same area will fill in
the lower area with leaves and prevent weeds.
TOMATOES. The tomato can be grown from seed or from
seedlings. The tomato seed is invulnerable. Throw all tomato
remains in the garden and see how tomatoes will volunteer in the
future. Cherry tomatoes are more fun for children. They are
especially sweet.

Heat Loving
A. SUNFLOWERS. The vitamin pill and porterhouse steak of the
garden is the sunflower. No other plant has the protein, vitamins,
and minerals of the sunflower. Corn is very efficient in turning
solar power into food energy. Sunflowers are even more efficient.
Forty-two species of birds love sunflower seeds. Monarch
butterflies and bees enjoy the blooms. Leave the sunflowers alone
after the seedheads are empty. The stalks will attract birds and
insects, which use them as perches.
i. MAMMOTH, STRIPED, OR RUSSIAN SUNFLOWERS.
These are the largest sunflower seeds and also the
largest sunflower plants, easily growing to nine feet tall
with enormous seedheads. The seedheads will start out
white underneath the compound flower and then
develop the stripes.
ii. BLACK OIL SUNFLOWERS. These seeds are often used
for bird food, having a higher oil content for winter
energy. The seedhead is black and the plant is much
shorter. A barrel of sunflower seeds smells like honey.
Squirrels will eat the flower before it turns to seed.
iii. GOURMET SUNFLOWERS. Various kinds of sunflowers
are grown with different colors and multiple heads.
The seeds are quite small and the plant is less
intimidating in size.
iv. THE SUNFLOWER FORT Children love to play in a
hidden area, which can be created easily by digging
around a play area and sowing abundantly with
sunflower seeds. The sunflowers will grow up and hide
the area, making it mysterious and fun for children,
who will also enjoy the wildlife attracted to the blooms
and seeds.
Easy Flowers
A. DUTCH WHITE CLOVER. I have often bought white clover to add
to the lawn right before a rain storm. Clover is great for the soil
and loved by bees. Pick a bouquet and smell them: just like bubble
gum. Pet rabbits twitch their noses for clover.
B. NASTURTIUM. The nasturtium can be planted where it will get
plenty of water and sunlight. The flowers can be eaten in salad.
C. COSMOS. These flowers grow easily in the sun.
D. VIOLETS. The violet family favors shade and spreads easily, so
varieties of violets are good for the north side of the house.
Johnnie-jump-ups are colorful and popular.
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E. BORAGE. We can say borage once, borage forever. This herb will
sit in the sun and produce stalks of pretty blue and pink flowers,
which are great for salads and quickly turn into seed for the next
generation of plants. The flowers are so popular in the bee
community that borage earned the nickname of bee bread.
F. QUEEN ANNS LACE. Did you call it a roadside weed? I call it a
plant loved by beneficial insects. Wait until the flower folds into
seed to harvest some. At that point it is called birds nest for its
form. According to legend, Queen Anns Lace preserves a spot of
blood where the monarch cut herself while sewing. This spot
appears to attract insects, which continue to be fooled, in spite of
evolution. Queen Anns Lace is also called wild carrot, cousin to
the domesticate carrot, but has toxic roots. This flower is great in
the background, stretching in the sun.
G. ZINNIAS by the thousand. Buy a huge package of zinnia seeds and
sow them everywhere. They are easily grown, spectacular in bloom,
and loved by butterflies. Tall varieties make great cut flowers,
bargain roses.
Seeds of Encouragement
J-317
Thou who the night in prayer didst spend
And then didst Thine apostles send
And biddst us pray the harvest Lord
To send forth sowers of the Word,
Hear and Thy chosen servants bless
With sevn-fold gifts of holiness.
Christopher Wordsworth, 1862, Thou who the night in prayer, #493.
The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Luke 6:12ff.
KJV Matthew 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables,
saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow
Seeds are a safe temptation for adults and children. If they go crazy
with the rose catalogues, they may run up a bill for $200-300. If they buy plenty
of every kind of seed they want, plus extra seeds for friends and neighbors, they
will spend about $25. Parents should indulge their children in trying out as many
seeds as possible. Every packet of seed is a dream, a future reality better than
any photo in the catalogue. To get down on the ground and view a flower or
vegetable planted months before, and to cut the flower or harvest the food
that experience is a special blessing given millions of times over by the Creator.
For that reason we should buy seed in large amounts from suppliers rather than
in tiny overpriced envelopes from wire display racks in stores.
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People will ask the Creation gardener, Why did you buy a pound of
sunflower seeds and eight ounces of beans? How can you possibly plant 1,000
gourd seeds? Or 5,000 zinnias? The answer is simple:
KJV 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall
reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
The apostle Paul was not writing about gardens, but using the
experience of gardeners and farmers to teach Christians about being generous.
When we buy a tiny packet of seed at the store for two dollars, every single seed
is worth a lot of money, so we feel pinched when burying it in the soil. The
difference in cost between a small packet and one with a few ounces of seed is
small. Upgrading a few ounces to a half pound is often only another dollar.
When we buy seed by the ounce and pound, the cost per seed goes down
dramatically, to encourage prodigal sowing and sharing with friends. It is fun to
see others enjoying the same seed, new garden experiences, and bountiful
harvests.
KJV 1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave
the increase.
Many congregations treat the Word in the same way misers garden.
Every effort is pinched, as if they are looking for a good return of investment
from a sweatshop operation. The Word is life-giving and powerful, capable of
growing in hearts and creating an abundant harvest. We should look at Gods
Word the way we look at seed, a living marvel, a daily miracle, a gift of God that
gives us great satisfaction from what He alone can accomplish. More than once,
someone has said, If God does everything, why does He need us at all in
spreading the Word? The answer is that He allows us to enjoy what He
accomplishes with His own power. Gardeners know the feeling. They soften
the soil with a hoe, drop the seed in the furrow, water the new seeds, and
harvest in a few months. What have they done in comparison with Gods
effort? Seed must be alive to germinate, and man cannot create life. The soil is
not only a complex set of chemicals and ingredients but also an ocean of life
supporting plants. The sunlight that warms the soil and generates food energy
within the plant is the product of Gods thermo-nuclear blast furnace in the sky.
J-318
"We plough the fields and scatter The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered By God's almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain...
He only is the maker Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
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He lights the evening star;

The winds and waves obey Him, By Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, his children, He gives our daily bread.
Refrain:
All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, For all His love."
Matthias Claudius, 1740-1815, "We Plough the Fields," #364, The
Service Book and Hymnal, Philadelphia: Lutheran Church in America, 1958.
J-319
"Flung to the heedless winds
Or on the waters cast,
The martyrs' ashes, watched,
Shall gathered be at last.
And from that scattered dust,
Around us and abroad,
Shall spring a plenteous seed
Of witnesses for God."
Martin Luther, 1523, "Flung to the Heedless Winds," The Lutheran
Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #259. Acts 7:59.
When Christians marry and have children, they accomplish more than
any evangelism committee could do in a generation. The Baptism of children is
similar to the experience of having a garden. Gods Word is the seed planted by
Baptism.
KJV 1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the
truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love
one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for
ever.
When parents nurture what God has accomplished through the Word
in Baptism, they are like gardeners who tenderly care for their seedlings. When a
seed first takes root and lifts its first leaves to the sun, the plant is so fragile that
any disruption can destroy it. Gardeners gently water and tend the newest plants
to help them along without doing harm. It is difficult to believe that the tiny
seedling will one day be a sunflower 9 feet tall with a stalk so strong that a saw
is needed to take it down. When children are small, it is hard to imagine they
will one day dress themselves, fix their own meals, and be tall enough to look
down at their parents. Therefore, God has given parents a special blessing and
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responsibility in raising their children with a love for the Scriptures, a

knowledge of the Savior, and faith in His atoning death and resurrection.
God has made it easy to teach children with vivid images from the
Bible. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God in parables with clear
descriptions of His work. Parents can point out that Jesus Himself created those
plants and animals which He used to illustrate His teachings:
KJV Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes,
and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his
head.
KJV Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they
spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these.
KJV Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took,
and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is
grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of
the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
KJV Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The
kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
KJV Matthew 15:13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my
heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
KJV Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one
of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
KJV Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of
wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
KJV Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and
was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not
having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.169
KJV Luke 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose
one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after
that which is lost, until he find it?
KJV John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep.
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KJV John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Seed Growing Secretly
KJV Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man
should cast seed into the ground; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day,
and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28 For the earth
bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full
corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth
in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
This little parable is unique to the Gospel of Mark, easily overlooked
since we tend to look for favorite parables in Matthew, Luke, and John. When
we plant our gardens we can go to sleep while thinking about this parable. We
get our rest, but God is at work in nature. The garden comes alive at night.
Twilight calls forth many flying insects, including mosquitoes, and God sends
out bats, swallows, and purple martins to capture them. Butterflies and bees
work the garden in the daylight. Moths pollinate at night. Color attracts insects
during the day. White flowers bloom at night and pungent aromas send a
welcome message to the moths. Soil creatures dislike sunlight, but they love the
cool dampness of the night. Earthworms and sowbugs can travel without fear
of the sun. Slugs, welcome or not, thrive in rotting matter and make themselves
known. Garter snakes wiggle out from rocks and devour the slugs. The
gardener is asleep, but the plants are not slumbering but active in growing,
sending out miles of roots in every direction, building stronger leaves and stems,
and stretching toward that moment when they flower and fruit. The gardener
does not know how, but he realizes the plants are growing and yielding while he
rests. If he goes away for a week, it is thrilling to open the fence to the backyard
on returning, steal around the corner, and look at the new growth of the garden.
The excitement never goes away. We have tomatoes. Look at the beans. The
corn is getting ready. Look at your roses.
The Kingdom of God grows in the family in the same way. As little as
we know how plants grow, so the Word grows in our children. We nurture
them, love them, and teach them the Word, but only God can provide the
growth through the work of His Spirit in the Word. Who can guess who the
next Monica might be? Mrs. Pieper was a poor widow with some sons to raise.
Her station in life was very humble. She was only a dorm mother for a tiny
college that no longer exists, Northwestern in Watertown, Wisconsin. One can
only guess at the many ways in which her children were denied the comforts
and benefits of affluence and a higher station in life. Nevertheless, three of her
sons became famous Lutheran theologians. Francis was chosen to take over C.
F. W. Walthers role in the Missouri Synod, serving as seminary and synod
president, writing his famous Christian Dogmatics. August taught at Wisconsin
Lutheran Seminary and wrote Isaiah II, his invaluable commentary on the
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second part of Isaiah. A third brother served as the president of the Springfield
(now Ft. Wayne) seminary of the Missouri Synod. No other family has
produced sons who served Lutheranism at three different seminaries.
Bulbs for Miranda, Robert, and Tommy
God has revealed His miraculous abundance in Creation not only in the
variety and vitality of seeds but also in a special kind of flower, the bulb, a
complete flower buried in the soil and ready to bloom in the spring. A true bulb
is actually a flower ready to bloom. We tend to group bulb-like flowers together,
so many flowers sold in bulb catalogues are not true bulbs, but they store food
in corms or tubers and look like bulbs. I enjoy planting bulbs with children
because I can assure them they are not just planting seeds but complete flowers.
Fall bulbs (hardy bulbs) are planted in the autumn and start a root system. They
grow up to the level of the soil and stop, waiting for spring. Then, according to
Gods timetable, they bloom, often through the snow, gather energy from the
sun for the next year, and die back. Most bulbs will store up energy to multiply
underground. One couple began with a few grape hyacinths and developed
several drifts of thousands of flowers over the years. Their investment grew
25% compounded, year after year.
A. TULIPS. The first bulbs I would order for children in Michigan and
the Midwest are Darwin tulips, 30 inches high, with egg-shaped
flowers so deep in color that they stop everyone who walks by the
yard. I would dig a hole for the tulips and plant crocus in the upper
layer for double blooms.
B. CROCUS. Squirrels love crocus as much as I do but for a different
reason. I plant them and admire the early spring blooms. Squirrels
dig them up, eat them, or replant them in another area. I mulched a
tree with wood shavings, forcing a panicked squirrel to dig up his
stash of my crocus and bury them in another place. Crocus spring
out of the winter yard and bloom before most bulbs. I have
planted crocus in the lawns of many homes, where they bloom and
fade away before the first mowing of grass.
C. DAFFODILS. The daffodil is a good investment. A true bulb, it will
produce perfect flowers and multiply underground. Animals are
less likely to mess with daffodils, whose sunny flowers delight
many people.
D. GRAPE HYACINTHS. The grape hyacinth is a small bulb, an
inexpensive version of the very expensive and perfumed hyacinth.
The grape hyacinth is easy to plant in the upper layers of holes dug
for tulips and daffodils. They have a wonderful, sweet aroma.
E. CROWN IMPERIAL. People will know when the crown imperial
arrives at your home. Everyone will say, What is that smell? Its
remarkable aroma is pungent, but not obnoxious. This elegant
flower is impossible to describe but easy to grow. Many think it
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repels animal pests, like moles. It is also called a weeping lily for the
drops that fall from the flower.
F. GIANT ALLIUM (garlic). Chives, onions, garlic, and leeks all belong
to the same plant family and have similar flowers. The giant allium
is a huge bulb that sends a green stalk four feet up and topped by a
huge round ball of purple flowerets. I took a photograph of one
stalk held by a little girl, who winced as if the globe of purple
flowers towering over her might start growling.
Bulbs teach us how beautiful and complex Gods Creation is. The Holy
Trinity might have commanded that all plants multiply through their seeds. In
fact, bulb flowers also produce seeds. But God determined to make flowers that
would form underground, loving the winter season rather than dying from the
cold, glorifying the Creator with a burst of bloom at the first hint of melting
snow. When we leave crocus, daffodils, allium, and crown imperials in the
ground, the plants use solar energy to create new plants that can be divided and
planted in another place. In time we can divide and replant hundreds of bulbs
from a few. Left alone in the ground, when planted far apart, many bulbs will
create their own colorful drifts to glorify God the Father Almighty, Maker of
Heaven and Earth.
We can receive great pleasure from a colorful bulb catalogue, especially
one with glossy pages like Dutch Gardens, while we plan the next years effort.
If the entire family joins in selecting bulbs, with a budget set, great debates can
be established about the bulb plantation. Tulip fanatics will concede that their
favorite bulb is expensive, tasty to animals, and likely to fade in time. But,
they will say, it is not spring without egg-shaped tulips. All I ask is 20-50 pink
Darwins. Or maybe red this year. Or yellow. Ill decide later. The future
Certified Public Accountant will argue, But Mom. I can get a 25% annual
return on grape hyacinths. Sure they are small. But they are perfumed and
multiply underground and by seed I can get 100 grape hyacinths for much less
than 50 tulips. The romantic will pipe up and say, Oh give me a drift of real
hyacinths any day. OK. They cost double what a tulip costs. I know that. You
told me that five times already. Yes, the first year bloom is the only good one.
But I love the perfume and the beauty of that bottle brush shape. And the
color! Twelve. Thats all I ask. One for each disciple. Six red and six blue. No
wait. I like yellow. Ill get back to you. Let me see the catalogue again. The
exotic bulb gardener will stare at the giant allium and the crown imperial in the
catalog, portrayed in glorious color. He thinks, No one else in town has these.
I will plant some and everyone will ask me - What are those? Where did you get
them?
When we bought our new home in New Ulm, Minnesota, I brought
along an old tree stump for feeding birds and squirrels. It was craggy and full of
perches for birds, places to nail suet boxes for the winter. I paged through the
Dutch Garden catalogue and planned, debating with myself, my wife and my
mother about which bulbs to buy without the mortgage being foreclosed.
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Finally a plan fell into place. Fifty yellow Darwin tulips circled the tree stump.
For accent, crown imperials also shared space in the circles around the central
point. Crocus and daffodils occupied additional circles. When our house went
on the market, the day a group of realtors trouped through the yard, most of the
bulbs were in full bloom. The sight was spectacular and yet represented almost
no work. I dug trenches in rich soil, plopped bulbs in their place, and filled the
trenches. God provided the bulbs, the soil, the snow and rain, and the warming
sunlight.
The Creation in Genesis
The First Day
KJV Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God
said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was
good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light
Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were
the first day.
The Second Day
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament,
and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which
were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament
Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The Third Day
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together
unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called
the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and
God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the
herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is
in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass,
and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was
in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and
the morning were the third day.
The Fourth Day
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to
divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and
for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the
heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great
lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he
made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to
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give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to
divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the
evening and the morning were the fourth day.
The Fifth Day
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving
creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open
firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living
creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their
kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in
the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning
were the fifth day.
The Sixth Day
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his
kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was
so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their
kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw
that it was good. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And
God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the
earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of
a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the
earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the
earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was
so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very
good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The Seventh Day
KJV Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all
the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had
rested from all his work which God created and made.
Roses for Josephine and Danielle
Every little girl should enjoy the finest flower in Gods Creation: the
rose. This is the rose garden I have planned for our granddaughters, Josephine
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(age four) and Danielle (one year old), when they move into their home in
Arkansas, God willing and parents permitting.
Dear Josie and Danielle,
I want to plant some roses for you and your mother Tammy, but we
have to start with your soil. If we were in Illinois, we could take advantage of
that old prairie top-soil. But Arkansas is not so blessed.
I am going to dig some deep holes in your yard before the roses arrive.
I will ask your parents where they would like the roses. We want to avoid
competition from thirsty tree roots. We need plenty of sun but we do not want
to roast the bushes in the setting sun, against the west side of the house. So we
will pick some places away from trees, on the east and south sides of your new
home.
I have to dig some holes because I want your roses to grow in the best
soil. They like plenty of organic material and nitrogen. If the soil is good, it will
hold moisture better and transfer minerals to the bushes. Nitrogen will help the
leaves. Other chemicals in the soil boost the flowers and the roots.
Did I tell you? Earthworms are being shipped to your home. I know
your yard has earthworms already, but I want the hard working red wigglers to
do some digging for us. When God created the universe, He designed the
earthworm to build and improve the soil. The red wiggler is the best of all
earthworms for this. Nothing is too good for your rose garden, Josie and Dani.
I used to order earthworms from President Jimmie Carters cousin. My
first box of worms contained 1,000 worms in a little ball. Your dad and I spread
them around the yard and put them in compost. From then on we had red
wigglers all over the yard. They also worked under the rabbit cages. When your
dad pulled earthworms from the compost to put under the rabbit cages, he said,
Earthworm. You are going to earthworm paradise.
So I will have the holes dug and filled in with top-soil and manure,
earthworms planted and ready to go. Then we will open up the rose boxes and
get to work. I know you will want to help, Josie. When I put Bondo on my
rusting Ford van, you dabbed it on with your fingers and crawled underneath to
inspect your work. Dani can help with the roses, too. We will need to water
them and throw soil around the bare roots.
I once asked your dad to dig a hole for me with two of his friends when
he was young. They dug the hole in the yard, filled it with water and jumped in,
getting themselves black with mud. They were so filthy that I had to hose them
off outside on a chilly day, before they could come in and take a shower. They
howled about how cold the water from the hose was. I said, Did I ask you to
fill the hole with water and jump in? They came inside looking like drowned
rats, shivering and still loaded with mud. Black footprints went downstairs to
the shower.
I imagine we will get a little dirty from planting roses, but that is part of
the fun.
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These are some of the roses I ordered for you. Each one is a different
combination of genetic material in a rose, and yet each one is a rose. God
created the rose, but man has used the pollen to create many different
combinations of rose characteristics: aroma, size, color, foliage, resistance to
disease, petal count, and growing habit. When I grew roses in Columbus, Ohio,
the neighborhood children came to get the blooms for their mothers. Each
child learned to name the rose before it would be cut. The more roses I cut for
their mothers, the more bloomed. Roses like to be pruned. They bloom more if
they are shared with others. I know you will learn to bring them in for your
mother and to share with your friends. A shared joy is a doubled joy.
A. QUEEN ELIZABETH. This is a large rose bush with perfect salmon pink
flowers. Walter Lammerts, a Lutheran who believed in Creation rather
than evolution, developed this variety.
B. FRAGRANT CLOUD. If you cut one rose and bring it into your home,
you will fill a room with the scent of this flower. It blooms frequently,
so the air around the bush is always perfumed.
C. MR. LINCOLN. You will be learning about our great president,
Abraham Lincoln. This rose is tall and stately, like Honest Abe. The
petals are heavy and perfumed. The bush is strong and easy to grow.
D. DOUBLE DELIGHT. Lammerts used pollen to make the seed for
Charlotte Armstrong, the grandmother of Double Delight. Double
Delight is loved for its perfume and unusual coloration. Each bloom is
a different combination of carmine pink, cream, and white, depending
on growing conditions.
E. OLYMPIAD. I wanted to have a perfect, pure red rose in your yard.
Olympiad is a bright red that never fades to blue (unlike Mr. Lincoln)
but it has no perfume (unlike Mr. Lincoln). God does not seem to let
us have all our favorite characteristics in one rose. So we have to buy a
variety of roses. That is what I keep telling your grandmother when I
order new bushes.
F. LIVERPOOL REMEMBERS. No rose blooms faster than this one, which
is orange with a silver white reverse.
G. TROPICANA. This brilliant rose will last longer in a vase than any other.
The bush can become quite large in time, with giant coral blooms. Your
Aunt Kris has a perfect example in St. Louis. Guess who ordered it and
planted it years ago? Yes, I did. But Aunt Kris has pruned, mulched,
and watered it for years. She is now considered the rose expert in her
neighborhood.
H. CRYSTALLINE. I thought you should have a perfect white rose to
contrast with your red roses. This one tolerates heat well and has no
imperfections. White roses have tended toward a cream color, but this
one is pure, snowy white.
I. DON JUAN. This climber is the first one to have hybrid tea flowers and
has the highest rating of all roses.
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J.

GOLDEN SHOWERS. Don Juan may be highly rated, but Golden

Showers was developed by Lammerts. This climber is famous for
having plenty of beautiful yellow blooms.
K. SIMPLICITY. They were on sale again, so I bought a few more than I
planned. This rose has loose pink flowers, but it needs almost no care
except watering.

We need a few more things for the perfect rose garden. After we plant the
roses, we will put garlic cloves or garlic chives in the rose beds. Members of the
garlic family will improve the health of the plants and keep insects away. You
can put chives in your salad. They will spread all through the rose beds. Garlic
will spread too, but the bulb is harvested from time to time.
We will also cover the rose bed with mulch to keep the water in the
soil. The earthworms like mulch and work better underneath a blanket of
organic material. We can use grass clippings, leaves, or wood chips. In one rose
garden I had Double Delight roses mulched with big wood chips. Garlic chives
grew out from under the wood and bloomed. I put a few daffodils in the soil. It
was fun to see the daffodils rise up and bloom, followed by the purple blooms
of the chives, then the carmine and cream of the Double Delight roses.
Josie and Dani, you will need to care for your roses. I know it is a big
group of plants, but you can help a lot. Roses do not belong to the cactus
family. They need plenty of water, a bucketful for each plant each week. You
can make sure the roses are watered when it does not rain enough. Another way
to help your parents is to look for fading roses. When a rose is done blooming,
it starts to make seed. That takes a lot of energy, so we cut off old blooms to
make the plant grow new ones. That also makes the roots grow. You will need
to let your parents prune the roses at first. Later on you can take over and be
the rose experts of the family. But when people praise your roses, remind them
that God created them, watered them, gave them soil, tended them with
earthworms, and let you enjoy their beauty and perfume.3
Love,
Grandpa and Grandma Jackson
The Biblical Witness to Creation
KJV Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the
day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and
female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the
day when they were created.
KJV Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing,
and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
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KJV Deuteronomy 4:32 For ask now of the days that are past, which
were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask
from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such
thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
KJV Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he
commanded, and they were created.
KJV Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath
created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all
by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one
faileth.
KJV Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the
everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
KJV Isaiah 41:19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah
tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the
pine, and the box tree together: 20 That they may see, and know, and consider,
and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the
Holy One of Israel hath created it.
KJV Isaiah 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the
heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which
cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to
them that walk therein.
KJV Isaiah 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel,
your King.
KJV Isaiah 45:12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I,
even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I
commanded.
KJV Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy
youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt
say, I have no pleasure in them.
KJV Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every
precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl,
the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold:
the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day
that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I
have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked
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up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
KJV Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God
created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by
profaning the covenant of our fathers?
KJV Amos 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth
the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning
darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God
of hosts, is his name.
Creation in the New Testament
The doctrine of Creation by the Word testifies to the unity of the
Scriptures, binding the formation of the universe to the efficacious work of the
Holy Spirit in calling, enlightening, sanctifying, and keeping us in the faith.
Denial of one consequence of the divine Word means rejecting another. Many
conservative Protestants will argue for Creation, based upon the literal truth of
the Bible but will balk at the Holy Spirit working exclusively through the Word.
Many Lutherans will confess their faith in the Means of Grace but clear their
throats at the thought of God creating in six, 24 hour days. Some Pastors are
tempted to think that fashioning the world out of nothing would be easier than
converting hardened sinners and intellectual scoffers to faith. Nevertheless,
God accomplishes both through the Word.
One does not believe in the Gospel because someone has proven
Creation with mans science. The Six Day Creation does not puzzle someone
who has been made a new creation through the Word, as Paul taught in 1
Thessalonians 2:13.
Genesis and John start with the same phrase, in the beginning, unlike
any other books in the Bible. The Gospel of John was written after Matthew,
Mark, and Luke, assuming the knowledge of the other three works while adding
essential information and long sermons found nowhere else. The Fourth
Gospel, by supplementing the Synoptic Gospels with the Johannine sermons of
Christ, unites the testimony of the Evangelists while unifying the Old and New
Testaments. The datum of Creation can only be understood in the light of
Christ as the Word and the believer as the new creation.
The Gospel of John begins with the Logos Hymn, a simple poetic
structure based upon repetition and divided by two prose sections. The Gospel
of John is simple in language and grammar and also full of repetition and simple
statements, yet clearly the most profound of the Four Gospels. The symbol of
John is the eagle, because the Fourth Gospel soars above the rest. Each simple
phrase grows in meaning as it is repeated and explained, so we are reminded of
the eagle effortlessly rising on thermals.
John 1:1 reveals the complete meaning of Genesis 1:1. Jesus is the preexisting Word, the Logos. The Father-Son relationship, so clearly taught in John
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(but also stated in Matthew) dominates the Creation.170 The Father speaks and
the Son is that Word. Some half-educated theologians foolishly deny the
presence of the Trinity in Genesis 1, but the New Testament explains what
remains mysterious to the unbeliever. The Trinity is not a construct of man, but
a revelation of God. In truth, evolution is a construct of man, a philosophy that
blinds wavering believers to the omnipotence and timelessness of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
KJV Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
When Genesis 1 is read in the light of John 1, God said is more than
a statement of command. The Holy Spirit reveals to us that the Son of God, the
Logos, is the said.
KJV Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness
The special nature of the Trinity is indicated in Genesis 1:26 and
impossible to deny, although the rationalist wants to divide by three and
subtract one. Although the Creation itself is expressed in majestic prose in
Genesis 1, John 1 illumines every verse. He was with God explains Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness
J-320
These are not mere sounds that Jehovah uttered, as when a man utters a
command, and we hear the sound of his words. In these words and commands
the Son stands revealed in His omnipotent and creative power, even as John
says in v. 3: All things were made by Him. This active, omnipotent revelation
in the beginning reveals Him as the Logos from all eternity, one with the
Father and the Spirit, and yet another, namely the Son.
R. C. H. Lenski, John, Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1931, p. 30f.
KJV Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
KJV Psalm 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered
them from their destructions.
KJV Psalm 147:15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his
word runneth very swiftly.
Jesus is the Word of God in the Old Testament and the New
Testament. In due time, the implicit became explicit.
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KJV Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of
things which do appear.
As if in anticipation of modern man blinded by technology, the author
of Hebrews stated, Through faith we understand Faith is trust, and this
trust provides the understanding of human reason subordinated to the Word.
The true Biblical account of Creation is far from the weird and obscene illusions
of the ancient pagans, the first rationalists. God completed, furnished, and
equipped the vast expanses of the universe by His utterances, His Word.
A. KJV Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth of God. (Luke 4:4)
B. KJV Luke 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we
have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at
thy word I will let down the net.
C. KJV Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word.
D. KJV Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the
express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word
of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high.
E. KJV James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,
that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
The Creation of Genesis or Romans or Hebrews or John is the same
Creation, for the Bible is a perfect unity, with many human authors and
historical eras, but one Holy Spirit as the inspiration for each word and verse,
chapter and book. Creation by the Word unfolds and becomes even more
awesome as we consider the Biblical witness. Nevertheless, the purpose of
Gods Word is not to make us scientists, but to help us exclaim with the two
year old girl, Look, Grandma! Jesus made the stars!
earth.

KJV Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the
KJV Genesis 1:3 And God said

KJV John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was
made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light
shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man
sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that
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Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world,
and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto
his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying,
This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me:
for he was before me. 16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for
grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is
in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Christ unifies Creation and the new creation. The Fourth Gospel
begins with phrases so simple they serve well to introduce anyone to a new
language. Each of the three clauses seems to be the ringing of a solemn bell
the Word, the Word, the Wordtolling the eternal Godhead of Christ Jesus,
the foundation of the Christian faith, the cornerstone of the City of God.
A. IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD The Incarnation, Virgin
Birth, and Two Natures are implicit in the revelation of the preexistence of Christ, five words in Greek, six in English. Jesus, the
Word, has existed from the beginning, and therefore must be God.
He is also man, having Two Natures, divine and human, in one
person, Christ. Far from being absent in Johns Gospel, the Virgin
Birth is assumed, since it is consistent with the Two Natures united
in one person.
B. AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD The Father/Son relationship,
so clearly revealed in Johns Gospel, illuminates every passage of
the Old Testament where God commands, speaks, and sends forth
His Word. God speaks and the speaking is accomplished through
the Word, the Son of God, co-equal in majesty.
C. AND THE WORD WAS GOD On the first day of Greek class, the
slowest student, using a jimmy, can determine that all denials of the
divinity of Christ are utterly rejected in a few words of child-like
simplicity.
The Genesis commands, and God said, are the work of the Logos in
John. The creating WordHe was in the beginning with God.
New Testament and Creation
The New Testament declares the Creation in many different contexts.
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KJV Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them
male and female.
KJV Mark 13:19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not
from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither
shall be.
KJV Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing
that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
KJV Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of
the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even
his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
KJV Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
KJV Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now.
KJV 1 Corinthians 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman;
but the woman for the man.
KJV Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who
created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God.
KJV Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
KJV 1 Timothy 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain
from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth.
KJV 1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will
of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator.
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KJV 2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation.
KJV Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God.
KJV Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and
honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created.
KJV Revelation 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever,
who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the
things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there
should be time no longer.
Creation and Faith
We should not be surprised that the world denies the Creation.
KJV Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They
are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
J-321
"Thy strong word did cleave the darkness:
At thy speaking it was done.
For created light we thank thee,
While thine ordered seasons run.
Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!
(v. 3) "Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous;
Bright with thine own holiness,
Glorious now, we press toward glory,
And our lives our hopes confess..."
Martin H. Franzmann, 1907-76, "Thy Strong Word," Lutheran Worship,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #328.
J-322
"But ye have not the power to create faith. For there is a great difference
between planting and giving the growth; as Paul says to the Corinthians: 'I
planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.' 1 Corinthians 3:6"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 362. John 20:19-31; 1 Corinthians 3:6.
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But why would liberal (or mainline) seminary and college professors,
bishops and theologians declare war against the doctrine of Creation, go to
court in favor of evolution, and treat Creationists with unconcealed scorn?171
Clearly this is not merely a scientific matter or intellectual debate but rather a
doctrinal issue of the greatest importance. Lack of trust in the Six Day Creation
reveals a lack of trust in Christ.
J-323
"The word 'came' or 'happened' to the prophets. It confronted them with
irresistible force (Jeremiah 20:7-9). 'The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and
it will light upon Israel' (Isaiah 9:8) like a stone that has been thrown; today one
would think of an atomic bomb. It can destroy, and it may bring rejoicing of
heart (Jeremiah 15:16); in any case it is irresistible (Isaiah 55:10f.). It proceeds
from eternity and will stand forever, when all earthly things have withered and
faded away (Isaiah 40:8). By the power of this divine Word the heavens and the
earth were created, and they are preserved to this day by the same Word. This
fact gives a 'word-character' to all the universe. All things, all creatures are
words of God (Luther)."
W. Echternach, "Word and Words," The Lutheran Encyclopedia, 3 vols.,
ed., Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1965, III, p.
2499.
J-324
"The walls of our rooms should spit upon us in contempt that we trust more in
the god the moth eat and the rust corrupt, than in the God, who creates and
gives all things, yea, who holds in His hand heaven and earth, and all that is in
them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 108. Matthew 6:24-34.
New Creature
The retreat of the mainline denominations from Gods Creation
concerns the saving work of God in Christ Jesus. The new creature (new
creation in many translations) is the new man or believer. God creates faith
through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel, often in the visible Word of
infant baptism. The rejection of the Six Day Creationwhether by stretching
out the time to accommodate evolution, by adopting a theistic evolution, or by
blatantly teaching the dogma of evolutioninvolves a subtle or obvious
repudiation of the actual salvation message of the Scriptures, forgiveness
through the cross of Christ.
J-325
"Behold this good inclination or comforting trust, or free presumption toward
God, or whatever you may call it, in the Scriptures is called Christian faith and a
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good conscience, which man must have to be saved. But it is not obtained by
human works and precepts, as we shall see in this example, and without such a
heart no work is good...But here you observe what a thoroughly living and
powerful thing faith is. It creates wholly a new heart, a new man, who expects
all grace from God. Therefore it urges to walk, to stand, makes bold to cry and
pray in every time of trouble."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 65f. Luke 17:11-19.
KJV Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I
unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing,
nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
J-326
"He that believes and is baptized
Shall see the Lord's salvation;
Baptized into the death of Christ,
He is a new creation.
Through Christ's redemption he shall stand
Among the glorious heavenly band
Of every tribe and nation.
With one accord, O God, we pray:
Grant us Thy Holy Spirit;
Look Thou on our infirmity
Through Jesus' blood and merit.
Grant us to grow in grace each day
That by this Sacrament we may Eternal life inherit."
Thomas Kingo, 1689, "He That Believes and Is Baptized" The Lutheran
Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #301. Mark
16:16.
St. Pauls letter to the Galatians is a brief and pointed polemic against
every possible concept of salvation by the Law or by works. Consistent with the
Creation of the universe by the Word of God is the creation of faith by the
proclamation of Gods Word. God created ex nihilo (out of nothing) in the Six
Day Creation. In the same way He creates the believer (new man or new
creature) out of nothing. No transaction is involved, contrary to the claims of
the non-Lutherans. Man is dead to God until the Holy Spirit creates a believer
through the proclamation of the Gospel. Man has no virtue, inclination, rational
decision, or disposition in his heart that qualifies him or makes him pleasing in
the sight of God.
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Those who compromise about the Six Day Creation of the universe
through the Word of God are even less inclined to believe in or teach a greater
miracle, the creation of the believer through the Word. To be taken in by the
philosophy of evolution, whether diluted or straight up, the individual must
imagine a virtue or inner force within the universe that causes it to develop,
bring about complexities of life, and work toward a noble purpose. Not
surprisingly, those who deny Creation are predisposed to see in themselves the
same force they theorize for the universe, an inner goodness, although some
reserve this virtue for animal and plant life alone.
The overwhelming issue for the Galatians was circumcision as a
requirement for being a genuine Christian, foreshadowing centuries of legalism
and works-righteousness. God spoke through Paul to reject any possible
concept of an inner righteousness or spark of divinity. Therefore, circumcision
is no help for salvation. Lack of circumcision is no loss, although the Judaizers
scorned them. What man does is nothing. What man receives in the Gospel, as
a new creation wrought by Gods Word alone, is everything.
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.172
Jackson Literal Translation Therefore if anyone in Christnew
Creation! The old has passed away! Behold! All things become new!
The literal translation is an attempt to show the sudden abruptness of
the verse, a rhetorical device to emphasize the complete change caused by faith.
The converted person, the new creation, is not an improved version of the old,
a modification, as if God took a good man and made him better. The change is
so complete that the same term for the creation of the universe is used for the
believer. As we see in the King James Version, but not in the NIV, all things
become new when the Word creates a believer, an eternal-life being, out of
someone who was previously dead in Christ.
J-327
A new creation means that the old things have passed away, have gone para,
have been cast aside.173 Those are the old things of the flesh, in which we at
one time lived, which at one time were our love and our delight, which at one
time filled our whole being. Paul is a master in using the singular and the plural:
a new creationnow the old things. A new unitthe entire mass of old
things discarded. What would a new creation have to do with these good-fornothing old things of the old life?
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1957, p. 1040.
KJV Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the
law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain
one new man, so making peace.
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The immediate context of the enmity between the two consists of the
enormous gulf between Jew and Gentile. Josephus recorded in his Antiquities
(15, 11, 5) that a stone screen in the Temple court was inscribed to keep
Gentiles out. In Christ the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile is
destroyed by His crucifixion, in His flesh, for the sins of the world. God
literally creates in Himself one new man out of two. The new creation is not
only the believer in the sense of the individual but also the One, Holy, Christian
Church. Neither Greek nor Jew, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free.
(Galatians 3:28)
KJV Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The unity of the Holy Bible can be seen in the many ways God
expresses the creation of the new man. Either God creates the new man, or the
Scripture states that the believer himself is called a new creation. The
cooperation of man in conversion from unbelief to faith in Christ, whether it is
fashioned as synergism or Pelagianism, cannot be considered in harmony with
the Word of God. A basic false conclusion from the Biblical witness has been
drawn by the Calvinists from the omnipotence of God in creating the universe:
their divorce of the Word and the Holy Spirit. The Calvinist errors accumulate
with exposition, but the fundamental error comes from the separation of the
Holy Spirits work from the efficacious Means of Grace. Conversion is
attributed to the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, wandering about, set free
by Zwingli and Calvin from the Word and Sacraments.174
Gods Word creates complete confidence in salvation by glorifying in
the Gospel the atoning sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world. The contrast
could not be plainer. In simple words, we are to cast off the old man and put on
the new, created by God, receiving from Christ His righteousness, not ours, and
true holiness, not our show of piety. The new man is created, as Lenski noted,
by the grace of God rather than a footloose and double-predestinating Holy
Spirit. Man can and does resist Gods grace. Mans role in conversion is passive,
but many do in fact reject and trample the Gospel they first hear and then
believe. Many like King Saul grieve the Holy Spirit and become apostates, even
though they continue to rule in the visible Church as synod leaders, professors,
congregational presidents, and Church Growth snake-oil salesmen. One pastor
left the liberal Lutheran Church in America when I did, attending classes with
me at Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Ft. Wayne, and attending my installation at
Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio. He thought about
joining the Wisconsin Synod, but he was troubled by the Six-Day Creation and
the lack of womens suffrage. Later he joined the Missouri Synod clergy. Still
later he joined the United Church of Christ, repudiating whatever he confessed
before, including the inerrancy of the Scriptures. He is one of many examples of
clergy who express faith in the Word and then fall away.
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KJV Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed
in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither
Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor
free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Creation, the new man, and true unity are consistent themes in the
Book of the Holy Spirit. The expression of putting on the new man or
putting on Christ may be derived from the visual image of the baptism of
adults.175 The verb to put on literally means to wear. Baptism in the early
church was reserved for Easter Sunday. Adults wore a baptismal tunic, similar
to the robes worn today by opponents of infant baptism. The expression
putting on reminds us of the alien righteousness of Christ we receive in
Baptism, His covering of our sins, and our being joined with Christ.
The Creation of Marriage and the Family
What God loves, the world scorns. What God despises, the world
loves. Nowhere is this doctrine more obvious today than in marriage and the
family. People desire happiness, but they shun the means by which genuine
happiness is obtained. Parents talk endlessly about giving their children all the
advantages of life, but they seldom begin with the nurture of their immortal
souls. Forgotten in all the discussions about this subject is one great fact: God
created the institution of marriage by His Word. We can see the evidence of this
fact in the universal practice of a man marrying a woman for life, whether this is
among the least developed cultures or the most refined societies. Many people
pine for a life-long relationship of love, friendship, and cooperation, blessed by
the raising of children. All the ludicrous substitutions for Gods institution of
marriage bear witness to the failure of man to invent a better way for adults to
live and raise children than life-long marital fidelity and faithfulness to the
Word. We cannot change the fact of original sin and its effects, but God has
given us His wisdom in combating sinfulness and establishing a family with His
blessings. If couples desire the good wishes of a marital counselor or absolution
by a psychiatrist or talk-show host, then how much more valuable is the
blessing of the Holy Trinity?
J-328
"The world says of marriage: A short joy and a long displeasure. But let it say
whatever it please. Whatever God has created and wants is bound to be a
mockery to it... He who is married but does not understand married life can
never live in it without displeasure, trouble, and misery."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 885. Proverbs 18:22.

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J-329
"Whoever intends to enter married life should do so in faith and in God's name.
He should pray God that it may prosper according to His will and that marriage
may not be treated as a matter of fun and folly."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 891. Genesis 24.
J-330
"This a true definition of marriage: Marriage is the God-appointed and
legitimate union of man and woman in the hope of having children or at least
for the purpose of avoiding fornication and sin and living to the glory of God.
The ultimate purpose is to obey God, to find aid and counsel against sin; to call
upon God; to seek, love, and educate children for the glory of God; to live with
one's wife in the fear of God and to bear the cross; but if there are no children,
nevertheless to live with one's wife in contentment; and to avoid all lewdness
with others."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 884. Genesis 24:1-4.
The current view of marriage is entirely material, so it cannot possibly
yield anything of spiritual value, even though a type of pagan spirituality is
popular today. Fueled by popular music, couples think that physical attraction is
the foundation of marriage and the only reason for continuing the marital
union. Given this faulty view, it is not surprising that living together in
fornication is viewed by society and many clergy as perfectly acceptable. Why
would adulterous clergy object to fornication? Some people try to argue against
co-habitation by saying the divorce rate is higher for those who live in sin
together before marriage. However, this is an erroneous argument based upon
the outcome of sin, and it inadvertently supports the end justifying the means,
situational ethics. The message from such an argument seems to be: Do what
is ultimately good for you. The Scriptures are not a self-help book. However,
God commands what is good, so faithfulness to Gods Word will always yield
the peaceable fruits of righteousness in time. From a Biblical point of view,
living together without marriage is the same as despising Gods Word, since
God established marriage through His Word.
When another situation was brought to my attention, I visited the
couple. The boyfriend was kindly and clearly loved his girlfriend and their
children. I asked him about Gods Word. He said he loved Gods Word and
wanted his children to love the Bible as well. I pointed out how much I admired
his care for his girlfriend and children, since he supported them and lived with
them, unlike many modern Lotharios. But I also told him that living together
without marriage was despising Gods Word, since God created the institution
of marriage. This was not the only pastoral visit or my first contact, but the
effect of the Holy Spirit working through the Law was to convict the man of his
unbelief in the Word. He later phoned, setting a wedding date and an
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appointment for membership classes to begin. The Word of God is effective,

especially when pastors take the time to meet with people face to face. We all
shrink from difficult situations, but that should not dissuade us from
proclaiming the whole counsel of God.
KJV Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed
them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the
earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
KJV Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and
flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
The Scriptures reveal that God uses the metaphor of marriage to
describe His love and affection toward His people. In this contrary age of
opposition to marriage and homage to spirituality, we should pay especially
close attention to the way in which God honors marriage in the Scriptures.
KJV Isaiah 62:4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall
thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and
thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the
bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
This Biblical comparison is tender and intimate, drawing a parallel
between Gods love for His people and a bridegrooms delight with his virgin
bride. This should lead husbands to look upon their wives the way God views
believers: patiently, eager to forgive, honoring whatever is good. Marriage is a
delight when husbands and wives base their love for each other upon
forgiveness rather than the Law. However, this basis for marriage is very rare.
The fundamental error of our time is to deny that God created marriage as part
of the civil order that governs all people.
J-331
"Gods Word shall do it, by which all things are made, preserved and
transformed; that Word which turns your water into wine, and distasteful
marriage into delight. That God has instituted marriage (Genesis 2:32) the
heathen and unbelievers do not know, therefore their water remains water and
never becomes wine; for they feel not God's pleasure and delight in married
life..."
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Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 57. Second Sunday after Epiphany,
John 2:1-11, Genesis 2:32.
J-332
"The husband should take the initiative and contribute toward keeping unity
and love in the marriage relation. But he does this by using reason and not force
and by letting things pass without reproving his wife. This he should do because
woman is a frail creature and does not have the courage and stout heart of a
man. They are easily disturbed, take something to heart quickly, and are moved
to joy and sorrow sooner than men."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 903. 1 Peter 3:7.
J-333
"Of Civil Affairs they teach that lawful civil ordinances are good works of God,
and that it is right for Christians to bear civil office, to sit as judges, to judge
matters by the Imperial and other existing laws, to award just punishments, to
engage in just wars, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold
property, to make oath when required by the magistrates, to marry a wife, to be
given in marriage."
Augsburg Confesion, XVI. #1-2. Civil Affairs. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 51. Tappert, p. 36f. Heiser, p. 14.
groom.

Jesus honored marriage as well, performing a miracle for the bride and

J-334
"In the first place, it is indeed a high honor paid to married life for Christ
Himself to attend this marriage, together with His mother and His disciples.
Moreover, His mother is present as the one arranging the wedding, the parties
married being apparently her poor relatives or neighbors, and she being
compelled to act as the bride's mother; so of course, it was nothing more than a
wedding, and in no way a display. For Christ lived up to His doctrine, not going
to the rich, but to the poor; or, if He does go to the great and rich, He is sure to
rebuke and reprove, coming away with disfavor, earning small thanks at their
hands, with no thought of honoring them by a miracle as He does here."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, pp. 55f. Second Sunday after Epiphany
John 2:1-11.
Natural Law and Marriage
The concept of natural law is almost lost in America, although our
country was founded upon the fact of Gods Creation. In spite of the influence
of rationalism and the Masonic Lodge, the authors of the Constitution assumed
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that right and wrong were based upon the principles instilled in the universe by
the Creator. This is elementary but overlooked today, symbolized by the failure
of Robert Bork in 1987 to become a Supreme Court justice. Radicals did not
want the conservatism of natural law represented in future court opinions, so
they treated him the way Church Growth leaders respond to faithful pastors:
sliming him with every dishonest and cowardly tactic known to man. Therefore,
we should not be shocked that marriage has lost its status as the foundation of
society, an institution created by God and blessed by the Almighty. Instead,
people view marriage as a temporary legal contract, convenient in some cases
but a burden overall.
J-335
"Ah, dear Lord God, marriage is not something natural and physical; but it is a
gift of God, the sweetest, nay, the most chaste life; it is above all celibacy. But
when marriage turns out badly, it is hell."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 888.
God has established both punishment and reward within the marital
state He established. It is similar to growing roses, an exciting avocation when
carried out in a thoughtful way but one filled with misery and frustration when
pursued in ignorance. For instance, many people have roses but fail to water,
mulch, fertilize, and prune them. They are then perplexed that they have only
some thorny canes with some dried up blooms on them. They see no
relationship between the obstinate, pesky plants and the floral fireworks of the
rose catalogue pages. When I explain that roses need a bucket of water per week
for each bush, regular pruning, and rich soil, gardeners return to their yards and
produce the floral displays that eluded them before.
People view marriage as punishment when they enter the estate
inadvisably and irreverently. They want the trappings of a church wedding
without the responsibilities of being Christians. The minister covets a fee for
performing the marriage without the burden of caring for members. In a good
location, he can generate as much income as a Las Vegas wedding chapel. When
the husband and wife look upon marriage as an agreement that will last as long
as the arrangement is agreeable, then they quickly find irritating quirks in the
other person, faults they try to drive away with the law. They become alarmed
with each others friends, irritated with each others relatives, and indifferent to
their own children. If the thought of God crosses their minds, it is to wonder at
the cruelty of the Almighty in placing such a terrible burden upon husbands and
wives, to live with each other for life. More than one expert has claimed that
marriage worked better in the old days, when one partner or the other died
before the relationship went rancid. Using an early death as a solution for
marriage typifies the wisdom of this age. Although we might think of God
actively punishing a marriage based on material needs, the couple creates their
own agony simply by defying the concept of natural law. Nevertheless, this is
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Gods punishment, to let the principles of His Creation carry out His will. In
many cases, the pain is great enough for couples to ask what is wrong, to repent,
and to believe in the Gospel promise of forgiveness. Then the sweetness of
forgiveness and love is far greater than the bitterness of all past conflicts.
J-336
"For this reason there is so much care and unpleasantness in marriage to the
outward man, because everything that is Gods Word and work, if it is to be
blessed at all, must be distasteful, bitter and burdensome to the outward man."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 56. John 2:1-11.
Since God has established marriage, it is His will to have all couples live
in a relationship based upon faithfulness to each other and fidelity to the
Scriptures. The most deliriously happy engagement and the most blissful
marriage ceremony can never overcome the problem of original sin. Even our
noblest thoughts and emotions are tainted with the corruption visited upon the
human race through Adam. Someone who does not know or understand the
Scriptures cannot imagine this curse to be true. Unless our reliance upon the
Law is constantly pounded into dust by the Word, we truly believe that law
remedies will correct any problem. Thus we have an endless procession of
Reformed works on marriage, classified by one wit as Fundies in their Undies.
Statistics show that the multiplication of these books and the popularity of
marital counseling have been followed by the rapid decay of marriage.
J-337
"It is impossible to keep peace between man and woman in family life if they do
not condone and overlook each other's faults but watch everything to the
smallest point. For who does not at times offend? Thus many things must be
overlooked; very many things must be ignored that a peaceful relationship may
exist."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 905.
Children the Blessed Fruit of Marriage
Another aspect of the successful attack against Gods institution of
marriage reveals itself in popular attitudes toward children. We should rejoice at
the birth of every baby, since God alone can create life. Too many people
expose their unthankful attitudes by saying about a child, As long as the baby
is healthy Should we be thankful only for children in perfect health and
shun those who have an illness, a handicap, or a body different from the
published norms of Harvard Medical School? How mean and despicable to look
down upon Gods Creation and wish for something better. God always gives
people with special problems a counter-balancing special ability. In fact, He
often grants far more than He takes away. Ironically, those who enjoy the
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greatest natural abilities often take them for granted and misuse them, allowing
the sin of pride to overturn their faith and lead them into self-destructive ways.
Children who grow up with severe handicaps and illnesses seldom have
an opportunity to develop pride. They endure painful tests and subordinate
their normal childish expectations to the demands of medical treatment. If they
are limited physically, many assume they are also retarded. If they are retarded,
some assume they also have no feelings to be hurt with savage jokes and cruel
remarks.
J-338
"Children are the most delightful pledges of a loving marriage. They are the best
wool on the sheep."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 137.
The vast majority of people today put all their trust in money, property,
prestige, job performance, the esteem of their peers, promotions, and tangible
accomplishments. To obtain these treasures they gladly sacrifice their children. I
do not mean just the clergy. The laity are also guilty of the same sins against
their children. The ephemeral pleasures of material rewards are not satisfying,
but the woes visited by neglected children are infinite in number and hang
above the heads of their parents like a perpetual dust storm, brooding,
threatening, and blocking the sunshine of genuine happiness.
Once again, people create their own punishment by shunning Gods
natural law. Children need their mothers when they are growing up. Although
many women cannot change their circumstances and must work outside the
home, most mothers gain little by employment away from their homes. They
give up most of their extra income to a second car, additional clothes, restaurant
bills, child care, and luxury items. They could make the same net amount by
staying at home and helping their husbands careers, which can flourish when
based upon a happy home. Speaking from experience, when my wife Chris and
I both worked full-time, with our son living at his prep school, we never had a
moment that was not work related. Either I was required for duties or she was,
turning our lives into a seven-day week. We found this life extremely tiring,
even without any extra responsibilities at home in caring for children. This
stress made the life of a young mother working all day and coming home to
more labor appear to me as a genuine nightmare. Working two jobs at once, we
traded time for money, giving up a more relaxed life for one where we never
questioned eating out or buying extra gifts. We did not see how we could add
children at home to the stress of two full-time jobs. 176
Children do need quality time. Quantity time is the true definition of
quality time, and it is the greatest gift we can give them. We do not manufacture
children. God gives them to us. Children are the neediest creatures in Gods
Kingdom, but they are also the most giving. God made babies delightful to
encourage parents in feeding, bathing, diapering, and nursing them through
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illnesses and heartbreaks. How bizarre to send out announcements bragging

about the birth of a child, to baptize the child with the entire family present, and
then to subcontract the nurture of this unique gift of God to an hourly worker!
No wonder we have so many children growing up with a deep undercurrent of
resentment or an indifference to everything bred by years of neglect in the name
of affluence.
To fulfill Gods will in the family, the husband needs to take a
leadership role in the family. This leadership is so rare that one mother was
shocked to learn that the father of her children was responsible for their
spiritual education, especially confirmation. This responsibility cannot be set
aside without consequences.
J-339
"Therefore let every father of a family know that it is his duty, by the injunction
and command of God, to teach these things to his children, or have them learn
what they ought to know."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #87. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 773. Tappert, p. 456. Heiser, p.
215.
J-340
"But He has given and entrusted children to us that we should train and govern
them according to His will; otherwise He would have no need of father and
mother. Let everyone know, therefore, that it is his duty, on peril of losing the
divine favor, to bring up his children above all things in the fear and knowledge
of God and, if they are talented, to let them learn and study so that they be of
service wherever they are needed... And because this commandment is being
disregarded, God is punishing the world so terribly that there is no discipline,
order, or peace. We all complain of this state of affairs but fail to see that it is
our own fault."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 140f. Large Catechism. Ten
Commandments.
J-341
"We should deal with children in such a way that they do not fear their parents,
but that they know that they are offending God if they do not fear their
parents."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 142.
For Fathers Only
Fathers have the greatest possible opportunity to have a favorable
impact on their childrens lives and future happiness. Fathers have always been
and should remain the breadwinners of the family, so they do not have as much
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time with their children as mothers do. However, the time they spend is
especially valuable for the entire family. One way to give time to all the children
is to read them a story each night and lead them in their prayers. The youngest
toddler loves to hear stories and reading time can extend well past the age
children read to themselves. The time invested in the children will pay dividends
in daily life and well into the future. Time spent with children creates trust to
discuss problems that arise. Time spent is a measure of love. We have different
levels of income and varying gifts, but God gives all of us the same hours in a
week. The father who gives that time will have the greatest possible satisfaction,
and that satisfaction will grow in time.
I had the great pleasure of reading to my son each night. At first I told
him stories to send him to dreamland. Later we tried to read a Superman novel.
It was badly written and boring. I said, I will be glad to read to you, but I have
to read something worthwhile, or it will bore my socks off. He agreed and we
began a series of books that included: Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, A Connecticut
Yankee, The Prince and the Pauper, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of
Narnia, the Freddy the Pig series, Hardy Boys mysteries, and numerous adventure
classics. In many cases we began with a briefer version of a classic and then
moved to the complete edition later. When Erin Joy was a baby, she also
listened to the stories and loved them. Later, when she was in the hospital, her
phone listed the toll-free story hour as an emergency number.
Long ago I read about fathers sharing the interests of children, and I
thought that was a good idea. When our son Martin was fascinated with a topic,
we went to the stores and bought all the books we needed on the subject. The
dinosaur phase not only meant buying all the plastic models, but also studying
the books and visiting the museums of the East coast: Washington DC, New
York City, and the Peabody in New Haven. Naturally we discussed Creation
versus evolution.
The two military phases involved buying the books, borrowing
equipment from Uncle Allen, former Marine, assembling plastic models, and a
personal tour of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy.
The map phase gathered all the National Geographic maps available from
friends and relatives. We took one vacation where we visited the military tank
museum of Fort Knox, the Lincoln childhood homes, and the burial site of the
heresiarch Paul Tillich. We also visited the monastery of Thomas Merton,
another famous adulterer and establishment hero.
When parents share the interests of the children, learning is unlimited.
The parents do not need to bend to every whim of the child. They can say, We
will go to your tank museum, but you will see Lincolns childhood homes, too.
Most fathers will enjoy what their sons love to pursue. Normally there are areas
where one teaches the other. The time and effort spent is fun, fulfilling, and
good for the future. When fathers suddenly discover they have children ready to
leave home, it is a little late to start building trust and affection.
When we home-schooled our son, I began tutoring him in Latin.
Together we read the entire Gospel of John in Latin, after learning the basics of
221

the language. Later we repeated the effort in Greek, once again reading all of
John in Greek. We also read Hebrews and other New Testament books in
Greek. We read Jonah in Hebrew, laughing about my emphasis on guessing the
meaning of words. We studied Piepers Dogmatics together and Walthers Law
and Gospel. Needless to say, Martin was a great help with all my publications and
still helps. He also received an education in computer science and advises me in
my studies.
Men who teach the Word of God to their family go against the natural
impulses of the world. The opportunities in the family are endless. Children are
naturally curious and eager to learn, so they want to hear about the Word and
they absorb lessons readily. The Small Catechism was written expressly for the
training of children by the head of the household. The father can make that
responsibility seem like taking out the garbage, mowing the lawn, and cleaning
the basement, or he can show his children how he delights in the teaching of
God, Psalm 1. The term law should not be interpreted as only the commands of
God, but as the teaching of God, because that is the meaning of the Hebrew
word torah. We might translate the phrase as follows: His delight is in the
doctrine of the Lord.177
KJV Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law [torah] of the LORD; and in his law
[torah] doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by
the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall
not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall
not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly
shall perish.
J-342
"Chastize them when they deserve it, but accompany the correction with
affectionate words so that they do not become disheartened and expect nothing
good from you. It is very bad if a son loves someone else more than his father.
The father should give some sort of proof that there is no intention entirely to
crush the child. The Law alone serves no good purpose; in fact, it is
intolerable."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 142. V. Dietrich, 1533. Ephesians 6:4.
J-343
"The first destroyers of their own children are those who neglect them and
knowingly permit them to grow up without the training and admonition of the
Lord. Even if they do not harm them by a bad example, they still destroy them
by yielding to them. They love them too much according to the flesh and
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pamper them, saying: They are children, they do not understand what they are
doing. And they are speaking the truth. But neither does a dog or a horse
understand what it is doing. However, see how they learn to go, to come, to
obey, to do and leave undone what they do not understand... These parents will,
therefore, bear the sins of their children because they make these sins their
own."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 139. November, 1516 sermon Fourth
Commandment.
J-344
"The apostle does not mean to say that children are not to be rebuked or
beaten, but that they are to be chastised in love; but parents are not to vent their
furious temper on them, unconcerned about the way to correct the error of
their children. For when the spirit has been cowed, one is of no use for anything
and despairs of everything, is timid in doing and undertaking everything. And,
what is worse, this timidity, implanted during the tender years, can almost never
thereafter be eradicated. For since they have learned to be frightened at every
word of their parents, they are subsequently afraid of even a rustling leaf or a
tree."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 140.
Parents often become frustrated with the difficulty of raising their
children. The cuddly baby turns into a ferocious two-year old in record time.
This stage is a not a burden to be thrust onto child care providers, but a time
for parents to help in a significant turning-point in the growth of a child.
Children have their first impressive tantrums at the age of two (and even
before), so the parents have a chance to teach their children self-control. We
heard the child of one friend say in his evening prayers, Forgive me Jesus for
cying and frowing myself on the ground. When self-control is not learned at
the age of two, the tantrums are worse at age four. If the tantrums go
unpunished, the teenage years turn children into angry tyrants who terrorize
adults. When I was visiting an elderly person, her great-grandchild came home
and announced grandly that she had told off the dean of students at her school
with a stream of abuse she shared generously with me and the others. I tried to
point out that being respectful would be far more fruitful, but I was talking to
granite. I wondered what would happen to such a wild person.
J-345
"You see, then, that by nature all children are disobedient to father and mother.
Therefore if a child is to honor father and mother from the bottom of its heart,
as this Commandment requires, the Holy Spirit must bring this about through
grace; nature is not equal to the task."
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What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 143. Exodus 20:12.
J-346
"Love toward their mother is not so great in children as the love of their mother
toward them, as the proverb has it: Amor descendit, non ascendit, Love is a plant
that grows downward rather than upward."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 138.
We can recognize the Old Adam in our children, even when they are
so-called innocent children. Our daughter Bethany blew squash all over the face
of her favorite nurse and then laughed. Bethany had a sheepish grin when I
asked her if she used tantrums to get her way at the nursing home. Erin Joy
learned to use the medical system to her advantage as well. One time she
shrieked at the top of her lungs. Five nurses raced into her room. She grinned.
She was lonely and wanted some company. When our granddaughter Josephine,
at age two and a half, sat on a tricycle at the mall in Mankato, I strolled along
with her while she toured the Sears store. Suddenly she raced out into the mall
hallway, moving with a sense of purpose. Mystified, I followed her until she
completed her transit of the second hallway. Then her beloved carousel
appeared, with lights and music. She steadfastly set her face toward her goal,
raced through the crowd, and jumped off the tricycle, getting on the carousel
before I could pay. Since I wanted to be strict with her, I limited her to eight
rides. However, when I tried to take her back to a meeting place to see her
parents, I witnessed the fury of a two year old.
Children always view their mother as the sole obstacle standing in the
way of their happiness. Sons can be very difficult at a younger age, daughters in
their teen years. Nevertheless, love is not always expressed in hugs and kisses.
Children do not want to give away how much they love their parents. In time
this love becomes evident and the source of enormous happiness.
Grandparents
God rewards parents by making them grandparents in due time. Being
a grandparent is like riding the best roller coaster in the world, with all the thrills
and none of the fears. No one has invented a drug that will generate the
excitement and contentment of one tiny grandchild, boy or girl. If a
pharmaceutical company could package a fraction of the power of
grandchildren, they would have a nation of contented but goofy people. People
are nostalgic about the thrill of falling in love for the first time. They think they
cannot recapture that feeling. They are wrong. Holding grandchildren, watching
them play, talking gibberish with them, blowing a paycheck on their needs and
desires: all this can make all the years collapse and the happy memories flood
the mind. We remember the events that led up to this happy moment, the
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blessings of God, the warp and woof of the family genetic code. One of the
greatest blessings of God is to see our childrens children.
KJV Psalm 128:1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that
walketh in his ways. 2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt
thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by
the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4
Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. 5 The
LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all
the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon
Israel.
KJV Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to
everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's
children; 18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his
commandments to do them.
KJV Proverbs 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and
the glory of children are their fathers.

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Misuse of Creation
"Creation serves the ungodly unwillingly; it cries out like a
woman lying in travail. But on the Last Day this crying will
cease, and the misuse of creation will also come to an end;
heaven and earth will collapse, and a new heaven and earth will
arise. For all creation must die and be cleansed and purged by
the last fire. Then there will be a new heaven and earth... when
the present heaven and earth take off their workday clothing
and put on their festive garment."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M.
Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p.
1529. 1540 exposition. Psalm 72:7.

226

Notes
158Ockenga

is not a familiar name to most Lutherans, but he was the

minister of Park Street Church, Boston, a key figure in the formation of Fuller
Seminary, the Billy Graham Crusade, the National Association of Evangelicals,
and Christianity Today. At the 150th anniversary of Park St. Church, speakers
included the dean of the Episcopal Cathedral Church, the president of the
American Unitarian Association, Dana McLean Greely; and Erwin D. Canham,
editor of the Christian Science Monitor. February 28, 1959 issue of the New
Bedford, Mass, Standard-Times. Cited in William E. Ashbrook, Evangelicalism, The
New Neutralism, Columbus: Calvary Bible Church, 1963, p. 9.
159The

title is the essence of Reformed doctrine, revealing the

assumption that we need to enliven the dead Word with our cleverness to make
it sound good to get results.
160The language reflects agreement with the Documentary Hypothesis,
the foundation of all destructive Biblical criticism. Briefly, the theory argues
against the authorship of Moses and put forward various writers and editors: the
Jahwist, the Elohist, the Deuteronomist, and the Priestly editor.
161Phil

Donahue, Notre Dame graduate and TV host, exemplifies

someone who distances himself as much as possible from his religious
education.
162Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for
ever. Amen.
163"Creationists

often complain that their theories and their colleagues

are discriminated against by educators...As a matter of fact, creationism should
be discriminated against... No advocate of such propaganda should be trusted to
teach science classes or administer science programs anywhere or under any
circumstance. Moreover, if any are now doing so, they should be dismissed... In
conclusion, then, I would say: yes, creationism is discriminated against, but this
is precisely as it should be." John Patterson, "Do Scientists and Scholars
Discriminate Unfairly Against Creationists?" Journal of the National Center for
Science Education, Fall, 1978, pp. 19-20. Cited in Dr. David Menton's personal
notebook.
164"A

Chilean farm expert has a message for American farmers: Treat

soil as if it were a straw-eating animal and trade in the plows for earthworms.
Otherwise, says Carlos C. Lamarca, agriculture is doomed... A good indicator of
just how infertile the Palouse area [Washington state] has become, he said is the
absence of earthworms in crop soil." Red Wing, MN, newspaper, (AP) "Expert:
227

Changes are need in U.S. tilling," April 2, 1997. Clipping donated by Pastor
John Hein.
165More can be found on this subject in the magisterial Wormhaven
Gardening Book. The author was denounced by the Matriarch of the CLC for
having an unnatural interest in angle-worms.
166Wonders

of Wigglers, Earthworm Composts Can Dramatically

Speed Up Seedling Growth, Organic Gardening, May/June, 2000, p. 12.
167I

was having lunch with some engineers from a scientific company

where my wife Chris worked in Columbus. One scientist was a Mormon who
enjoyed discussing technology and other topics. We talked about gardening,
since I was known for bringing flowers for my wife to share with the staff.
When we talked about the earthworm, he was amazed as a chemical engineer
that the earthworm had little factories for making calcium to sweeten the soil.
Almost all plants need sweeter soil rather than acid soil. An acidic soil will bind
up nutrients while a neutral or sweet soil will release them for plants. The
Mormon said, The earthworm can make calcium? I wonder why! I said,
Because God created them that way. The engineer immediately stopped
talking, and I realized that the Mormons have no concept of Creation, since
they imagine themselves turning into gods in the afterlife.
168I

did this before one of Minnesotas worst winters. All winter a

gardener said to me, That spinach is dead. You could do it in Michigan, but
this is Minnesota. The spinach was abundant and delicious, free of insect
damage, plump and crunchy with moisture from snow and rain. Ice still stuck
the autumn leaves to the ground in some places when I lifted up the soggy
blanket and revealed the living spinach plants.
169KJV

1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now
returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
170Matthew

11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and

no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the
Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Liberals
are dumb-struck that a statement so typical of Johns Gospel could be found in
Matthew, ignoring the obvious solution, that both Gospels are accurate in all
details while differing in style.
171The

mainline or liberal denominations are usually defined by their

membership in the radical National Council of Churches and the World Council
of Churches. The differences between the liberal denominations and their
conservative counterparts are diminishing because of unionism and the
malignant influence of Fuller Seminary, which has done a remarkable job in
228

creating a lack of trust in the efficacy of the Word and the inerrancy of the
Scriptures.
172Note the omission of all in the NIV and its Greek text: NIV 2
Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old
has gone, the new has come! This particular example convinced me to use the
Byzantine Greek text throughout the book.
173The

prefix in the Greek verb means aside. Lenski is emphasizing

the old things being thrown away.
174References

to the Sovereign Lord may seem innocent to most

people, but they reflect this false concept of the Holy Spirit working apart from
the Word and Sacraments. Lutherans should pointedly avoid the term and
explain its implications to the uninformed, such as confirmands and synodical
officials.
175Romans

13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not
provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Galatians 3:27 For as many of
you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
176My

wife worked as a teacher, part-time, every so often, mostly as a

substitute. Anyone can work out of the home today and earn additional income.
However, this requires the help of the husband.
177The word doctor does not mean physician but teacher. In the past all
medical degrees were considered a first professional degree, a bachelors of
medicine. The physicians decided to call themselves doctors of medicine.
(Ministers followed by calling themselves Masters of Divinity. If they get an easy
degree at Fuller, they call themselves a Doctor of Ministry, but no one accepts a
D. Min. as an academic degree. Nevertheless every D. Min. from Fuller bills
himself as Dr. So and So.

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Chapter Four:
A Catechism
Lutherans have a fine tradition of presenting doctrinal information in
the form of a catechism. The Enchiridion of Martin Chemnitz and the Outline of
Christian Doctrine by Henry Eyster Jacobs both served to train pastors in the
basic elements of Scriptural teaching. The question and answer format is useful
in addressing controversial points. The following catechism is not designed to
cover every point in Christian doctrine, but those topics directly related to the
efficacy of the Word.
J-401
"On the other hand, the practical result of the acceptance of the Scriptural
doctrine that the Holy Spirit is inseparably united with the Word is the absolute
subjection of every thought to the Word of God, as this is set forth in the Bible,
2 Corinthians 10:5. In this case every doctrine which is opposed to Scripture is
rejected as false, no matter to what source it may be attributed, whether it be the
'spirit,' the 'inner word,' the 'inner light,' 'reason,' 'science,' 'the Church,' 'the
Pope,' and the like. Unless we fully accept the Scriptural doctrine that the Holy
Spirit is indissolubly united with the Word of Scripture, we cannot regard this
precious Book of God as the only source and standard of faith. It was for this
reason that our Lutheran theologians so strenuously defended the inseparable
unity of the Word and the Spirit."
John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal
Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 135. 2 Corinthians
10:5.178
J-402
"And what need is there of many words? If I were to recount all the profit and
fruit which Gods Word produces, whence would I get enough paper and time?
The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call Gods
Word, which drives away and brings to naught this master of a thousand arts
with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the master of more than a
hundred thousand arts. And shall we frivolously despise such power, profit,
strength, and fruitwe, especially, who claim to be pastors and preachers? If
so, we should not only have nothing given us to eat, but be driven out, being
baited with dogs, and pelted with dung, because we not only need all this every
day as we need our daily bread, but must also daily use it against the daily and
unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts."
The Large Catechism, Preface, #12, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 571. Tappert, p. 360. Heiser, p. 167.

230

Is God always active through the Word?

The prophet Isaiah teaches us that Gods Word always has an effect
and is never without an effect. The comparison with rain and snow reminds us
in the clearest possible way that the results of Gods Word are inevitable.
KJV Isaiah 55:9 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.
God has also attached three specific promises regarding the power of
His Word:
A. It shall not return void, meaning that it will always have an effect.
B. It shall accomplish Gods will, so all the effects of the Word are in
harmony with Gods plans, in spite of how they might appear to us;
C. It will have the very effect desired by God and not another effect.
All our thoughts or claims about Gods Word must be in harmony with
this passage from Isaiah 55.
J-403
"Though all the powers of evil
The will of God oppose,
His purpose will not falter,
His pleasure onward goes.
Whatever God's will resolveth,
Whatever He intends,
Will always be accomplished
True to His aims and ends."
Paul Gerhardt, 1656, "Commit Whatever Grieves Thee," The Lutheran
Hymnal, #520, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Isaiah 55.179
J-404
"Der Geist wirkt nicht vor der Schrift, die Schrift nicht ver dem Geist, sondern
beider Wirken faellt zusammen, sowohl der Aktion als dem Effeckt nach." [The
Spirit does not work before the Word, the Word does not work before the
Spirit, but both are inseparable, just as action follows cause.]
Adolf Hoenecke, Evangelisch-Lutherische Dogmatik, 4 vols., ed., Walter
and Otto Hoenecke, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1912, IV, p.
20.
231

J-405
"Quenstedt (I, 183): 'We are to assume here not only a certain conjunction or
union of distinct actions, or even a unity of aims or effects, but also a unity of
energy and operation. For the Holy Spirit does not by Himself do something,
and the Word of God by itself something else, in the conversion of men; but
they produce the one effect by one and the same action. For such is the peculiar
nature of the principal and subordinate causes, intrinsically united together, that
they produce an effect by one and the same action. Thus the soul and the eye
see by a single action, and not by distinct actions.'"
Heinrich Schmid, Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
trans., Charles A. Hay and Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: United Lutheran
Publication House, 1899, p. 505.
J-406
"And thus we might go on, and show that what is ascribed in one place to the
Spirit, is ascribed in another place to the Wordproving conclusively that the
two always go together. Where one is, there the other is also. The Spirit
operates through the Word, whether it be the written, the preached, the
sacramental, or the Word in conversation or reflection."
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 134.
J-407
"Rise, Thou Light of Gentile nations,
Jesus, bright and Morning Star;
Let Thy Word, the gladsome tidings,
Ring out loudly near and far,
Bringing freedom to the captives,
Peace and comfort to the slave,
That the heathen, free from bondage,
May proclaim Thy power to save."
Herman Fick, 1885, "Rise, Thou Light of Gentile Nations," The
Lutheran Hymnal, #498, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Isaiah
60:1.
What New Testament text supports this claim?
St. Paul distinguishes between mans wisdom, without the Holy Spirit,
and the work of the Holy Spirit through Gods Word.
KJV 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing
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spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.
Mans wisdom opposes Gods Word, and Gods Word teaches against
mans wisdom.180 That doctrine is why Gods Word is foolishness to the
unbeliever. It also shows us that anyone who mocks the pure Word of God is
an unbeliever.
J-408
"You must always have the Word of God in your heart, on your lips, and in
your ears. Where the heart is idle and the Word does not ring out, the devil
breaks in and has done damage before we are aware of it. On the other hand,
such is the power of the Word if it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used
that it is never without fruit. It always awakens new understanding, pleasure,
and devotion and purifies the heart and thoughts. For these are not inert or
dead but active and living words.
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1467. Exodus 20:8.
What other passages in the Scriptures support this?
There are many. In the Old Testament, there is no difference between
the command of God and the result. Therefore, we have hundreds of examples
of Gods Word being active and powerful, from the Creation of the world in
Genesis 1 to the destruction of Sennacherib.
KJV Isaiah 37:33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king
of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come
before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. 34 By the way that he came, by
the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 35
For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant
David's sake. 36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the
camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when
they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 37 So
Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at
Nineveh.
In the New Testament, we have many passages where the Holy Spirit
teaches effectiveness of the Word.
A. The Sower and the Seed parable, Matthew 13:3-9, shows us
that the Word encounters many difficulties but still prospers
according to Gods will.
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KJV Matthew 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables,
saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds
fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell
upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung
up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they
were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some
fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell
into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some
sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
B. The Word is called an incorruptible seed in 1 Peter 1:23,
revealing to us that the eternal Word will bring about eternal
life.
KJV 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
C. In James 1:21, the implanted Word alone is able to save
people.
KJV James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls.
D. In calling Himself the True Vine in John 15:1-8, Jesus teaches
us that remaining with Him will always yield spiritual fruit.
KJV John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
E. In another comparison with the Creation, the apostle Paul
shows us that in planting and nurturing the Word, we do not
credit man as effective but God alone.
KJV 1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave
the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that
watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
J-409
"Hollazius (993): 'A divine power is communicated to the Word by the Holy
Spirit joined with it indissolubly.' Hence, there is a native or intrinsic power and
efficacy belonging to the Word, deeply inherent in it. The Dogmaticians draw
proofs of this, (1) From the qualities which the divine Word ascribes to itself,
John 6:63; Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:23;
James 1:21. (2) From the similar supernatural and divine operations which are
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ascribed to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, ex. gr., calling, 2 Timothy
2:14; illumination, 2 Peter 1:19; conversion, Jeremiah 23:29; regeneration, 1
Peter 1:23; justification, 2 Corinthians 3:9; sanctification, John 17:17."
Heinrich Schmid, Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
trans., Charles A. Hay and Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: United Lutheran
Publication House, 1899, p. 505.
Why do we use the terms efficacious or effective?
God chose Greek as the language for the New Testament. In the Greek
New Testament we have many examples of Gods Word being called
efficacious, an older term for effective.181 Examples of this Greek word group
are underlined in the passages below.
A. The apostle Paul distinguishes between mans word and Gods
Word in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, because Gods Word is effective.
The Thessalonians knew that Gods power in the Word converted
them from paganism.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 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.
B. Paul was converted and made an apostle through the Word spoken
by the risen Christ to him, while he was on the road to Damascus
to persecute the Christian faith. When the Scriptures converted
Augustine from paganism to the Christian faith, his mother Monica
recited this passage from Ephesians.
KJV Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh
in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,
world without end. Amen.
C. The Word is called a living and powerful (effective) sword in
Hebrews 4:12.
KJV Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
D. God is effective in giving us the will to obey Him and in actually
doing His will.
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KJV Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will
and to do of his good pleasure.
J-410
"It is indeed a precious truth, that this Word not only tells me what I must do to
be saved, but it also enables me to do it. It is the vehicle and instrument of the
Holy Spirit. Through it the Holy Spirit works repentance and faith. Through it
He regenerates, converts, and sanctifies."
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 132. [Emphasis in original.]
J-411
"Hollazius (993) uses the following figures: 'It possesses and retains its internal
power and efficacy even when not used, just as the illuminating power of the
sun continues, although, when the shadow of the moon intervenes, no person
may see it; and just as an internal efficacy belongs to the seed, although it may
not be sown in the field.'"
Heinrich Schmid, Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
trans., Charles A. Hay and Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: United Lutheran
Publication House, 1899, p. 506.
Is Satan also effective?
Yes. The passage warning us about the power of the Antichrist uses the
term for efficacy three different times.
KJV 2 Thessalonians 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him,
whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie.
J-412
"And the devil, who is efficacious in the godless, as Paul says, Ephesians 2:2,
does not cease to incite this feeble nature to various offenses."
Apology to the Augsburg Confession, XVIII, #5, Free Will. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 335. Tappert, p. 226.
Heiser, p. 102.
This text from 2 Thessalonians shows us that those who reject the truth
of the Scriptures also prove the efficacy of Gods Word, because they become
deluded and love error. Men harden their hearts by scoffing at the grace of
236

God. In the same way, when people unworthily receive the Body of Christ,
without discernment, they eat to their damnation, 1 Corinthians 11:29.
KJV 1 Corinthians 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
J-413
"Is it the office of the Word simply to afford directions that are to be followed
in order to obtain salvation? It is more than a directory and guide to Christ. It
does more than 'give directions how to live.' It brings and communicates the
grace concerning which it instructs. It has an inherent and objective efficacy,
derived from its divine institution and promise, and explained by the constant
presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in and with it. Romans 1:16; John 6:63;
1 Peter 1:23; Matthew 4:4; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 10:5-10;
Isaiah 55:10."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia:
General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 288.
How can we claim that the Word alone is effective?
First of all, every passage about the efficacy of the Word concerns itself
exclusively with Gods power. Isaiah 55 does not associate Gods power in the
Word with mans effort, work, wisdom, or salesmanship. Secondly, when man is
included in the text, it is only to exclude man from the efficacy of the Word.
Two clear examples are 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Corinthians 3:6-7.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 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.
KJV 1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave
the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that
watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
J-414
"In the Word of God there is not only a speaking about God, but in and
through His Word God Himself speaks to us, deals with us, acts upon us.
Therefore the Word of God is also an efficacious means of grace through which
God regenerates, converts, and sanctifies man. This efficacy the Word of God
possesses always; it is always united with the Word, never separated from it. The
effect which God intends through the Word is indeed not always attained, but
this is owing to no lack of efficacy in the Word, but solely to the resistance of
man; for man has the power to resist God and to prevent His Word from
accomplishing the effect which He intends."
237

E. Hove, Christian Doctrine, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,

1930, p. 27.
Why do some claim they can add to or detract from the Word?
We do not have to look hard to find the origin of their folly. The
Reformed consistently teach that the Scriptures are dead, lifeless, and incapable
unless man makes them germane, relevant, or appealing by his effort. The
Reformed have compared the Scriptures to a statue of Hermes or a road-sign,
which points the way but does not give the individual the power to go in that
direction. This delusion is clearly repudiated in the text listed earlier:
KJV Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will
and to do of his good pleasure.
J-415
"(3) Hollazius: 'The Word of God, as such, cannot be conceived of without the
divine virtue, or the Holy Spirit, who is inseparable from His Word. For if the
Holy Spirit could be separated from the Word of God, it would not be the
Word of God or of the Spirit, but a word of man. Nor is there any other Word
of God, which is in God, or with which the men of God have been inspired,
than that which is given in the Scriptures or is preached or is treasured up in the
human mind. But, as it cannot be denied that that is the divine will, counsel,
mind, and the wisdom of God, so it cannot be destitute of the divine virtue or
efficacy.'"
Heinrich Schmid, Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
trans., Charles A. Hay and Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: United Lutheran
Publication House, 1899, p. 505.
Do we create obstacles to Gods Word?
Asking this question is the first step on the road to apostasy. When we
begin thinking about obstacles to Gods Word, we start to diminish the power
of the Holy Spirit. Deluded Lutherans have even imagined that a ministers
clothing will change the outcome of the sermon. Instead of thinking about
obstacles to Gods Word, we should dwell on the importance of the purity of
Gods Word.
KJV 2 Corinthians 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully;
but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's
conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that
are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them.
238

The Scriptures teach confidence in God, not in man. The positive and
negative emphasis upon man, whether he helps or hurts the Word, diverts trust
from the Gospel promise, which never lies or deceives, and focuses upon man,
the earthen vessel, 2 Corinthians 4:7.
KJV 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that
the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
KJV Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities,
like the wind, have taken us away.
Did Jesus believe in the efficacy of the Word?
Yes. Jesus converted people to faith only through the external or
spoken Word. He spoke the Law and the Gospel to the woman at the well
(John 4).
KJV John 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called
Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now
Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus
on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of
Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his
disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of
Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which
am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is
that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he
would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou
hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou
that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the
well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus
answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I
thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy
husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no
husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For
thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in
that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art
a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in
Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain,
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we
know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh,
239

and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they
that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith
unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come,
he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
He spoke the Law only to the rich young ruler, who was still proud in
the imagination of his heart.
KJV Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and
sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he
went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Did Jesus use miracles to convert people to faith?
In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches with great clarity that His Word
was accompanied with miracles during His earthly ministry to confirm that the
signs and the doctrine came from God the Father.
KJV John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38
But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and
believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
The Pentecostals and charismatics of today claim that their teachings
about God come from their own dreams and visions instead of from the
Scriptures. Moreover, the miracles they promote, whether genuine or
fraudulent, call attention to man and do not glorify God.
Does love make us effective?
This question comes from Pietism, an earlier Lutheran-Reformed
movement where people demanded the fruits of the Spirit but denied their
source, the pure Word of God. This belief is a confusion of the tree with the
fruit. Jesus teaches us to value the tree, the source of the fruit, which is the
Word.
KJV Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
In this text, which is never contradicted by the Scriptures, Jesus insists
that nothing good will come from false doctrine. However, He also promises
that the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) will necessarily spring from the pure
Word.
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KJV Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with
the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
tree.182

The treesound doctrineproduces love. Love does not produce the

KJV Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
J-416
"Correct doctrine is essential. But it is never to be a priority at the expense of
the mission. In fact, when the quest for proper doctrine intensifies to the point
of neglecting mission and ministry, then it is no longer proper doctrine."
Kent Hunter, LCMS, Foundations for Church Growth, New Haven: Leader
Publishing, 1983, pp. 152-3. Cited in Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World
Mission Board member, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth
Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3,
1993 p. 21.183
False teachers among the Lutherans have cunningly motivated people
to accept their Reformed doctrine and agenda in the name of missions, love for
lost souls, and tolerance for those who deeply care about the growth of their
synod. According to the false teachers, anyone who dares to question them is
loveless, against missions, opposed to evangelism, and against the growth of
their synod. Luther places love in its proper perspective.184
J-417
"For this reason one should not be too credulous when a preacher comes softly
like an angel of God, recommends himself very highly, and swears that his sole
aim is to save souls, and says: 'Pax vobis!' For those are the very fellows the devil
employs to honey people's mouths. Through them he gains an entrance to
preach and to teach, in order that he may afterward inflict his injuries, and that
though he accomplish nothing more for the present, he may, at least, confound
the people's consciences and finally lead them into misery and despair."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 322. Luke 24:36-47.
J-418
241

"In like manner we will also do to our princes and priests; when they attack our
manner of life, we should suffer it and show love for hatred, good for evil; but
when they attack our doctrine, God's honor is attacked, then love and patience
should cease and we should not keep silent, but also say: I honor my Father,
and you dishonor me; yet I do not inquire whether you dishonor me, for I do
not seek my own honor."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 176. John 8:46-59.
J-419
"Therefore, do not speak to me of love or friendship when anything is to be
detracted from the Word or the faith; for we are told that not love but the
Word brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1411f. Ephesians 6:10-17.
J-420
"Consequently, I say to my worst enemies: Where it is only my own person that
is involved, there I am very willing to help you and to do everything good for
you in spite of the fact that you are my enemy and that all you ever do for me is
to harm me. But where it is the Word of God that is involved, there you must
not expect any friendship or love that I may have for you to persuade me to do
something against that, even if you were my nearest and dearest friend. But
since you cannot endure the Word, I will speak this prayer over you: May God
dash you to the ground! I shall willingly serve you, but not in order to help you
overthrow the Word of God. For this purpose you will never be able to
persuade me even to give you a drink of water."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1480. Matthew 5:43-48.
J-421
"In matters concerning faith we must be invincible, unbending, and very
stubborn; indeed, if possible, harder than adamant. But in matters concerning
love we should be softer and more pliant than any reed and leaf and should
gladly accommodate ourselves to everything."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 412f. Galatians 2:8.
J-422
"Doctrine is our only light. It alone enlightens and directs us and shows us the
way to heaven. If it is shaken in one quarter (in une parte), it will necessarily be
shaken in its entirety (in totum). Where that happens, love cannot help us at all."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 414. Galatians 5:10.
242

J-423
"But this tender mercy is to be exercised only toward Christians and among
Christians, for toward those who reject and persecute the Gospel we must act
differently; here I am not permitted to let my love be merciful so as to tolerate
and endure false doctrine. When faith and doctrine are concerned and
endangered, neither love nor patience are in order. Then it is my duty to
contend in earnest and not to yield a hairbreadth."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637f.
Can unfriendly ushers neutralize a Law/Gospel sermon?
No. If a Lutheran pastor or anyone else makes this claim, he is saying
that the glare of an usher is more powerful than Gods Word. Once again, this
claim is a confusion between the fruit of the Spirit and the treeGods Word.
The love salesmen want to gather apples where there are no trees. They
advocate love but promote the Law, which cannot produce any love, since only
the Gospel can produce the fruit of the Spirit. All claims about the efficacy of
love are actually Law demands, and they derive their authority from mans
wisdom. The evangelism expert will say, You must be more loving or no one
will want to join our congregation. He may even say, No one comes to our
church, because it is not loving enough and no one invites friends. Growth in
membership, according to recent studies, always comes from members inviting
friends.185 Jesus refuted the notion that producing visible results is the work of
God.
KJV John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we
might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
J-424
If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod.
Nevertheless, this growth!... It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the
Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the
basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the
spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity
are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the
critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who
value His Word so highly.
Dr. R. C. H. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922. Cited in W. A.
Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 515f.
J-425
243

"The correct understanding of the doctrine of the Means of Grace will have a
salutary influence on pastors and hearers; without the proper use of the Means
of Grace no sinner can expect to be saved and no Church can hope to grow."
Edwin E. Pieplow, "The Means of Grace," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 344.186
Does God limit Himself to the Word?
Men deceive themselves and others when they question Gods gracious
will, revealed in the Scriptures, and then claim God is limited (using a pejorative
term) by what He has revealed about Himself. This limitation has been a
frequent charge against the Biblical doctrine of the Means of Gracethat this
doctrine limits God to His Word and Sacraments. Like Ahaz in Isaiah, these
false teachers will not limit God.187 However, God has bound Himself to His
Word through His promises.
J-426
"First, our Lord does encourage us or even command us to believe that
wherever there is the good character, the Christ-like character, there the Holy
Spirit is at work. God works far beyond His own appointed channels. The
principle of loyalty and obedience binds us who know His will to use His
Sacraments, His instituted ordinances; but God is not tied to His own
ordinances. He can work wherever He sees the good disposition; and it is
blasphemy against His Spirit to deny that He is at work anywhere where we
witness the forming of the Christian character. The good fruit cannot come
from anything else than the good tree."
Bishop Charles Gore, (Anglican) The Sermon on the Mount, A Practical
Exposition, London: John Murray 1906, p. 179f.
We receive many benefits from being certain about how He works
through means:
A. We know that we can find God and His grace only in the Word
and Sacraments, and never apart from the Word and Sacraments.
B. We can understand why various man-made methods, gimmicks,
fads, and tricks will not accomplish Gods will or build the true
Church which has only one foundation, the Word.
C. Knowing that God always works exclusively through the Word, we
can be as careless as the Sower (Matthew 13) in broadcasting the
living seed, knowing God will prosper the work according to His
will.
D. We can learn to be less self-centered, thinking Gods Kingdom is
dependent upon our efforts, and grow in confidence in the Word.
J-427
244

"Faith lives on the offer of the forgiveness of sins, as it comes to us in the

certain promise and absolute guarantee of the Gospel and the Sacraments. Here,
again, Lutheranism fully meets the sinner's need."
The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer, Popular Symbolics,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 5.
J-428
confess that Christ died on the cross and saved us; but
"True, the
they repudiate that by which we obtain Him; that is, the means, the way, the
bridge, the approach to Him they destroy... They lock up the treasure which
they should place before us and lead me a fool's chase; they refuse to admit me
to it; they refuse to transmit it; they deny me its possession and use." (III, 1692)
Martin Luther. Cited in The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E.
Mayer, Popular Symbolics, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 5.
enthusiasts188

J-429
"The Word of God is efficacious not only when it is being read from the Bible,
but also when it is being spoken or preached, and when it is recalled by
memory. The Word of God, properly speaking, is really not the letters which we
see or the sound which we hear, but the divine thoughts, the truths designated
by these signs."
E. Hove, Christian Doctrine, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1930, p. 27.
Successful Sermons
Why is it important to preach?
Although the Word is also efficacious when read or remembered, God
willed that men should proclaim Law and Gospel in sermons. Luther called this
preaching the External Word to emphasize the nature of the spoken Word,
pointing out that the Son of God converted people exclusively through
preaching and teaching.189 The Holy Spirit works through the Word in
preaching to plant faith in the hearts of the audience.
KJV Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.
J-430
"The most important of all the pastor's acts is his public preaching... A minister
may be ever so good as a liturgist, ever so gifted as a ruler of his congregation,
or in private pastoral work, but all this can never take the place of right
preaching."
C. F. W. Walther, Pastorale, p. 76. Cited in G. H. Gerberding, The
Lutheran Pastor, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1915, p. 275.
J-431
245

"'When the Word is read at home it is not as fruitful or as forcible as in public

preaching and through the mouth of the preacher whom God has called for this
purpose.
Luther, Erlangen edition, 3:401. Cited in Henry Eyster Jacobs, A
Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia: General Council Publication House,
1913, p. 290.
J-432
"The apostle's purpose in praising his co-laborers is to prevent them from
despising the external Word as something inessential to them, or well enough
known. For though God is able to effect everything without the instrumentality
of the outward Word, working inwardly by his Spirit, this is by no means his
purpose. He uses preachers as fellow-workers, or co-laborers, to accomplish His
purpose through the Word when and where He pleases. Now, since preachers
have the office, name and honor of the fellow-workers with God, no one may
be considered learned enough or holy enough to ignore or despise the most
inferior preaching; especially since he knows not when the hour may come
wherein God will, through preachers, perform his work in him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 134. 1 Corinthians 13. Isaiah 55.190
J-433
"For it is not preaching itself, but the Word as preached which is a means of
grace. This demands not only that nothing be preached but what comes directly
or indirectly from Holy Scripture, but also that the contents of Holy Scripture
be preached in due proportion and in the proper order."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia:
General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 293.
What if I fail to see results in my congregation?
When ministers and members fret about seeing visible results in their
congregations, they are turning away from trust in God in favor of the
temporary comfort of money, buildings, and a full church. One congregation
removed pews to make their church seem to be full! The Scriptures do not
contain a single commandment, injunction, ordinance, or exhortation to build
up institutions.
KJV Psalm 119:40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken
me in thy righteousness. 41 Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even
thy salvation, according to thy word. 42 So shall I have wherewith to answer
him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word. 43 And take not the word of
truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.
God has also warned us:
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KJV Isaiah 30:12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because
ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay
thereon: 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall,
swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
J-434
"Be not worried because of this! For even though a man preach and continue in
the Gospel for many years, he must still lament and say: Aye, no one will come,
and all continue in their former state. Therefore you must not let that grieve or
terrify you."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 305. Luke 24:36-47.
J-435
"So confident now should every preacher be, and not doubt, that possesses and
preaches Gods Word, that he could even die for it, since it is worth life to us.
Now there is no man so holy that he needs to die for the doctrine he has taught
concerning himself. Therefore one concludes from this that the apostles had
assurance from God that their Gospel was Gods Word. And here is also
proved that the Gospel is nothing else than the preaching of Christ."
Martin Luther, Commentary on Peter and Jude, ed. John N. Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1990, p. 245. 2 Peter 1:16-18.
Is it the pastors job to be popular?
If the minister teaches the pure Word of God, he cannot be a
respecter of persons, a special term unique to the New Testament and clearly
explained in the Scriptures. God shows no partiality.
KJV 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the
LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the LORD looketh on the heart.
KJV Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I
perceive that God is no respecter of persons.
KJV Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Because God shows no partiality, neither should believers.
KJV Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them,
forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is
there respect of persons with him.
247

KJV Colossians 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the
wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Synodical leaders today violate the Scriptures constantly through their
Planned Giving Counselors, Major Gifts programs, endowment drives, and
selling of indulgences to unrepentant transgressors.191 Consequently, the greedy
leaders despise poor pastors and ordinary members, especially those who
treasure the Word instead of Mammon.
KJV James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your
assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a
poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay
clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor,
Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in
yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
KJV James 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors.
J-436
"Your first desire will be that all men may obtain the same knowledge of divine
grace. Hence your love will not be restrained from serving all to the fullest
extent, preaching and proclaiming the divine truth wherever possible, and
rejecting all doctrine and life not in harmony with this teaching. But take note,
the devil and the world, unwilling that their devices be rejected, cannot endure
the knowledge of what you do. They will oppose you with everything great,
learned, wealthy and powerful, and represent you as a heretic and insane."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House, 1983, VI, p. 147. Titus 3:4-8.
J-437
"This title [market house] we should write on all churches in which the Gospel
is not preached, for there they mock God, destroy souls, banish the pure Word
and establish dens of murder; for he who listens to their words must die."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 328. Luke 17:5.
Would a better personality help more people listen to the Word?
Those who sell relationship evangelism programs have convinced
many foolish people that stinking sinners will make the glorious, eternal Word
of Truth appealing to unbelievers. In other words, their glittering vices, as
Augustine called them, would make people say, I want what you have. The
doctrine behind such programs is nothing more than Pharisaic righteousness,
248

the glorification of self with a reluctant nod toward the Creator of heaven and
earth.
J-438
"Non-Christians usually become good prospects for personal reasons or as I
like to say: 'They come for sociological reasons and stay for theological
reasons.'"
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to
Mission Prospects," p. 4.
J-439
"Upside-down evangelism may begin with different diagnostic questions. What
do you want out of life? lets the other person pick the path for witness. How do
you feel about where our society is heading? uncovers fears and needs without
becoming too personal. What makes people happy (or unhappy) do you think?
allows someone to express preceived [sic] needs in the third person."
Paul Kelm, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Fall, 1985, p. 5.
J-440
"Lifestyle evangelism is the merger of visual and verbal witness, by the people
Jesus intended, in the way that He modeled. It's the primary element in a
church's strategy to win the lost."192
Rev. Paul Kelm, Evangelism, WELS, Your Invitation! Kent Hunter,
(D. Min., Fuller).
J-441
"Whoever does not receive the Word for its own sake, will never receive it for
the sake of the preacher, even if all the angels preached it to him. And he who
receives it because of the preacher does not believe in the Word, neither in God
through the Word, but he believes the preacher and in the preacher. Hence the
faith of such persons does not last long. But whoever believes the Word, does
not care who the person is that speaks the Word, and neither will he honor the
Word for the sake of the person; but on the contrary, he honors the person
because of the Word, and always subordinates the person to the Word."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 162. Luke 2:15-20.
J-442
"In the second place, to resist wicked preachers of man, who do not bear
witness of Christ, the Light, but of themselves. For it is true indeed, that all who
preach the doctrines of men make man the light, lead men away from God to
themselves, and set themselves up in the place of the true Light, as the pope
and his followers have done."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 203. John 1:1-14.
249

Why must faithful Christians reject Reformed doctrine in sermons?

Anyone who says that the Scriptures are dead until man makes them
live with his reason is an opponent of God. Many Lutheran pastors will claim
that this teaching is not their position, but their doctrinal foundation is
genuinely Reformed.193 These pastors read Reformed authors instead of
Lutheran authors and soon join the Reformed in mocking and adulterating
Gods Word. They never quote one particular statement from Jesus about being
a disciple.
KJV John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If
ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
J-443
"Hence, too, the lack of emphasis, even in the best of Reformed preaching,
upon the divine Word as the vehicle of regenerating grace and on the
Sacraments. The office of the Word, then, is merely to point to the way of life,
without communicating that of which it conveys the idea. The Word and
Sacraments are declared to be necessary; their office in the Church is a divine
institution; but they are only symbols of what the Spirit does within; and the
Spirit works immediately and irresistibly."
"Grace, Means of," The Concordia Cyclopedia, L. Fuerbringer, Th.
Engelder, P. E. Kretzmann, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1927, p.
298.
J-444
Quo propior Luthero, eo melior theologus!
"It is the purpose of this volume to aid in displacing books of Reformed
preachers. We would encourage the cultivation of distinctly Lutheran preaching.
Therefore, we now appeal to our brethren always to consult Luther when
preparing to preach. Quo propior Luthero, eo melior theologus!194 Let us who are
called Lutheran preachers be sure that in every one of our sermons we preach
Gods Word and Luther's doctrine pure. It is that preaching which God
demands of us, 1 Peter 4:11. It was that preaching which conquered the Roman
Goliath, Revelation 12:11. By that preaching we shall truly build the walls of
Zion, not with hay, straw, and stubble, but with such stones as all the powers of
hell shall never overthrow, Luke 21:15."
Martin S. Sommer, Concordia Pulpit for 1932, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1931, p. ix.
J-445
"Paul... is speaking about methods of preaching the Gospel. He means to say
that you can introduce methods into your Gospel work which on the surface do
not appear as shameful, but which in reality disgrace the Gospel. He is harking
250

back to 2:17, where he spoke about kapeleuein, about 'selling' the Gospel. To use
a coarse illustration: Some ministers in their eagerness to bring the Gospel to
the people, resort to entertainment to attract the crowds, in order to get an
opportunity to preach to them. If you would tell such ministers that they are
ashamed of the Gospel and that by their methods they disgrace it, because they
manifest a lack of trust in its efficacy, they would resent the charge. Are they not
doing all in order to promote the Gospel? The disgrace their methods bring
upon it does not appear on the surface; that is why Paul speaks of secret things
of shame."
John P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing
House, 1963, pp. 62f. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; 2:17.195
J-446
"It is not enough that we preach correctly, which the hireling can also do; but
we must watch over the sheep, that the wolves, false teachers, may not break in,
and we must contend for the sheep against the wolves, with the Word of God,
even to the sacrifice of our lives. Such are good shepherds, of whom few are
found."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 34. John 10:11-16.
J-447
"The world desires such wolf preaching, and is not worthy of anything better
since it will not hear nor respect Christ. Hence it is that there are so few true
Christians and faithful preachers, always outnumbered by the members of the
false church."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 385. Deuteronomy 29:19.
J-448
"It must be so, the village must be against them; again, the apostles must despise
them and appear before them, for the Lord will have no flatterer as a preacher.
He does not say: Go around the village, or to the one side of it: Go in bravely
and tell them what they do not like to hear. How very few there are now who
enter the village that is against them. We gladly go into the towns that are on
our side. The Lord might have said: Go ye into the village before you. That
would have been a pleasing and customary form of speech. But he would
indicate this mystery of the ministry, hence he speaks in an unusual way: Go
into the village that is over against you. That is: Preach to them that are
disposed to prosecute and kill you. You shall merit such thanks and not try to
please them, for such is the way of hypocrites and not that of the evangelists."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 46f. Matthew 21:1-9.
J-449
251

"But the Lord refutes this and says: Go ye there and preach what does it matter
if it is against you? You will find there what I say. We should now do likewise.
Although the masses storm against the Gospel and there is no hope that they
will be better, yet we must preach, there will yet be found those who listen and
become converted."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 48. Matthew 21:1-9.
J-450
"Thus we arrive at the apostle's meaning in the assertion that a minister of
Christ is a steward in the mysteries of God. He should regard himself and insist
that others regard him as one who administers to the household of God
nothing but Christ and the things of Christ. In other words, he should preach
the pure Gospel, the true faith, that Christ alone is our life, our way, our
wisdom, power, glory, salvation; and that all we can accomplish of ourselves is
but death, error, foolishness, weakness, shame and condemnation. Whosoever
preaches otherwise should be regarded by none as a servant of Christ or a
steward of the divine treasurer; he should be avoided as a messenger of the
devil."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 73. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.
J-451
"Paul in Romans 12:7-8 devotes the office of the ministry to two things,
doctrine and exhortation. The doctrinal part consists in preaching truths not
generally known; in instructing and enlightening the people. Exhortation is
inciting and urging to duties already well understood. Necessarily both
obligations claim the attention of the minister, and hence Paul takes up both."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 9. Romans 13:11-14; Romans 12:7-8.
J-452
"If Satan were only prudent enough to keep quiet and let the Gospel be
preached, he would receive less injury from it; for if the Gospel is not attacked
it completely rusts and has no occasion or reason to make its power and
influence manifest."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 300. Matthew 22:15-22.
J-453
"So it goes in the spiritual government of the Church, as specially indicated in
the narrative now before us. Where I have preached and taught during the past
ten or twenty years, there another could perhaps, have done more in one year;
and one sermon may bring forth more fruit than many others. Here, also, it is
true that our labor, diligence and effort can accomplish nothing. These two
252

things must go together, namely, that each one does his duty, and that he,
nevertheless, acknowledges with Peter: 'My labor cannot bring forth anything, if
thou dost not give the increase.'"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 153. Luke 5:1-11.
J-454
"The means of grace are thus limited for Barth. The preacher descending from
the pulpit can never quote Luther and say with joyful assurance that he has
preached the Word of God. Of course, he can hope and pray; but he can never
know whether the Holy Spirit has accompanied the preached Word, and hence
whether his words were the Word of God. To know this, or even to wish to
know it, would be a presumptuous encroachment of man upon the sovereign
freedom of God."
Hermann Sasse, Here We Stand, trans. Theodore G. Tappert,
Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1946, p. 161.
J-455
Almighty Father, bless the Word
Which through your grace we now have heard
Oh, may the precious seed take root,
Spring up, and bear abundant fruit.
We praise you for the means of grace
As homeward now our steps we trace.
Grant, Lord, that we who worshiped here
May all at last in heaven appear.
Almighty Father, Bless the Word, The Lutheran Hymnal, #52, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Mark 4.
J-456
"To the Lutheran the sermon, as the preached Word, is a means of grace.
Through it the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole
Christian church on earth. It is a constant offer of pardon; a giving of life, as
well as a nourishing and strengthening of life. In the Reformed churches the
sermon is apt to be more hortatory and ethical. It partakes more of the
sacrificial than of the sacramental character. The individuality of the preacher,
the subjective choice of a text, the using of it merely for a motto, the discussion
of secular subjects, the unrestrained platform style, lack of reverence, lack of
dignity, and many other faults are common, and are not regarded as
unbecoming the messenger of God in His temple. Where there is a properly
trained Lutheran consciousness such things repel, shock, and are not tolerated."
G. H. Gerberding, The Lutheran Pastor, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1915, p. 278.196
253

J-457
"Then hail, ye mighty legions, yea, All hail!
Now save and blest for aye,
And praise the Lord, who with His Word
Sustained you on the way."
Hans A. Brorson, c. 1760, "Behold a Host, Arrayed in White," The
Lutheran Hymnal, #656, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Revelation 7:13-17.
How can the Sacraments be Gods Word?
Rejection of the efficacy of the Word is easier to mask when talking
only about the Word. The Reformed teach the Word, preach the Word, and
publish an unending supply of books about the Word. However, they come
alive in their hatred of the Sacraments. Baptism and Holy Communion can only
be seen as symbolic, according to them. Their false view of the deadness of the
Word is not so apparent when they write about the Word, so they seem to be
part of our flock of sheep. But when they consider Baptism and Holy
Communion to be dead, that is, lacking in divine activity, the lupine claw
appears out from under the fleece. They are not content just to dismiss the
Sacraments as ordinances to be obeyed as evidence of our Christian faith. The
Reformed condemn describing the Sacraments as the visible Word as a
Roman Catholic heresy.197
How do we number the Sacraments?
The term Sacrament is unwritten, as Chemnitz stated in his Examination
of the Council of Trent.198 It is not found in the Bible.199 Today we use the term to
include Baptism and Holy Communion. Generally, we define the Means of
Grace as the Word and Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
However, God has provided various ways in which we receive the Word. In the
statement below, quoting the Book of Concord, Smalcald Articles, we have a
total of five means: a) the spoken Word, b) Baptism, c) Holy Communion, d)
absolution, and e) the mutual consolation of the brethren.
J-458
"If the question is put, 'Why did God ordain so many means of grace when one
suffices to confer upon the sinner His grace and forgiveness?' we quote the
reply of Luther who writes (Smalcald Articles, IV: 'The Gospel not merely in
one way gives us counsel and aid against sin, for God is superabundantly rich in
His grace. First through the spoken Word, by which the forgiveness of sins is
preached in the whole world, which is the peculiar office of the Gospel.
Secondly through Baptism. Thirdly through the holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Fourthly through the power of the keys and also through the mutual
conversation and consolation of brethren, Matthew 18:20.'"
254

John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal

Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 447. Matthew 18:20.
Why is infant Baptism such a great comfort?
First of all, we can see God at work, because an infant has no works to
exchange for salvation and no reasoning power to make a decision. When we
see the faith of children, we know that God has planted it in their hearts
through the Word. Secondly, no one thinks to judge whether the minister was
effective in the Baptism. Third, Baptism is a lifelong Sacrament. A sermon or a
lesson may be forgotten, but Baptism remains Gods promise forever.
J-459
"The purest and best part of the human race, the special nursery and flower of
God's Church, is tender youth. Youth retains the gift of the Holy Spirit which it
received in Baptism; it learns eagerly the true doctrine about God and our
Redeemer, Jesus Christ; it calls Him God with a chaste mind and with a simple,
pure faith; it thanks Him with a quick and joyful heart for the blessings received
from Him; in its studies and the other parts of life, it carries out the duties
commanded it; and it obeys God and parents reverently. Particularly Godpleasing, therefore, are the studies of one's earliest age: prayer, obedience and
praises which honor God, regardless of how weak and stammering its voice
may be."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 9.
J-460
"How beautifully the apostle in these strong words extols the grace of God
bestowed in Baptism! He refers to Baptism as a washing, whereby not our feet
only, not our hands, but our whole bodies are cleansed. Baptism perfectly and
instantaneously cleanses and saves. For the vital part of salvation and its
inheritance, nothing more is necessary than this faith in the grace of God. Truly,
then, are we saved by grace alone, without works or other merit."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 154. Titus 3:5.
Why do we say that God acts through Baptism?
All the language about Baptism in the New Testament suggests divine
activity.
KJV Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.
255

KJV Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself
a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish.
KJV Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and
wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
KJV 1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were
some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
KJV Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.
KJV Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
KJV 1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
KJV Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are
risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him
from the dead.
KJV Hebrews 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of
reformation.
KJV Mark 7:4 And when they come from the market, except they
wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received
to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

256

How is the Word effective in Holy Communion?

The Sacrament of Holy Communion gives us forgiveness of sin in a
visible form, in an act we repeat to strengthen our faith and prepare us for
eternal life.
J-461
"A Christian should know that nothing on earth is more sacred than Gods
Word; for even the Sacrament itself is made, blessed, and sanctified by Gods
Word, and all of us, too, are thereby spiritually born and consecrated
Christians."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1469.
J-462
"She desired nothing besides this Word, nor did she ask for more than merely
to touch His garment, which she used as an external means and sign to gain the
desired help. Likewise, we need nothing more in our lives and in the kingdom
of faith than the external Word and Sacraments, in which He permits Himself
to be touched and seized as if by His garment."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 350. Matthew 9:18-26.
How can we imagine Christ being bodily present in Holy Communion?
The Scriptures teach us not what we can imagine, but what God has
done and will do in the future. We cannot imagine the Creation, the
Incarnation, the Trinity, or the Resurrection. The Word of God shows us that
the peace given to us through the Gospel also exceeds whatever we can imagine
with our minds.
KJV Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
This doctrine is also taught with great clarity in Ephesians:
KJV Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh
in us.
Therefore, if we limit God to what we can think, imagine, or make
reasonable, then we have indeed created a Freudian divinity in our own minds, a
reflection of ourselves.
J-463
(6) "Human reason, though it ponder,
257

Cannot fathom this great wonder

That Christ's body ever remaineth
Though it countless souls sustaineth
And that He His blood is giving
With the wine we are receiving.
These great mysteries unsounded
Are by God alone expounded."
Johann Franck, 1649, "Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness", The
Lutheran Hymnal, #305, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.

258

Luthers Catechism
Lord, help us ever to retain
The Catechisms doctrine plain
As Luther taught the Word of Truth
In simple style to tender youth.
Ludwig Helmbod, Lord, Help Us Ever to Retain,
trans. Matthia Loy, The Lutheran Hymnal, #288, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1941.

259

Notes
178"The

practical result of the separation of the divine power from the

divine Word of Scripture is the rejection of the Bible as the only source and
norm of faith (norma normans). This is proved by the very fact that the
enthusiasts have invariably placed the 'inner word' (verbum internum), or the
'spirit,' above Holy Scripture (verbum externum), assigning to the latter an inferior
place in the realm of divine revelation. To the enthusiasts the Bible is only a
norma normata, or a rule of faith subject to the 'inner word,' that is, to their own
notions and figments of reason." John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A
Handbook of Doctrinal Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p.
135.
179[The

popular idea about the Word] "He sees that he must repent and
believe, but by his own reason and strength he cannot. He learns further, that
he needs the Holy Spirit to enable him to repent and believe, but, according to
the current opinion, that Spirit is not in the Word, nor effective through it, but
operates independently of it." G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the
Lutheran Church, Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 131.
180"George

Barna is a Christian researcher/author/marketer/social

analyst who tends to 'turn a lot of heads' when he speaks. He usually couches
his provocative and interpretive comments to the church with honesty and
reality. On occasion he has been retained by leaders of the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod to facilitate mission interpretation from an outside perspective."
Rev. Michael Ruhl, "Here Are Five evangelism Myths..." The Michigan Lutheran,
LCMS, January 1996, Board of Evangelism and Church Growth.
181Rationalistic

doubt in the efficacy of the Word alone is clearly

expressed in the following three opinions: a) "Disciple-making is most effective
when Biblical insights and church growth research are integrated." Win and
Charles Arn, The Master's Plan for Making Disciples, How Every Christian Can Be an
Effective Witness through an Enabling Church, Pasadena: Church Growth Press,
1982, p. 75. b) "We cannot add anything to the Word, but we may be able to
remove the human barriers which might be in the way of the Word." Lawrence
Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on
Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, WELS professor
at Martin Luther College. p. 3. c) "We can't do a thing to make his Word more
effective. But surely we can detract from its effectiveness by careless errors and
poor judgment. It just makes good sense to utilize all of our God-given talents,
to scour the field for appropriate ideas, concepts, and material, to implement
programs, methods, and techniques so that we do not detract from the
effectiveness of the Gospel we proclaim. Church growth articles, books,
seminars, and conferences can offer such ideas and programs." Pastor James
260

Huebner, WELS Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach

IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.
182False teachers insist that unloving pastors emphasize sound doctrine.
These errorists show their hatred for Gods Word, disguised as a desire for love.
From such love, dear Lord, deliver us.
183"A

last word on sound doctrine is in place. Sound doctrine must be

distinguished from tradition, praxis and preference. The liturgy, translation of
the Bible, vestments and organizational policies of the church are not equatable
with sound doctrine." Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound
Good to Mission Prospects," p. 3.
184Kent

Hunter and Waldo Werning are, unfortunately, two of the most

influential theological leaders in the Missouri Synod. I met Hunter, who trained
Floyd Stozenburg, on his way to address the LCMS District Presidents at their
headquarters. Werning honored me with a long, personal tirade in his final
book, How to Make the Missouri Synod Functional Again, self-published, 1992, pp.
199f. Werning has had a considerable negative impact upon the Wisconsin
Synod and Evangelical Lutheran Synod, through his contact with their leaders.
ELS Pastor Paul Schneider told me Waldo phoned him and started railing
against me. I sinned against Werning by supporting Robert Preus and
questioning Waldos study at Fuller Seminary, which he admitted and later
denied.
185"MYTH #3: MOST PEOPLE BECOME BELIEVERS
THROUGH EVANGELISTIC PREACHING. Many think that if you can
bring an unbeliever to church, the pastor can 'save' them. The reality is that they
are much more likely to come to faith in Christ through friends or family. The
survey reveals that only one of eight people came to faith because of a
preaching presentation." Rev. Michael Ruhl, "Here Are Five Evangelism
Myths..." The Michigan Lutheran, LCMS, January 1996, Board of Evangelism and
Church Growth.
186The

Missouri Synod was growing rapidly when The Abiding Word was
published. The synod no longer publishes books about the efficacy of the
Word, explicit in the title, and no longer grows in membership. We should not
confuse the true Church, which is invisible, with the visible church and its
membership rolls. However, the Church Growth Movement leaders in
Lutheranism care only about statistics and fail miserably in the very category
they used to establish their obnoxious and now dominating influence.
187Ahaz

was a hypocrite, refusing to do what God commanded. KJV

Isaiah 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. God
gave him the sign of the Virgin Birth.
261

188Enthusiast

is a technical term used by Luther to describe anyone who

separates the Holy Spirit from the Word. The term is often used in the Book of
Concord, vividly in the Smalcald Articles.
189"The preacher, in fact, was a fascinating combination of eloquent and
illiterate (by his own testimony). In the services I saw fervent singing, joyous
clapping of hands, dancing in the Spirit, speaking in tongues, testimonies,
prophecies, preaching of the Word, and as a climax the handling of deadly
poisonous snakes and drinking of strychnine. I discussed this with several
members of the congregation. When I asked why they handled snakes they
replied, simply, 'Because Jesus told us to do it as a sign.' Another sign of the
kingdom." [Footnote - See C. Peter Wagner, What Are We Missing?, formerly
Look Out, The Pentecostals Are Coming, Carol Stream: Creation House, 1973,
1978.] C. Peter Wagner, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel, New York: Harper
and Row, 1981, p. 23. C. Peter Wagner has taught many WELS and LCMS
leaders. Many of them have left Lutheranism for Pentecostalism. In the LCMS,
Pentecostal ministers may stay in the synod while rejecting Lutheran doctrine.
190"On

the contrary, with the Anabaptists and the Reformed Church in

general, the Mennonites are Enthusiasts, lay great stress on the immediate
working of the Holy Ghost, who is said to 'guide the saints into all truth.' In his
Geschichte der Mennonitengemeinden John Horsch, a prominent Mennonite, states
that the Holy Spirit is the 'inner word,' who enables Christians to understand
the Scriptures. Without the inner word, or the light, the Scripture is a dead letter
and a dark lantern." The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer,
Popular Symbolics, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 260.
191Some

conservative Lutheran pastors joked about one wealthy man

who attended first service with his wife at one congregation and second service
at another church with his girlfriend. His large financial gifts to many different
denominations and to individual pastors earned him an on-going indulgence.
192Other

endorsements were from Rev. Burton Bundy, Church of the

Lutheran Brethren, and Dr. Erwin Kolb, LCMS, and from ELCA.
193Wisconsin Lutheran College, WELS, Required course for graduation.
THEO 211: The Christian Faith and Life (3 credits) Pastor Paul Kelm, Home
Phone 784-0492 (Consultation by appointment) BOOK REVIEW OPTIONS:
Generating Hope by Jimmy Long (InterVarsity Press); The Purpose Driven Church by
Rick Warren (Zondervan); The Contemporary Christian by John Stott (InterVarsity
Press); Renewal for The 21st Century Church by Waldo Werning (Concordia); The
Body by Charles Colson; A Church For The 21st Century by Leith Anderson
(Bethany House); Inside Out by Larry Crabb (NavPress); Entertainment Evangelism
by Walt Kallestad (Abingdon); Effective Church Leadership by Kennon Callahan
(Harper and Row); Church Without Walls by Jim Petersen (NavPress); Getting

262

Together by Em Griffin (InterVarsity Press); Christ Esteem by Don Matzat

(Harvest House); Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (Olive
Nelson); Fit Bodies Fat Minds by Os Guinness (Baker); The Once and Future Church
by Loren Mead (The Alban Institute); Why Nobody Learns Much of Anything At
Church and How To Fix it by Thomas Schultz (Group); Three Generations by Gary
Mcintosh (Fleming Revell); Effective Church Leadership: A Practical Source Book by
Lee Harris; Its A Different World by Lyle Schaller (Abingdon); Reflections of a
Contrarian by Lyle Schaller (Abingdon); Strategies For Change by Lyle Schalller
(Abingdon); A Primer on Postmodernism by Stanley Grenz (Eerdmans); Gentle
Persuasion by Joseph Aldrich; User Friendly Churches by George Barna (Regal
Books); Darwin On Trial by Philip Johnson; Connecting by Paul Stanley and J.
Robert Clinton (NavPress). At least twelve are Church Growth books.
194The

closer to Luther, the better the theologian.

195"It is the same thought as that expressed in 2:17. Some preachers,

like hucksters, are ready to dicker about the Word of God as though they can
discount something to make a sale, as though the deal is between them and men
alone. This is what Paul also means by adulterating the Word of God, mixing in
unrealities to make the Word acceptable to men." R. C. H. Lenski, St. Paul's First
and Second Letter to the Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1957, p. 957. 2
Corinthians 4:2. 2 Corinthians 2:17.
196"The

public speaker, orator, preacher, lawyer, or salesman who is

lacking in sex energy is a 'flop,' as far as being able to influence others is
concerned." Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, New York: Fawcett Crest
Books, 1937, revised 1960, p. 188. Napoleon Hill, Paul Y. Cho, Robert Schuller,
and Norman Vincent Peale have all emphasized worldly success and have
endorsed various occult concepts. The Church Growth Movement loves the
writings of all four men.
197"The

same is true of other factions--the Anabaptists and similar

sects. What else do they but slander baptism and the Lord's Supper when they
pretend that the external [spoken] Word and outward Sacraments do not benefit
the soul, that the Spirit alone can do that?" Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John
Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 208. 1
Corinthians 12:1-11.
198"For

Scripture never calls either Baptism or the Lord's Supper

mysteries or Sacraments. Therefore this is an unwritten (agraphos) appellation."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 29.
199The

same thing can be said of the term Trinity. Liberals note with
shocked looks that the word is not found in the Bible, but they fail to mention
263

that the concept is found throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to

Revelation. Unwritten terms are useful after a time of doctrinal controversy, as a
form of shorthand. In some cases, terms need to be abandoned because they
can mean so many different things. Conservative Christians seldom use the
term infallible by itself to describe the Scriptures, simply because liberals have
weakened the meaning of the term.

264

Chapter Five:
Justification by Faith
Orthodoxism Defined by Melville
J-501
Theres a most doleful and most mocking funeral! The sea-vultures all in pious
mourning, the air-sharks all punctiliously in black or speckled. In life but few of
them would have helped the whale, I ween, if peradventure he had needed it;
but upon the banquet of his funeral they most piously do pounce. Oh, horrible
vulturism of earth! From which not the mightiest whale is free. Nor is this the
end. Desecrated as the body is, a vengeful ghost survives and hovers over it to
scare. Espied by some timid man-of-war or blundering discovery-vessel from
afar, when the distance obscuring the swarming fowls, nevertheless still shows
the white mass floating in the sun, and the white spray heaving high against it;
straightway the whales unharming corpse, with trembling fingers is set down in
the logshoals, rocks, and breakers hereabout: beware! And for years afterwards,
ships shun the place; leaping over it as silly sheep leap over a vacuum, because
their leader originally leaped there when a stick was held. Theres your law of
precedents; theres your utility of traditions; theres the story of your obstinate
survival of old beliefs never bottomed on the earth, and now not even hovering
in the air! Theres orthodoxy!
Herman Melville, Moby Dick; or, The Whale, Norwalk: The Easton Press,
1977, Chapter 69, The Funeral, p. 329f.200

Introduction
Lutherans Abandon Justification by Faith
The quotation above from Moby Dick perfectly describes not
orthodoxy, but orthodoxism, the dead shell of a living faith, the recited phrases
from memorized notes in dogmatics class in seminary. Lutherans were once
known for teaching justification by faith. However, the last century has seen an
erosion in the article on which the Church stands or falls, a fear of openly
discussing the topic, and a papistic censure by conservative Lutheran clergy
against laymen who ask questions about justification. One pastor announced
solemnly in print, in a confessional Lutheran journal, that the laity dare not get
involved in the discussion about justification. Another pastor visited the in-laws
of one sincere Lutheran and threatened them with expulsion for the questioning
attitude of their son-in-law, who lived in another state! Other clergy are
frightened about the possibility of conflict among Lutherans, as if a false peace
265

could be maintained by silence. They act as if Christian doctrine were a souffl

that would collapse if we spoke too loudly.
J-502
"This article concerning justification by faith (as the Apology says) is the chief
article in the entire Christian doctrine,201 without which no poor conscience can
have any firm consolation, or can truly know the riches of the grace of Christ, as
Dr. Luther also has written: If this only article remains pure on the battlefield, the
Christian Church also remains pure, and in goodly harmony and without any sects; but if it
does not remain pure, it is not possible that any error or fanatical spirit can be resisted.
(Tom. 5, Jena, p. 159.) And concerning this article especially Paul says that a little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #6, Righteous of
Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 917. Tappert, p. 540. Heiser, p. 250.
This chapter was promised to a number of people in the hopes that
some questions can be discussed without rancor by providing the basis for
justification by faith in the Scriptures, in Luther, and in the Book of Concord.
Drafts of this chapter were sent to various Lutheran pastors and laity, some
known for favoring the term Objective Justification, others known for opposing the
term. Comments and constructive criticism came from all the readers.202 I have
attempted to portray the various perspectives fairly with an abundance of
quotations. The initial responses from readers have helped me clarify and revise
the chapter.203
One aspect of the use of authority needs to be noted. Even though I
use many different Luther quotations from various sources throughout this
book, we must give prominence to Luther in the Book of Concord, for a variety
of reasons. Luther developed as a theologian and wrote an incredible amount of
material. Although he remains the greatest Biblical teacher of all time, he began
as a medieval scholastic, as he admitted more than once. In addition, some
Luther material comes from sources of uneven reliability, such as the Table
Talks. The Confessors of the Book of Concord chose the authoritative Luther
material, saying in effect, This is what we believe as orthodox Lutherans.
We cannot take Luthers private writings, such as letters or the
transcribed Table Talks, and interpret Luther in the Book of Concord according
to those examples we have arbitrarily chosen. There is no end to the mischief
that can be accomplished with such tactics. We need to take the Book of
Concord seriously if we claim to have a quia subscription to the Lutheran
Symbols. More than once I have heard a Lutheran pastor say, when excusing his
lack of knowledge of the Confessions, I prefer Jesus to Luther, as if the
Reformer argued against the Gospel or set up an alien dogma. In addition, some
have advanced their causes on the basis of their own authority within their tiny
slice of American Lutheranism, suggesting by their attitude that the Book of
Concord is subordinate to their current political position. Thus the conservative
266

Lutherans have negated the unifying value of the Confessions by neglecting

them and bending them to the shape of their agenda.
In my collection of out of print Lutheran books is The Error of Missouri,
1897, a partisan book by F. W. Stellhorn, F. A. Schmidt, and former members
of the Missouri Synod. R. C. H. Lenski translated the Stellhorn contribution.
The book simply assumes the authority of the Formula of Concord authors and
the orthodox fathers who were trained by them. One can hardly imagine the
same kind of book being printed these days, a doctrinal argumentation naming
dozens of theologians forgotten and unpublished today, except for the amazing
efforts of Pastor James Heiser through his Repristination Press.204 Today, the
fruit of the seminaries that published The Error of MissouriLuther Seminary in
St. Paul, Trinity Seminary in Columbus, both ELCA schools nowwould not
know what to say about the theologians quoted. The conservative seminaries of
the ELS, LCMS, and WELS are more likely to cite George Barna or Fuller
faculty members as authorities than they would Lutherans of any persuasion.205
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

This chapter falls into seven main sections:

The Introduction
The Biblical terms
Justification by faith in the Book of Concord
The Kokomo Error in WELS
The Missouri Synod CTCR document promoting Objective Justification
Summary of justification and chart
Appendix: Synonyms in the New Testament for atonement

Two Views of Justification

There are two main categories of thought about justification today:
First of all, the traditional view, justification by faith, is taught by the Holy Spirit
and expounded by Dr. Martin Luther in the Book of Concord as well as by
David Chytraeus and Martin Chemnitz, Concordists. The traditional view
teaches the universal atonement of Christ as the source of forgiveness, the
efficacy of the Law in producing contrition, the efficacious Gospel in Word and
Sacrament as the means of distributing Gods grace, and the necessity of faith in
receiving Gods promises. Justification is used only in the sense of justification
by faith in the individual and is never confused with reconciliation.
Secondly, a rival version of justification claims its authority from the
orthodox theologians who followed the Book of Concord era, but it really
centers on the language of C. F. W. Walther, Francis Pieper, George
Stoeckhardt, and other Missouri Synod authors, who were influenced by
Calov.206 The Missouri Synod has taught, and continues to teach, two
justifications, one without faith, another with faith. In this view, considerable
emphasis is placed upon Romans 4:25, the resurrection of Christ as Gods
declaration of forgiveness for the whole world. This is called objective
justification and less frequently general justification, in contrast to
subjective justification, when the individual receives the Gospel in faith.
267

Theologians use 2 Corinthians 5:19ff. to defend two justifications, although

reconciliation rather than justification is used throughout the passage.207
Although proponents of two justifications cheerfully admit that their
terminology is absent from the Book of Concord, they insist their new teaching
protects against false doctrine! Their writings suggest the same philosophy as
Roman Catholicism, offering up a new and unwritten doctrine, passed on
through bishops and theologians and finally revealed to us at the end of the
ages. Thus we have the same kind of doctrinal error whether it is the Roman
Catholic Immaculate Conception of Mary or the Wisconsin Synods guilt-free
saints in Hell.
Kokomo justification is an extreme interpretation of the
Walther/Pieper version, ossified around the writings of J. P. Meyer, who was
trained at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Kokomo justification is not different
in substance from the Walther/Pieper error, but more obvious in revealing its
false assumptions. In fairness to Meyer, the denomination has gone even farther
than his Ministers in Christ. In the WELS Easter 2000 media campaign, a woman
says to the entire audience, believers and unbelievers alike, I am saved through
Christ. So are you! Apparently, some roadside billboards have a similar
message, something like, You are saved through Christ!a strange message
for the Mormon, Hindu, and Wikka on their way to work in the morning. Few
commercials on television can compete with the attention-getting crudity of one
of the WELS commercials, beginning with, I am sick of poopy diapers.208 In
the current WELS view, the effect of the Holy Spirit working through the Law
and Gospel to bring about contrition for sin and faith in the Gospel is ignored
in favor of an emphasis on universal justification, which equals forgiveness
without faith. The efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace is forgotten. The
result is a mixture of Universalism and Baptist decision theology.209
J-503
Not guiltyperiod. Gods court doesnt work that way either. God, our judge,
has pronounced his verdict over us: Not guiltyperiod. Weve been declared
innocent of the crime of sin, free from the penalty of eternal death, all because
Jesus took our place under Gods justice and paid every penalty we ever owed.
And to demonstrate his verdict just as dramatically and convincingly as possible,
God raised Jesus from the dead. He was raised to life for our justification,
(Romans 4:25). That means Jesus rose to prove we are justified. Acquitted. Not
guilty.
Pastor Ken Cherney (WELS), The Surprising Verdict, Northwestern
Lutheran, August, 1998.

268

Part Two: The Bible

A. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 One For Another - katallage
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye
reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Without doubt the issue of justification revolves around the way in
which reconciliation is understood in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Although other
passages are used to defend the Kokomo justification error and the Missouri
Synod version of the same error, this citation is the linchpin in the argument
that God pronounced the world innocent of sin and gave His absolution to all
people, whether they believe in Christ or not. We need a proper understanding
of reconciliation, a term whose use is almost completely confined to this
chapter of 2 Corinthians and Romans 5. All the uses of the noun and verb (to
reconcile, reconciliation, atonement) make up a short list.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Romans 5:10-11
Romans 11:5
1 Corinthians 7:11 (marriage)
2 Corinthians 5:18-20

First, we should notice what is lacking in the 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 passage:

a verdict that the entire world is innocent.
J-504
"We do not find the idea that Paul here says that when Christ died, when in and
by His death God reconciled the world objectively, He then and there (or at the
time of Christ's resurrection) forgave all sins to the whole world. Autois =
individuals and refers to their subjective reconciliation. The use so often made
of this passage should be modified. On the question of universal and personal
justification consult the author's Interpretation of Romans, 5:10, also 1:17.
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1946, p. 1048.
2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 5:10; Romans 1:17.
J-505
The resurrection and life of Jesus Christ is a cause, that is, an efficacious means
of our spiritual resurrection and spiritual life; for it causes us to believe and to
rise (from sin), as we read in 10:9: If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
269

Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. In Christs death we die unto spiritual life, as we read in
6:3-4: So many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his
death (that) we also should walk in newness of life.
Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, trans. J. Theodore Mueller, Grand
Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1954, p. 93. Romans 5:10.
Justification, as we will see later, is Gods declaration of innocence for
the individual who believes in the Gospel. Justification is a legal term.
Righteousness is a similar word in Greek, but not identical. We receive the
righteousness of God through Christ, because we are justified by faith.
Justification is properly called a divine verdict of innocence, but we must
distinguish between terms that are not identical. The Scriptures do indeed reveal
to us that the Son of God accomplished everything for our salvation on the
cross, but that reconciliation is not the same as the justification by faith of man
before God (coram Deo) through the preaching of the Gospel.
The Greek word for reconciliation or atonement, katallaso, was used for
exchanging coins of equal value.
J-506
Here Paul uses one of his great doctrinal words, katallasso, old word for
exchanging coins.
A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures of the New Testament, 7 vols., Nashville:
Broadman Press, 1931, IV, pp. 127, 232.
J-507
katallaso, Att to change money, Plut., etc.; and so in Med., Dem.:to exchange
one thing for another, Plat. II. To change a person from enmity to friendship, reconcile,
Hdt., N.T
Lidell and Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1964, p. 410.
Paul used the same term, reconciliation, for repairing a fractured
marriage. For a husband and wife to reconcile, there would be a necessary
change of heart, not only on the guilty persons part but also for the other to
forgive. Although the relationship between God and man is not exactly the
same, the apostle also compared the love of Christ for the Church to a grooms
love for his bride.210
KJV 1 Corinthians 7:11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried,
or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
We can certainly see that kind of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians,
although the relationship between God and man can never be exactly the same
as between two persons. God does not change, but His relationship with man is
270

different because of the atoning death of Christ. God has provided the remedy
for alienation caused by sin by giving His only-begotten Son. A man who knows
nothing of the Law has no concept of sin and experiences no need for a Savior.
However, when he hungers for righteousness, the Word of reconciliation tells
him that the crucified Messiah has taken upon Himself all of his sins. The man
whose sins are forgiven loves God Who first loved him. The reconciliation is
true for all time, whether anyone believes in the atoning death of Christ or not.
The conversion of the unbeliever into a new creation who is declared forgiven
that is justification by faith.
The concept of reconciliation clearly dominates the 2 Corinthians 5:1820 passage, since it appears five times in various forms. Therefore, if we
misunderstand the concept, we misunderstand the passage as well. Some argue
about whether God or man is changed in this passage.211 The Holy Spirit has
used a word for exchange in this passage and has also explained the concept as
an exchange, sin for righteousness. Therefore, Gods relationship with man is
changed by the sacrificial death of Christ. Man without Christ is doomed to die
because of sin. The believer no longer has the same status before God, because
Christ has taken his sin in exchange for His righteousness. Just as the repentant
spouse returns with the hope of forgiveness, so the sinner longs for healing in
the sight of God. His wrath remains upon unbelievers, but whoever believes in
Christ Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. The forgiven sinner knows
well the meaning of the hymn below.
J-508
As pants the hart for cooling streams,
When heated in the chase,
So longs my soul O God, for Thee,
And Thy refreshing grace.
Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady, As pants the hart, #525, The
Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
The first two verses of this passage are loved by Universalists of every
denomination. If we cite the first two verses alone, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, it
does seem as if a God without wrath sent a Christ without a cross to a world
without sin. Some verses in the Scriptures avoid the pitfall of a limited
atonement, the Calvinistic doctrine of Christ dying only for the elect. This is
one such example, and we can find many more examples. Christ died for the
sins of the whole world, for all time, for all people, for all sins except the sin
against the Holy Spirit.212
B. Not imputing their trespasses, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
This phrase, not imputing their trespasses against them, is doubtless
the key to the false equation of reconciliation and justification.
271

KJV 2 Corinthians 5: 18 And all things are of God, who hath

reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation.
J-509
"Nowhere in the Bible is any man constituted or declared righteous without
faith, before faith.
R. C. H. Lenski, Romans, Augsburg Publishing House: Minneapolis,
1963, p. 382. Romans 5:19-20.
The verb impute is used frequently in the New Testament in terms of
counting, reckoning, thinking, and considering. In this verse an alternative
translation would be not counting their sins against them. When a passage is
difficult to understand or has been made obscure from disputes, the best way to
interpret the passage is through other Biblical passages that may shed light on it.
Although we may be tempted to fault God for allowing difficulties to arise in
these disputes, His will is accomplished when we return to the Scriptures again
and again for certainty, clarity, and confidence in His gracious will.213 Therefore,
one question we must ask the text is this: How is this verb used in connection
with reckoning (imputing) righteousness or sin?
Romans 4:22-25
KJV Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for
righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was
imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
In this passage, imputing is used three times, and only through faith.214
In modern English the word impute is not as clear as counted. Many
examples from the New Testament are listed below. Romans 4 establishes
Abraham as the father of faith rather than as the father of circumcision. In fact,
Romans 4 could be called the imputing chapter as well as the faith chapter. The
conclusion of the chapter uses the verb in question only with regard to faith.
Righteousness is reckoned only through faith, not to Abraham alone, but to
everyone who believes in Him Who raised Jesus from the dead. Because
Romans 4:25 is a sedes doctrinae (seat of doctrine) for the Objective Justification
advocates, one would expect the Book of Concord to advocate justification
without faith and to equate reconciliation and justification. Every Lutheran who
teaches Objective Justification is a member of a synod with a quia subscription
to the Book of Concord. Each man, then, believes that the Book of Concord is
the ruled norm of faith and practice, a correct exposition of the Bible. Below is
a correct exposition of Romans 4:25, teaching that Jesus died to reconcile the
272

Father with us and was raised to justify believers. All those who teach otherwise
are guilty of false doctrine, according to their own subscription to the Lutheran
Symbols.
C. Romans 4:25 Justification by Faith
J-510
"The Third Article the adversaries approve, in which we confess that there are
in Christ two natures, namely, a human nature, assumed by the Word into the
unity of His person; and that the same Christ suffered and died to reconcile the
Father to us; and that He was raised again to reign, and to justify and sanctify
believers, etc., according to the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III. #52. Of Christ, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 119. Romans 4:25; 2
Corinthians 5:19ff. Tappert, p. 107. Heiser, p. 32.
Examples of Imputing/Reckoning
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:19not imputing their trespasses unto them
KJV Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God,
and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
KJV Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned
of grace, but of debt.
KJV Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
KJV Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the
man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.
KJV Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not
impute sin.
KJV Romans 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to
Abraham for righteousness.
KJV Romans 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in
circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
KJV Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of
the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he
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might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised;
that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.
Lutherans consider Romans to be the greatest book of Christian
doctrine among the Pauline epistles, if not in the entire Bible. Romans 4
addresses the issue of imputing righteousness only through faith. Is it possible that
the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write 2 Corinthians 5:19 about an imputation of
righteousness without faithfor the entire unbelieving world? To equate
reconciliation with justification requires a freezing of one phrase, isolating it
from the rest of the verse in the sentence. In the same verse, 2 Corinthians 5:19,
we find the Word of reconciliation. This Word is nothing other than the
Gospel, the message of the universal atonement. The central message of the
universal atonement preserves the Gospel from Calvinistic limited atonement.
The Word of reconciliation guards against Universalism. However, in both
cases, the false teachers peer through a colored glass filter and see only the color
of their sectarian talking points. Worse, they quote one another, making their
fellow errorists into authorities while supplanting the Biblical text and the Book
of Concord. How are they different from the Romanists who cite the dreams
and visions of obscure saints to buttress their arguments against the Scriptures?
This is just as true of the Universal Justification advocates as it is of the genuine
Calvinists. One may use a red filter and the other a green filter, but the results
are quite similar.
J-511
"True, Christ died for all (aorist), v. 14, 15 three times), and in that sense the
whole world has been reconciled to God; if that were all that is here meant, we
should have had another aorist. But Paul means more. He has in mind especially
the subjective fact of the reconciliation as he does in v. 18 where he speaks only
about 'us.' God is ever busy with this feature, namely transforming enemies into
friends. Hence we have the present participles: 'engaged in reconciling Himself,
engaged in not reckoning to them their transgressions.' This work goes right on,
it is now in progress."
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1946, p. 1043.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19.
D. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
The second two verses, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, do not provide any
comfort for the Universalists. God is asking through Paul and Paul is begging:
Be reconciled to God. If God has declared the world to be without sin, no
begging is needed and the reconciliation is already accomplished by divine fiat.
However, this false idea is not what the apostle wrote. He portrayed the
exchange vividly in the simplest words. God made Him Who was sinless to be
sin for our sakes, that we might become the righteousness of God. This
righteousness is entirely Gods work and takes effect in individuals through the
Means of Grace, the Word of reconciliation.
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J-512
"God is the agent who is named as the agent no less than twice in v. 18, 19.
This is subjective justification. No man can produce it in himself even to the
least fraction. God must do so by His word of the reconciliation (v. 19). The
dative to theo is the eauto, 'to Himself,' which was used twice in v. 18, 19: 'God
reconciles to Himself.' The synergistic reasoning is fallacious that, since God
tells men to be reconciled, men must have the ability to obey. The imperative is
passive; it does not say: 'Reconcile yourselves to God!' 'Turn thou me, and I
shall be turned.' Jeremiah 31:18. Reconcile thou me, and I shall be reconciled!
Every Gospel imperative is full of the divine power of grace to effect what it
demands. If it counted on even the least power in the sinner it would never
secure the last effect. Jesus calls this the Father's drawing (John 6:44; 6:65;
12:32)... Thank God for the passive verb."
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1946, p. 1050f.
2 Corinthians 5:20; Jeremiah 31:18; John 6:44-45.
Two things are quite apparent from a study of this passage:
1. The reconciliation passage is in perfect harmony with our confession
in the Large Catechism (J-545)
a. the atoning death of Christ is our treasure,
b. the treasure is distributed to individuals through the Word
of reconciliation and received in faith. See Part Three of this
chapter.
2. Christ has accomplished all that is necessary for our forgiveness
through His cross and resurrection, but that is not the same as a
verdict of universal absolution, given to all men, whether they
believe or not.
The perfect harmony of the Scriptures can also be seen in the
marvelous parallel to this passage in John 3:16. The Little Gospel also
emphasizes the universal aspect of the sacrifice, in that God so loved the
world and not, as Calvin would have us believe, God so loved the elect. In a
few words, the Fourth Gospel also teaches justification by faith, for whosoever
believeth shall not perish but have everlasting life.
KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
E. Reconciliation in Romans
KJV Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be
saved by his life.
J-513
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"The instant Christ died the whole world of sinners was changed completely. It
was now a world for whose sin atonement had been made and no longer a
world with unatoned sins. Let us note right here that, whereas Christ died 1,900
years ago, His death was ever effective (Revelation 13:8). His atonement and the
reckoning are valid for the universe of men. Even all the damned in hell were
thus reconciled to God. Not as men who were never reconciled are they
damned but as men who spurned God's reconciliation through Christ."215
R. C. H. Lenski, Romans, Augsburg Publishing House: Minneapolis,
1963 p. 353. Romans 5:10.
Those who teach universal justification find Romans 5, the Justification
by Faith chapter, a rich trove for their theories in spite of all the textual
evidence against their peculiar position. It reminds me of the many Biblical
scholars I studied, who would look at the actual text and ask, What is the
kernel of truth hidden in this verse? Their core truth was usually the opposite
of the plain meaning of the text. The more people try to show these Objective
Justification men the clear truths of Scripture, the more verses they find in
support of two justifications, as Luther noted below about all false teachers.
J-514
"They [the false teachers] fared like a man who looks through a colored glass.
Put before such a man whatever color you please, he sees no other color than
that of the glass. The fault is not that the right color is not put before him but
that his glass is colored differently, as the word of Is. 6:9 puts it: You will see, he
says, and yet you will not see it."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 644. Isaiah 6:9.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son can only mean that God took the action which brought about
our new relationship to Him. As Luther taught in all his writings, we do not
come to God, but God comes to us. Once again, the same pattern of thought is
followed: first, what God has accomplished through Christ; second, what God
accomplishes in us through the Word much more, being reconciled, we shall
be saved by his life.
KJV Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Romans 5:11 continues the consistent pattern of reconciliation first as
being the universal datum of Gods work, secondly as the Good News being
received through faith. The King James Version uses atonement for the second
mention of reconciliation in two verses. This meaning is the key difference that
eludes those who continue to repeat what their in-house synodical authorities
tell them. The Bible does not give us two justifications. First the Word speaks
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of the reconciliation accomplished by God in Christ. When we use the term

atonement or the verb to atone, the emphasis falls upon what God has done.
Secondly, the text teaches us about the Word of reconciliation preached to
everyone. Reconciliation is properly equated with atonement, but not with
justification. Reconciliation and atonement concern what God has done for the
entire world, while justification is Gods declaration of forgiveness received in
faith, which is, grasping the Word of reconciliation.
KJV Romans 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling
of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
In Romans 11:15, casting away the Jews who do not believe in Christ is
equated with the reconciliation of the world, while receiving the message is life
out of death. The Gospel of reconciliation hardens the hearts of unbelieving
Jews but gives life to those who receive the Word of reconciliation. Today, since
we have so many secret unbelievers among the Lutheran clergy, we must also
assume there are secret believers among the Jews, who have heard the Gospel
and believe in the promised Messiah.216 The Bible has only two categories for
people, since all are sinners: believers and unbelievers. Believers enjoy the
promises and benefits of the Gospel of forgiveness. Unbelievers do not.
KJV John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
The treasure analogy from the Large Catechism harmonizes (J-520)
perfectly with the Colossians 1:20.217 In making peace through the blood of the
cross, God established a great treasure, the source of all forgiveness, reconciling
all things to Himself. All of Creationthe ordinary world and the world of
angels was changed by the cross. The Colossians, who were divorced from
God and enemies of God by their mental sins and evil works, were reconciled
by the atoning death of Christ. Through faith the Colossians received the
righteousness of Christ, so that they were holy (saints), unblemished (like Christ,
1 Peter 1:19), and blameless.
J-515
"In like manner Moses must precede and teach people to feel their sins in order
that grace may be sweet and welcome to them. Therefore all is in vain, however
friendly and lovely Christ may be pictured, if man is not first humbled by a
knowledge of himself and he possesses no longing for Christ, as Mary's Song
says, 'The hungry he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away,' Luke 1:53."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 149. Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 1:53.
J-516
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"The apostle says 'our,' 'our sins;' not his own sin, not the sins of unbelievers.
Purification is not for, and cannot profit, him who does not believe. Nor did
Christ effect the cleansing by our free-will, our reason or power, our works, our
contrition or repentance, these all being worthless in the sight of God; he
effects it by himself. And how? By taking our sins upon himself on the holy
cross, as Isaiah 53:6 tells us."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 180. Hebrews 1:1-12; Hebrews 1:3.
J-517
"Christ is speaking here not of the word of the law, but of the Gospel, which is
a discourse about Christ, who died for our sins, etc. For God did not wish to
impart Christ to the world in any other way; He had to embody Him in the
Word and thus distributed Him, and present Him to everybody; otherwise
Christ would have existed for Himself alone and remained unknown to us; he
would have thus died for himself. But since the Word places before us Christ, it
thus places us before Him who has triumphed over death, sin, and Satan.
Therefore, he who grasps and retains Christ, has thus also eternal deliverance
from death. Consequently it is a Word of life, and it is true, that whoever keeps
the Word shall never see death."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 177. John 8:46-59.
J-518
"To this incline your ears, and be persuaded that God speaks through men and
forgives you your sins; this, of course, requires faith."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 200.
J-519
"If I do not believe it, I will not receive its benefits; but that neither renders it
false nor proves that anything is lacking in Christ."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 258. Easter, Third Sermon. Mark 16:18.
J-520
"It is a faithful saying that Christ has accomplished everything, has removed sin
and overcome every enemy, so that through Him we are lords over all things.
But the treasure lies yet in one pile; it is not yet distributed nor invested.
Consequently, if we are to possess it, the Holy Spirit must come and teach our
hearts to believe and say: I, too, am one of those who are to have this treasure.
When we feel that God has thus helped us and given the treasure to us,
everything goes well, and it cannot be otherwise than that man's heart rejoices
in God and lifts itself up, saying: Dear Father, if it is Thy will to show toward
278

me such great love and faithfulness, which I cannot fully fathom, then will I also
love Thee with all my heart and be joyful, and cheerfully do what pleases Thee.
Thus, the heart does not now look at God with evil eyes, does not imagine He
will cast us into hell, as it did before the HS came..."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 279. Pentecost Sunday. John 14:23-31.
J-521
"All who are born into the world of man and woman are sinful under God's
anger and curse, condemned to death. For all are conceived and born in sin as
Scripture testifies (Psalm 51:5): 'Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did
my mother conceive me.'"
Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, 3 vols., ed., Eugene Klug,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, II, p. 26. Easter Tuesday. Luke 24:1335; Psalm 51:5.
J-522
"The 'rod of His mouth' signifies the spoken Word or the Gospel, which
proceeds from the mouth of all whose teaching is pure. It is not inefficacious; it
bears fruit; it justifies the godly and destroys the ungodly."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1469. Brief comment. Isaiah 11:4.
J-523
"Christ did indeed suffer for the whole world; but how many are there who
believe and cherish this fact? Therefore, although the work of redemption itself
has been accomplished, it still cannot help and benefit a man unless he believes
it and experiences its saving power in his heart."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 705f. Smalcald, 1537.
J-524
"If remission of sins without repentance is preached, the people imagine that
they have already forgiveness of sins, and thereby they are made secure and
unconcerned. This is a greater error and sin than all error of former times, and it
is verily to be feared that we are in that danger which Christ points out when He
says, Matthew 12:45: 'The last state of that man shall be worse than the first.'"
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 123. Matthew
12:45.218
F. Justification in the New Testament
Terms
dikaiosune

righteousness
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dikaiosis
dikaioun

justification
to justify

The ironic aspect of the Objective Justification frenzy in the last 20

years is the concentration by supposed Lutherans upon the justification of all
people without faith when the Scriptures speak only about individual justification
by faith. Many of the numerous examples are listed below.
KJV Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law?
of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
KJV Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
KJV Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
KJV Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham,
saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
KJV Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight
of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of
faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
KJV Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Justification and Resurrection
The 1 Timothy 3:16 and the Romans 4:25 passages are often used
together to transfer the justification of the risen Lord to all people, following
Walthers sermon. Romans 4:24 negates that concept, which must be sustained
by assuming that forgiveness comes to man without the Means of Grace. That,
of course, is pure Enthusiasm, repudiated throughout the Book of Concord.
KJV 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

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KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we

believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was
delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
One, Many, All
The Objective Justification advocates get very confused when they
reach this passage. That response is not surprising. When someone trains
himself to see black as white, and white as black, the clear meaning of the
Scriptures will tangle him up with his presuppositions. The Holy Spirit teaches
us through Paul that sin came into the world through one man Adam and was
defeated by One Man Jesus. By one man sin and death came to all men, so by
One Man life was promised to all people. One error is addressed and defeated
in this passage. Calvinists teach their error of the limited Atonement, as if Christ
died only for the elect, a denial of the universal reconciliation accomplished by
the Son of God. If a Calvinist preacher tells a contrite sinner that Christ died
only for the elect, for a certain number of sins among a select number of
people, the individual is thrown into confusion about whether he is one of the
elect. Doubt can only follow from such extra-curricular definitions. What God
has done is offered to all but not believed by all. Therefore we cannot confuse
Gods act of universal Atonement with universal forgiveness, since many hear
the Word and reject it. Others hear and believe, then fall away from the
Christian faith. Nevertheless, the Christian Church cannot or should not dilute
the message of the Gospel by limiting its scope. God wills that all men be saved
and does not rejoice at the death of a single sinner.219 That truth is a great
comfort to a new Christian and to all believers.
KJV Romans 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift:
for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many
offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by
one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
The Justifier of Him Which Believeth
The Scriptures guard against the error of the Limited Atonement in
many different places. Every reference to the Atonement is universal in scope
rather than limited. However, justification is limited to the one who believes.
Lutherans should pay more attention to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in this
regard. No one can doubt that Christ died for the sins of the world, but the
message of the Gospel is ultimately individual. The question on Judgment Day
will not be: What synod did you join? Or who was your pastor? Or what did
your parents believe? The only thing that will matter is whether the individual
died with faith in the sacrificial death of Christ for his sins.
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KJV Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness:

that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
KJV Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth.
To Justify the Ungodly
Nowhere is the tin ear of the Universal Justification fanatics more
apparent than in their use of the justification of the ungodly. Any Universal
Justification partisan who cites this passage to prove his point that people are
declared innocent without faith should be ashamed of himself. The centrality of
justification by faith is based upon the efficacy of the Word in the Means of
Grace. No one who is converted to faith begins by being godly. The grace of
God would be meaningless if we tried to argue that forgiveness came only to
the godly. Instead, the Christian faith has always taught that the love, mercy,
and grace of God come to the ungodly through the Gospel promises, which are
received by faith when the individual says, Yes, the Son of God died for the
sins of the world, and for all of my sins. He died for me. This proclamation of
the Gospel is the justification of the ungodly.
KJV Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned
of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
KJV Romans 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the
circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
The Old Testament does not contradict the New Testament in this
passage:
KJV Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and
proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering,
and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's
children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
The Acts of the Apostles gives us a portrait of the Christian Church
established by Christ, in the first generation of its existence. If the apostles were
commanded to teach forgiveness without faith, without the Word, without
contrition, without the Means of Grace, Universal Justification would be
recorded and emphasized in the sermons of the apostles. Instead, we can only
find justification by faith. Justification without faith (Universal Justification) is
absent from the entire Bible and particularly in the evangelism of the New
Testament.
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KJV Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and
to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and
dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
The simple but profound words of the Apostle John express the same
message in his epistle:
KJV 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The Old Testament Gospel
Another one of the fatal flaws of Universal or Objective Justification is
the Moment of Absolution, which is built upon Walthers Easter sermon (J562). The theme of this erroneous view is the verdict of absolution upon all
people because of the resurrection of Christ. There is quite a difference between
the justification of Christ (1 Timothy 3:16) and the claim that through the
justification of Jesus all people are declared absolved of their sins, whether they
ever believe or notwith an inexplicable emphasis on not believing. I always
thought that the purpose of the Gospel was to emphasize faith rather than
unbelief.
The Gospel in the Old Testament cannot be harmonized with
Universal Justification because of the imaginary Moment of Absolution.
Abraham believed in the Gospel and his belief was counted as righteousness.
He was justified by faith long before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
The Gospel was also efficacious in the Old Testament, as we can see in many
different passages. The Old Testament heroes of faith believed in the promise
of the Messiah. The Atonement takes place in Gods time, not in our
journalistic framework. Therefore, the forgiveness of sin came to Abraham and
many others through faith because of the future saving death and resurrection
of Christ. When we hold to the Scriptural and Confessional teaching of
justification by faith, the Gospel in the Old Testament becomes that much
more vivid for us who look at the cross in the past rather than in the future, as
the ancient patriarchs did.
KJV Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham,
saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
KJV Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man
draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

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Part Three: Justification in the Book of Concord

Augsburg Confession
J-525
"Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human
nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures,
the divine and the human, inseparably conjoined in one Person, one Christ, true
God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was
crucified, dead, and buried, that He might reconcile the Father unto us, and be a
sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men."
Augsburg Confession, III. #1. Of the Son of God. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 45. Tappert, p. 29. Heiser, p.
12.
J-526
Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength,
merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christs sake, through faith, when
they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for
Christs sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith
God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Romans 3 and 4.
Augsburg Confession, IV. #1. Of Justification. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 45. Tappert, p. 30. Heiser, p. 12f.
Apology of the Augsburg Confession
J-527
"The Third Article the adversaries approve, in which we confess that there are
in Christ two natures, namely, a human nature, assumed by the Word into the
unity of His person; and that the same Christ suffered and died to reconcile the
Father to us; and that He was raised again to reign, and to justify and sanctify
believers, etc., according to the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III. #52. Of Christ, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 119. Romans 4:25; 2
Corinthians 5:19ff. Tapper, p. 107. Heiser, p. 32.
J-528
"Faith is that my whole heart takes to itself this treasure. It is not my doing, not
my presenting or giving, not my work or preparation, but that a heart comforts
itself, and is perfectly confident with respect to this, namely, that God makes a
present and gift to us, and not we to Him, that He sheds upon us every treasure
of grace in Christ."

284

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #48. Of Justification.

Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 135. Heiser,
p. 36.
J-529
"Now, that faith signifies, not only a knowledge of the history, but such faith as
assents to the promise, Paul plainly testifies when he says, Romans 4:16:
'Therefore it is of faith, to the end the promise might be sure.' For he judges
that the promise cannot be received unless by faith. Wherefore he puts them
together as things that belong to one another, and connects promise and faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV. #51. Of Justification,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 135. Romans
4:16. Tappert, p. 114. Heiser, p. 36.
J-530
"This faith, encouraging and consoling in these fears, receives remission of sins, justifies and
quickens. For this consolation is a new and spiritual life [a new birth and a new
life]. These things are plain and clear, and can be understood by the pious, and
have testimonies of the Church [as is to be seen in the conversion of Paul and
Augustine]. The adversaries nowhere can say how the Holy Ghost is given.
They imagine that the Sacraments confer the Holy Ghost ex opere operato,
without a good emotion in the recipient, as though, indeed, the gift of the Holy
Ghost were an idle matter."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV. #63. Of Justification,,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 139. Tappert,
p. 115. Heiser, p. 37.
J-531
"Now we will show that faith [and nothing else] justifies."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #69. Of Justification.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 141. Tappert,
p. 116. Heiser, p. 37.
J-532
"But to believe is to trust in the merits of Christ, that for His sake God certainly
wishes to be reconciled with us. Likewise, just as we ought to maintain that,
apart from the Law, the promise of Christ is necessary, so also is it needful to
maintain that faith justifies. [For the Law does not preach the forgiveness of sin
by grace.] For the Law cannot be performed unless the Holy Ghost be first
received. It is, therefore, needful to maintain that the promise of Christ is
necessary. But this cannot be received except by faith. Therefore, those who
deny that faith justifies, teach nothing but the Law, both Christ and the Gospel
being set aside.
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Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #69. Of Justification.

Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. p. 141.
Tappert, p. 116. Heiser, p. 37.
J-533
"We do not believe thus [that faith is just a beginning of justification]
concerning faith, but we maintain this, that properly and truly, by faith itself, we
are for Christ's sake accounted righteous, or are acceptable to God. And
because 'to be justified' means that out of unjust men just men are made, or
born again, it means also that they are pronounced or accounted just. For
Scripture speaks in both ways. [The term to be justified is used in two ways: to
denote, being converted or regenerated; again, being accounted righteous.]
Accordingly we wish first to show this, that faith alone makes of an unjust, a
just man, i. e., receives remission of sins."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #71-2. Of Justification.
Concordia Triglotta. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 141. Tappert,
p. 116f. Heiser, p. 38.
J-534
"But since we receive remission of sins and the Holy Ghost by faith alone, faith
alone justifies, because those reconciled are accounted righteous and children of
God, not on account of their own purity, but through mercy for Christ's sake,
provided only they by faith apprehend this mercy."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #86. Of Justification.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 147. Tappert,
p. 119. Heiser, p. 39.
J-535
"In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul discusses this topic especially, and declares
that, when we believe that God, for Christ's sake, is reconciled to us, we are
justified freely by faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #87. Of Justification.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 147. 2
Corinthians 5:19ff. Tappert, p. 119f. Heiser, p. 39.
J-536
"These things are so plain and so manifest that we wonder that the madness of
the adversaries is so great as to call them into doubt. The proof is manifest that,
since we are justified before God not from the Law, but from the promise, it is
necessary to ascribe justification to faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III. #177. Of Love and the
Fulfilling of the Law. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 205. Tappert, p. 153. Heiser, p. 60.
J-537
286

"Scripture thus uses the term faith, as the following sentence of Paul testifies,
Romans 5:1: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Moreover, in this
passage, to justify signifies, according to forensic usage, to acquit a guilty one and
declare him righteous, but on account of the righteousness of another, namely,
of Christ, which righteousness of another is communicated to us by faith... 1
Corinthians 1:30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. And 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him. But because the righteousness of Christ is given us by faith, faith is for
this reason righteousness in us imputatively, i. e., it is that by which we are made
acceptable to God on account of the imputation and ordinance of God, as Paul
says, Romans 4:3, 5: Faith is reckoned for righteousness."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III. #184. Of Love and the
Fulfilling of the Law. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 205f. Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21. Tappert, p. 154. Heiser, p. 60.
J-538
"But as the Confutation condemns us for having assigned these two parts to
repentance, we must show that [not we, but] Scripture expresses these as the
chief parts in repentance and conversion. For Christ says, Matthew 11:28: Come
unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Here
there are two members. The labor and the burden signify the contrition, anxiety,
and terrors of sin and of death. To come to Christ is to believe that sins are
remitted for Christ's sake; when we believe, our hearts are quickened by the
Holy Ghost through the Word of Christ. Here, therefore, there are these two
chief parts, contrition and faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XII (V). #44. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 263. Matthew 11:28.
Tappert, p. 187. Heiser, p. 81.
J-539
That absolution, however, is not received except by faith can be proved from
Paul, who teaches, Romans 4:16, that the promise cannot be received except by
faith. But absolution is the promise of the remission of sins [nothing else than
the Gospel, the divine promise of Gods grace and favor]. Therefore, it
necessarily requires faith. Neither do we see how he who does not assent to it
may be said to receive absolution.
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, XII. #61-62. Of Repentance.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 269. Romans
4:16. Tappert, p. 190. Heiser, p. 83.
J-540
"The Gospel teaches that by faith we receive freely, for Christ's sake, the
remission of sins and are reconciled to God."
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Apology of the Augsburg Confession, XV. #5. Human Traditions.

Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 317. Tappert,
p. 215. Heiser, p. 96.
The Smalcald Articles
J-541
Likewise: All have sinned and are justified without merit [freely, and without
their own works or merits] by His grace, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, in His blood, Romans 3:23f. Now, since it is necessary to believe
this, and it cannot be otherwise acquired or apprehended by any work, law, or
merit, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us, as St. Paul says,
Romans 3:28: For we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the
Law. Likewise, v. 26: That He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in
Christ.
Smalcald Articles, The Second Part, Article I. #4. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 461. Tappert, p. 292. Heiser, p.
137.
J-542
What I have hitherto and constantly taught concerning this I know not how to
change in the least, namely, that by faith, as St. Peter says, we acquire a new and
clean heart, and God will and does account us entirely righteous and holy for
the sake of Christ, our Mediator. And although sin in the flesh has not yet been
altogether removed or become dead, yet He will not punish or remember it.
And such faith, renewal, and forgiveness of sins is followed by good works.
Smalcald Articles, The Third Part, Article XIII. #1-2. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 499. Tappert, p. 315. Heiser, p.
148.
The Large Catechism
J-543
"Therefore there is here again great need to call upon God and pray: Dear
Father, forgive us our trespasses. Not as though He did not forgive sin without
and even before our prayer (for He has given us the Gospel, in which is pure
forgiveness before we prayed or ever thought about it). But this is to the intent
that we may recognize and accept [erkennen und annehmen; agnoscamus et accipiamus]
such forgiveness. For since the flesh in which we daily live is of such a nature
that it neither trusts nor believes God, and is ever active in evil lusts and
devices, so that we sin daily in word and deed, by commission and omission, by
which the conscience is thrown into unrest, so that it is afraid of the wrath and
displeasure of God, and thus loses the comfort and confidence derived from
288

the Gospel; therefore it is ceaselessly necessary that we run hither and obtain
consolation to comfort the conscience again."220
The Large Catechism, The Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition, #88-89,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 723.
Matthew 6:12. Tappert, p. 432. Heiser, p. 202f.
Formula of Concord
J-544
"The third controversy which has arisen among some theologians of the
Augsburg Confession is concerning the righteousness of Christ or of faith,
which God imputes by grace, through faith, to poor sinners for righteousness."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #1. Of the
Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 917. Tappert, p. 539. Heiser, p. 250.
J-545
"These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy
Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept,
and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by
which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel,
and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the
forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the
Father, and are eternally saved."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #10. Of the
Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 919. Tappert, p. 541. Heiser, p. 250.
J-546
"Accordingly, the word justify here means to declare righteous and free from
sins, and to absolve one from eternal punishment for the sake of Christ's
righteousness, which is imputed by God to faith, Philippians 3:9. For this use
and understanding of this word is common in the Holy Scriptures of the Old
and the New Testament. Proverbs 17:15: He that justifieth the wicked, and he
that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord. Isaiah
5:23: Woe unto them which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the
righteousness of the righteous from him! Romans 8:33: Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, that is, absolves from sins
and acquits."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #17. Of the
Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 921. Philippians 3:9; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 5:23;
Romans 8:33. Tappert, p. 541f. Heiser, p. 251.
J-547
289

"For when man is justified through faith [which the Holy Ghost alone works],
this is truly a regeneration, because from a child of wrath he becomes a child of
God, and thus is transferred from death to life, as it is written; When we were
dead in sins, He hath quickened us together with Christ, Ephesians 2:5.
Likewise: The just shall live by faith, Romans 1:17; Habakkuk 2:4."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #20. Of the
Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 921. Tappert, p. 542. Heiser, p. 251.
J-548
But here very good attention must be given with especial diligence, if the
article of justification is to remain pure, lest that which precedes faith, and that
which follows after it, be mingled together or inserted into the article of
justification as necessary and belonging to it, because it is not one or the same
thing to speak of conversion and of justification. For not everything that
belongs to conversion belongs likewise to the article of justification, in and to
which belong and are necessary only the grace of God, the merit of Christ, and
faith, which receives this in the promise of the Gospel, whereby the
righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, whence we receive and have
forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, sonship, and heirship of eternal
life. Therefore true, saving faith is not in those who are without contrition and
sorrow, and have a wicked purpose to remain and persevere in sins; but true
contrition precedes, and genuine faith is in or with true repentance [justifying
faith is in those who repent truly, not feignedly].
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #24-26. Of the
Righteousness of Faith Before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 921. Tappert, p. 543. Heiser, p. 251.
J-549
"Moreover, neither contrition nor love or any other virtue, but faith alone is the
sole means and instrument by which and through which we can receive and
accept the grace of God, the merit of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins, which
are offered us in the promise of the Gospel."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #31. Of the
Righteous of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 925. Tappert, p. 544. Heiser, p. 252.
J-550
"Here belongs also what St. Paul writes Romans 4:3, that Abraham was justified
before God by faith alone, for the sake of the Mediator, without the
cooperation of his works, not only when he was first converted from idolatry
and had no good works, but also afterwards, when he had been renewed by the
Holy Ghost, and adorned with many excellent good works, Genesis 15:6;
Hebrews 11:8. And Paul puts the following questions, Romans 4:1ff.: On what
290

did Abraham's righteousness before God for everlasting life, by which he had a
gracious God, and was pleasing and acceptable to Him, rest at that time?
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #33. Of the
Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 927. Romans 4:3; Romans 4:1ff; Genesis 15:6;
Hebrews 11:8. Tappert, p. 545. Heiser, p. 252.
J-551
"For good works do not precede faith, neither does sanctification precede
justification. But first faith is kindled in us in conversion by the Holy Ghost
from the hearing of the Gospel. This lays hold of God's grace in Christ, by
which the person is justified. Then, when the person is justified, he is also
renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, from which renewal and
sanctification the fruits of good works then follow."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #41, Of the
Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 929. Tappert, p. 546. Heiser, p. 253.
J-552
...God in His purpose and counsel ordained [decreed]:
1. That the human race is truly redeemed and reconciled with God
through Christ, who, by His faultless [innocency] obedience, suffering,
and death, has merited for us the righteousness which avails before
God, and eternal life.
2. That such merit and benefits of Christ shall be presented, offered, and
distributed to us through His Word and Sacraments.
3. That by His Holy Ghost, through the Word, when it is preached, heard,
and pondered, He will be efficacious and active in us, convert hearts to
true repentance, and preserve them in the true faith.
4. That He will justify all those who in true repentance receive Christ
by a true faith, and will receive them into grace, the adoption of sons,
and the inheritance of eternal life."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, XI. #15. Of God's
Eternal Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 1069. 2 Corinthians 5:19ff. Tappert, p. 619. Heiser, p. 288. [emphasis
added]
J-553
"On this account, as the Augsburg Confession in Article XI says, we also retain
private absolution, and teach that it is God's command that we believe such
absolution, and should regard it as sure that, when we believe the word of
absolution, we are as truly reconciled to God as though we had heard a voice
from heaven, as the Apology explains this article. This consolation would be
291

entirely taken from us if we were not to infer the will of God towards us from
the call which is made through the Word and through the Sacraments."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, XI. #38. Of God's
Eternal Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 1075. Tappert, p. 622. Heiser, p. 289.

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David Chytraeus, Concordist

J-554
"How is a person justified before God? This occurs solely by faith in the Son of
God, Jesus Christ; that is, freely, not because of any works or merits of one's
own but only because of the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, who became the
sacrificial victim and propitiation on our behalf. By this sacrifice, man obtained
forgiveness of sins and became righteous; that is, God-pleasing and acceptable.
His righteousness was imputed to man for Christ's sake, and man becomes an
heir of eternal life when he believes with certainty that God gives him these
blessings for the sake of His Son."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 105.
"Christian righteousness is the forgiveness of sin, the imputation of the
righteousness of Christ and acceptance to eternal life. It is free, not the result of
any virtues or works but is given solely because of Christ, the Mediator, and
apprehended by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 106.
"Scripture therefore uses these words, 'We are justified by faith,' to teach both:
1) What the reason (or merit) for justification is, or what the blessings of Christ
are; to wit, that through and for the sake of Christ alone we are granted
forgiveness of sins, righteousness and eternal life; and 2. How these should be
applied or transferred to us; namely, by embracing the promise and relying on
Christ by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 107.
Martin Chemnitz, Concordist
J-555
"But when we are speaking of the subject itself, it is certain that the doctrine of
gracious reconciliation, of the remission of sins, of righteousness, salvation, and
eternal life through faith for the sake of the Mediator is one and the same in the
Old and in the New Testament. This is a useful rule which we must retain at all
costs: The doctrine, wherever we read it, in either the Old or New Testament,
which deals with the gracious reconciliation and the remission of sins through
faith for the sake of God's mercy in Christ, is the Gospel."
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 459.

293

"Therefore God, 'who is rich in mercy' [Ephesians 2:4], has had mercy upon us
and has set forth a propitiation through faith in the blood of Christ, and those
who flee as suppliants to this throne of grace He absolves from the
comprehensive sentence of condemnation, and by the imputation of the
righteousness of His Son, which they grasp in faith, He pronounces them
righteous, receives them into grace, and adjudges them to be heirs of eternal life.
This is certainly the judicial meaning of the word 'justification,' in almost the
same way that a guilty man who has been sentenced before the bar of justice is
acquitted."
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 482. Ephesians 2:4
"Yet these exercises of faith always presuppose, as their foundation, that God is
reconciled by faith, and to this they are always led back, so that faith may be
certain and the promise sure in regard to these other objects. This explanation is
confirmed by the brilliant statement of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:20: 'All the
promises of God in Christ are yea and amen, to the glory of God through us,'
that is, the promises concerning other objects of faith have only then been
ratified for us when by faith in Christ we are reconciled with God. The
promises have been made valid on the condition that they must give glory to
God through us."
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 495. 2 Corinthians 1:20
"Therefore this apprehension or acceptance or application of the promise of
grace is the formal cause or principle of justifying faith, according to the
language of Scripture."
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 502.
"We must note the foundations. For we are justified by faith, not because it is
so firm, robust, and perfect a virtue, but because of the object on which it lays
hold, namely Christ, who is the Mediator in the promise of grace. Therefore
when faith does not err in its object, but lays hold on that true object, although
with a weak faith, or at least tries and wants to lay hold on Christ, then there is
true faith, and it justifies. The reason for this is demonstrated in those lovely
statements in Philippians 3:12: 'I apprehend, or rather I am apprehended by
Christ' and Galatians 4:9: 'You have known God, or rather have been known by
God.' Scripture shows a beautiful example of this in Mark 9:24: 'I believe; help
my unbelief.'"
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 503. Philippians 3:12; Galatians 4:9;
Mark 9:24.
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"For we are not justified because of our faith (propter fidem), in the sense of faith
being a virtue or good work on our part. Thus we pray, as did the man in Mark
9:24: 'I believe, Lord; help my unbelief'; and with the apostles: 'Lord, increase
our faith,' Luke 17:5."
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 506 Mark 9:24; Luke 17:5.
"But because not doubt but faith justifies, and not he who doubts but he who
believes has eternal life, therefore faith teaches the free promise, which relies on
the mercy of God for the sake of the sacrifice of the Son, the Mediator, and not
on our works, as Paul says in Romans 4:16: 'Therefore it is of faith, that the
promise might be sure according to grace.'"
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 507. Romans 4:16
"Thus when we say that we are justified by faith, we are saying nothing else than
that for the sake of the Son of God we receive remission of sins and are
accounted as righteous. And because it is necessary that this benefit be taken
hold of, this is said to be done 'by faith,' that is, by trust in the mercy promised
us for the sake of Christ. Thus we must also understand the correlative
expression, 'We are righteous by faith,' that is, through the mercy of God for
the sake of His Son we are righteous or accepted."
Melanchthon, Loci Communes, The Word Faith. Cited in Martin
Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1989, II, p. p. 489.
Jacob Andreae, Concordist
"Concerning the article on the justification of the poor sinner in God's sight, we
believe, teach, and confess on the basis of Gods Word and the position of our
Christian Augsburg Confession that the poor, sinful person is justified in God's
sightthat is, he is pronounced free and absolved of his sins and receives
forgiveness for themonly through faith, because of the innocent, complete,
and unique obedience and the bitter sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus
Christ, not because of the indwelling, essential righteousness of God or because
of his own good works, which either precede or result from faith. We reject all
doctrines contrary to this belief and confession."
Jacob Andreae, Confession and Brief Explanation of Certain Disputed
Articles. Cited in Robert Kolb, Andreae and the Formula of Concord, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1977, p. 58.
"Indeed, it has been proved more than sufficiently from the Scriptures of the
prophets and apostles in the Old and New Testaments that the righteousness
which avails in God's sight, which poor sinners have for comfort in their worst
temptations, cannot and should not be sought in our own virtues or good
works; nor will it be found there, as was proved above against the papists.
295

Instead, it should be sought only in Christ the Lord, whom God has made our
righteousness and who saves all believing Christians and makes them righteous
through knowledge of Him."
Jacob Andreae, The First Sermon, On the Righteousness of Faith in
God's Sight. Cited in Robert Kolb, Andreae and the Formula of Concord, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1977, p. 67.
"That is enough on the first article concerning which the theologians of the
Augsburg Confession have quarreled with each other. Although it was a very
scandalous controversy, nonetheless God, who lets nothing evil happen if He
cannot make something good out of it, has produced this benefit for His church
through the controversy: The chief article of our Christian faith, on which our
salvation depends, has been made clear, so that there is not a passage in the Old
or New Testament which has not been considered and discussed."
Jacob Andreae, The First Sermon, On the Righteousness of Faith in
God's Sight. Cited in Robert Kolb, Andreae and the Formula of Concord, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1977, p. 76.

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Part Four: The Kokomo/LCMS Error

Forgiveness Without Faith
The Quest for a Second Justification
The main cheerleaders for Kokomo justification in WELS, quoted
below, have admitted in print that two justifications cannot be found in the
Book of Concord. In fact, justification in the Book of Concord is always
justification by faith, as the previous extensive quotations prove beyond a
doubt. One can easily see in the glib confession below the foundational error of
Kokomo: the universal atonement is converted into another form of
justification, a declaration without effect, without means, without the Word.
J-556
"It must be admitted that when our Lutheran Confessions speak of justification
they speak almost exclusively of that facet of justification we usually call
'subjective' justification, which has also been called 'special' or 'personal'
justification. But the Confessions also show us that the basis for this
justification is the justification that precedes faith."
Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or
Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS.
January 24-25, 1983. p. 13.221
J-557
"The two terms are relatively modern. They are not used in the Lutheran
Confessions. They are also not really synonymous. 'Universal justification' is a
term denoting the doctrine that God has forgiven the sins of all men. Strictly
speaking, the term objective justification expresses the thought that the sins of a
man are forgiven by God whether he believes it or not. Objective justification is
not necessarily universal, but if justification is universal it must of necessity be
objective."222
Siegbert Becker, "Objective Justification," Chicago Pastoral
Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois, November 9, 1982, unpaginated.
Hoenecke, Citing Gerhard, on General Justification
J-558
Adolph Hoenecke, Dogmatik, III, p. 354-5
Justification is an activity of God, which takes place in a different time and
manner for each individual sinner. But there is also a general justification which
came upon all men, in the time ofand indeed, inChrists passion and
resurrection (Romans 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 4:25). Our dogmaticians
have not written much in particular about this general justification, but have
made only occasional mention of it. For example Gerhard (Loci, l.c. XXXIII, p.
31):
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It must be noted that Christ concurred most capably with our

justification under three headings:
1) Meritoriously, he himself obtained the grace of justification with
his own most holy and perfect merit.
2) Effectively, not only did he free us from sin, death and the Devil,
and acquire for us the righteousness which avails before God, but
he also offers that good, precious grace acquired so dearly in the
word of the Gospel and applies it through faith.
3) Formally, in its application, for we are justified by no other thing
before God than by the righteousness acquired by Christ and
imputed to us through faith:
Gerhard again (Annotations on the Epistle to the Romans, Jena Edition,
1666, p. 156):
By His resurrection [God] absolved Him, since our sins had been
imputed to Him, and also in the same manner absolved us in Him, so that in
this way the resurrection of Christ may be both the cause and the complete
guarantee of our justification.
Gerhard again (Theological Disputations, Jena Edition, 1655, XX, p. 1450.):
Because we have been absolved from our sins in the resurrection
of Christ, so they cannot condemn us any more in judgment before God.
And Ph. D. Burk (Rechtfertigung und Versicherung, p. 41) rightly said:
The difference between general justification and the more
common usage of the term justification can be expressed as follows.
The latter takes place precisely upon the appropriation of the former.
An emphasis upon general justification is necessary in order to
safeguard the material content of the Gospel.
We need furnish no extraordinary proof in regard to the justification of
the individual sinner; let us suffice with the story of the publican. Justification
takes place in the one who appeals to the grace of God, but it does not take
place in the Pharisee. And the entirety of Scripture demonstrates that he who
believes is always justified; this applies to every individual, the moment that
faith is kindled in him.
Analysis of Hoenecke
This section from Hoeneckes Dogmatik does not offer a strong defense
of General or Objective Justification.
1.

298

Noteworthy is his admission that the term is seldom mentioned in

orthodox theology. Hoenecke was in a position to know. In contrast,
Siegbert Becker claims that quotations in favor of Objective
Justification are numerous.

2.
3.
4.
5.

The first example from Gerhards Loci emphasizes the atoning death
of Christ as well as receiving His righteousness through faith, in
harmony with the Scriptures and the Book of Concord.
The quotation from the Disputations can be seen as the beginning of
the Easter absolution theme found in Walther and later writers.
Burk uses general justification as a synonym for the atonement, but
Gerhard does not. Burk (1714-1770) was a Pietist, influenced by his
father-in-law, J. A. Bengel.
If this section from Hoenecke is cited without being quoted, the reader
thinks that Hoenecke is another advocate of justification without faith.
That is not true.

The popular justification literature tries to make J. Gerhard the father of

Objective Justification, but that claim was easier to make when the theologians
work was out of the reach of most people. The following quotations refute any
claim that Gerhard can be blamed for promoting justification without faith.
J-559
"The entire Scripture testifies that the merits of Christ are received in no other
way than through faith, not to mention that it is impossible to please God
without faith, Hebrews 11:6, let alone to be received into eternal life. In general,
St. Paul concludes concerning this [matter] in Romans 3:28: Thus we hold then
that a man becomes righteous without the works of the Lawonly through
faith."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 165.
J-560
"Therefore, the fulfillment of this promise to Abraham is in no way to be
interpreted to mean that Abraham's seed became righteous and saved without
individual faith."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 167.
Opposition to Lenski in WELS is seldom articulated, except for saying,
He is not good on the topic of justification. This attitude keeps seminary
students from taking seriously the exegetical work of Lenskis Romans. In the
late 1980s, when I was at Mequon, the Kokomo Statements were in the
forbidden zone. (The Wisconsin Synod is remarkably thin-skinned, so even the
relatively ancient Protestant conflict of the 1920s was on the index of
prohibited topics.) Although I was in the Romans class with Panning and
dogmatics with Gawrisch, I did not come away from the quarter with the
impression that Hell was full of guilt-free saints. I think WELS learned how
299

hopeless their position appeared in public, and how vulnerable to mockery and
scorn. Hence, the official version of Kokomo blamed the laity for creating a
crisis by manufacturing misleading statements.
J-561
"The danger is that by use of the term subjective justification we may lose the
objective divine act of God by which He declares the individual sinner righteous
ek pisteos eis pisti the instant faith (embracing Christ) is wrought in him, leaving
only the one divine declaration regarding the whole world of sinners, calling this
an actus simplex, the only forensic act of God, and expanding this to mean that
God declared every sinner free from guilt when Christ was raised from the
dead, so many millions even before they were born, irrespective of faith, apart
from and without faith. This surely wipes out 'justification by faith alone.' Only
his faith is reckoned to him for righteousness."
R. C. H. Lenski, Romans, Augsburg Publishing House: Minneapolis,
1963 p. 85. Romans 1:17.
One person has claimed to find objective justification in the Book of
Concord, directly connected with the term justification.224 The sentence from the
Smalcald Articles is quoted below.
J-562
Likewise: All have sinned and are justified without merit [freely, and without
their own works or merits] by His grace, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, in His blood, Romans 3:23f. Now, since it is necessary to believe
this, and it cannot be otherwise acquired or apprehended by any work, law, or
merit, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us, as St. Paul says,
Romans 3:28: For we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the
Law. Likewise verse 26: That He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in
Christ.
Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles, The Second Part, #3-4, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 461. Tappert, p. 292.
Heiser, p. 137.
Trying to use this reference to support the notion that all are justified
shows the poverty of the argument. We are in dark times, when Latin and
English are misunderstood, when context is ignored to make a point. This
statement does not say that all have sinned and all are justified. That claim
would turn this statement into Universalism, a doctrine rejected by the Book of
Concord. Clearly the statement emphasizes that all have sinned all are
justified without merit, that is, no one who is justified is declared righteous
based upon works. No one should miss the implication of the sentence
following the first one. We need to read sentences #3 and #4, not just a phrase
in sentence #3. The entire foundation of justification without faith is destroyed
when the Book of Concord, our confession, states that it is necessary to
300

believe this, and it cannot be otherwise acquired or apprehended by work, law,

or merit... Who can miss the statement that faith alone justifies us, a
statement that clashes with the Kokomo statements and the LCMS justification
document.
On the liberal side of the justification issue, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America and the Lutheran World Federation have shown us the folly of
abandoning justification by faith with their complete and abject surrender to the
Church of Rome on Reformation Day, 1999. For years, the ELCA leaders
prepared their members for this surrender by castigating Luther and reducing
the Gospel to accepting Gods acceptance. The ELCA courtship of the
Antichrist should remind them of what one of their finest confessional writers
once said about the Anglicans:
J-563
"Its Articles, Homilies, and Liturgy have been a great bulwark of Protestantism;
and yet, seemingly, out of the very stones of that bulwark has been framed, in
our day, a bridge on which many have passed over into Rome... It harbors a
skepticism which takes infidelity by the hand, and a revised medievalism which
longs to throw itself, with tears, on the neck of the Pope and the Patriarch, to
beseech them to be gentle and not to make the terms of restored fellowship too
difficult."
Charles P. Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology,
Philadelphia: The United Lutheran Publication House, 1913 (first edition, 1871),
p. x.
The Missouri Synod Contribution
Quotations from the Missouri Synod founders show that the major
points of Kokomo justification were first made by Walther, Pieper, and
Stoeckhardt:
1. God pronounced the sins of the world forgiven or absolved,
without contrition or faith or the Means of Grace, at the moment
of Christs resurrection, based upon Romans 4:25.
2. Reconciliation and justification are equated, using 2 Corinthians
5:19.
Accepting the absolution by faith has fallen out of many discussions
defending objective justification in the Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod, and
smaller groups. In practice, the efficacious Word is no longer proclaimed at all.
J. P. Meyer introduced plenty of problems with his book Ministers of Christ but at
least he advocated preaching the Word (see footnote).225 Now evangelism in the
former Synodical Conference is nothing more than gathering those people who
are already forgiven, and telling them they are already absolved of their sins,
even though they do not know the nature of sin according to the Scriptures.
This approach soon collapses to an appeal to join the congregation because this
301

particular church is friendly, active, caring, and buzzing with lots of cell groups.
A Unitarian minister with some charm and organizational skills can do as well
with the same approach.
J-564
"For God has already forgiven you your sins 1800 years ago when He in Christ
absolved all men by raising Him after He first had gone into bitter death for
them. Only one thing remains on your part so that you also possess the gift.
This one thing isfaith. And this brings me to the second part of today's
Easter message, in which I now would show you that every man who wants to
be saved must accept by faith the general absolution, pronounced 1800 years
ago, as an absolution spoken individually to him."
C. F. W. Walther, The Word of His Grace, Sermon Selections, "Christ's
ResurrectionThe World's Absolution" Lake Mills: Graphic Publishing
Company, 1978, p. 233. Mark 16:1-8.
J-565
"Now, then, if the Father raised Christ from the dead, He, by this glorious
resurrection act, declared that the sins of the whole world are fully expiated, or
atoned for, and that all mankind is now regarded as righteous before His divine
tribunal. This gracious reconciliation and justification is clearly taught in
Romans 4:25: 'Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our
justification.' The term dikaiosis here means the act of divine justification
executed through God's act of raising Christ from the dead, and it is for this
reason called the objective justification of all mankind. This truth Dr. Walther
stressed anew in America. He taught that the resurrection of Christ from the
dead is the actual absolution pronounced upon all sinners. (Evangelienpostille, p. 160ff.)
Calov, following Gerhard, rightly points out the relation of Christ's resurrection
to our justification as follows: 'Christ's resurrection took place as an actual
absolution from sin (respectu actualis a peccato absolutionis). As God punished our
sins in Christ, upon whom He laid them and to whom He imputed them, as our
Bondsman, so He also, by the very act of raising Him from the dead, absolved
Him from our sins imputed to Him, and so He absolved also us in Him.'" [Bibl.
Illust., ad Rom. 4:25]
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1951, II, p. 321. Romans 4:25.226
J-566
"Scripture teaches the objective reconciliation. Nineteen hundred years ago Christ
effected the reconciliation of all men with God. God does not wait for men to
reconcile Him with themselves by means of any efforts of their own. He is
already reconciled. The reconciliation is an accomplished fact, just like the
creation of the world. Romans 5:10: 'We were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son.' When Christ died, God became reconciled. As Christ's death lies in
the past, so also our reconciliation is an accomplished fact. 2 Corinthians 5:19:
302

'God was in Christ, reconciling' (namely, when Christ lived and died on earth)
'the world unto Himself.' The katallassein of Romans 5:10 and 2 Corinthians
5:19 does not referlet this fact be notedto any change that occurs in men,
but describes an occurrence in the heart of God. It was God who laid His anger
by on account of the ransom brought by Christ. It was God who at that time
already had in His heart forgiven the sins of the whole world, for the statement:
'God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself' meansand that is not
our, but the Apostle's own interpretationthat God did 'not impute their
trespasses unto them.' And 'not imputing trespasses' is, according to Scripture
(Romans 4:6-8), synonymous with 'forgiving sins,' 'justifying' the sinner. "The
resurrection of Christ is, as Holy Writ teaches, the actual absolution of the
whole world of sinners. Romans 4:25: 'Who was raised again for our
justification.' At that time we were objectively declared free from sin."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1951, II, p. p 348. Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:19.
J-567
"This doctrine of general justification is the guarantee and warranty that the
central article of justification by faith is being kept pure. Whoever holds firmly
that God was reconciled to the world in Christ, and that to sinners in general
their sin was forgiven, to him the justification which comes from faith remains a
pure act of the grace of God. Whoever denies general justification is justly
under suspicion that he is mixing his own work and merit into the grace of
God.227
George Stoeckhardt, Concordia Theological Quarterly, April, 1978, p. 138.
Cited by Pastor Vernon Harley "SynergismIts Logical Association with
General Justification," 511 Tilden, Fairmont, Minnesota 56031, August, 1984, p.
1.
J-568
"The chief purpose, however, is to keep this article (general justification) before
the people for its own sake. It cannot be presented and studied too often. Its
vital relation to the subjective, personal justification by faith, cannot be stressed
too strongly. It forms the basis of the justification by faith and keeps this article
free from the leaven of Pelagianism. Unless the sinner knows that his
justification is already an accomplished fact in the forum of God, he will
imagine that it is his faith, his good conduct, which moves God to forgive him
his sins. And unless he knows that God had him personally in mind in issuing
the general pardon on Easter morning, he will have no assurance of his
justification."
Theodore Engelder, Concordia Theological Monthly, July/ August/
September, 1933. Reissued by the seminary print-shop, Ft. Wayne, 1981. Cited
by Pastor Vernon Harley, "SynergismIts Logical Association with General
Justification," 511 Tilden, Fairmont, Minnesota 56031, August, 1984, p. 1f.
303

J-569
"The entire Pauline doctrine of justification stands and falls with the special
article of general justification. This establishes it beyond peradventure that
justification is entirely independent of the conduct of man. And only in this way
the individual can have the assurance of his justification. For it is the
incontrovertible conclusion: Since God has already justified all men in Christ
and forgiven them their sins, I, too, have a gracious God in Christ and
forgiveness of all my sins."
Quoted with approval by Theodore Engelder, from George
Stoeckhardt, Commentary on Romans, p. 264. Cited by Pastor Vernon Harley,
"SynergismIts Logical Association with General Justification," 511 Tilden,
Fairmont, Minnesota 56031, August, 1984, p. 2.
J-570
"The resurrection is God's public absolution of the entire world: 'Your sins are
forgiven, all sins of all human beings; and there is no exception.' This is the
meaning of the technical term 'objective justification.' The objective justification
is central to the doctrine of salvation and derives logically from the facts that
God's reconciliation, forgiveness, and declaration of 'not guilty' in no wise
depend on the attitude or behaviour of human beings. If objective justification
is denied, then it must follow that those who are declared righteous in some way
have contributed to God's change of heart; justification is then no longer solely
the result of God's grace."
Theodore Mueller, Concordia Theological Quarterly, January, 1982, p. 29.
Cited by Pastor Vernon Harley, "SynergismIts Logical Association with
General Justification," 511 Tilden, Fairmont, Minnesota 56031, August, 1984, p.
3.
J-571
"The fact of the redemption and reconciliation of the entire human race
through Christ, and with it the forgiveness of all sins for all men on God's
partwhich, indeed, is precisely what the Gospel proclaims, presents and
givescan by no means become a lie through the unbelief of men... even when
the unbelievers don't receive it, but reject it for themselves and for this
reasonindeed, for this reason aloneare lost."
Walther's colleague, Theodore Brohm, 1808-1881. Cited in Rick
Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal
Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January
24-25, 1983. p. 16.
J-572
"The teaching of the Wisconsin Synod [of the old Norwegian Synod] is this,
that in and with the universal reconciliation, which has occurred in Christ for
the whole worldeven Judas; the whole worldeven Judashas been justified
and has received the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, according to Luther's clear
304

words ("for where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation"),
the whole world (i.e. every person who is a part of the worldeven Judas) has
become a child of God and an heir of heaven."
Gottfried Fritschel, "Zur Lehre von der Rechtfertigung," Theologische
Monatshefte, volume 4, 1871, (1-24), p. 7.228 Cited in Rick Nicholas Curia, The
Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine,
California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 2.
Missouri Synod Brief Statement, 1932
J-573
Scripture teaches that God has already declared the whole world to be
righteous in Christ, Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 4:25; that
therefore not for the sake of their good works, but without the works of the
Law, by grace, for Christs sake, he justifies, that is, accounts as righteous, all those
who believe in Christ, that is, believe, accept, and rely on, the fact that for
Christs sake their sins are forgiven.229
Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod, 1932, Of
Justification.
Missouri Synod CTCR
J-574
"It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That forgiveness and
justification before God do not involve each other, or that justification and
reconciliation are entirely different from each other, as though a person can be
reconciled without being justified or justified without being reconciled."
LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #3.
J-575
"In normal Biblical and ecclesiastical usage the terms justify and justification refer
to the ('subjective') justification of the individual sinner through faith (Romans
4:5, 5:1, etc.; AC IV, 3; FC SD III 25). But because theologically justification is
the same thing as the forgiveness of sins (Romans 4:1-8; Ap IV, 76; FC Ep III,
7), it is Biblically and confessionally correct to refer to the great sin-canceling,
atoning work of the Redeemer as the 'objective' or 'universal' justification of the
whole sinful human race. (John 1:29; Romans 5:6-18; 2 Corinthians 5:19;
Colossians 2:14-15; 1 Timothy 3:16; Ap IV, 103-105; LC V, 31, 32, 36, 37; FC
SD III, 57)
LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #4.
J-576
305

"Thus objective justification or reconciliation is the forgiveness of sins both as it

has been acquired for the entire human race by Christ's work of obedience in its
stead and declared by His resurrection, and as it is seriously and efficaciously
offered to all in the means of grace."
LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #5.
J-577
"Subjective justification or reconciliation is this same forgiveness as it is
received, appropriated by, and applied to the individual sinner through Godgiven faith alone (sola fide)."
LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, #6.
Old Missouri did not know about the two justifications of the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations. Apparently the two
justification position became hardened later, first through Pieper and the Brief
Statement, then through Jack and Robert Preus in the Walter Maier controversy.
Hottentots Justified Without Faith
J-578
"So, then, we are reconciled; however, not only we, but also Hindus, and
Hottentots and Kafirs, yes, the world. 'Reconciled,' says our translation; the
Greek original says: 'placed in the right relation to God'. Because before the Fall
we, together with the whole creation, were in the right relation to God,
therefore Scripture teaches that Christ, through His death, restored all things to
the former right relation to God."
F. R. Eduard Preuss, 1834-1904, Die Rechtfertigung der Suender vor Gott.
Cited in Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or
Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS.
January 24-25, 1983. p. 24.230
Justification by Faith in the Old Missouri Synod Catechism
J-579
"#305. Why do you say in this article: I believe in the Forgiveness of Sins?
Because I hold with certainty that by my own powers or through my own works
I cannot be justified before God, but that the forgiveness of sins is given me
out of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For where there is forgiveness of sins,
there is also true justification. Psalm 130:3-4; Psalm 143:2; Isaiah 64:6; Job 25:46 (Q. 124)."
Kleiner Katechismus, trans. Pastor Vernon Harley, LCMS, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1901, p. 164ff.
306

"#306. What is justification? Justification is that activity (Handlung) of God by

which He out of pure grace and mercy for the sake of Christ's merits forgives
the sins of a poor sinner who truly believes in Jesus Christ and receives him to
everlasting life."
Kleiner Katechismus, trans. Pastor Vernon Harley, LCMS, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1901, p. 164ff.
Efficacy and Justification
The efficacy of the Word is so important to the Christian faith that the
loss of this doctrine must affect all other doctrines in some way. Recent endless
conflicts among Lutherans have been fueled by lack of understanding about the
Word. We would be appalled if engineers designed a nuclear reactor without
knowing the laws of thermo-dynamics, but clergy write about justification by
faith and about Holy Communion without understanding the efficacy of the
Word.
A history of the recent conflicts about justification would be interesting
to read and large enough to fill several books, but it would not be edifying. Too
many articles have dealt with a recent history of the conflict. Too often the
discussion revolves around the latest opinions offered in America, as if
Lutherans hold a quia subscription to the writings of Walther, Pieper, and
synodical commissions. As one minister wrote, Are you calling Walther a false
teacher? This attitude runs contrary to what Chemnitz stated from the earliest
history of the Christian Church, that we must return to the source when the
discussion is murky.231 Then we must set aside the bulk of material and return
to the Scriptures and the Book of Concord. Otherwise, we fall into the folly of
orthodoxism, where every single statement of each Synodical Conference
author must be viewed as part of a seamless and infallible garment, invulnerable
to criticism. That attitude is exactly what we find in the Church of Rome. In
addition, some who insist on such perfection in the sons of Adam want to avoid
entirely an author whose views are flawed in some way. This view would
preclude Lutherans from quoting St. Augustine, who devoted a volume to his
Retractions, and Luther, who begged that his earlier writings be forgiven for their
Roman influences.
The Way of Salvation
Nothing can be claimed for justification apart from the work of God,
Who acts upon us solely through the Word and never without the Word.
A. The Holy Spirit works through the Law to bring about contrition, true
sorrow for sin in the unbeliever.
B. The Holy Spirit works through the Gospel to create faith, which receives
the promise of forgiveness. The Gospel is communicated in the Word,
preached and taught; in the Absolution, Baptism, and Holy Communion;
and the mutual consolation of the brethren.
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C. The Holy Spirit continues its work through the Word in the believer. The
Word continues to work through the Law in condemning sin, and through
the Gospel both in promising forgiveness and motivating good works.
Exposing the Kokomo Error
The Kokomo conflict began in July, 1978, in Kokomo, Indiana, at
Faith Lutheran Church, WELS, served at that time by Pastor Charles Papenfuss,
who was newly called to the congregation. When the parable of the Prodigal
Son was being discussed by David Hartman for the upcoming Vacation Bible
School, Pastor Papenfuss argued that the story taught that God the Father has
pronounced the entire world of lost sinners forgiven of all sins and that at the
time of Christs suffering, death and resurrection gave unto all sinners the
status of saints Pastor Papenfuss said that even Judas and all people in hell
were declared righteous, holy, innocent of all sin and given the status of saints.
He said that they too were declared to be guilt-free saints at the time of the
resurrection of Christ.232 Hartman was surprised at the pastors statements and
asked if that was the teaching of the WELS seminary. Papenfuss said it was. The
pastor recommended J. P. Meyers Ministers of Christ to David Hartman. The
conflict continued and the congregation voted on June 20, 1979, to endorse the
four statements quoted below and to suspend the Hartman and Pohlman
families from membership.
The Kokomo Statements, 1979
J-580
I. "Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude
toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner,
whether he knows it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the
status of saint."
II. "After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention God regards all
sinners as guilt-free saints."
III. "When God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, He
individually pronounced forgiveness to each individual sinner whether that
sinner ever comes to faith or not."
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 letter sent to the two families quoted the statements and declared
that the families were being expelled for denying them. Certain people have
tried to confuse the issue by claiming the statements were made up by the
expelled families to parody WELS doctrine. Three statements are almost
308

verbatim from J. P. Meyers Ministers of Christ, now out of print. The fourth
statement came from a controversy in the 19th century but was added by Pastor
Papenfuss to the previous statements from J. P. Meyer. Although WELS has
often backed away from the Kokomo statements, the synod continues to
defend the content and reproduce the most obnoxious falsehoods found in
them. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod teaches Kokomo justification in their
seminary. After a layman wrote to Bethany Seminary professor John Moldstad
Jr., the following statements appeared in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Lutheran Sentinel:
J-581
When Paul uses the word reconciling here, [2 Corinthians 5:19] he clearly
means that forgiveness of sins is really imputed to the world.
John Moldstad, Jr., I have heard some Lutherans say they do not believe the
Bible teaches objective justification. How can they assert this and still call
themselves Lutheran?
Lutheran Sentinel, October, 1996, p. 11.234
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches an ambiguous form of
the same doctrine. Each synod (WELS, ELS, LCMS) teaches various forms of
justification, with pastors teaching a version somewhere between the extremes
of Universal Justification (without faith) and the Scriptural norm of justification
by faith.
The Pohlman and Hartman families were suspended from Faith
Lutheran Church on July 8, 1979. The circuit pastor, Alan Siggelkow, agreed
with the suspension at the July voters meeting, which he attended. Not
surprisingly, Siggelkow upheld the suspension on August 7, 1979. The letter
from the congregation to the two families, dated August 30, 1979, cited the
Kokomo Statements and stated that failure to accept them was the cause of the
suspension, all of which are in agreement with the teachings of the WELS.
The two families were terminated as members on November 19, 1980, in a
letter from their congregation, citing disagreement with the WELS doctrine of
justification. The Siegbert Becker paper, quoted below, preserves the deception
that the two families made up the statements instead of the pastor. And yet the
same paper admits that the first three statements came from WELS sources.
Which Becker version should be believed?235
J-582
"Three of the four [Kokomo] statements, because of their lack of clarity, tend
to confuse the issue. But since the disciplined laymen used them to advance
their false doctrine, it was understandable that the congregation should also use
them in its rejection of the falsehood being advocated. I do not consider any of
the four statements to be false doctrine, but I would rather not use the language
used in the first, second, and fourth." [conclusion of paper]
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Siegbert Becker, "Objective Justification," Chicago

Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois, November 9, 1982, unpaginated.

Pastoral

Although some WELS leaders deny that the Kokomo Statements are
from WELS, the following verbatim quotations from J. P. Meyer disprove his
innocence, especially since they predate the Kokomo Statements. The origin of
the Kokomo Statements is interesting. The excommunicated families said, in
effect, This is what we reject. What they rejected was being taught and is still
being taught in the Wisconsin Synod. The Wisconsin Synod listed the rejected
Kokomo Statements as the reason for the excommunication, upheld the
excommunication, and then claimed later that the two couples made up the
statements.236
CLC/WELS Smokescreen
One Church of the Lutheran Confession minister, known for both
loving and hating WELS, published this howler:
J-583
The three statements unfortunately and inaccurately attributed to Prof. Meyer's
Ministers of Christ are in reality inaccurate paraphrases. They were written by a lay
member of the Kokomo congregation, who was questioning the WELS
doctrine of objective justification as it was presented by the local pastor. The
fourth statement was also a paraphrase not from any WELS source. The
statements were called "a caricature of objective justification" by WELS
president Carl H. Mischke.
John Lau, An Apology and Correction, CLC Journal of Theology,
December, 1997.237
time:

Compare what WELS seminary professor Siegbert Becker wrote at the

J-584
"The first three statements are taken verbatim from WELS sources."
Siegbert Becker, "Objective Justification," Chicago
Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois, November 9, 1982, Unpaginated.

Pastoral

Every reader of this chapter is invited to compare the first three

Kokomo Statements with the corresponding verbatim quotations from J. P.
Meyers Ministers of Christ, cited below. The fourth statement emerged from an
earlier debate on the subject, in the 19th century, and not directly from J. P.
Meyers book. That fact is irrelevant, since the pastor and the Wisconsin Synod
included the rejection of the fourth statement as part of the reason for
excommunicating the two couples. The fourth Kokomo statement was written
by Pastor Papenfuss, included as a reason for expelling both families, defended
by the circuit pastor Al Siggelkow, upheld by Armin Panning (a future president
310

of the seminary) and defended in print by Sig Becker, a seminary professor.

Moreover, the Becker essay was reprinted in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, a
definite sign of synodical approval, and again in the showcase of WELS
doctrine, the three-volume Our Great Heritage, Northwestern Publishing House.
Letters to the Hartman and Pohlman Families
J-585a
Faith Lutheran Church
3215 West Judson Road
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
August 30, 1979
Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman
R. R. #1, Box 90
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hartman,
In response to your letter of August 18, 1979, it is our understanding that your
no vote on June 20th against supporting the biblical doctrine of the WELS was
based at least in part, on your failure to accept the following statement
included in your letter all of which are in agreement with the teachings of the
WELS, namely that:
1. Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinners
[sic] attitude toward Christs [sic] sacrafice [sic], purely on the basis of
Gods verdict, every sinner, whether he knows it or not, whether he
believes it or not, has received the status of a saint.
2. After Christs [sic] intervention and through Christs [sic] intervention,
God regards all sinners as guilt-free saints.
3. When God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, He
individually pronounced forgiveness to each individual sinner whether
that sinner ever comes to faith or not.
4. 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.
I trust this is the information you desire.
Sincerely yours in Christian love,
311

Michael Liebner, Acting Secretary

Faith Lutheran Church Voters Assembly238
J-585b
Faith Lutheran Church
3215 West Judson Road
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
November 19, 1980
Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman
R. R. #1, Box 90
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hartman,
In accordance with the recommendations of the Southeastern Wisconsin
District Panel of Review the voters of the Faith Lutheran Church have
approved a resolution terminating your membership in the congregation unless
and until such time as you accept the doctrine of justification as practiced by the
WELS.
We encourage you to reassess your position on this matter and pray for a
favorable decision so that once again we can work together for His Kingdom.
Yours in Christ,
Michael Liebner, Secretary239
J. P. Meyer, Foundation for the Kokomo Statements
J-586
I. "Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude
toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner,
whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received
the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this
turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"240
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2
Corinthians 5:18-21.

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II. "Before Christ's intervention took place God regarded him as a guilt-laden,
condemned culprit. After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention
He regards him as a guilt-free saint."
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2
Corinthians 5:18-21.
III. "This applies to the whole world, to every individual sinner, whether he was
living in the days of Christ, or had died centuries before His coming, or had not
yet been born, perhaps has not been born to this day. It applies to the world as
such, regardless of whether a particular sinner ever comes to faith or not."
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 109. 2
Corinthians 5:18-21.
J-587
About 300 years earlier Johann Gerhard expressed the same truth in these
words: By raising Christ from the dead God absolved Him from our sins,
which had been imputed to Him, and accordingly He absolved us also in Him.
Gerhard was professor of theology in Jena. He did not write a Brief Statement,
but he did write a book on Lutheran dogmatics consisting of 20 volumes. He
died in 1637.
J. P. Meyer, The Holy Spirit Creator, The Northwestern Lutheran,
September 24, 1950, p. 310.241
J-588
The Judge in heaven examines this evidence. He declares His verdict. It is one
of acquittal. Mans debt of sin is no longer charged against him. Sinful man is
free!
WELS Conference of Presidents, Every Sinner Declared Righteous,
1954 tract.
During the appeal process, the Wisconsin Synod had plenty of time to
distance itself from the Kokomo Statements. Instead, because they could not
admit to being fallible, they made matters worse by agreeing with the content
of the statements. I am reminded of the wisdom of an early pope who
denounced the first proposal of papal infallibility because he saw how it would
impose on him the tyranny of the past. WELS, in defending the words of their
own professor, first tried to contain the problem by affirming doctrinal error.
Then, when an outcry arose about the absurdity of the Kokomo Statements,
WELS tried to invent vague additional reasons why the two families were
expelled. Finally, in the years following the incident, WELS took the trouble to
re-affirm justification without faith in various ways. In 1991, Northwestern
Publishing House reproduced a 1940 essay by J. P. Meyer in Our Great Heritage, a
three-volume collection of Wisconsin Synod material. The introduction to the
313

Meyer essay states, Scripture makes it clear that justification is an accomplished

fact God has forgiven the sins of the whole world. Our Great Heritage also
reprinted the Siegbert Becker essay quoted in this chapter, noting that it was
also published in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly in 1987. The quasiUniversalism of the Church Growth Movement in WELS has been built on the
doctrine of Kokomo justification.242
J-589
"Here the panel feels itself compelled to distinguish between form and content.
While the form of the Four Statements is inadequate, the doctrine of objective
justification it grapples with is Scriptural. The Four Statements have served to
show that there is a doctrinal difference between Faith Congregation and the
appellants."
Report of the WELS Review Committee, Hartman, Pohlman Appeal,
June 30, 1980. Cited in Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of
Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral
Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 133.243
Objective or Universal Justification, Two Issues
First Issue Two Justifications
Two issues seem to be crucial in maintaining the false view of
justification defended by WELS and crypto-WELS pastors. The first is
embodied in the terms General, Objective, or Universal Justification, which are almost
always used synonymously. The current president of the WELS seminary, David
Valleskey, uses the term Universal Justification in his Church Growth book, We
Believe-Therefore We Speak. The term Universal Justification is consistent with the
Kokomo Statements derived from J. P. Meyer, but is it harmonious with the
terms used in the Bible and the Book of Concord? Some people use Objective
Justification as a synonym for the atonement, but others use the term in the sense
of the Kokomo Statements, with guilt-free saints in Hell. Universal justification
seems to be used exclusively in the context of Kokomo justification.
Kokomo justification means justification without the Word, without
the Law and Gospel, without the Means of Grace, without contrition, without
faith. If the Kokomo Statements are correct according to the Scriptures and
Confessions, then they must also be in harmony with the Biblical doctrine of
the efficacy of the Word. However, they are not. Kokomo justification is silent
where the Scriptures and Confessions are clear. Kokomo advocates prove their
problem is far greater than defending the statements themselves, since they
routinely hammer away at the same point, defending and promoting error by
upholding forgiveness without faith. WELS leader Wayne Mueller illustrated
that when he stated at the Columbus Youth Rally that mission work was easy.
He stated that one could walk up to any person and say, Your sins are already
forgiven. That statement encapsulates the message of the Easter 2000
television commercials.
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Second Issue - Reconciliation

The second issue concerns the exact meaning of the term reconciliation in
2 Corinthians 5:19-21, especially in relation to the atoning death and
resurrection of Christ. Advocates of Kokomo justification, using the sermon by
C. F. W. Walther, connect their universal justification with the resurrection of
Christ, so that the entire world became sin-free the moment Jesus left the grave.
This belief rests upon their interpretation of the meaning of Romans 4:25
raised for our justification.244 The passage in 2 Corinthians is cited to state
that God declared the world to be without sin and the residents of Hell to be
guilt-free saints. The truths of the Bible are increasingly distorted, so that the
original doctrines can be detected, but not easily separated from the errors
attached. It is especially difficult to raise these issues in the atmosphere of
hysterical ignorance dominating the synods today.
The Book of Concord explicitly uses the Romans 4:25 passage in the
context of justification by faithif we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead. Since all orthodox Lutherans believe, teach, and confess
that the Lutheran Symbols are a correct exposition of the Scriptures, they must
accept this interpretation over their own opinions, even if their position is
supported by Walther, Pieper, and the Missouri Synods Commission on
Theology and Church Relations. The following quotation shows a difference
between reconciliation and justification, a distinction condemned by the CTCR.
The CTCR document, used by many to club and abuse Lutherans, shows how
little the LCMS leaders know about their own confessions.
If the new Lutherans are correct in claiming ancient truths, then their
doctrine should be found consistently in dogmatic statements about
justification. Error is not proved by its popularity or unpopularity, but we can
expect that the central doctrine of Christianity has been taught properly by
various church fathers through the ages. However, we can also assume that
some statements are misunderstood or distorted in time, perhaps in spite of
good intentions or as a result of doctrinal shorthand. The issue in view of
faith (intuitu fidei) began with a correct statement truncated and repeated until it
became institutionalized.245
A. Correct We are saved in view of faith apprehending the merits of Christ.
B. Incorrect We are saved in view of faith. The shortened version made
people think that faith itself saves, as if faith were a virtue or a frame of
mind generated by man.
If we are to avoid being tangled in endless disputes about words, we
must avoid being wedded to each word of every single dead Lutheran, since our
confession rests upon the Scriptures as the ruling norm of faith (norma normans)
and the Book of Concord as the norm ruled by the Scriptures (norma normata).
Few Lutherans today would repeat Luthers prayer to Mary in his
wonderful commentary on the Magnificat, as good as the small book is.246 Our
315

agreement with Luther rests upon a common confession of his words in the
Small and Large Catechisms and in the Smalcald Articles. We do not write him
off because of the prayer to Mary, especially because of his later preaching
where this was corrected. It is obvious from the low level of doctrinal
discussion among Lutherans today that Luther is seldom read in any form, that
the Book of Concord has no authority for most of the so-called conservative
Lutheran leaders. The leaders of the former Synodical Conference fall all over
themselves attending joint conferences with ELCA apostates. All of the
synodsELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELSconsider George Barna, a Church
Growth statistician, their authority in doctrine and practice.
The Universal Atonement
The origin of the current problem about justification can be found in
the attempt to isolate the objective nature of Christs atoning death on the
crosswhich is true whether we believe it or notfrom the purpose of the
Word of God, to create justifying faith through the preaching of the Gospel.
The Bible proclaims the saving work of Christ precisely so we believe this truth,
hold it dear, and never depart from it. Anyone who tries to say that sins are
forgiven, whether we believe or not, or that guilt is removed, whether we
believe it or not, is making a mockery of the purpose of Gods Word. The
proper expression, which can be found in Luther many times, is that Christ has
died for the sins of the world, even if no one ever believes it. That teaching is
the foundation of justification by faith, the objective truth of Gods Word,
which we receive in faith.247 The current crop of poorly educated Lutheran
leaders has forgotten the double efficacy of the Word. The Word saves those
who believe and damns those who reject the Gospel. The Sword of the Spirit
converts and hardens, illuminates and blinds. Christ did in fact die for the sins
of the whole world, even for the sins of Judas Iscariot, but unbelievers are
damned for their unbelief.
A balanced description of justification can be found, and should be
memorized, from the Large Catechism. In this passage from the Book of
Concord, Luther balanced the universal, objective nature of the Atonement
with the need for faith created by Gospel proclamation. In this passage, the
Atonement is the work of God alone; the kindling of faith through the
efficacious Word is the work of God alone. All Lutherans confess this truth, if
they understand the Bible, the Fathers, Luther, and the Book of Concord.248
Sadly, the Wisconsin Synod has rejected its own subscription to the Book of
Concord in Arnold Koelpins essay, Are We Bound Only to What the
Confessions Teach? The introduction to the essay states that the Confessions
are relevant but not complete! Koelpin concluded his dynamite essay thus: Are
we, therefore, bound to teach only what the confessions teach? The Lutheran
Confessions themselves rightly forbid such a conclusion. That honor belongs
alone to the Scriptures.249
316

Martin Luther, on Justification by Faith, Book of Concord

J-590
"For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him,
and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our
hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is
done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us
by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so
that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure,
therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has
caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy
Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore
sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to
which we could not attain ourselves."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #38, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 689. Tappert, p. 415. Heiser, p.
194.
A similar expression of justification by faith, comparing the Gospel to
treasure being distributed by the Holy Spirit, can be found in one of Luthers
sermons. We can see from many different examples in Luther and the Book of
Concord that justification by faith is based upon the objective truth of the
universal atonement of Christ, with an emphasis upon both elements, never
with one emphasized at the expense of the other.
J-591
"It is a faithful saying that Christ has accomplished everything, has removed sin
and overcome every enemy, so that through Him we are lords over all things.
But the treasure lies yet in one pile; it is not yet distributed nor invested.
Consequently, if we are to possess it, the Holy Spirit must come and teach our
hearts to believe and say: I, too, am one of those who are to have this treasure.
When we feel that God has thus helped us and given the treasure to us,
everything goes well, and it cannot be otherwise than that man's heart rejoices
in God and lifts itself up, saying: Dear Father, if it is Thy will to show toward
me such great love and faithfulness, which I cannot fully fathom, then will I also
love Thee with all my heart and be joyful, and cheerfully do what pleases Thee.
Thus, the heart does not now look at God with evil eyes, does not imagine He
will cast us into hell, as it did before the Holy Spirit came..."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 279. Pentecost Sunday. John 14:23-31.
Advocates of Kokomo justification are forever stating that people are
already forgiven. One ELS pastor made this comparison: A man is sitting in a
jail cell. But he does not know that the cell is not locked. All he needs to do is
317

walk out! Once again, the message is one of universalism: all sins are forgiven.
This message is a modern form of anti-nomianism, cheaper than cheap grace,
because the Law and contrition are forgotten. The second partwalking out of
an unlocked cellreminds us of the Billy Graham Crusade, except it is not as
sophisticated as making a decision for Christ. One Lutheran was very
disturbed by this statement about walking out of an unlocked jail cell. What
happened to sin and repentance? Two liberal theologians, both very influential,
F. Schleiermach and Paul Tillich, both taught justification as accepting Gods
acceptance.250 Although the Kokomo advocates do not realize it, because they
are not well read, they are shamelessly repeating the liberal evasions of
Schleiermacher and Tillich in the name of the Gospel. There is no forgiveness
apart from the Means of Grace, as the following citation from the Book of
Concord shows.
J-592
"But outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is no
forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification]. Therefore all who
seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and
forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves
[from this Church]."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #56, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p.
195.
We can peer into the thinking of the Formula of Concord authors by
reading their works. David Chytraeus is largely forgotten today, but he was
highly regarded in his time. His Summary of the Christian Faith was printed for a
century after his death in 1600. In the following quotation, several points are
made.
1. Justification takes place solely by faith.
2. Man obtained forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ.
3. Man becomes righteous when he believes.
It is easy to see how the second point was increasingly isolated by
generations of church leaders, until it became another justification. Current
leaders latch onto such statements and say, Aha! Universal justification! They
could assign any particular name to it, without fault, if they portrayed Gods
actions in harmony with the Scriptures. But they do not. By isolating the act of
propitiation from the Means of Grace, by forgetting the efficacy of the Word,
the Kokomo advocates make a muddle out of the Gospel. They have reintroduced the Reformed Monster of Uncertainty about salvation because their
real authorities are Reformed and not Lutheran.251 Chytraeus is clear and easy to
follow in his statement about justification by faith.
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David Chytraeus, Concordist, On Justification by Faith

J-593
"How is a person justified before God? This occurs solely by faith in the Son of
God, Jesus Christ; that is, freely, not because of any works or merits of one's
own but only because of the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, who became the
sacrificial victim and propitiation on our behalf. By this sacrifice, man obtained
forgiveness of sins and became righteous; that is, God-pleasing and acceptable.
His righteousness was imputed to man for Christ's sake, and man becomes an
heir of eternal life when he believes with certainty that God gives him these
blessings for the sake of His Son."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 105.
"Christian righteousness is the forgiveness of sin, the imputation of the
righteousness of Christ and acceptance to eternal life. It is free, not the result of
any virtues or works but is given solely because of Christ, the Mediator, and
apprehended by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 106.
"Scripture therefore uses these words, 'We are justified by faith,' to teach both:
1) What the reason (or merit) for justification is, or what the blessings of Christ
are; to wit, that through and for the sake of Christ alone we are granted
forgiveness of sins, righteousness and eternal life; and 2. How these should be
applied or transferred to us; namely, by embracing the promise and relying on
Christ by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 107.

Part Five: The CTCR Document as

the Abomination of Desolation
One WELS church history professor, the late Edward Fredrich,
published a paper in which he noted that every Lutheran anniversary was
marked by a disaster in Lutheranism: the Prussian Union, the ULCA merger,
the old ALC merger. To continue the tradition, the Lutheran Church Missouri
Synod celebrated the 500th anniversary of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther by
publishing their execrable Theses on Justification, written by the anonymous
Commission on Theology and Church Relations. LCMS President Ralph
Bohlmann sent the document on May 9, 1983, in time for pastors and laity to
burn it in honor of the Reformer, whose doctrine is completely overthrown by
the imbecilic and contradictory statements in the paper. However, this did not
happen. A few people objected, such as Pastor Vernon Harley, but the
319

document soon became another extra-confessional norm in the Missouri Synod.

The theses are not intended to go beyond the pattern of thought and
terminology of Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and the presentation of our
respected Lutheran theologians in the past.252 To paraphrase Chemnitz, when
the lesser lights of the Synodical Conference were given equal status with the
Scriptures and Confessions, novel ideas about justification could only multiply.
The CTCR effort is one of the worst examples of declaring
propositions to be true without study, explanation, or Scriptural exegesis. Each
thesis is followed by a list of citations from the Bible and the Book of Concord.
The definition of justification is contrary to the Bible and the Confessions, by
omitting the crucial words by faith. Justification is a forensic act whereby a
person is counted righteous, but never without faith.253 By their omission of
faith in justification, the Comission has declared war on the Scriptures and the
Confessions. In addition, the authors also equated justification with redemption,
reconciliation, propitiation, and atonement.
The CTCR Theses declare grandly: It is contrary to Scripture and the
pure Gospel to teach: That forgiveness and justification before God do not
involve each other, or that justification and reconciliation are entirely different
from each other, as though a person can be reconciled without being justified or
justified without being reconciled. Confessional statements are clarified by
showing what false teachers have advocated. In this case it is difficult to imagine
whether the CTCR has actual opponents in mind or straw men. Certainly
forgiveness and justification involve each other. Has someone declared
otherwise? And what does this pseudo-Barthian statement mean: as though
a person can be reconciled without being justified, etc.? Terms are used so
sloppily that no one can tell what the Commission is trying to argue.
Poor writing skills degenerate into transparent lies when the CTCR
declares that it is Biblically and confessionally correct to refer to the great sincancelling, atoning work of the Redeemer as the objective or universal
justification of the whole sinful human race. The Bible never uses the terms
subjective, or objective, or general or universal in connection with justification. The
Book of Concord does not mention those terms at all. Advocates of two
justifications, such as Kurt Marquart and Sig Becker, admit that the terms are
not found in the Scriptures or the Book of Concord. It is intellectual fraud to
declare something to be true without support or citations and then build an
argument on the false foundation of unwarranted assumptions.
The two justifications are defined without any references whatsoever in
the following way:
J-594
"Thus objective justification or reconciliation is the forgiveness of sins both as it
has been acquired for the entire human race by Christ's work of obedience in its
stead and declared by His resurrection, and as it is seriously and efficaciously
offered to all in the means of grace."
320

Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on

Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, II. #5.
"Subjective justification or reconciliation is this same forgiveness as it is
received, appropriated by, and applied to the individual sinner through Godgiven faith alone (sola fide)."
Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, II. #6.
The CTCR devoted section III to The Nature of Justification (What Happens
When the Sinner is Justified). Theses 7 and 8 both speak of justification
without mentioning faith. This error is compounded by another grand
statement:
J-595
It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That, although Christ
by His work has earned forgiveness for all, there are still certain conditions
which God demands of people before He will pronounce them righteous.
Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, III. #8.
Confessional statements should be precise and clear, but this formula
introduces the Monster of Uncertainty. Is faith now a demand? What an odd
term for faith. Or do they mean something else? Any Lutheran graduate of
Theology 101 knows that the efficacious Gospel produces faith, that faith
receives the Gospel promise of forgiveness.
Section III announces that forgiveness has been earned for all, that all
sins are forgiven. This is followed by Section IV, Mans Need for
Justification, a Law section. Why would this noteworthy commission declare
the Gospel first and then the Law? The method is common to Moravian
Pietism and denounced by Luther. However, since justification itself has been
confused already, the meaning of the Law section is especially troubling. Section
IV by itself is adequately written. The runt of the litter seems pretty healthy
when the rest are still-born.
Section V, The Basis of Justification, is another misbegotten effort.
One can hardly imagine that Lutheran theologians with access to the Book of
Concord, Luther, and Chemnitz, could write so poorly about justification. Once
again, It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel Why is that peculiar
formulation used? Is the pure Gospel something other than what God reveals
to us in the Scripture? I suspect that the men involved followed Karl Barths
distinction between the Scriptures and the Word.
The lupine teeth and claws come out from under the fleece in Section
VI. The Universal and Finished Results of Christs Work of Obedience. Note
well:
321

J-596
1. Christ is the Savior of all. This means that the whole world of sinners
has been redeemed, forgiven, and reconciled to God in Him.
Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, VI. #19.
2. God, by raising His Son from the dead, has justified Him, declared
Him to be the Righteous One, and in Him (i.e., for the sake of His
finished work of obedience and satisfaction) has declared (as
proclaimed in the Gospel), or reckoned, the whole world to be
righteous.
Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, VI. #22.
3. God has acquired the forgiveness of sins for all people by declaring
that the world for Christs sake has been forgiven. The acquiring of
forgiveness is the pronouncement of forgiveness.
Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, VI. #23.
After establishing a vague Universalism, the CTCR devotes the next
section to Justification by Faith, although the main heading is The
Appropriation of Christs Righteousness. The rest of the document does not
merit additional comment, because the entire structure is wrong from the
beginning, even if isolated statements are correct by themselves. The Theses
on Justification are a leaning tower of logs, like the one that collapsed at Texas
A and M University, built badly on a soft foundation. One statement alone
condemns the entire work, which contains many other errors, confusions, and
fraudulent statements:
J-597
It is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That it is not
Biblical to speak of objective justification.
Commission on Theology and Church Relations "Theses on
Justification" St. Louis: May, 1983, VI. #23.
The CTCR can belligerently advocate a position never found in the
Bible, Luther, nor the Book of Concord, sidestep the obvious objections to
their cause, and then condemn as anti-Scriptural the truth that objective
justification is not found in Holy Writ. The entire Book of Concord only
knows justification by faith and only imputes or reckons righteousness to
those who believe in the Gospel. In addition, as I have shown, two Formula of
Concord authors, Chemnitz and Chytraeus, wrote in other works about
justification by faith. If they had imagined the entire world pronounced free of
sin, they would have mentioned it. Instead, they kept this stealthy doctrine so
322

well hidden that the favorite terms of the advocates were never used. Not only
is objective justification or universal justification missing from their
vocabulary, but so also are references to the universal absolution of Easter
Sunday and the equation of reconciliation and justification. In short, the
position of the CTCR is contrary to the Scriptures, Luther, and the Book of
Concord.

Part Six: A Summary of Justification by Faith

Favorite Dual Justification Arguments and the Antidote
Objective or Universal Justification
The dual justification, Lutherans argue in the following way: According
to 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Jesus took on the sins of the whole world in exchange
for His righteousness, not imputing their trespasses, in spite of the frequent
use of imputing in Romans 4 for justification by faith.
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
At this time or at the resurrection, God declared the whole world
justified through Jesus, although their proof-text applies to Jesus only.
KJV 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
When God declared Jesus justified, the entire world was justified at the
same time, according to the tenets of Universal/Objective Justification. That
means, according to their own statements, that everyone was declared innocent
of sin whether they ever came to faith or not. Strangely, the advocates of this
position delight in dwelling upon unbelief, repeatedly asserting that nonbelievers are saints, absolved of all sin, even Judas Iscariot and the residents of
Hell.254 However, the Christian Church has never observed a day for St. Judas
Iscariot or St. Joseph Stalin. The Wisconsin Synod is especially tenacious in
insisting that Romans 4:25 (divorced from Romans 4:24 and 5:1) means the
resurrection of Jesus marked the absolution of the entire world.
KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we
believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was
delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

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All people were absolved of their sins, whether they ever came to faith
or not. Therefore, God looks upon all people as without sin, declared innocent
or justified. This is either called Objective Justification or Universal Justification.
Two favorite citations are Romans 5:9 and John 1:29
KJV Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly.
KJV John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Neither verse is unclear. Christ did in fact die for the ungodly, since all
the uncoverted are ungodly. Jesus did bear the sins of the world on the cross.
Even if we accept the force of take away the sins of the world, justification by
faith is not subverted. The first part of the treasure analogy in the Book of
Concord (the Large Catechism, J-545) is consistent with John 1:29. That verse,
John 1:29, reveals Johns prophecy that the Lamb of God would bear the sins of
the world, not that unbelievers would be absolved of their sins. If we take the
claims of Universal Justification seriously, no person should be baptized,
because we are born absolved from sin. The new Romanism has applied the
Immaculate Conception of Mary to the entire human race, including the
Hottentots (J-576).
The Missouri Synod leaders (and some others) will then say that this
first justification does not save people from eternal damnation. Therefore, they
also need a second justification, called Subjective Justification. Traditional
Lutherans emphasize the Means of Grace and grasping or believing the promise
of forgiveness found in the efficacious Gospel. However, many Objective
Justification Lutherans (especially in WELS and the ELS) say that they only
need to tell people they are already forgiven. In either case, the work of the
Holy Spirit through the Law is neglected to the point of total silence. The
efficacy of the Word is seldom mentioned. Both versions of Objective
Justification emphasize the absolution of the world at the expense of faith.
The Antidote
All those who favor two justifications neglect of the efficacy of the
Word, both in the Law and the Gospel. This leads them into a false
identification of justification with reconciliation. Everything else is confusion
and bewilderment. No one can make sense of their contradictory statements, so
chaotic thinking gives the impression of intellectual brilliance and great learning.
Some apostate Lutherans confuse their victims because they really do not
believe what they are saying but must repeat it or risk the wrath of the dual
justification fanatics. Others repeat the material in their dogmatics notes
without conviction or enthusiasm, because Ancestor Worship is still being
practiced in their synod and no one can disagree with Uncle Heinrich. Still
others ride the wave of Objective Justification because they are liberal,
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unionistic Universalists. They can use the smoke and mirrors of Objective
Justification to accomplish their generic Protestant goals, proving what the
Church of Rome has always said, that Protestantism is a half-way house on the
road to Unitarianism and to Hell.255
However, in this muddle caused by false teachers, we must allow for
those who use the term Objective Justification as a synonym for the atoning
sacrifice of Christ. That is how I used the term in Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant.
Those who use Objective Justification innocently have responded to early drafts
of this chapter. These men do not believe that God grants forgiveness without
the Means of Grace and without faith. They want to emphasize the universal
and non-conditional nature of the atonement of Christ, that is, to emphasize
that Jesus died for all sins and remains the source of comfort for all contrite
sinners. The atonement remains true whether anyone believes in the cross or
not. Nevertheless, God bestows His forgiveness only through the Word and
Sacraments and never apart from the Means of Grace.
At this point, because of the official actions of the Missouri Synod and Wisconsin
Synod, as well as the me-too-ism of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Church of the
Lutheran Confession, we must reject the philosophical terms (General Justification, Subjective
Justification, Objective Justification, and especially Universal Justification) and return to the
Biblical terms used by the Book of Concord (atonement, redemption, propitiation) and the
Pauline concept of justification by faith.
The historical argument against Objective Justification:
No one can claim that the term Objective Justification is found in the Book
of Concord. The lack of a term is not proof by itself.256 However, the advocates
insist on their term and trace its use to Francis Pieper, the concept to C. F. W.
Walther, and the European origins to Calov and Gerhard. However,
justification before God (coram Deo) is a specific and precise Biblical term,
always meaning being declared innocent and always by faith alone. The Biblical and
Confessional argument against the term Objective Justification is so powerful
that Objective Justification proponents seek to neutralize it by briefly conceding
that they cannot find it in the Bible or Confessions either. However, this is what
they are saying, Our favorite doctrine, which we use to excommunicate people,
even though they are guilt-free saints, cannot be grounded in the term
justification in the Bible or in the Book of Concord. But that does not matter to
us, because the concept is there.
The argument based upon the efficacy of the Word:
If Lutherans believe that the Holy Spirit always works through the
Word, both Law and Gospel, so that Law and Gospel are always efficacious,
then the basic assumptions of Objective Justification are entirely false. One
cannot have a guilt-free and yet unbelieving world. What would be the purpose
of the Law or the meaning of Gods wrath? Indeed, and what would be the
reason to absolve the forgiven? The Objective Justification people have found
something more vain than to write vainly about vanity, and that is to preach
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forgiveness to the forgiven. If anything is clear in the Scriptures, it is this, that

the Gospel grants forgiveness to those who believe in Jesus as their Savior and
condemns those who reject Him.
KJV John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on
him.
The argument identifying reconciliation with justification:
The Greek word for reconciliation is found infrequently in the New
Testament, including related forms: Romans 5:10-11 (three times); Romans
11:15 (once); 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (five times); 1 Corinthians 7:11 (for
marriage). The total is ten uses of the term. We can see that the term, as a noun
or a verb, is clustered in two places and only Paul uses the term. In contrast, the
Greek words for righteousness, justification, and justify occur well over 100
times - throughout the New Testament. Therefore, the equation of
reconciliation and justification rests upon two or three passages Romans 4:25,
Romans 5:10-11; and 2 Corinthians 5:19-21. The strongest part of the Objective
Justification argument is the phrase from 2 Corinthians 5:19 not imputing
their trespasses against them. As we have shown, Paul uses this phrase
consistently with reference to justification by faith, in Romans 4 leading up to
the great declaration of Romans 5:1-2. Moreover, in 2 Corinthians 5:19-21,
reconciliation is used to describe the atoning death of Christ but the Word of
reconciliation is the ministry entrusted to Paul and his co-workers.
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
This reconciliation is a wonderful and gracious event, predicted in
Genesis 3:15, the centerpiece of all human history. All those in the Old
Testament who believed in the coming Messiah were justified by God, as were
all those who received the Word of reconciliation from the preaching of the
Apostles.257 We should not object to any statement about Gods justice being
satisfied by the sacrifice or forgiveness already being won (as expressed by
Luther in the Large Catechism). On the cross, Christ did earn forgiveness for
sinners. Everything needed was accomplished by the Son of God. This truth is
best expressed by the meaning of the two Greek words for redemption: a)
paying the price for our sins; b) setting us free from our sins. Combining
reconciliation with justification, as if they are one and the same, confuses what
God has done in the Atonement with how God conveys the blessings of
forgiveness to us in the Means of Grace. Objective Justification also confuses
the redemption of the world with the justification of the believer. Similarly,
when people confuse justification with sanctification (the Christian life), and
make sanctification a requirement for justification, salvation by works will
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necessarily bull its way back into Lutheranism, as we see with all forms of
Pietism. So we can see why the confusion of reconciliation with justification has
precipitated the ruin of Lutheranism in America. Once justification by faith is
destroyed, any foul error may enter.
The argument showing the proper understanding of Romans 4:25 and
5:6:
The plain words of Scripture do not state that the whole world was
absolved of sin on Easter or anything similar to that notion. Romans 4:25 is
only a phrase, not a complete sentence. If we cite the complete sentence,
justification by faith comes to the foreground. In addition, justification by faith
is taught by Paul in this passage in the context of imputing or reckoning
righteousness through faith, not apart from faith. The Apology of the Augsburg
Confession reveals exactly the same understanding, and not a new one,
distinguishing between reconciliation and justification.258
KJV Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was
imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Once again, the claim for proof of Objective Justification must be
examined in context. Romans 5:6 also has a context.
KJV Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by his life.
The Atonement is presented in a three-fold manner in Romans 5
A. When we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly.
(verse 6)
B. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (verse 8)
C. When we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to God by His
Sons death. (verse 10).
Those who believe in justification by faith are perplexed that this
passage could be presented with awe and surprise as the foundation for
Objective Justification. The unified, harmonious portrait of the Redemption, in
the Old and New Testaments, presents the Messiah dying for our sins in spite
of our unworthiness. Christ could not possibly die for the godly, for the
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absolved, or for the friends of God. To say that Romans 5:6 teaches Objective
Justification is a straw man argument, since no sane Lutheran has urged others
to think Christ died for the worthy. Furthermore, Romans 4 and 5 present
justification of the individual by faith, especially in this passage.
KJV Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through him.
The wrath of God is reserved for unbelievers. Contrariwise, faith in
Christ removes the wrath of God. Objective Justification salesmen would have
us believe that the wrath of God was removed from all of mankind at the
crucifixion of Christ or at the moment of His resurrection, regardless of faith.
The perversion of justification by faith confounds the meaning of the
reconciliation by making it seem as if it is not necessary to believe in the
Gospel. In some cases, faith in Christ is tacked onto the end of the Objective
Justification message, but that only makes matters worse in the midst of
doctrinal confusion.
The wrath of God can be studied in the context of the New Testament.
KJV John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him.
KJV Romans 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest
up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God.
KJV Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through him.
KJV Romans 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make
his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted
to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.
KJV Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God,
who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved.).
KJV 1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom
he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to
come.
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KJV Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us,
and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb.
KJV Revelation 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
The argument showing the proper understanding of John:
Proponents of Objective Justification destroy the meaning of John 1:29
to make their point:
KJV John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29 does not mean that the sin of the world is gone, but that the
Lamb of God bears the sin of the world. This sin-bearing is not a minor
distinction. The use of John illustrates the laziness of modern Lutherans, who
simply copy a list of citations from another source, citing the place where the
Word of God may be found without quoting the Word. It is far more work to
deal with the text itself in its setting. Many hours can be spent with the Book of
Concord Concordance or the Scriptural index of the Triglotta, trying to discover
how the Confessors dealt with these passages. When the Concordists used
Church Fathers as authorities, they took the time to quote them. When they
mentioned Scriptures, they quoted the passages verbatim or paraphrased them.
How easy it is to list where a few passages may be found and say, Aha! I have
proven my case, because all of us cite the same code after our identical
opinions. No one is edified by John 1:29 when it is not quoted.259 No one is
built up by FC SD III, especially since many Lutheran laity have never
cracked the Book of Concord and cannot explain the authority of the Formula
of Concord or the difference between the Thorough Declaration and the
Epitome.
We have to ask this about John 1:29: What does it mean to take away
or bear the sins of the world? Without question Jesus died to pay for the sins of
the world, earning forgiveness. Therefore, the emphasis upon redeeming the
sins of the world is essential. That redemption is the treasure of the Atonement.
On the cross, Jesus paid the price for everyones sin in spite of our lack of faith
or worthiness at the time. Lutherans must teach the whole counsel of God,
properly and in balance, not with an undue emphasis upon one part of the
unified Word of Truth at the expense of another aspect of divine revelation.
Forgiveness does not come to the individual apart from the Word in the Means
of Grace.
Christians need to read the complete Gospel of John, many times over,
to grasp the context of a given verse or passage. It helps to read the Gospel in
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various languages to see how simple words bring out a profound message.
Matthew and Luke are more difficult in Greek. Johns Greek is childlike in its
simplicity and repetition. However, anyone who looks down upon John as
simple Greek will soon learn that the most powerful thunderbolts come from
the Fourth Gospel. The Apostle John proclaims Gods love with so much
warmth that it can truly be called the Gospel about Love. Luther compared the
Gospel to the radiant heat of a warm furnace or fireplace. Anyone can
experience that love in Johns Gospel, but wrath and judgment are not absent.
KJV John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him.
Luther and the Concordists emphasized faith, since salvation by works
was taught with such ferocity then, just as it is now. Martin Chemnitz, the
leading theologian of the Formula of Concord was just as anxious to write
about justification by faith in his Loci as modern Lutherans are to speak about
justification without faith. The Holy Spirit teaches us about the sacrificial death
of Christ and the results of believing or not believing the Good News. Both
forgiveness of sin and salvation are received through faith, according to the
Scriptures. Anyone who does not believe is condemned and subject to the
wrath of God. Therefore, from the Johannine passages alone, it is impossible to
maintain that John 1:29 signifies a world without sin and condemnation.
KJV John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.
KJV 1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness
in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he
believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
KJV John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your
sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
KJV John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not:
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye
believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
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KJV John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias
said again, 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they
should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be
converted, and I should heal them.
KJV John 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I
judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him:
the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
KJV John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of
sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe
not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no
more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet
many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Additional New Testament Passages
KJV Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his
name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
KJV Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that
he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
KJV Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren,
that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by
him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses.
KJV 2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 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.
KJV Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man
draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them
who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the
soul.

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The argument against Ancestor Worship:

Some Lutherans will respond to criticism of Objective Justification by
saying, Are you calling C. F. W. a false teacher? They are implying by this
question that C. F. W. Walther could not possibly be wrong about anything.
Similarly, a few Lutherans would like all the works of Pieper, Walther, and
Stoeckhardt shunned because of statements supporting Objective Justification.
A. First of all, we must remember that all controversial issues must be
addressed by the study of the Scriptures and the Book of Concord,
using reliable translations or the original languages. The muddier the
water, the more we need to return to the source. In the Scriptures
and the Confessions we have a solid foundation for discussion.
B. No faithful theologian would want to chain Christians to his errors.
The greatest of theologians, Augustine and Luther, have stated this,
knowing that their best efforts did not make them infallible. It does
no one any credit to use an essay or sermon from the past, elevating
it above the Scriptures and Confessions because the author is highly
regarded.
C. The Crypto-Calvinists (see Chapter Seven) in Lutheranism today
cunningly defend their promotion of false doctrine by mentioning,
for example, that not all the hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal were
written by Lutherans. They forget the doctrinal review process that
eliminated or changed hymns not in harmony with the pure Word
of God.260 Similarly, Melanchthon promoted false doctrine, but we
subscribe to his Augsburg Confession and the Apology. However,
we do not subscribe to his errors, which coincide with the toxic
doctrine of Crypto-Calvinism today.
D. Lutherans must face issues that may divide or disturb their visible
organizations. A contrived and compromising peace will destroy
souls even if it seems to be promoting financial prosperity.
Dr. Robert Preus summarized the issue well in his last book: "But the
imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner takes place when the
Holy Spirit brings him to faith through Baptism and the Word of the
Gospel. Our sins were imputed to Christ at His suffering and death,
imputed objectively after He, by His active and passive obedience,
fulfilled and procured all righteousness for us. But the imputation of
His righteousness to us takes place when we are brought to faith."261

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Brief Comparison of the Two Positions on Justification

Justification by Faith
Universal/Objective Justification
The term is found throughout the
The terms are never found in the Bible
Bible and Book of Concord
or Book of Concord
Christ atoned for the sins of the
The world was pronounced free of sin
world through His death on the
when Christ died on the cross or rose
cross because of Gods grace.
from the dead. Romans 4:25 and 1
The resurrection is Gods
Timothy 3:16.
justification of Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:16
Reconciliation is synonymous with
Reconciliation and justification
atonement.
are the same.
2 Corinthians 5:19
2 Corinthians 5:19
Man is forgiven when he receives
Man is already forgiven, whether he
the Word of Reconciliation in faith.
believes or not. The Word of
Romans 5:1-2. John 3:16.
Reconciliation means telling him he is
already forgiven. John 1:29.
The Word is efficacious in the Law,
The Law is almost completely ignored.
creating a contrite heart ready to
The residents of Hell are guilt-free
hear the Gospel.
saints.
The efficacious Gospel converts and Subjective justification means receiving
justifies the individual through faith. the message of Objective Justification in
faith.
The Word is always efficacious,
The efficacy of the Word is seldom
converting and damning.
mentioned, since pronouncing
Unbelief damns the individual.
forgiveness upon the unbelieving world
John 16:8-9.
without means is at war with the
Means of Grace.
Justification by faith is consistent
The terminology is traced to Walther,
with Luther, the Book of Concord,
Pieper, Stoeckhardt, Hoenecke,
and the writings of the Concordists.
J. P. Meyer, and
Lutheran Church Growth leaders.

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Appendix: Synonyms for Atonement

The Kokomo justification debate has confused people on the issues to
such a degree that we must return to the Scriptures to establish again what the
Holy Spirit has said, without the help of a paid, synodical doctrinal commission.
Certain vivid terms are used by God in connection with salvation, so it is useful
to outline their use. This approach has many shortcomings and lacks the
elegance of many textbooks, but this chapter is aimed at helping people with
their study of the issue rather than parroting a career-enhancing argument.
Terms
1. Reconciliation katallage Christ exchanged His righteousness for our
sin. This term is used in Romans 5:10, 5:11 (atonement), 2 Corinthians
5:18-20.
2. Redemption as a purchase agorazo 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Corinthians
7:23; 2 Peter 2:1.
3. Redemption as release apolutrosis, apoluo to release, dismiss; used for
divorce or release of a prisoner). Christ paid for the sins of the world.
The term is used in Romans 3:24, 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians
1:7, 14, 4:30; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:12, 15. lutron ransom,
Matthew 20:28 (Mark 10:45). 1 Timothy 2:6.
4. Propitiation hilasterion. Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:5. hilasmos 1 John
2:2; 1 John 4:10.
5. Blood of Christ. haima. 1 Corinthians 10:16; Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews
9:14; 1 Peter 1:2, 19; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5.
Since by Man Came Death
When Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, God
pronounced a curse upon the serpent, but in the curse was also a promise. The
skeptics, scoffers, and dabblers in Scripture have great difficulty with this
promise. They cannot see it, refuse to see it, and teach against it. Pride blinds
and hardens them, while the Holy Spirit reveals the promise to believers. The
Savior will be born of a woman and destroy the power of Satan, crushing his
head. This proclamation is the first Promise of the Bible, called the
Protoevangelium (Latin for First Gospel).
KJV Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel.
This Gospel does not rest upon the goodness of man. Quite the
contrary. The mercy of God contrasts sharply with mans lack of merit. The
loving-kindness of God is revealed in the promise being given at the lowest
point in the life of Adam and Eve. They had lost Paradise not only for
themselves but also for all future generations.262 No mere human being could
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atone for this great calamity, but the God-man Christ was promised in Genesis
3:15 as the remedy for Adams sin and for all sin.
If this first promise is isolated by itself, a trick used by liberal scholars
who spend years blinding themselves and a lifetime misleading others, we have
only a little information told in a cryptic fashion. But the Word of God cannot
be stripped down like a stolen Corvette and used for its parts. Each word and
verse is united with the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that Old and New
Testaments join together in the complete message and yet retain their distinctive
characteristics, illuminating without being lost in the whole. Seen in this light,
the First Gospel shows Gods mercy and love, His determination to save man
from sin, and His omniscience in knowing how He would provide salvation
through His Son. Hundreds of passages in both Testaments are anchored by the
First Gospel, the specific promise of the Messiah to Adam and Eve.
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also
the resurrection of the dead.
Lenski 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man death, by man also
resurrection from death.263
The annoying habit of the KJV, italicizing words not found in the
original, proves helpful in this verse. The verb is not found in the Greek text, so
the emphasis is even greater than we believe at first reading. Through Adam, all
death; through Christ, all resurrection from the dead. This is restated in verse
22: All must die because of original sin inherited from Adam; all are made alive
in Christ.264
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall
all be made alive.
The use of all is especially informative for those mired in Kokomo
justification. Is the apostle telling us that every single person who has died will
be made alive in Christ? The next verse refutes that notion.
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Therefore, all must refer only to those with saving faith. Although
one might make the point from John 5 that all will be raised from the dead, Paul
is clearly writing about resurrection to eternal life. This chapter will show that
advocates of Kokomo justification miss the distinction between Christ dying for
the sins of the world (atonement, reconciliation, redemption) and justification
by faith. Some would harmonize their problems by speaking of two
justifications, the first objective, the second subjective. Lenski favors the term
reconciliation, objective reconciliation, then subjective reconciliation.265 He also describes
335

two reconciliations in 2 Corinthians 5:18.266 Lenski properly warns against

thinking of only the objective fact... Could we not dispense with objective and
subjective?267 The atoning death of Christ is the objective truth. The message of
the death and resurrection of Christ is the Gospel. This unfortunate solution
confuses the doctrine of justification by faith and diminishes its importance, a
peculiar fruit of recent Lutheran teaching. The Bible does not use justification in
two different ways, nor should we. The Book of Concord always uses
justification by faith alone, and so should we. Clumsy terminology cannot be
improved by patching together such odd claims as this: God has declared all of
us guilt-free saints, whether we believe or not, but it does not do us any good
unless we believe. How far Lutheran writing has sunk since Luthers concise
statement, which we confess, in the Large Catechism, the Creed, Article III!
He Died for All
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because
we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died
for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but
unto him which died for them, and rose again.
John Calvin and his loyal followers have a peculiar notion that Christ
died only for the elect. The theological term for this error is limited
atonement, similar to partial forgiveness. The universal nature of the atoning
death of Christ cannot be overstated, due to our sinful desire to turn salvation
into a transaction in which we contribute worthiness, contrition, or the correct
attitude. In addition, in despair man thinks that not all of his sins have been paid
forsome, but not all. Or in despair, one sin is reserved in the mind as
unforgivable, often with the help of others who are anxious to accuse. In other
cases, gross carnal sins (drunkenness, assault) are considered worse than subtle,
covert sins, such as coveting and slander.
The atoning death of Jesus should be taught so that all sinners, that is,
all people know that the source of their forgiveness, their salvation, their
promise of eternal life is nothing other than Christ crucified. In addition, all
believers should realize that when they fall into temptation, and sin again, they
are restored through Christ. The power of the Gospel gives us the strength to
overcome temptation, although we will never be without sin in this life.
Unfortunately, many people think of the Christian faith only in terms of
judgment, law, and condemnation. All ministers and laity should consider this
attitude in their discussion of Law and Gospel, so that the Gospel predominates
and no one doubts the extent of Gods forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
John 1:29
KJV John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
336

This is such a favorite text of the Universal Justification advocates that

I regret taking it away from them. The Luther version translates the verb as
bears while the newest German version uses takes away the sin of the
world. Lenski favors takes away for the meaning of the Greek verb. We
cannot find a vast difference in translating the verb one way or another, so this
is not like the Great Commission, where the transitive teach is perverted into
make.268 However, the way in which we understand the passage in its context
does make an enormous difference.
Colossians 1:19-22
Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to
reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or
things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh
through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his
sight.
Redemption as Purchase agorazo.
From the curse of the law
KJV Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on
a tree.
The Greek verb for redeem is based upon the word for marketplace,
the agora. The verb expresses the universal nature of the atoning death and its
close relationship to reconciliation. Instead of saying that He exchanged His
righteousness for our sin, Galatians reveals that Christ became a curse for us, to
redeem us. When the Word of God teaches a doctrine, we find it expressed in
many different ways, using different vocabulary. Therefore, the Bible not only
states that Christ died for all but also that His death accomplished a
reconciliation, that He redeemed us from the Law. This freedom from the Law
is the universal nature of the atoning death.
J-598
But this must be noted: Christ died 1900 years ago, on a certain day, at a
certain hour in time. But this counts for all time: for the entire future time, for
all the prior time. For by Christs death all died, Adam and all his descendants.
The effect covered all. It is literally true: the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. His death availed for Adam. All in the Old Testament who believed
were saved by that death just as all are in the New Testament who believe.
R. C. H. Lenski, Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1957, p. 1033. 2
Corinthians 5:15.
337

Redeem them under the law

KJV Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
The verb for redemption was also used in Galatians 3:13. In both cases
the apostle is establishing that the objective act of God has already taken place.
The Judaizers were set free from the Law at the time of the crucifixion. This
release has already taken place. It is a universal reality, and yet the circumcision
party continues to destroy the Gospel by making the Law a requirement for
salvation. Although the instrument has changed, the circumcisers are still with
us, especially among the Lutherans, making their hideous Law demands a
requirement for salvation. In their preaching of salvation according to the Law,
whether through legalism or Church Growth scientific methods, they reject the
redemption of the world in Christ.
False Prophets
KJV 2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction.
The universal sense of the expression bought can be no clearer than
when applied to false teachers who deny the atoning death of Christ. The false
teachers of the future, who seem to multiply, will bring the worst heresies, even
denying the Lord and His atonement. The term bought is especially appropriate
and vivid, since it is used so many times in the New Testament to describe the
purchase of various goods. No one has any question that an item purchased
belongs to the new owner. Therefore, we belong to Christ because He has
purchased us with His innocent blood.
Redeemed us by blood
KJV Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy
to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation.
Redemption as Release lutron
Redemption apolutrosis, apoluo (release, dismiss; used for divorce,
release of a prisoner). Christ paid for the sins of the world. The term is used in
Romans 3:24, 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:17, 14, 4:30; Colossians
1:14; Hebrews 9:12, 15. Lutron ransom, Matthew 20:28 (Mark 10:45). 1
Timothy 2:6.
338

Ransom for many

KJV Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Ransom for all
KJV 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time.
Justified through the redemption
KJV Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Redemption of our body
KJV Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
KJV 1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God
is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
KJV Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
KJV Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
KJV Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of redemption.
KJV Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins.
KJV Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us.
KJV Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new
testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that
were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise
of eternal inheritance.
Redeemed with blood of Christ
1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of
persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your
339

sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed

with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
J-599
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and
also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a
lost and condemned creature, purchased and won [delivered] me from all sins,
from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with
His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order
that I may be [wholly] His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve
Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is
risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
Martin Luther, The Small Catechism, Explanation of the Second Article
of the Creed, II. 4. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis; Concordia Publishing House,
1921, p. 545. Tappert, p. 345. Heiser, p. 161.
Propitiation
KJV Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time
his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus.
KJV Hebrews 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the
mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
KJV 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
KJV 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he
loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
KJV Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made
like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in
things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Blood for Sins
KJV Exodus 30:10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the
horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once
340

in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is

most holy unto the LORD.
KJV 2 Chronicles 29:23 And they brought forth the he goats for the sin
offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon
them: 24 And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their
blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king
commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all
Israel.
Parallel to agora
KJV Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Redemption and propitiation
KJV Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now
the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the
law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of
God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we
conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
KJV Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath
whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
KJV Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him.
KJV Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified.

341

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?
KJV 1 Corinthians 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should
be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I
know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is
the Lord.
KJV 1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were
some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
KJV 1 Corinthians 11:25 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.269
KJV Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.270
KJV Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God?
KJV Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of
the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV 1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot.
KJV 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin.
342

KJV Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath
made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

343

Notes
200Moby

Dick is a novel saturated in Biblical images. My high school English

teacher said that one must read the novel with a Bible in one hand and a
dictionary in the other. However, the book constantly espouses the views of a
free-thinker, as the quotation indicates.

201Apology

of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #1. Justification. Concordia Triglotta,

St. Lousis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 121. Tappert, p. 107. Heiser,
p. 32.
202I

am familiar with many of the people named in this chapter. I attended a

conference at David Hartmans farm in 1998, asked about his experiences, and
requested documents from him. I phoned Joe Pohlman to get his perspective
on Kokomo as well. Larry Darby invited me to join Trinity Lutheran Church in
Bridgeton, Missouri in 1992, so I was friends with him before and after he was
excommunicated from the congregation. I also knew the sainted Preus brothers,
Jack and Robert, who were involved in the justification issue in 1980 concerning
Walter A. Meier, Jr. I had a chance to meet with Pastor Vernon Harley, who
argued against the dominant view of the Missouri Synod. His essays on the
topic of justification are well written and well worth obtaining.

203The

citations may be too numerous for some, but most people do not have
access to all the literature.

204Pastor
205It

James Heiser, Repristination Press, RR 1, Malone, Texas, 76660.

is possible to find evangelism notebooks produced under Paul Kelm in

WELS where no sound Lutheran is quoted, but Church Growth experts are
quoted with the enthusiasm of a schoolgirls first crush. The notebooks were
used for workshops held across the Wisconsin Synod. "A number of experts on
church growth principles added muscle to the conference. Among the experts
were George Barna, George Gallup Jr., Lyle Schaller, and Tom Sineicons in
the church growth movement... Of the four church growth experts mentioned
above, I have heard three of them speak at some length." James P. Schaefer The
Northwestern Lutheran, October 15, 1991, p. 363. "Marketing churches to reach
people is consistent with biblical principles and doesn't mean the message needs
to be watered down or compromised, according to researcher George Barna...
Church growth is primarily accomplished by word of mouth. Barna advised
clergy to see themselves as cheerleaders rather than leaders, as laypeople carry
out the practical marketing of the church." News From Around the World, The
Northwestern Lutheran, November 15, 1991 p. 395. "MEDIA RESOURCES.
Marketing the Church (George Barna), Navpress." WELS Evangelism
Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, p. 96. "George Barna of Glendale,
Calif., president of the Barna Research Group, a marketing firm specializing in
344

research for Christian churches and parachurch organizations, laid out 'The
Context for Leadership' with rather challenging facts about the society the
church faces today." Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for
the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12. [Barna spoke at this pan-Lutheran
conference of ELCA, WELS, and LCMS leaders, held in Snowbird, Utah.]
206Walther

and Pieper taught dogmatics class in Latin, using a collection from

the orthodox theologians who were taught by the Book of Concord authors.
Although much of this training was good, the method wedded the Missouri
Synod to philosophical theses defended by Latin terms, because the original
arguments were with Reformed scholars of the past. Even today the advocates
of two justifications ignore the lack of foundation in the Book of Concord and
the Scriptures, pleading from unattainable Latin tomes which they probably do
not own or read. Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, in 1979, cited Baier-Walther,
Compendium III, V, 9, pp. 271-273 and Hoenecke Dogmatik, III, pp. 354-355, to
defend General or Objective Justification, Christian News Encyclopedia, II, p. 1121.
Hoenecke has been translated into English but not published, except for
volume IV, as of this writing.
207Two

different words may be equated, but only if the Scriptures equate them.
When we are in doubt, we should restrict ourselves to the language of the Bible
and forget the vocabulary of the philosophers.

208WELS

Boomer TV Commercial: I am a Christian. I am sick of poopy

diapers. I am maybe 10 pounds overweight. I am trying to quit drinking I am
a blond again. I am dying of cancer. Ive got too much stress. Not enough
time. No husband anymore, but then I remember. I am, I am, I am. Never
alone. Forgiven. I am going to heaven through Jesus Christ. How about you.
Song Yes Jesus loves me. WELS Generation X TV Commercial: I am a
Christian. I am no way counting on Social Security. I am really mad. A quarter
century old. I am pregnant. I am not a slacker. I can party, swear, stressed too
much. And Im so dumb. So confused sometimes but I always know. I
am, I am, I am forgiven, loved. I am saved through Jesus Christ. You are
too. Song - Jesus loves the little children. Do these commercials represent
trust in the Gospel or in Madison Avenue advertising methods?
209"The

forgiveness comes first. Faith is merely the response to the message."

Sigbert Becker, "Objective Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS,
Elgin, Illinois, November 9, 1982, unpaginated. Beckers statement could be
accepted by most Baptists, who would view the response as a decision for
Christ.

210KJV

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious
345

church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy
and without blemish.
211For

instance, Lenski argued that God remains the same, but changes man
through the reconciliation. Corinthians, p. 1047. However, then the issue
becomes, What does change mean? The passage does not concern itself with
verbs of change but exchange or reconciliation.

212The

sin against the Holy Spirit is rejecting the Gospel at the time of death.
Until that time God offers sinners many opportunities through the Word for
contrition and faith in forgiveness through Christ alone. KJV Matthew 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven
unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto
men.

213KJV 1 Corinthians 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that
they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
214This

is one of many examples of the Holy Trinitys work being expressed in a

three-fold manner. See Jack Cascione, In Search of the Biblical Order.

215Advocates

of Kokomo justification do not acknowledge or properly teach the

damning nature of the efficacious Word when rejected by man. Lenski is
obviously commenting upon the concept that became the fourth Kokomo
Statement. This is why future WELS pastors are warned at seminary that Lenski
is wrong about justification. Bethany (ELS ) seminarians are taught that the
people in Hell are justified but it doesnt do them any good. Indeed.

216We

have known a number of Jews who want to know all about the Christian
faith and eternal life. One person told us how she asked a noted liberal Lutheran
about heaven and he had almost nothing to say.

217KJV

Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross,
by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things
in earth, or things in heaven.
218This

quotation makes it impossible to place Walther in the Universal

Objective Justification camp. It would be more accurate to say that some of his
statements have been used as a springboard for the modern UOJ heresy.

219KJV

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else.
KJV 1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge
of the truth.
346

KJV Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
220This

is a favorite citation for the Objective Justification clergy. For since the
flesh is omitted from their quotations. Nothing in paragraph #88 or #89 is
contrary to justification by faith.

221It

is contrary to Scripture and the pure Gospel to teach: That it is not

Biblical to speak of objective justification. LCMS Commission on Theology
and Church Relations, Theses on Justification, 1983, VI. #23.
222Beckers

definitions make even less sense than the Kokomo Statements. He is

the only author who distinguishes between Universal and Objective
Justification. Everyone else uses the terms interchangeably.

223To

distinguish between Hoenecke and his citations, the statements by

Gerhard and Burk are in bold print, both in German and English. The emphasis
was added. The English translations were provided by Pastor Martin Kalish and
Martin H. Jackson, known as the other Martins.

224The

essay in question was printed at Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, but the
work is not in my possession at this time.

225"The

administration of the katallage is carried out by means of the Word. The

Word is made the vehicle for conveying and applying the katallage to the world.
There is no other way of administering it... It is the Word which God
established through which the katallage is brought to us and through which we
bring it to the world." J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second
Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House,
1963, p. 110f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
226Abraham

Calov: "Although Christ has acquired for us the remission of sins,

justification, and sonship, God just the same does not justify us prior to our
faith. Nor do we become God's children in Christ in such a way that
justification in the mind of God takes place before we believe." [Apodixis
Articulorum Fide, Lueneburg, 1684] Cited in Robert D. Preus, Justification and
Rome, St. Louis: Concordia Academic Press 1997, p. 131n. [emphasis added]

227Is

the clarity and purity we obtain from the new doctrine: "But if forgiveness
comes first, if it is always there, if it is true whether I believe it or not, I do not
need to know whether I have faith or not before I can cling to God's promise. I
know that my sins are forgiven whether I feel forgiven or unforgiven. I know
that my iniquity is pardoned whether I believe it or not. And when I know that,
then I know also that I am a believer." Sigbert Becker, "Objective Justification,"
347

Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois, November 9, 1982,

unpaginated.
228The

quotation is from Augustana Synod leader T. N. Hasselquist. The

Norwegian Synod agreed with the charge, except for the words therefore has
become a child of God and an heir of heaven.

229Declaring

the whole world to be righteous was absent in the 1897 LCMS

Brief Statement and the 1912 Catechism. It was also absent from the 1922
publication, What the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other
States Has Always Taught.

230Preuss

(1834-1904) edited Chemnitz Examination of the Council of Trent, taught

at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, 1869-1871, and joined the Church of Rome
in 1872, after seeing a spectacular sunset, which he took as a sign.

231"There

is a short way for pious minds both to dethrone error and to find and
bring out the truth. For when we return to the source and origin of the divine
tradition, human error ceases." [Cyprian, Ad Pompejum] Martin Chemnitz,
Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 158.

232Open

letter published by Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman and Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Pohlman, March 6, 1982.

233"Every

one of the statements can be understood correctly, even though one

must swallow a little hard to accede to the fourth [Kokomo Statement]." Sigbert
Becker, "Objective Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin,
Illinois, November 9, 1982, unpaginated.

234The

alleged question sets a record for being prejudicial. The typical ELS
member would never say something so idiotic, since most Lutherans react in
shock and disbelief to the very concept Moldstad is trying to promote, that
forgiveness comes without the Word, without repentance, without the Means of
Grace, without faith. The article is a response to Dr. Peter Moeller questioning
the validity of Objective Justification, enclosing articles on the topic from
Pastor Vernon Harley. Moldstad sent a long, friendly letter to Moeller on
August 6, 1996.

235The

paper was written in a very careless and sloppy manner, giving me the
immediate impression that it was hastily written or composed while impaired by
illness. Later I learned that it was the last thing Becker wrote before he died,
giving it a special authority in WELS. Beckers response to valid criticism of
universal justification is unwarranted: "The doctrine of universal justification is
often ridiculed with the argument that if God really forgives sins prior to faith

348

then the Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith becomes meaningless. Such

conclusions demonstrate a rationalistic spirit that consciously or unconsciously
refuses to be guided by Scriptures alone." Sigbert Becker, "Objective
Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois, November 9,
1982, unpaginated.
236The

response of WELS to their Kokomo sin seems to be unusually dishonest

and cowardly, but those who know about the secret initiation rite (GA) for
future pastors at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary understand. The week-long
hazing ritual rests upon dishonesty, manipulation, physical and verbal abuse to
create an unholy sense of unity. See Chapter Nine for a complete description of
GA.
237John

Lau is one of several CLC ministers who defends false doctrine in

WELS, repeats the flimsiest of WELS alibis, and then insists he cannot be in
fellowship with WELS because of their earlier conflict. Mischkes caricature
comment is unwittingly true. The Kokomo Statements, all from WELS, are a
parody of justification by faith. They were promoted by Pastor Papenfuss and
the Wisconsin Synod as a test of orthodoxy! Sign or face excommunication.
238Exact

copy of the letter sent to Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman, August 30,
1979, emphasis in the original. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Pohlman received the same
letter.

239Exact

copy of the letter sent to the Hartman family, November 19, 1980. The
Pohlman family received the same letter. WELS seminary professor Sig Becker
gave his paper supporting this decision in 1982.
240This

statement, with its question at the end, sounds oddly Baptist: decision
theology. Will he accept or decline? One can see that the generic Protestant
doctrine behind the Church Growth Movement existed before WELS leaders
rushed off to study at Fuller Seminary. It also explains why they love a generic
Protestant school that rejects the Means of Grace.

241J.

P. Meyer was a professor at Northwestern College in Watertown, president

of Martin Luther College (nee Dr. Martin Luther College) in New Ulm,
professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (1920-1964), president of the
seminary (1937-1963), and author of the notes used in dogmatics class. He
published Ministers of Christ in 1963 and died the next year at the age of 91.

242John

Meyer, Objective Justification, Our Great Heritage, 3 volumes,

Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1991, III, pp. 34-47. Siegbert
Becker, Universal Justification, III, pp. 48-61. The nickname for this low
church, Pietistic, anti-confessional work is Our Great Heresy. The Becker
essay is introduced by denouncing a statement by Jay Adams, a favorite
349

Reformed author at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, required reading. Compare

The Counseling Shepherd, Northwestern Publishing House.
243In

effect, while playing with words, the appeals panel supported the Four
Statements, especially since they upheld the excommunication. Additional
weight for Kokomo justification was provided in the Sig Becker article in the
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, edited by the Wisconsin Synods seminary faculty,
their college of cardinals.

244The

origin of this conflict seems to be in the theology of John Gerhard, a

major authority for C. F. W. Walther. However, the problem seems to be that
lesser lights of theology have isolated one aspect of salvation from the efficacy
of the Word and the Means of Grace. Plain, simple believers, unadorned with
advanced theological degrees, can understand the universal nature of the
atonement but question the reason for dismissing the importance of faith.

245The false view was promoted by the catechism of Erik Pontippidan (16981764), the same catechism used later to justify the Church of the Lutheran
Confessions holy self-love doctrine. Pontippidan was a Danish-Norwegian
Pietist. The truncated in view of faith issue led to the formation of the
Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1918 when the majority of Norwegian Lutherans
merged by compromising on this topic. In time, in view of faith, became the
majority view in the larger Norwegian Lutheran Church. The larger Norwegian
church eventually became part of the ELCA.
246Some

self-described confessional Lutherans have reversed Luthers career by

obtaining an orthodox Lutheran education, pining for reunion with the Church
of Rome, then joining the Antichrist. Others have poped on the cheap, joining
the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is to Rome what the CLC is to WELS, a
smaller, covetous clone of the larger church body.

247The

Scriptures clearly teach the saving doctrines of God to everyone. We

should value scholarly work undertaken to explain the Word of God faithfully
and precisely, but we must reject confusing and complicated constructions, such
as this: "But if forgiveness comes first, if it is always there, if it is true whether I
believe it or not, I do not need to know whether I have faith or not before I can
cling to God's promise. I know that my sins are forgiven whether I feel forgiven
or unforgiven. I know that my iniquity is pardoned whether I believe it or not.
And when I know that, then I know also that I am a believer." Siegbert Becker,
"Objective Justification," Chicago Pastoral Conference, WELS, Elgin, Illinois,
November 9, 1982, unpaginated.

248It

is not pretty to see synodical drones ignore the clear statements of the
Book of Concord in order to argue for a particular sermon, essay, or book that
is not the ruled norm (norma normata) of Lutherans. If someone cannot find

350

Kokomo justification in the Bible or in the Book of Concord, he may want to

stop looking for it in the lesser works of theology.
249Arnold Koelpin, Are We Bound Only to What the Confessions Teach? Our
Great Heritage, 3 volumes, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1991, I,
pp. 434-436. Reprinted from The Northwestern Lutheran, 1973.
250Friedrich

Schleiermacher (1768-1834) prepared the way for such modern

theologians as Karl Barth (1886-1968) and Paul Tillich (1886-1965). Barth, the
official theologian of Fuller Seminary, was an adulterer. Tillich was promiscuous
in his adultery.
251F.

Pieper has made this point about the Church of Rome and the Reformed.
Neither confession of faith is clear about how we receive forgiveness of sin and
eternal life. As a result, both confessions, in rejecting the efficacy of the Word,
create a cloud of uncertainty about Gods mercy. Their inevitable answer to this
doubt is to introduce merit through works. Lutheran Church Growth leaders
flay their disciples to the bone with the Law. Am I a good pastor? Is my church
growing fast enough? WELS expected mission pastors to generate, at one point,
10 new communicants per year. Am I a good member? Church Growth pastors
demand that their members bring friends to church. It is the fault of the
members if the congregation is not growing, pastors claim. Church Growth
statistics prove that growing churches grow from members inviting friends!

252CTCR,

Theses on Justification, p. 6.

253CTCR,

Theses on Justification, p. 7.

254One

pastor trained in the Wisconsin Synod stated in a paper given to the

Church of the Lutheran Confession that everyone hearing the absolution in
church was absolved, whether they believed or not. Several objected later to this
assertion, which was changed in the printed version. The pastor was perplexed
since he was trained in the quirky claims of Universal Justification.

255The

Antichrist is correct from time to time, making his assaults against the
Gospel all the more dangerous.

256The

term Trinity is not found in the Bible, even though the doctrine of the
Trinity is taught throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation. Liberals
often reveal the lack of the word Trinity in the Bible with a shocked look on
their faces. We should not be surprised. Theological terms are a form of shorthand, often created after a long period of controversy.

257Absolving

the world of sin at the moment of resurrection makes mincemeat

of justification in the Old Testament.
351

258"The

Third Article the adversaries approve, in which we confess that there

are in Christ two natures, namely, a human nature, assumed by the Word into
the unity of His person; and that the same Christ suffered and died to reconcile
the Father to us; and that He was raised again to reign, and to justify and
sanctify believers, etc., according to the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III. #52. Of Christ, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 119. Romans 4:25; 2 Corinthians
5:19ff.
259One

WELS pastor insisted on all quotations being quoted in full when he was
reading a draft of the catechism chapter. Although this lengthens a book and
increases its cost, a verbatim quotation guards against misuse of the passage.
260The

Lutheran Hymnal is not perfect, but all the newer hymnals have aped
ELCA and Reformed worship. Clearly TLH is the best choice based upon
doctrine.
261Robert

D. Preus, Justification and Rome, St. Louis: Concordia Academic Press

1997, p. 72.
262Romans

5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over

them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is
the figure of him that was to come.

263Lenski,

Corinthians, p. 663.

264Greek

forms compound verbs easily, as we can see in make alive, so it is

puzzling that the Holy Spirit did not use a similar compound verb in the Great
Commission for make disciples. When liberals do not like the clear, plain
meaning of the Scriptures, the Word of God is either attacked for being
inadequate or changed to bring it up to liberal standards. Thus, make disciples
when Jesus said, Go, teach all nations

265Romans

5:10, Romans, p. 353.

266Corinthians,

p. 1042.

267Martin

H. Jackson attributes the use of subjective and objective justification

to Aristotles cause and effect terminology. Melanchthon was very fond of
Aristotle, while Luther had no use for the Greek philosopher.

268A

man pushed out of the WELS ministry made this point to me many times.
The transitive verb A acts upon B, so it makes all the difference whether one
teaches (verb) all nations (direct object) or makes (verb) disciples (direct object).

352

2691

Corinthians 11:27 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.
270Colossians

1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by
him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in
earth, or things in heaven.

353

Chapter Six:
The Efficacy Of False
Doctrine
Entrance to Hell
The entrance to Hell is not an ugly, frightening edifice of black
obsidian, obscured by clouds of sulfurous smoke and guarded by Cerberus, the
hideous three-headed dog of legend. Instead, Hells gate is a building of great
beauty, adorned with the finest marble and inlaid with gold. Choirs sing solemn
anthems inside, while banks of candles add warmth and beauty to the incense
filled chambers. Its halls are filled with men of great learning and outward
virtue. This enchanting entrance is the Church of Rome, standing guard over
the gates of Hell, welcoming the multitudes, eagerly training the curious and the
confused, sternly warning the erring, confirming her doctrines with deceptive
signs and wonders, blinding the world with her works of charity. The pope sits
enthroned in the Basilica of St. Peter, infallible in all of his official
communications. According to Roman dogma, the Holy Spirit will not let him
err in doctrine, making him godlike. His pronouncements all war against the
Gospel, as shown below in this chapter, but he claims to be the ultimate judge
of the Scriptures. We cannot begin to think about false doctrine unless we first
acknowledge that the papacy is the Antichrist prophesied in the Scriptures. In
reality, all false doctrine contributes to and leads to the work and ultimate
purpose of the Antichrist.
In considering the Church of Rome in the context of all false doctrine,
we need to understand that the Scriptures teach us about efficacy in two forms:
1) the pure Word is Gods effective method in saving souls;
2) false doctrine is Satans effective method in destroying souls.
Many will credit gambling, alcohol, vice, drugs, and other carnal
seductions for bringing people down, but nothing is more powerful in damning
people than the Word of God twisted for the benefit of Hell. No religious
institution has more resourcesmoney, property, traditions, societies, liturgies,
prayer books, theological works, graduate schools, priests, brothers, bishops,
nuns, theologiansdedicated to this end than the papacy.
The Biblical doctrine of the Antichrist reveals itself more clearly now
than ever before. The term Antichrist is explained as opponent of Christ, but
he is also regarded as the one who stands in the place of Christ, supplanting
Him. The papacy continues to be the largest, best organized, and most efficient
agency in subverting the Gospel, that is, in using the Name of Christ to
undermine and destroy the meaning of forgiveness through the cross. The
Antichrist must come from within the visible Church and be treated as a God,
354

as taught by the apostle in 2 Thessalonians.271 Notice that the Greek word

group for being effective appears in this section no less than three times, in
English as work, working, and strong in the KJV.272
Man of Sin
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple
of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was
yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth
that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And
then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even
him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and
lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Term Antichrist
We find the term Antichrist in the singular and the plural because the
unique Man of Sin is imitated by those who admire his power. The little
Antichrists come and go, all having their sparkling moment of glory. They seem
to amount to nothing at all. Most theologians cannot name the principal
heretics of the early centuries. Some heretics are remembered only because they
have been named and attacked in orthodox works. The minor Antichrists
actually do play their distinctive roles in sharing the destructive work of the Man
of Sin. They prepare the way.
The absolute collapse of Protestant opposition to the Church of Rome,
its cowardly retreat into toadyism, the Lutheran surrender on the doctrine of
justificationall would be impossible today without the preparatory work of
the earlier false teachers who dumped the Majority text of the King James
Version, embraced shoddy translations, enthusiastically attacked the inerrancy
of the Bible, endorsed the philosophy of evolution, and worked tirelessly for
Christian unity based upon doctrinal indifference. Although the work of the
papacy does not require joint declarations and other displays of servility from
the Protestants, surrendering the doctrine of the Protestant Reformation has
certainly made it difficult for ordinary believers to develop any discernment
about doctrine.

355

New Testament Passages Using the Terms Antichrist

KJV 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard
that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we
know that it is the last time.
KJV 1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the
Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
KJV 1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye
have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
KJV 2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who
confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an
antichrist.
Antichrist Quotations
Lutherans have not honored God nor promoted the Gospel by
adopting a conciliatory attitude toward the Church of Rome in the name of
love, unity, and similarities in worship. In spite of the new methods of
concealing Roman doctrine in order to deceive more people into joining the
Church of Rome, the papacy has not moved a millimeter toward the Gospel
since the Reformation. Quite the opposite is true. The current pope, John Paul
II, is a fine man of great courage, but he has increased the power of his global
rule by extending the doctrine of papal infallibility to cover all of his official
pronouncements, not simply those delivered ex cathedra, since the most formal
pronouncements are delivered "from the chair of the pontiff.275
Central to all teachings of Rome is the doctrine of Purgatory, the pagan
notion that virtually all people must undergo a period of suffering after death to
pay for their sins. Although this may seem charming and quaint in Plato, it is
utterly contrary to the Gospel of Christ Jesus. If Purgatory exists to allow
people to pay for their sins after death before entering heaven, then the atoning
death of Jesus was insufficient. If I must pay for my sins, then I am ultimately
my own savior.
The doctrine of Purgatory destroys the substance of the Gospel while
replacing it with a dangerous amalgamation of law-based piety. The names
remain the same. The Trinity is invoked. The Gospels are read and cited. But
everything is twisted into obligation, an obligation never fully met. If many or
most people could fulfill all the requirements of Roman religion, then Purgatory
would have no motivating power. Mother Angelica, the famous TV nun,
counseled her listeners that she would be happy to die and end up in Purgatory.
She said, I would say Ive made it! If the saintly and loyal Mother Angelica
would be relieved to make it to Purgatory, what chance does the ordinary sinner
have? Imagine how terrifying that can be for a contrite sinner. Or, someone
356

might say, I cannot equal Mother Angelicas piety, so I might as well have
some fun.
Every aspect of Roman Catholic practice centers around Purgatory.
The Mass does not offer genuine forgiveness. The Roman Catholic doctrine of
Atonement is described as sins being forgiven, but not paid for. If Christ has
not paid for our sins (one meaning of redemption in the New Testament), then
someone else must pay them. If an individual is not released from the penalty of
sin (another meaning of redemption in the New Testament), then he is still a
slave. The priest cannot truly absolve someone from his sins if the Atonement
must be completed in Purgatory, so the Mass is only described as lessening the
years spent in a tortured afterlife. Private confession does not confer complete
and full forgiveness, in part because the priest may attach a requirement to be
fulfilled in payment of the confessed sins. Therefore the power of the Word is
denied, since the promise of complete forgiveness is withheld and conditions
are linked to a pardon yet to be earned after death.
Whenever someone talks about the beauty and splendor of Roman
worship, we should immediately think of the portrait they paint of the afterlife.
According to the Church of Rome, even the most saintly nuns are happy to
reach Purgatory instead of Hell, but Roman preaching and teaching lifts Hell up
to the entrance of Heaven, making Purgatory a slave-camp where eternal life is
bought with centuries of pain and suffering.276 Therefore, by twisting the Word,
the Church of Rome sends more souls to eternal punishment than any other
religious group. Religious fervor about the Virgin Mary is closely connected to
Purgatory. She is the comforter who visits the dear souls in Purgatory. She is
the gentle lady who implores her Son to spare the sinner. She is the branch used
to reach Christ.
The Church of Rome does not teach the Gospel of forgiveness, but the
Law of obligation. Necessarily, the doctrine of Christ is perverted in the worst
possible manner. The true Son of God, in suffering and dying for our sins,
could not do enough for God to pronounce forgiveness fully and freely upon all
those who trust in Him. A faithful Romanist must spend his entire life in
fulfilling obligations: confession, mass, reparations (payment for sins), good
works. Nevertheless, the obligations are never enough. Christ is not the comfort
of sinners, but a lawgiver, a new Moses.
By preaching Purgatory and denying Heaven, by making Mary the
comforter and Jesus the lawgiver, by teaching obligation instead of justification
by faith, the Church of Rome motivates people with salvation through works
(fides formata, literally faith formed by love, which really means faith with good
works added). The ideal Roman Catholic accepts the pope as the infallible ruler
of doctrine and practice, but he is taught in Catholic dogma that the Bible is
unclear, insufficient, and needful of a single interpreter, the pope. In addition,
he knows from his Catholic training that Jesus had so much to teach that much
of it could not be crammed into the New Testament. The teaching of the
insufficiency and lack of clarity of the Bible explains why new doctrines, such as
the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary, popped up centuries
357

after His public ministry. According to Rome, Jesus gave His apostles this
deposit of faith, and they passed these oral traditions along through the bishops
until the right time for their revelation.
One of the tragic outcomes of Roman Catholic teaching is the state of
mind in former members, whose doubt and skepticism may lead to the
rationalism of the Reformed or the irrationalism of the Pentecostals. Former
Catholics cannot believe that the priest offers an unbloody sacrifice in the
Mass, so they also reject the Real Presence of Christ. They imagine the Bible is
unclear and incomplete, so they do not trust the Scriptures. They have been
tyrannized by priests, so they distrust all ministers. They have been taught the
Law and suffered from legalism so long that trust in the Gospelin complete
forgivenessmust break through the veil with much patient teaching. Luther
said in his Galatians commentary that the Law was so much a part of his
spiritual life, that it was in his bones. In addition, Marian piety so much
dominated his thought that he offered prayers to Mary in his outstanding
commentary on the Magnificat.277
Smalcald Articles
J-601.1
"Lastly, it is nothing else than the devil himself, because above and against God
he urges [and disseminates] his [papal] falsehoods concerning masses, purgatory,
the monastic life, one's own works and [fictitious] divine worship (for this is the
very Papacy [upon each of which the Papacy is altogether founded and is
standing]), and condemns, murders, and tortures all Christians who do not exalt
and honor these abominations [of the Pope] above all things. Therefore, just as
little as we can worship the devil himself as Lord and God, we can endure this
apostle, the Pope, or Antichrist, in his rule as head or lord. For to lie and to kill,
and to destroy body and soul eternally, that is wherein his papal government
really consists, as I have very clearly shown in many books."
Smalcald Articles, Part II, Article IV, The Papacy, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 475. Tappert, p. 301. 2
Thessalonians 2:4.278
J-602.1
"This teaching shows forcefully that the Pope is the very Antichrist, who has
exalted himself above, and opposed himself against Christ, because he will not
permit Christians to be saved without his power, which, nevertheless, is
nothing, and is neither ordained nor commanded by God. That is, properly
speaking, to exalt himself above all that is called God, as Paul says, 2
Thessalonians 2:4. Even the Turks or the Tartars, great enemies of Christians as
they are, do not do this, but they allow whoever wishes to believe in Christ, and
take bodily tribute and obedience from Christians."
358

Smalcald Articles, Part II, Article IV, The Papacy, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 475. Tappert, p. 300. 2
Thessalonians 2:4.
Treatise on the Pope
J-603.1
"Now, it is manifest that the Roman pontiffs, with their adherents, defend [and
practice] godless doctrines and godless services. And the marks [all the vices] of
Antichrist plainly agree with the kingdom of the Pope and his adherents. For
Paul, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, in describing to the Thessalonians Antichrist, calls
him 'an adversary of Christ, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is
called God, or that is worshiped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of
God.' He speaks therefore of one ruling in the Church, not of heathen kings,
and he calls this one the adversary of Christ, because he will devise doctrine
conflicting with the Gospel, and will assume to himself divine authority."
Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 515. Tappert, p. 327. 2
Thessalonians 2:3-4.279
J-604.1
"Observe, however, what the devil has accomplished through the Papists. It was
not enough for them to throw the Bible under the table, to make it so rare that
few doctors of the holy Scriptures possessed a copy, much less read it; but lest it
be brought to public notice they have branded it with infamy. For they
blasphemously say it is obscure; we must follow the interpretations of men and
not the pure Scriptures. What else is their proceeding but giving Paul the lie
here where he says the Bible is our manual of instruction? They say it is obscure
and calculated to mislead."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 41.
J-605.1
"Hence the Pope is the true Antichrist, and his high schools are the devil's own
taverns and brothels. What does Christ signify if by effort of my own human
nature I can obtain God's grace? Or, having grace, what more will I desire?"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 284.
J-606.1
"The possessors of the infallibility of the Church are the Holy Father (when he
speaks ex cathedra) and the whole body of Catholic bishops throughout the
world when they teach in union with the pope on matters of faith and morals."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1983, III, p. 136.
359

J-607.1
"So when we see a bishop assuming more than this text gives him warrant for,
we may safely regard him as a wolf, and an apostle of the devil, and avoid him
as such. Unquestionably he must be Antichrist who in ecclesiastical government
exceeds the authority here prescribed."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 65.
J-608.1
"In the Papacy we have the most pronounced and greatest imaginable 'falling
away' from the Christian religion. Christians know that man is justified and
saved only by faith in Christ, without the deeds of the Law."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 465. 2 Thessalonians 2:3ff.
J-609.1
[Luther] "There is a vast difference between the sovereignty which the Pope has
and all other sovereignties in the whole world. To put up with these, be they
good or bad, may do no harm, but the Papacy is a sovereignty that exterminates
faith and the Gospel... Therefore what we condemn is not the wickedness of
the sovereign, but the wickedness of the sovereignty, for it is so constituted that
it cannot be administered by a pious, upright sovereign, but only by one who is
an enemy of Christ."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 468f. John 8:31. 2
Thessalonians 2:3ff; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Timothy 6:3f; Matthew 28:20.
J-610.1
"That was the time of blindness when we knew nothing of Gods Word, but led
ourselves and others into misery by our own idle talk and dreams. And I was
one of those who indeed bathed in this sweat or in this bath of anxiety.
Therefore let us give heed that we may thoroughly grasp and retain this
doctrine, if other fanatics and false spirits wish to attack it, so that we may be
fore-armed and learn, while we have the time and the beloved sun again
enlightens us, and buy while the market is at our door. For it will come to this
when once these lights, which God now gives, have departed, Satan will not
take a furlough until he raises up other fanatical spirits to do harm; as he has
already commenced to do in many places during our generation. What shall take
place after we are gone?"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 192. Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity,
Matthew 22:34-46.
360

Examples of Roman Catholic Doctrine

Church

The following quotations are only a sampling of what the Church of

Rome believes and teaches. Many priests and bishops, especially in America, do
not agree with these doctrines, but the existence of cafeteria Catholics, who pick
and choose the doctrines they like, does not alter the substance of Roman
doctrine. Ultimately one must subordinate his intellect and faith to the dogma
of the pope. The definition of the Church is quite sinister. The Church is
visible, is headquartered in Rome, and remains the only source of salvation. The
Church consists of those on earth, in Purgatory, and in heaven. In spite of the
liberal spin about Vatican II, the Church of Rome believes it is the only Church
and that all churches have their essence in Rome, whether they acknowledge
this truth or not. Recent efforts to have all Evangelicals and Lutherans reconcile
with Rome have strengthened this false doctrine, since Catholics see Protestants
coming to Rome in abject humility.280
J-611.1
"The first property or characteristic of the Church that we will consider is her
indefectibility. The documents of the Church say clearly that she is indefectible,
that is, she is and will remain until the end of the world the only institution of
eternal salvation because she was established by the God-Man Jesus Christ for
this purpose."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1983, III, p. 131.
J-612.1
"Taken in its totality, the Church consists of three parts: the Church Militant on
earth; the Church suffering in Purgatory; the Church Triumphant in Heaven."
Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual
Book Associates, 1950, p. 39.
J-613.1
"It is therefore necessary, in accordance with the will of its founder, that it
should be the only Church in the whole world for all time."
[Pope Leo XIII, in the encyclical Satis Cognitum, 1896]
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1983, III, p. 133.
Papal Infallibility
The infallibility of the pope fulfills the prophesy of 2 Thessalonians that
the Man of Sin will set himself up in the temple of God (be a leader in the
church) and be treated as God (since God alone is infallible). The papacy
rejected infallibility earlier in history, but popes after the Reformation began to
claim more and more power for themselves. Pope Pius IX established
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infallibility first by pronouncing the Immaculate Conception as official dogma,

then by having Vatican I declare his infallibility.281 Lastly, he strictly enforced
the new doctrine by savagely punishing all who disagreed, even if they later
submitted to his authority, thus setting the stage for the behavior of many little
popes in the Lutheran synods today. The parallel between the papacy and the
doctrinal boards of the conservative synods should be clear: if a person or a
college of cardinals can determine doctrine by decree, then the Scriptures are no
longer the ruling norm.
J-614.1
"'The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in
virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who
confirms his brethren in the faithhe proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine
pertaining to faith or morals.... The infallibility promised to the Church is also
present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they
exercise the supreme Magisterium,' above all in an Ecumenical Council. [Lumen
Gentium; cf .Vatican Council I: DS 3074] (#891)
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books
and Media, 1994, p. 235.
J-615.1
"If anyone, therefore, shall say that blessed Peter the apostle was not appointed
the prince of all the apostles and the visible head of the whole church militant;
or that the same directly and immediately received from the same our Lord
Jesus Christ a primacy of honour only, and not of true and proper jurisdiction
let him be ananthema." (Dogmatic Constitution, Vatican I).
Henry T. Hudson, Papal Power, Its Orgins and Development, Hertfordshire,
England: Evangelical Press, 1981, p. 88.
J-616.1
Roman Jesuit organ: "the infallibility of the Pope is the infallibility of Jesus
Christ Himself." and "When the Pope thinks, it is God who is thinking in him."
Hans Kueng, Infallible? An Inquiry, trans. Edward Quinn, Garden City:
Doubleday and Company, 1971, p. 98.
J-617.1
Mermillod, auxiliary bishop of Geneva, spoke of "three incarnations of the Son
of God," in the Virgin's womb, in the Eucharist, and in the old man in the
Vatican.
Hans Kueng, Infallible? An Inquiry, trans. Edward Quinn, Garden City:
Doubleday and Company, 1971, p. 99.
J-618.1
"These two articles, the direct authority of the pope in every diocese, and the
doctrine of the papal infallibility, completed together the conversion of the
362

Roman Catholic church into an absolute monarchy without constitutional

restraints or responsibility."
James Hastings Nichols, History of Christianity, 1650-1950, New York:
The Ronald Press Company, 1956, p. 214. [Pius IX].
J-619.1
"People want to credit me with infallibility. I don't need it at all. Am I not
infallible already? Didn't I establish the dogma of the Virgin's Immaculate
Conception all by myself several years ago?"
August Bernhard Hasler, How the Pope Became Infallible, Pius IX and the
Politics of Persuasion, Garden City: Doubleday and Company, 1981, p. 82.282
Indulgences
An indulgence is a letter of credit to reduce some of the time spent in
the agony of Purgatory. The Reformation ignited over the selling of
indulgences, but the concept did not go away. The Church of Rome maintains a
system in which merit is obtained and credited according to money donated,
good works done, and acts of piety performed. We must not overlook the false
claim that we can merit graces for ourselves and for others. This claim
directly attacks the sufficiency of the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Because of
this system of merits, the Church of Rome motivates people with the Law to do
good works, give money, and join religious orders. Purgatorial books and
sermons deliberately stir up uncertainty and fear in order to incite the piety that
will earn some release from the terrors of the purging fires.
J-620.1
"Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the
initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion.
Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and
for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and
charity, and for the attainment of eternal life." (#2010)
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books
and Media, 1994, p. 487.
J-621.1
"If a person dies and has left some part of the 'debt' from forgiven sins, then
part of the purification process in purgatory takes care of that. Accordingly, the
Church teaches that the living can gain indulgences for the deceased and so
assist them in that purification process." Father Benjamin Luther, Catholic Twin
Circle, November 4, 1990.
J-622.1
"Indulgences are, in the Church, a true spiritual treasure laid open to all the
faithful; all are permitted to draw therefrom, to pay their own debts and those
of others."
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Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, Illustrated by the Lives and Legends of

the Saints, Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, 1973 (1893), p. 195.
J-623.1
"It is 'de fide' that we can help the souls in Purgatory by our prayers and our
works, by the Mass and by Indulgences."283
Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual
Book Associates, 1950, p. 59.
Justification
The Church of Rome teaches against justification by faith alone, apart
from the works of the Law. The recent surrender to Rome by the liberal
Lutherans in their Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification did not
affect the Catholic view one millimeter. Those who believe the Scriptural
doctrine of justification by faith aloneapart from the works of the laware
damned to Hell by the Council of Trent. Moreover, faith is defined by Rome as
faith formed by love or faith with good works added. One can find Roman
Catholic theologians who agree with Luther and the Bible. For instance, one of
our professors in theology at Notre Dame, a Holy Cross priest, said that Luther
was right about justification. We were in the seminary building and some of the
students were future priests. Nevertheless, one mans opinion does not overturn
the Council of Trent and all the papal pronouncements since that time. The
incessant attacks against justification by faith have succeeded. Lutherans seem
to have no confidence in the justification article, whether in the radical ELCA
or in the supposedly conservative synods. The end is drawing near.
J-624.1
Council of Trent, Session Six, Canon XII: "If anyone says that justifying faith is
nothing else than trust in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or
that it is this trust alone by which we are justified, let him be anathema [damned
to Hell]."
Cited in Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred
Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 460.
J-625.1
"The justified person can merit congruously for others what he can merit for
himself, for example, actual graces. So we can offer good works for others and
also pray for them. St. James offers us good advice on this point: 'Pray for one
another, and this will cure you; the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very
powerfully' (James 5:16)."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1982, III, p. 86. James 5:16.
J-626.1
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"In her Council of Trent (1545-1563) she condemned, as was her right, the
new-fangled teaching of Luther and warned her subjects against its
entanglements and dangers. Then she proclaimed anew, for the enlightenment
of all, the heavenly teaching committed to her keeping from the beginning and
insisted that whilst faith is necessary to dispose the sinner to receive grace, it
alone is not sufficient for justification."
Msgr. Patrick F. O'Hare, The Facts About Luther, Rockford, Illinois: Tan
Books and Publishers, 1987, p. 103.
Doctrines about Mary
All the extra-Biblical doctrines about Mary would fill three books. In
fact, they already have.284 For Protestants, the most shocking Roman Catholic
doctrine was the declaration of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, that she
was conceived without sin and never committed an actual sin in her life.
Although the Immaculate Conception had been taught and believed before
Luthers time, the doctrine was debated with some violence for many years after
the Reformation and only gradually became accepted, with Pope Pius IX
declaring the doctrine in 1854. It helped that the vision at Lourdes said, I am
the Immaculate Conception.
Roman Catholic piety is based upon devotion to Mary. The various
religious orders and Marian societies compete to have new honors declared.
Pope Pius XII declared in 1950 that Mary was assumed into heaven at the time
of her death. She is called the Mediatrix of All Graces and Patroness of the
United States. Mary is also the Co-Redemptrix, aiding her Son in the
redemption of the cross, and offering Him up as a sacrifice. Although this last
title (Co-Redemprix) is not quite official, it has been used in solemn
pronouncements.
J-627.1
"'Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin,
when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul
into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that
she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and
conqueror of sin and death.' [footnote #506: Lumen Gentium, 59; cf. Pius XII,
Munificentissimus Deus (1950): DS 3903; cf. Rev. 19:16] The Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an
anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: 'In giving birth you kept
your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of
God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and,
by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.' [footnote #507, Byzantine
Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition, Aug 15]"
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books
and Media, 1994, p. 252. Revelation 19:16.285
J-628.1
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"As members of the Church became more aware of Mary's cooperation with
Jesus, starting in the fourteenth century various theologians and preachers
coined a new title for her and began to refer to her as the 'Coredemptrix'
(=Coredemptress) of the human race. The basic justification for the title is to be
found in the fact that both the Incarnation of the Son of God and the
Redemption of mankind by the vicarious atonement of Christ were dependent
on Mary's free assent."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1982, II, p. 363.
J-629.1
"At first it may seem astonishing that no grace is imparted to mankind without
the intercession of Mary."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Fundamentals of Catholicism, 3 vols., San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1982, II, p. 366.286
The Mass
One of the key issues in the Mass involves the priests role in offering
Jesus in an unbloody manner, one of many errors concerning the Mass.
According to Rome, the priest has the unique power to convert the bread and
wine permanently into the body and blood of Christ. The Mass benefits the
priest, the person who pays for the Mass, and those who attend, reducing their
time in Purgatory. According to the Church of Rome, every Mass aids the
suffering Church in Purgatory, and doubtless a cheer rises up among the groans
and agonized cries every time a Mass is celebrated. Nevertheless, the Mass never
confers complete and full forgiveness of sins. To use their words, sins are
forgiven but not paid for.
J-630.1
"'In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who
offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained
and is offered in an unbloody manner.' [Council of Trent, 1562: DS 1743; cf
Hebrews 9:14, 27."
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books
and Media, 1994, p. 344. Hebrews 9:14, 27.
Purgatory
Mary is the object of Catholic piety, and she visits the dear souls
suffering in Purgatory, cheering them up during their centuries of pain, anguish,
and torment. Romes rejection of complete forgiveness of sin is in harmony
with the pagan doctrine of Purgatory, since human reason assumes a need to
pay for our sins and cleanse ourselves. The Church of Rome has not abandoned
this relatively new doctrine and continues to motivate people through fear by
invoking the Monster of Uncertainty. Have you really done enough to qualify
for Purgatory? Beware! If you aim for Purgatory, you may end up in Hell with
366

no escape. Dear children, you must aim for Heaven and be thankful that God
has been merciful in letting you suffer in Purgatory for only a few thousand
years. If you are lucky, all your friends and relatives will do good works and pay
money to shorten the time a few moments.
J-631.1
"The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect,
which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church
formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of
Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of
Scripture [footnote #605: Cf. 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Peter 1:7], speaks of a
cleansing fire... This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the
dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: 'Therefore [Judas Maccabeus]
made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.' [2
Maccabees 12:46] From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of
the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic
sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The
Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences...on behalf of the dead."
(#1032)
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books
and Media, 1994, p. 269. 2 Maccabees 12:46; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Peter 1:7.287
J-632.1
"This most sacred Synod accepts with great devotion the venerable faith of our
ancestors regarding this vital fellowship with our brethren who are in heavenly
glory or who are still being purified after death. It proposes again the decrees of
the Second Council of Nicea, the Council of Florence, and the Council of
Trent." (admonition to correct abuses) #249 "The Council of Nicea II (787)
and Florence (1439) are ecumenically important because they express points of
agreement between the Greek and Latin churches regarding the invocation of
saints, the veneration of sacred images, and suffrages for the souls in Purgatory.
The Council of Trent (1549-63) treated these questions once more in the
context of the Protestant Reformation."
Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Chapter VII, The
Documents of Vatican II, ed. Walter M. Abbott, S.J., New York: Guild Press, 1966,
p. 84.288
J-633.1
"It would be therefore unjust to accuse God of severity, when He hangs over
our heads the threat of Purgatory. Rather is this a proof of His infinite
goodness."
Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual
Book Associates, 1950, p. 23.
J-634.1
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"St. Catharine of Sienna, in order to spare her father the pains of Purgatory,
offered herself to the Divine Justice to suffer in his stead during her whole life.
God accepted her offer, inflicted the most excruciating torments upon her,
which lasted until her death, and admitted the soul of her father into eternal
glory. In return this blessed soul frequently appeared to his daughter to thank
her, and to make to her many useful revelations."
Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, Illustrated by the Lives and Legends of
the Saints, Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, 1973 (1893), p. x.
False Doctrine Eats Away
The liberals cannot tolerate the thought that Paul may be writing about
distinguishing Law and Gospel when he says rightly dividing the word of
truth. That is the traditional Lutheran understanding of the phrase. Two
reasons may be given for supporting this explanation of the phrase. First of all,
the term rightly dividing could also be translated as correctly cutting, using the
image of the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6, Hebrews 4:12, and Revelation;
see the appendix for Chapter One). The Word does indeed penetrate all
matters, the Holy Spirit working contrition through the Law and forgiveness
through the Gospel. Secondly, the image of the workman reminds us of Pauls
vocation as a tentmaker. Careless cutting of fabric would make a patchwork out
of tents, just as the mixing of Law and Gospel turns a sermon into a harangue, a
pep talk, or a stand-up comedy routine.289
We should shun the profane and vain babblings of false teachers,
who only increase ungodliness. The image used by Paul is variously translated as
canker, cancer, or gangrene. The Greek word transliterates (letter for letter) as
gangrene, but it is a medical term used since Hippocrates for spreading ulcers.
The other vivid term, often missed, is doth eat, literally has a pasture in
Greek. The Good Shepherd leads us to green pastures, but the word of false
teachers devours all that God gives us. False doctrine devours the Word and
twists it into Satans word. False doctrine devours whatever nourishes the soul,
Word and Sacraments. False doctrine devours the souls of believers, creates
conflict, and divides families.
Anyone who opposes false doctrine will be accused of being harsh,
tactless, and confrontational. However, as anyone knows who has seen or
experienced gangrene and cancer at work, the options are severe. Cancer and
gangrene, indeed, all flesh-eating disorders, must be cut away or eliminated
immediately. The easy-to-ignore skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, can eat into
the bone and spread while seeming to be harmless. When I first noticed
something odd on my forehead, I first thought it was a bump from working in
the basement on a vent. Later, I noticed that a tiny amount of blood always
showed up on tissue. A medical book pointed toward the diagnosis of skin
cancer. I tried to wish it away, but ultimately a surgeon had to cut it away and
stitch the wound. This was harsh treatment but better than the alternative.
368

KJV 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a

workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more
ungodliness 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is
Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that
the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Mark and Avoid, or Register and Attend
Pauls most important doctrinal letter was written to the Romans, a fact
supported by its place as the first Pauline epistle in the New Testament.
Romans was not the first epistle written, but the most significant for the
Christian Church. At the end of his letter, Paul begged, that is, beseeched the
earliest Christians to mark (watch out for) those who caused divisions and
offenses by teaching contrary to the doctrine they have learned.
False teachers cause divisions and death-traps. For instance, divisions
are caused by conflict, as in an instance when a soft-spoken man begins to teach
that the Reformed are Christians too and can teach the Lutherans many things.
Actually, the unspoken message is: I prefer the doctrines of the Reformed, so I
will teach them as being edifying for Lutherans. Then, when the false doctrines
are introduced in the name of tolerance and love, hatred toward confessional
Lutherans and expulsion of the outspoken soon follow. Every Lutheran synod
today is riddled with those who cause divisions: Pentecostals, Church Growth
enthusiasts, ecumenists, feminists, activists of every persuasion and lifestyle,
crypto-Calvinists, crypto-Romanists, evolutionists, Pietists, male, female, and
undecided. The synod leaders continue to support the worst of the false
teachers while undercutting those who sincerely love the Scriptures and the
Confessions. The situation is the same in the Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod,
Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and the so-called Church of the Lutheran
Confession.
The word used for offenses is widely misunderstood. The word
transliterates as scandal, but the concept is not one of being offended or
embarrassed. Stumbling also seems to be too weak of a word. The skandalon was
the trigger mechanism in a trap. It was small but deadly, and of course, always
hidden away. False teachers create death-traps by introducing cancerous ideas
that devour what God has blessed. For instance, those who adore the Church
Growth Movement must necessarily deny the efficacy of the Word and the
Means of Grace. They believe they can remain Lutheran and simply add what
they admire from the Reformed. They are deluded. These false teachers
introduce rationalism and irrationalism, the twin poisons that replace the Means
of Grace. They murder souls.
KJV Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which
cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and
avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their
369

own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
simple.
The style of the false teachers is concisely described. They are not
enslaved to Christ, but enslaved to their own bellies, their carnal desires. They
make sure that they are highly paid and honored for their services. Most
important, their first interest is their own peace, security, and comfort. They are
the antithesis of Christians bearing the cross. Moreover, they seduce others into
thinking that one must shun the cross in the Christian church and work toward
the goal of having happy campers.290 In fact, if sound doctrine causes any
kind of strife or conflict, false teachers are quick to use that against the faithful
ministers and members as proof that things are not going well. The attitude
itself is a death-trap, leading others into the same death-trap.
God has given us only one doctrine, a unified truthincluding all that
the Bible teachesin one integrated and harmonious whole. The death-traps
are many, as we can see from the many different, exotic notions taught as valid,
edifying, and Spirit-anointed. One person will seize upon a fad and spread it
with Satanic zeal. Some will follow. For example, many historians have noted
that Mormonism grew up in the burnt out district, an area of New York
repeatedly savaged by revivals producing people made doubly fit for Hell, ready
to follow a con artist by the name of Joseph Smith.
Cults offer us good examples of how false teachers present themselves.
They use fair words and blessings to deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
They quote from the Bible. Mormons, who hate the Bible and call Christianity
the whore of Babylon, will gladly lean on the Bible for support and call
themselves Christians to get in the door. Jehovahs Witnesses will pass out
intellectual tracts by liberal scholars to prove their case against the Trinity. False
teachers within our midst are no different. They will use any method (except
honesty) to advance their cause. They rely upon the trust built up in the past by
faithful teachers of the Word. The unsuspecting are not retarded or uneducated.
They are guileless, disinclined to think that an ordained minister can smile so
warmly while attacking the Scriptures. The simple believer will frown when he
hears the confessional Christian raise his voice against the fair-spoken false
teacher who softly invokes love and unity while silently cursing the watchdog.
The antidote from Matthew 10:16 can be translated as: Stop acting as
if you just stepped off the convent school bus. Instead of being clever
politicians who wait for the right moment and an easy victory, we should always
use the efficacious Word with confidence in Gods power rather than pride in
our own cleverness. The repeated Biblical warnings against false teachers are
designed by God to make us alert rather than sleepy, watchful rather than lax,
repelled by falsehood rather than attracted to it.
KJV Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of
wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
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Damn That Angel to Hell

One of the key passages for orthodox Lutherans has always been
Galatians 1:8-9. The epistle was written against legalists who wanted to impose
Jewish rituals upon the congregation, chiefly circumcision, to make them true
Christians. Peter, the first infallible pope, according to Roman Catholic legend,
helped create confusion by his contradictory behavior. The Holy Spirit declared,
through Paul, that no authority can be claimed above, beyond, or against the
pure Word of God. To make this doctrine clear, Paul stated that anyone
teaching against justification by faith must be damned to hell (the actual
meaning of anathema), whether he is an apostle or even a divinely created angel.
The fierce warning is repeated for emphasis.291
We only have one Gospel. Any variation upon that message is another
Gospel, perhaps truth mixed with falsehood, but all the more dangerous
because of the amalgamation. In the past, mercury was used to mine precious
metals because of its amazing ability to bind with silver and gold. If someone
plays with a puddle of mercury, a dangerous and foolish gesture, he can easily
coat his wedding band with the substance, thanks to this binding quality. Silver
tooth fillings are called amalgams because they are an amalgamation of silver
and mercury.
False doctrine easily forms an amalgam with sound doctrine. False
teachers depend on this quality. They want to add only one thing, their shiny
and attractive mercury, to traditional Christianity. They may want to make
people a little more indifferent through liberalism or arouse them to a greater
degree of legalism through some man-made rules. The opportunities for
mischief are endless.
KJV Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other
Gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Luthers Sermon about False Teachers
Luthers description of false teachers is so timely that his insights
deserve a special section. These words are just as true in these last days of a
mad old world as they were when Luther preached them.
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 broughtthat is the thing. They make the poor simple371

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
372

"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.
373

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.
Doctrine, True and False
The quotation below seems to make Lutheranism a brand name, but
the statement is correct if we substitute Christian Church for Lutheran
Church. The purpose of the Christian Church has been and continues to be an
extension of what God began in the Old Testament and manifested through
Jesus, the proclamation of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. The
accumulation of treasure, the growth of pension funds, the erection of
monumental buildingsall are nothing without the efficacious Word.
J-643.1
"The Lutheran Church is a doctrinal Church. She attaches supreme importance
to pure doctrine. The preaching and teaching of God's pure Word is her central
activity. Say the Confessors: 'The true adornment of the churches is godly,
useful, and clear doctrine.' (Triglotta, p. 401)"
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 496.
Satan the Exegete
Satans first efforts at exegesis, that is, the explanation of Gods Word,
were entirely successful.292
KJV Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of
the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Satan works constantly to incite people to disobey Gods Word:

374

KJV 1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and

provoked David to number Israel.
Satan would like to use personal hardships to cull believers from the
Kingdom of God:
KJV Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear
God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his
house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine
hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Satan versus Jesus
The pride of Satan is so great that he took upon himself the temptation
of Christ in the desert. The use of if is so full of potential. Doubtless more
than one district president has heard this voice. If you are the district
president, then cast these trouble-making swine into the outer darkness. If you
are. Jesus answered Satans twisted use of the Scriptures by quoting the Word
correctly.293 The temptation of Jesus reminds us that Jesus too was tempted
because of His human nature and that He defeated Satan with the Word, exactly
as we should.
KJV Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou
be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he
answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.294
The promise of this verse is also confirmed by a verse all believers
should memorize and call to mind when they worry about whether God will
provide:
KJV Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful,
and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Tempted to Avoid the Cross
When we are tempted to avoid the cross that accompanies the Word,
the prophesy of the Passion of Jesus should ring in our ears. Knowing He
would suffer and die on the cross for the sins of the world, Christ told His
disciples what would take place. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him
in the strongest possible terms. Although we can allow for Peters great love for
the Lord, we can also see that he was not very adept at interpreting the Word.
Jesus rebuked Peter for serving Satan in holding temptation before Him. Notice
that Jesus told Peter that he was a skandalon, a death-trap to Him.295 Avoiding
the cross belongs to man and Satan. Bearing the cross is godly but hurts the Old
375

Adam in us. The Satanic nature of contemporary Christianity is seen not only in
avoiding the cross, but also in advocating the absence of the cross, with
Wisconsin Synod and LCMS leaders saying a loud Amen!296 When I visited
Willow Creek Community Church to see how shallow the congregation was,
our family could not find a cross on the outside of the building, in the worship
area (seeker auditorium), the food court, or anywhere else until we skulked
around the basement for a period of time. Nevertheless, in the name of being
successful, Dan Kelm, Martin Spriggs, and Rick Miller, all WELS pastors at the
time, deliberately aped the Willow Creek method.297
Matthew 16:21-23
KJV Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his
disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third
day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from
thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter,
Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not
the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Satanic Deceivers
One of the most aggravating problems in dealing with false teachers is
the cloaking of their actual agenda. The Holy Spirit warns us through Paul that
all pseudo-apostles have the same characteristics. Students of Greek will notice
that the false-apostles change their schema or outward appearance, following the
example of their Father Below. We should not be surprised, because the
disciples of Satan use the methods of Satan: deception, murder, flattery,
seduction of the spirit. Today we call these ecclesiastic experts synod spin
doctors. They deliberately use language and emotions to confuse and deceive.
Every synod has a distinctive style. The Wisconsin Synod denounces something
and then affirms it in the same paragraph, trying to spin both sides of the issue.
For instance, in the two quotations below, Wayne Mueller denied there was any
Church Growth in the WELS, then said the Lutheran Confessions allowed for
Church Growth. In fact, the number of communicants has fallen ever since his
denial.
No Church Growth Movement in WELS
"There is no Church Growth Movement Program in our synod. Our
church body is opposed to the false theology of the Church Growth Movement.
We have no programs inside or outside the budget with that name. Nor do we
have any programs with a different name which utilize Church Growth
theology."
Wayne D. Mueller, Administrator for the Board of Parish Services,
WELS, "A Response to 'Saving Souls vs. New Programs,'" The Northwestern
Lutheran, February 1, 1992 p. 50.
376

But the Confessions Allow Our Church Growth Programs

"There may be pastors or congregations which use methodology which
church growth people use. This does not mean they have adopted the theology
of the Church Growth Movement. Our Lutheran Confessions allow complete
freedom among our churches in methodology that does not conflict with the
Gospel."
Wayne D. Mueller, "A Response to 'Saving Souls' vs. 'New Programs,'"
The Northwestern Lutheran, February 1, 1992 p. 50.
In contrast, the LCMS is more honest about its love of the Church
Growth Movement and the Reformed doctrine behind it, but the Missouri
leaders claim to have tamed the beast. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod pastors
constantly preen and admire themselves for avoiding Church Growth, but the
synod leaders do everything possible to defend false doctrine in WELS. ELS
Pastor Roger Kovaciny, Thoughts of Faith missionary, has publicly supported
Church Growth, mildly criticized it, and loudly praised the orthodoxy of his
paymaster Floyd Stolzenburg, a proud graduate of the Kent Hunter Church
Growth Institute.
We should not expect any false teacher to admit, I am really an
unbeliever who cannot find work in the secular world. I have decided to get
even with people by undermining what they believe and taking over their synod
for my selfish purposes. I talk about love all the time, but I simply want to use
people to give me an easy living and power. Anyone who talks about my
doctrine or my adultery is just jealous of me. Gods Word teaches us that we
should not judge according to our senses but according to the Scriptures. When
false teachers become enraged over being asked doctrinal questions or when
they avoid answering them altogether, we should zip our wallets shut, hide our
daughters and sons away, and depart.
KJV 2 Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great
thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Their Father Below
The entire world is divided into two kingdoms. One belongs to God
and the other belongs to Satan. We now live in an age in which conservative
Lutheran synod leaders lie routinely, slandering those who get in their way,
covering up for their guilty friends, and deceiving those who ask pointed
questions.300 The inner excuse must be, We have to spin the story to protect
the synod, but all such deceptions come from Satans lair, not from heaven.
Some of the mischief can be comical when examined closely. WELS has
consistently lied about working with ELCA, even though the activities are
377

widely reported in The Lutheran and the fraternal insurance magazines. When the
WELS leaders were confronted with the evidence from ELCA, they responded,
Are you going to believe us or those liberals? WELS President Carl Mischke
went so far as to say that ELCA was wrong and had been corrected about the
Joy ecumenical radio show. The funniest spin on the religious radio show
claimed that the expertise of tiny WELS was needed to help poor little ELCA
along.
KJV John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Armor of God, Methods of Satan
We should not let admiration for the power and effectiveness of Satan
blind us to the exceedingly great power available to us through the efficacious
Word. The false teachers are always trying to explain the Word for us according
to their notions and to use Greek to befuddle those who have not studied the
language. But here we have an example they will never bring up. What are the
wiles of the devil in Greek?301 The Greek word for wiles is methodia, or
methods in English.302 The experts are going to bring in the Kingdom by their
crafty methods, such as hiding the cross in the basement, establishing cell
groups, playing pop music, and deliberately appealing to the Old Adam. These
law salesmen do not describe how God works through the Word alone. They
even shamelessly draw upon the doctrine of the efficacy of the Word to argue
against efficacy alone.303
KJV Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
God Has Warned Us
The 1 Timothy 4:1-3 passage teaches us about the Great Apostasy (2
Thessalonians 2:3), when those within the visible church lose their faith and yet
work within the ecclesiastical structures in the service of Satan. Instead of being
shocked that such a thing could happenHe is my classmate!we should
pay close attention to the Scriptural warning. This particular passage speaks
about two aspects of Roman teaching against marriage and the eating of meat,
but it does not exclude all those efforts that build toward the ultimate revelation
of the Antichrist.
KJV 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared
with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
378

which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe
and know the truth.
Devils Believe
The Epistle of James is neglected by most Lutherans to our harm
because the letter warns against phony Christianity.304 James 2:19 reveals that
one can have a faith which is not saving faith, trust in Christ alone for salvation.
In the old days, James approach was called preaching against carnal security,
the delusion that being a member of an orthodox church released the individual
from the need for saving faith or obedience to the Ten Commandments. Carnal
security could be called phony faith, an awareness of God without trust in the
Holy Trinity. The Greek text says, literally, The demons also believe and their
hides bristle. A dogs hide will bristle in acknowledgement of something he
fears. Similarly, apostates in the visible church react to the Word of God when
questioned about their doctrine, and their hides bristle.
KJV James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:
the devils also believe, and tremble.
Devil, A Roaring Lion
The lions roar is still used today to frighten people. We all know the
image of the stalking lion, lying in the tall grass, waiting for the next victim,
leaping on a powerful animal and bringing it down with his huge jaws and
powerful claws. Those who think that Satan no longer lurks and works in the
church should start adding up how many clergy have fallen in the last few years.
It has been said that WELS became so embarrassed over the number of pastors
forced to leave the ministry over adultery and other failings that terminations
were no longer listed on the Internet for the public to view. Doubtless in each
and every case, the pastor began his Gospel ministry with the best of intentions
and the noblest motives. Conservatives should not think they are less prone to
the sins of the flesh or more adept at using the Means of Grace. One can use
the Gospel as a pillow, fall asleep, and fall prey to the crafts and assaults of
Satan. Many laity have also made a shipwreck of their faith by hoping for a pleabargain at the end of life, or by serving evil apostates within the visible church
to feel important for a moment. I have seen many laity used by synodical
manipulators and tossed aside later. The last honor an orthodox pastor or
layman should want to have is the love, friendship, and phone calls of a
synodical leader.
KJV 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.305
Satans Work
379

J-644.1
"Just as true doctrine is the greatest gift we can enjoy, so false doctrine is the
most baneful evil that can beset us. False doctrine is sin, it is the invention of
Satan, and it imperils and destroys salvation. False doctrine is every teaching
contrary to the Word of God. Scripture enjoins upon us to proclaim only the
truth."
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 501.
J-645.1
"Faith is a tender, subtle thing, and we so easily make a mistake and are liable to
stumble; but the devil is watchful, and unless men exercise watchfulness, he
quickly gains his point."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 265. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity,
John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12
J-646.1
"Thus also the devil is angry because God wants to trample him under foot by
means of flesh and blood. If a mighty spirit were opposed to him, he would not
be so sorely vexed; but it greatly angers him that a poor worm of the dust, a
fragile earthen vessel defies him, a weak vessel against a mighty prince. God has
placed his treasure, says St. Paul, in a poor, weak vessel; for man is weak, easily
aroused to anger, avaricious, arrogant, and weighed down with other
imperfections, through which Satan easily shatters the earthen vessel; for if God
would permit him, he would soon have utterly destroyed the whole vessel."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 268. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity,
John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12.
J-647.1
"The devil does not sleep, he will do many more such things, he looks around
and exerts himself to exterminate the pure doctrine in the Church and will
finally, it is feared, bring it to this, that should one pass through all Germany he
would find no pure pulpit, where the Word of God is preached as in former
days. He tries with all his might to prevent the pure doctrine from being taught,
for he cannot endure it."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 266. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity,
John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12.
J-648.1
"The devil also is able to present to the factious spirits the idea that they regard
themselves as right, like the Arians who thought their cause was right."
380

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 266. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity,
John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12.
J-649.1
"Indeed, more factious spirits shall arise and it shall come to pass that they will
not regard Christ as God, nor as the son of a virgin. For the devil is so cunning
and skillful that, if one thing is taken from him, he makes use of another. Thus
it has been from the beginning, and it will continue to be so in the future."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 269. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity,
John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12.
Satan and Emotions
J-650.1
"Satan torments you until you conclude that you are lost and ruined, that
heaven and earth, God and all the angels, are your enemies."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 247.
J-651.1
"For that rogue, the devil, has a sharp vision and easily becomes conscious of
the presence of a true Christian. Therefore he exerts himself to entrap him, and
surrounds and attacks him on all sides; for he cannot bear that anyone should
desert his kingdom."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 264.
J-652.1
"When you preach or confess the Word, you will experience both without,
among enemies, and also within, in yourself (where the devil himself will speak
to you and prove how hostile he is to you), that he brings you into sadness,
impatience, and depression, and that he torments you in all sorts of ways. Who
does all this? Certainly not Christ or any good spirit, but the miserable,
loathsome enemy... The devil will not bear to have you called a Christian and to
cling to Christ or to speak or think a good word about Him. Rather he would
gladly poison and permeate your heart with venom and gall, so that you would
blaspheme: Why did He make me a Christian? Why do I not let Him go? Then I
would at last have peace."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 928.

381

J-653.1
"Neither is he [Satan] truthful; he is the spirit of lies, who, by means of false fear
and false comfort having the appearance of truth, both deceives and destroys.
He possesses the art of filling his own victims with sweet comfort; that is, he
gives them unbelieving, arrogant, secure, impious hearts... He can even make
them joyful; furthermore, he renders them haughty and proud in their opinions,
in their wisdom and self-made personal holiness; then no threat nor terror of
God's wrath and of eternal damnation moves them, but their hearts grow
harder than steel or adamant."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 302.
J-654.1
"The deeper a person is sunk in sadness and emotional upheavals, the better he
serves as an instrument of Satan. For our emotions are instruments through
which he gets into us and works in us if we do not watch our step. It is easy to
water where it is wet. Where the fence is dilapidated, it is easy to get across. So
Satan has easy access where there is sadness. Therefore one must pray and
associate with godly people."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1243.
J-655.1
"It is not the devil's aim to plague us physically; he is a spirit who is always
thirsting for the tears and the drops of blood that come from our hearts. He
wants us to despair and to perish from sadness. This would be his joy and
delight. But he will not succeed."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1244. John 15:19.
Deception of Satan
Satan works primarily as the father of lies (John 8). One famous author,
loved by the Church Growth gurus, wrote this:
J-656.1
"One day I overheard my stepmother say to my father: 'The only real devil that
exists in this or any other world is the man whose business is that of making
devils.' I accepted this statement instantly and never have departed from it."
Napoleon Hill, Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, New York: Fawcett Crest,
1967, p. 212.306
We should consider that Rev. Robert Schuller was given a Napoleon
Hill medal by the Napoleon Hill Foundation for promoting the wisdom of
Napoleon Hill.307
382

J-657.1
"Now and again I have had evidence that unseen friends hover about me,
unknowable to ordinary sense. In my studies I discovered there is a group of
strange beings who maintain a school of wisdom which must be ten thousand
years old, but I did not connect them with myself. Now there is a connection. I
am not one of them!but I have been watched by them."
Napoleon Hill, Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, New York: Fawcett Crest,
1967, p. 158.
J-658.1
"'I have come,' said the voice, 'to give you one more section to include in your
book. In writing this section you may cause some readers to disbelieve you, yet
you will write honestly and many will believe and be benefited. The world has
been given many philosophies by which men are prepared for death, but you
have been chosen to give mankind a philosophy by which men are prepared for
happy living... I come from the Great School of the Masters. I am one of the
Council of Thirty-Three who serve the Great School and its initiates on the
physical plane.'" [Hill explains]: "That is the school of wisdom which has
persisted secretly in the Himalayas for ten thousand years... From the remotest
days of antiquity, the Masters of the Great School have communicated with
each other by telepathy."
Napoleon Hill, Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, New York: Fawcett Crest,
1967, p. 158f.
J-659.1
"The School has Masters who can disembody themselves and travel instantly to
any place they choose in order to acquire essential knowledge, or to give
knowledge directly, by voice, to anyone else. Now I knew that one of these
Masters had come across thousands of miles, through the night, into my study."
Napoleon Hill, Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, New York: Fawcett Crest,
1967, p. 159.
J-660.1
[Great School's message to Hill:] "You have passed through the Jungle of Life
safely. Now you must give to the world a blueprint with which others may
traverse that same Black Forest."
Napoleon Hill, Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, New York: Fawcett Crest,
1967, p. 160.
J-661.1
"For this reason one should not be too credulous when a preacher comes softly
like an angel of God, recommends himself very highly, and swears that his sole
aim is to save souls, and says: 'Pax vobis!' For those are the very fellows the devil
employs to honey people's mouths. Through them he gains an entrance to
preach and to teach, in order that he may afterward inflict his injuries, and that
383

though he accomplish nothing more for the present, he may, at least, confound
the people's consciences and finally lead them into misery and despair."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 322. Easter Tuesday Luke 24:36-47.
J-662.1
"But, being deceived by the devil, we forsake the light of day and seek to find
truth among philosophers and heathen totally ignorant of such matters. In
permitting ourselves to be blinded by human doctrines, we return to the night.
Whatsoever is not the Gospel day surely cannot be light. Otherwise Paul, and in
fact all Scripture, would not urge that day upon us and pronounce everything
else night."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 17.
J-663.1
"The devil does not rest yet, and hence he stirs up so many sects and factions.
How many sects have we not already had? One has taken up the sword, another
has attacked the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, others that of baptism."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 266. Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity,
John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12.
J-664.1
"The devil does not sleep, he will do many more such things, he looks around
and exerts himself to exterminate the pure doctrine in the Church and will
finally, it is feared, bring it to this, that should one pass through all Germany he
would find no pure pulpit, where the Word of God is preached as in former
days. He tries with all his might to prevent the pure doctrine from being taught,
for he cannot endure it."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 266.
J-665.1
"The devil also is able to present to the factious spirits the idea that they regard
themselves as right, like the Arians who thought their cause was right."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 266.
J-666.1
"For every sect has always had one or more particular hobbies and articles
which are manifestly wrong and can easily be discerned to be of the devil, who
publicly teach, urge and defend them as right certain and necessary to believe or
to keep For the spirit of lies cannot so conceal himself, but that he must at last
put forth his claws, by which you can discern and observe the ravenous wolf."
384

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 282f.
J-667.1
"On that day every false teacher will wish that he had never been born and will
curse the day when he was inducted into the sacred office of the ministry. On
that day we shall see that false teaching is not the trifling and harmless matter
that people in our day think it is."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 88.
Sound Doctrine, False Doctrine
J-668.1
"Moreover, the true doctrine is better understood when the false doctrine is
placed in juxtaposition. Hence the Formula of Concord says: 'Every simple
Christian can perceive what is right or wrong, when not only the pure doctrine
has been stated, but also the erroneous, contrary doctrine has been repudiated
and rejected.' (Triglotta, p. 837)"
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 508.
J-669.1
"False doctrine is a sin against God's holy Commandments. It jeopardizes the
salvation of every person who comes in contact with it. Hence, it is evident that
every Christian is to avoid false doctrine and all fellowship with errorists."
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 509.
J-670.1
"'If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod.
Nevertheless, this growth!... It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the
Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the
basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the
spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity
are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the
critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who
value His Word so highly.'" (Dr. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922).
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 515f.
J-671.1
"'It is not my doctrine, not the product of my mind, but God's gift. Good Lord,
I have not spun it out of my head; it did not grow in my garden, it did not flow
385

from my spring; it was not born of men. It is God's gift, not any invention of
man.'" (St. Louis edition, VIII, p. 27)
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed.,
Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 516.
Using the Scriptures to Destroy the Word of God
False teacherswhether seminary professors, circuit pastors, parish
pastors, district or synodical presidentsare so predictable that they follow the
same basic procedures to win the skirmish each time. False teachers, especially
among the conservative Lutherans, love to invoke two passages against their
opponents. The ploy works well in avoiding the main topic. Their false doctrine
is no longer an issue, because a horrible sin has been committed. Errorists glare
and fume that the Eighth Commandment has been violated! To make matters
worse, the dissenter has failed to follow the injunctions of Matthew 18! In
addition, even if the faithful person asks questions first, hat in hand, in abject
humility, in the mildest way, the false teacher accuses the victim of being
unloving and divisive. The last accusation is so subjective in nature that one can
only measure its accuracy by the fury in the face of the wolf in sheeps clothing.
The false teacher may even say, if he is well read in the fads of the 1960s, You
are being judgmental! If the incident is described to another pastor, the
defender of the false teacher will probably respond in anger, He is a nice guy!
Pastor Richard Krause defended the Church Growthism of James Huebner by
saying, I drank a lot of beer with him in college.
Eighth Commandment
No commandment is broken more often than the Eighth
Commandment, in the very act of citing it. The worst kind of slander comes
from quoting the Eighth Commandment inappropriately, especially to cover up
for and to excuse false doctrine. As Luther wrote, and we confess:
J-672.1
For honor and a good name are easily taken away, but not easily restored.
The Large Catechism, The Eighth Commandment, #273, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 659.
Exodus 20:16
KJV Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.
J-673.1
"What does this mean?Answer. We should fear and love God that we may
not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him,
[think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything."
386

The Small Catechism, The Eighth Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St.

Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 541. Tappert, p. 341. Heiser, p.
160.
The Eighth Commandment is a curb against the Old Adam jumping to
conclusions about apparent evidence of secret sin. One can take a few facts and
turn them into a mountain of lies. For instance, when one minister mentioned
that his children offered to loan him money from their piggy banks, it was
reported that he was taking money from his children's savings. When I phoned
an order of flowers for my brides birthday, using the floral business of a church
member, the owner asked what address to use for billing and sending the
flowers. She expressed surprise that it was the same address! I said, We live
together. After she sucked in her breath in merry Schadenfreude, I added, We
are married. I am the vicar at the church. Remember me? We just met last
Sunday.
Gossips and busy-bodies we will have with us always. The most
dangerous and subtle violation of the Eighth Commandment comes from
falsely attributing motives to others. The evidence is often elusive enough, when
we view or hear something that may be wrong. However, we can never know
the motives of another person. Christians can deal with the doctrine itself and
measure whether it harmonizes with the Scriptures and the Confessions. Having
a doctrinal discussion is edifying for everyone. How can anyone identify the
motives of people who question what is wrong?
In the government of the Church we have exactly one way of
addressing problems of doctrine and practice, employing the Word. In this
regard we are truly one in Christ. No one is a pope. No one is a vassal. The
youngest child can and should ask questions, using the Word as the ruling norm
(norma normans). Women have just as much right to ask about doctrine and
practice as men do. Johann Gerhard and C. F. W. Walther have both made this
point, the latter in his essay, Shall the Sheep Judge the Shepherd?
Unfortunately, in many cases, the men have abrogated their responsibility and
left the questioning to the women. Then the men and the pastor cannot hide
behind the headship principle and refuse to deal with Scriptural questions
because a woman asks.
In an ideal environment, which God has commanded, the pastors are
free to address doctrinal issues among themselves at the circuit and conference
level. When this happens, the preachers also feel free to deal with issues in the
congregation. However, the conservative leaders of today believe Lutheranism
is a soap-bubble that will pop if we raise our voices. The divisions in
Lutheranism are so great today that every circuit is an ecumenical organization,
with tongue-speaking pastors working next to a confessional brother. The
circuit pastor may be a Unitarian in doctrine, and the District President a
Church Growth advocate or a secret bed-fellow with ELCA. One pastor
reported that his entire conference is terrified of bringing up a doctrinal issue,
so divided are they, in spite of their posturing about being unified in doctrine.
387

Nevertheless, this sorry state of affairs must not keep faithful men and women
from confronting the doctrinal issues with the truth of the Word.
One WELS pastor in a loose circuit gave communion to a visitor who
was not Lutheran, let alone a confessing member of the synod. One member
questioned what happened. The pastor defended his action as loving and
used senior members of the synod to defend it. The member persisted and the
practice stopped. Happily, the minister addressed the congregation on the issue,
not in an arrogant spirit of popery, but in the spirit of correcting a wrong. Every
minister should treasure such members and not work to get rid of them,
because the person who will stand his ground on the Scriptures and
Confessions is using the Sword of the Spirit, not against the pastor, but against
falsehood. Every pastor should thank God for members who care about sound
doctrine.308
Ministers and laity from all synods have found that the moment they
raise a doctrinal issue, the false teachers shout, Eighth Commandment! I
heard the ploy used so often that it became a joke around our house, a response
to legitimate observations and complaints. If my wife Chris mentioned I forgot
to bring home groceries, I replied, Eighth Commandment! Apologize at once!
Discussing a doctrinal issue is not a violation of the Eighth Commandment. At
the very worst, a discussion may take place where an issue is clarified, due to a
misunderstanding or an ambiguous statement. For instance, in a sermon I gave,
I said that Christ is no longer physically present. I knew I said something wrong
at the moment, but I was tongue-tied. After the service, a visiting pastor said, I
think you meant to say no longer visibly present. He is certainly present,
especially in the Sacrament." I thanked him and made the correction in public
the next Sunday. All errors must be corrected, even when unintentional, to
honor God and defeat Satan. The hearers are not obligated to filter false
doctrine out of the sound doctrine they hear. The teacher must teach in clear
and unmistakable words.
Public Retraction
J-674.1
"If a minister who is otherwise conscientious has had the misfortune of putting
something into his manuscript that is wrong and even saying it from the pulpit,
he must, if he notices his mistake while preaching, immediately correct himself
and tell his hearers that he really did not mean to say what they have just heard
from him. If he notices his mistake later and the matter is of considerable
importance, he must make the correction later, lest his hearers be led utterly
astray. Yea, he may not only have to correct his wrong statement, but solemnly
to revoke it. That will not lower him in the esteem of his listeners; on the
contrary, his conscientious striving for accuracy will rather impress them
favorably. He must not rely on the ability of his hearers to give the correct
388

interpretation to incorrect statements of his, but must speak so as not to be

misunderstood in what he says."309
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 296f.
Being slandered is a normal occurrence for someone who believes in
the Word of God and applies the Sword of the Spirit to doctrinal problems.
Three things war against the Word: 1) our old Adam; 2) the unbelieving world;
3) Satan. Addressing a doctrinal problem can only be done through the Law.
No one is so pure that he enjoys the preaching of the Law in all its severity, but
it is easier to admit being carnal than to confess being in error about the
Scriptures. Secondly, nothing in the material world supports the correct
understanding of the Christian faith. The world loves, encourages, and protects
the natural man. Finally, Satan will never rest from protecting his kingdom,
from seducing people into his way of thinking about God.
Expect Personal Attacks
J-675.1
"Next, it extends very much further, if we are to apply it to spiritual jurisdiction
or administration; here it is a common occurrence that every one bears false
witness against his neighbor. For wherever there are godly preachers and
Christians, they must bear the sentence before the world that they are called
heretics, apostates, ye, seditious and desperately wicked miscreants. Besides, the
Word of God must suffer in the most shameful and malicious manner, being
persecuted, blasphemed, contradicted, perverted, and falsely cited and
interpreted."
The Large Catechism, The Eighth Commandment, #262, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 653. Tappert, p. 400.
Heiser, p. 186.
The false teachers will always declare that any discussion of their
preached or published doctrine is a violation of the Eighth Commandment and
Matthew 18. In their view, each dissenter from their position must make an
appointment, bow down, and humbly ask to be corrected, apologizing in
advance for being so much trouble.310 Anything less is a multiple violation of
the worst kind. Retribution follows. The very fact that false teachers wrongly
cite the Eighth Commandment and Matthew 18 is proof that they have the
wrong foundation, fueled by their ignorance ofand hatred forthe Large
Catechism. The gunslinger use of Matthew 18 and the Eighth Commandment
contribute to doctrinal and moral decay among the clergy. The worse the
offense, the more likely the synod will cover up for the false teacher and the
felon.
389

J-676.1
"All this has been said regarding secret sins. But where the sin is quite public so
that the judge and everybody know it, you can without any sin avoid him and let
him go, because he has brought himself into disgrace, and you may also publicly
testify concerning him. For when a matter is public in the light of day, there can
be no slandering or false judgment or testifying; as, when we now reprove the
Pope with his doctrine, which is publicly set forth in books and proclaimed in
all the world. For where the sin is public, the reproof also must be public, that
every one may learn to guard against it."
The Large Catechism, The Eighth Commandment, #284, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 660. Tappert, p. 403.
Heiser, p. 188.
False Doctrine Promoted by Conservative Lutherans
Lutherans of this era have disgraced themselves with their repeated
denials of the efficacy of the Word alone. The attacks against justification by
faith, noted in Chapter 5, paved the way for the Reformed Pietistic agenda of
works converting people to Christ and qualifying them for salvation. One
Pietistic program seduced the Wisconsin Synod and the Missouri Synod from
the beginning: lifestyle evangelism. The theory, proposed by a non-Lutheran but
endorsed by Lutherans, argues that people will become Christians when they
find out how loving we are.
Denial of Efficacy
J-677.1
"When was the last time you kissed a frog?... 'Lifestyle Evangelism and Followup,' a Navigator video seminar for the church, makes a solid case for Christian
frog kissing as a way of life."
James A. Aderman, TELL, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Summer,
1986, p. 2.
In the Wisconsin Synod, the chief culprit in promoting Reformed
doctrine was TELL, a channel for lauding the publications and pop theologians
of Fuller Seminary.
J-678.1
"The publication TELL ('The Evangelism Life Line') has been inaugurated to
promote the cause of church growth."
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran
Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 105.
TELL did such a good job in promoting false doctrine and unionism
that WELS upgraded to a fancier format to fool even more people. Wendland
390

and Hartman both confessed that TELL was a Church Growth organ, but no
one told Wayne D. Mueller, who denied Church Growth in WELS in no
uncertain terms. No one else seems to use a database to match the claims with
the denials, so these deceptions work well with the faulty memory of ordinary
people.
J-679.1
"TELL has served the church faithfully for 15 years. Three editors have served;
Ronald Roth (1977-84), Paul Kelm (1985-88), and the undersigned since 1989...
The lead article in the first issue of TELL was titled 'Church Growth Worthwhile for WELS.'... The author of this article in April 1988 issue of
TELL concludes, 'It's obvious by now that I believe we in WELS can profit
greatly from the writings of the church-growth leaders.'... TELL as a separate
publication ends with this issue. Nevertheless, the focus of The Evangelism Life
Line will continue for years to come as an integral part of the new Board for
Parish Services journal - PARISH LEADERSHIP.
Rev. Robert Hartman, TELL (WELS Evangelism), Summer, 1992.
Once TELL had sown its weed seeds for 14 years, the official
magazine of the Wisconsin Synod, The Northwestern Lutheran, was free to come
out in the open, promoting Church Growth by name while abusing the parable
of the Sower and the Seed. This is typical of the work of false teachers, using
gradualism. How can we say that we believe in the Means of Grace and then say
that Gods Word will be effective if we test the soil using methods invented by
man. It is difficult to imagine anything more arrogant than using a parable of
Jesus about the effectiveness of Gods Word alone to teach the Fuller doctrine
of soil testing.
J-680.1
"What do people mean when they talk about effective church growth
principles? Do we make God's kingdom come? 'God's kingdom certainly comes
by itself,' Luther wrote. Ours is to sow the seed. We hamper the kingdom if we
sow carelessly or if we do not sow at all. But we do not make it grow."
Mark Braun, The Growing Seed, What Do People Mean When They
Talk about Effective Church Growth Principles? The Northwestern Lutheran,
September 1, 1991, p. 300. Mark 4:26-29.
J-681.1
"In my opinion, therefore, Church Growth receptivity and 'soil testing'
techniques are often unfairly criticized as if they were by definition synergistic.
It is a fact that some fields are, for various historical and sociological reasons,
more receptive to the preaching of the Gospel and church planting than others.
Our home and world mission boards make these judgments all the time in
deciding where to begin churches or send missionaries."
391

Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second
and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors
Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 12. [Peterson left the
ministry.]
Church Growth Team
WELS pastors James Huebner, Lawrence Otto Olson, and Paul Kelm
team up in teaching the doctrines of the Church Growth Movement.312 When
Northwestern College questioned the promotion of Church Growth at the
WELS seminary, the trio were called to a special meeting to defend their Helen
of Troy. David Valleskey and another seminary professor supported them.
James Witte not only teaches Church Growth, earning a degree in it from
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, but also sold a Paul Y. Cho book to WELS
pastors at a special, all expenses paid, cell group conference in 1990.
J-682.1
"'Church growth.' I've seen people cringe when they hear those words. I think I
know why. They react negatively because they feel 'church growth' implies an
obsessive fixation with numbers and statistics."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School
of Outreach IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.
Olson teaches at the only surviving WELS college, but he teaches
against the Word. He agrees with the Reformed that Gods Word requires
mans help to be effective.
J-683.1
"While only the Word is efficacious, the methods we use to minister to people
with that Word may vary in their effectiveness."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows:
Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, p.
2.
J-684.1
"We cannot add anything to the Word, but we may be able to remove the
human barriers which might be in the way of the Word."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows:
Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, p.
3.
J-685.1
"Faithfulness is the standard by which God judges those he calls into the public
ministry. That faithfulness may or may not be 'effective' in terms of visible
results; results are up to God, not us. But part of faithfulness ought to include
392

striving to be as 'effective' as we can be in the methods that we use to take the

Means of Grace to people."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "A Response to
Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.
J-686.1
"Contemporary social and behavioral sciences are a working out of the reason
which God has given to humanity. Granted, the assumptions of some
sociologists or anthropologists may be inconsistent with the Christian faith.
That calls for discernment, but it does not invalidate the proper use of the social
sciences by the church; it is, however, essential that they be used in a
'ministerial' manner."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows:
Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, p.
3.
The Church Growth groupies all sound alike, whether they are the
Church Growth acolytes of WELS, the LCMS, or the ELCA. Huebners
haughty prosequoted belowshows the effect of scouring books by the
Enthusiasts while avoiding the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Luther
and the Concordists would be impressed to learn that the Gospel of Christ
needs false teachers to make the Wisconsin Synod effective.
J-687.1
"We can't do a thing to make his Word more effective. But surely we can
detract from its effectiveness by careless errors and poor judgment. It just
makes good sense to utilize all of our God-given talents, to scour the field for
appropriate ideas, concepts, and material, to implement programs, methods, and
techniques so that we do not detract from the effectiveness of the Gospel we
proclaim. Church growth articles, books, seminars, and conferences can offer
such ideas and programs."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School
of Outreach IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p.
178.313
The Zwinglians believe that the Holy Spirit wanders around
independent of the Word and Sacraments, making some people receptive to the
Gospel. As one liberal Calvinist told me, The Holy Spirit goes in the back door
to open the front door. Receptivity ratings, endorsed by Valleskey, Witte, and
others, reflect this doctrine, which is also behind the concept of soil testing.
Such nonsense is the essence of Enthusiasm, denying the Holy Spirits work
through the Word alone.

393

J-688.1
Finding the Receptive: People in Transition, by James Witt"The Bible
illustrates the people-in-transition receptivity principle very well. Converts such
as Naaman, a leper; Ruth, a widow; the woman at the well, a five-time divorcee;
the thief on the cross, a convict near death; were all people who in a period of
transition were receptive to hearing the Gospel. The Receptivity-Rating Scale
shown at left...
Paul Kelm, editor, The Evangelism Handbook, WELS Evangelism
Appendix III.
Ashamed of Being Lutheran
When Lutherans are ashamed of the Gospel but trust in man-made
methods, they also become embarrassed by the Lutheran name on their
missions. Kuske and his good friend Floyd Luther Stolzenburg started a
Wisconsin Synod mission named Pilgrim Community Church. ELS Pastor Jay
Webber objected loudly about this effort and Crossroads Community Church,
another Michigan District effort. Even the most sluggish in WELS were
alarmed over Kuske obeying Stolzenburgs ideas. As Roger Zehms explained it
to the Lutheran Parish Resources board, they did not want Lutheran transfers
to the mission or even Lutheran visitors to the worship services. Naturally, the
service was Reformed. When worship attendance reached the total of three,
they decided to close the mission and find another way to make Stolzenburg a
WELS pastor.
J-689.1
"Our decision not to use the name Lutheran in the name of the congregation
seems to have caused some concern. We point you to the Lutheran confessions
which clearly state that a name is an adiaphoron. So only when not using the
name is a denial of what the name stands for is there a problem. We reject the
inferences that have been drawn that have been drawn [sic] that it is our
intention to deny the biblical teach [sic] (ibid. conservative Lutheran teaching).
Put in very practical terms our question is: Can we reach more of the
unchurched if we can begin with sin and grace, guilt and forgiveness, rather
than having to deal with lodge, scouts, the vagaries of ELCA, etc. at the
beginning."
WELS Michigan District Vice-president Paul Kuske, Letter to the Ohio
Conference, Pilgrim Community Church, sponsored from Grove City by
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Fall Conference, Gibsonia, 1989. [emphasis
in original]
J-690.1
"We have discovered that the Early Church was an institution that unknowingly
saw its world through Church Growth eyes. We have some benefits they did
not have in that we can look back today and analyze their successes and
failures."
394

Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, "Church Growththe Acts of the

Apostles," Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio.
When Lutheran Parish Services finally closed down, after doing
enormous damage to the Gospel, Stolzenburg began looking for a church to call
his own. He promised Emmanuel in the name of a WELS para-church agency
that he would commune Masonic Lodge members. He got the job.
J-691.1
"I would also convey to you that I will continue to commune lodge members as
long as I feel assured that they know and believe that their salvation is by
faith Please feel free to contact Pastors Kuske or Schumann or come and
hear for yourself."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg Letter to Emmanuel Lutheran Parish
Resources. September 20, 1991. Letterhead: "Serving the congregations of the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod."315
Once Kuske was out of office, retired, and moved away, WELS
members in Columbus thought they were done with his friend Stolzenburg.
Ukraine seminary rector and ELS Pastor Jay Webber even thanked me for
keeping Stolzenburg out of the WELS and ELS ministry. But wait. Webber and
Kovaciny are living from the proceeds of Stolzenburgs Masonic, Church
Growth, open communion, feminist congregation. The Evangelical Lutheran
Synod, WELS, and Thoughts of Faith all regard Stolzenburg as one of their
own (for pay, of course), and he uses their names to justify his unbiblical call
and his unscriptural second marriage. Kovaciny poses as an orthodox Lutheran
in Christian News.
J-692.1
"In the midst of all the positive, exciting things Pastor Kovaciny had to say
about the mission work being done in the [sic] Ukraine, he constantly mentioned
the most pressing problem, a lack of space... As he spoke to us about the many
needs, he mentioned the possibility of building a church of the approximate
square footage of our sanctuary (though not nearly as elaborate) for $50,000...
Pastor Kovaciny, obviously excited about the possibility, has agreed that the
new church would be named Emmanuel Lutheran and would have a picture of
the 'mother church' prominently displayed in the new building."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, "From the Mission Committee, Kremnetz,
Ukraine, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Cornerstone, #899, August, 1999 1500
South Third Street, Columbus, Ohio 43207-1000.317
WELS Michigan District President Robert Mueller supported
Stolzenburg and Pilgrim Community Church with great enthusiasm. He got
behind an even more bizarre scheme, Crossroads Community Church. Rick
Miller quickly took the congregation out of Lutheranism. Later, Pastors Marc
395

Freier and Kelly Voigt came to serve Crossroads. Both of them had left
Lutheranism, taking people out with them. Freier and Voigt were poster boys
for the Church Growth Movement in WELS, praised by synod leaders and
given workshops to lead.
J-693.1
"Since several brothers have asked about the status of Rick Miller, I provide the
following information. Rick has asked for a release from his call at Huron Valley
Lutheran High School in order to serve a group of people as their pastor and to
help organize them as an independent Christian congregation. The group is
composed of some former members of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Plymouth,
of some former members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Livonia, and some
people who have left LC-MS churches. The group has stated that it has a
different philosophy and style of ministry, which includes drama, contemporary
music and a thematic form of worship and liturgy, which allows for greater
personal participation by its female members. The group has also stated that it
would like to retain fellowship relations with our Wisconsin Synod" As an
independent group it does not plan to use the name 'Lutheran' in its title. It will
be known as The Crossroads Christian Church... For the present, Rick Miller is
still a pastoral member of the WELS... At that time [January 31, 1992,
submission of a constitution] the fellowship question will be determined on the
basis of the group's doctrinal statements and practices."
WELS District President Robert Mueller, President's Report to the
Conferences, Fall, 1991, pp. 2-3.
Paul Kelms brother Dan, a leader in cell groups in WELS, became a
media star when he confessed how a videotape from Willow Creek converted
him to Seeker Services. Although it is difficult to believe that watching a tape
did so much for Dan, we have to accept his word and not be tempted to believe
he was formally trained at Willow Creek with many other WELS pastors.318
J-694.1
"The role model for this carefully choreographed and rehearsed service, referred
to by Rev. Kelm as a 'seeker service,' is Willow Creek Community Church in
Barrington, Ill., near Chicago, an independent congregation formed 14 years
ago... Rev. Kelm said he viewed a videotape of a service at the Chicago-area
church before planning the first seeker service for Divine Savior, which is
affiliated with the Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
When planning the service, Rev. Kelm and the worship committee decided
immediately that there wouldn't be any organ music and that the usual Lutheran
liturgy wouldn't be used."
Carol Elrod, "Pastor Hopes Seeks [sic] Will Find Way to Special Church
Service," Indianapolis Star, May 12, 1990 Reprinted in CN.319
396

Kelm is clever enough to state that we cannot argue people into the
Kingdom, but the following statement promotes that very method. The Lord,
Liar, Lunatic form of evangelism is very simple. Either Jesus was the Lord, or
He was a liar, or He was a lunatic. Pick the right one and you are a Christian. I
recall WELS missionary to Japan, James Sherod, giving me his seminary paper
where this idiocy was argued. At one point, I said, Where are you getting all
this Church Growth crap? Later, the development of my database showed how
extensive the corruption was.
J-695.1
"Thesis Seven: Sound Apologetics Can Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good...
Logic never converted anyone; but Christianity is logically defensible, once one
makes reason ministerial to God and His Word... Read C.S. Lewis, Francis
Schaeffer and Josh McDowell for practical apologetic tools. In fact, lend your
copy to the prospect whose intelligence and education have become his curse.
Once you've read Josh McDowell's 'Lord, Liar, or Lunatic' argument for the
deity of Christ, you'll find yourself using it."
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to
Mission Prospects," p. 14.
J-696.1
"Our synod now has a fulltime executive secretary for evangelism. He's the Rev.
Paul Kelm; and we need him. We need him to be our evangelism advocate."
Rev. Ron Roth, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Winter, 1985 p. 2.
J-697.1
"There is no Church Growth Movement Program in our synod. Our church
body is opposed to the false theology of the Church Growth Movement. We
have no programs inside or outside the budget with that name. Nor do we have
any programs with a different name which utilize Church Growth theology."
Wayne D. Mueller, Administrator for the BPS, WELS, "A Response to
'Saving Souls vs. New Programs,'" The Northwestern Lutheran, November 1, 1991,
February 1, 1992. p. 50.
J-698.1
Dr. Robert Preus to Pastor Herman Otten on a Church Growth brochure:
"Please display this [Church Growth brochure] prominently. The WELS is
more committed to the church growth movement than LCMS."
Brochure from the Church Growth Institute P. O. Box 4404,
Lynchburg, VA, 24502, 800-553-GROW.
From time to time, my articles in Christian News evoked some emotional
responses from WELS pastors. One brave opponent of Church Growth wrote
a long letter to me and his circuit pastor, making sure that no one thought he
knew me or approved of his paper being quoted.320 Kovaciny and Kuske put
397

aside their mutual animosity to threaten me, uniting against a common enemy,
the Means of Grace. Some people, like the head of WELS missions, Norm
Berg, phoned me. Others contacted members of my congregation. A few wrote
their deepest thoughts in letters. Pastor Tullberg, a stranger to me, revealed how
Church Growth thinking has made WELS pastors think that revivals are much
better than worship services.321
J-699.1
"Last Fall we did try to 'pander' to the black community in which we are
located. We had a Revival = 'a stirring up of religious faith' (Webster) about 150
visitors were in church and 8 have since joined who were at the big revival. I
think Siloah is the first WELS church to try a Revival (as far as I know) Gospel
songs, testimonials, and singing on the church lawn with a trumpet accom. all
went with the service. It was so inspiring that we are having Revival #2 the last
Sun in Oct, 1990. Maybe if Wather [sic] had used Revival meetings to spread the
Gospel in the last century the WELS would have more than 3 black pastors in
the U.S., and so few blacks in the pew. Just food for thought."
WELS Pastor Keith Tullberg to Gregory L. Jackson, 4-19-90. Siloah
Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, 3721 N 21st Street, Milwaukee, WI
53206.

398

Part Two
My Experiences
Many people have had exactly the same experiences as I have, so the
following quotations are offered merely to show how church officials react to
doctrinal issues. In this case I was dealing with the promotion of Church
Growth doctrine in the Wisconsin Synod and fellowship with the radical
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
J-601.2
"In reading Prof. Valleskey's article, I did not see him practicing the art of
exegesis when he referred to spoiling the Egyptians, but merely using that
incident as an illustration to make his point Your article published in the
Orthodox Lutheran Forum leaves little room for the reader to conclude anything
but the inference that Prof. Valleskey is an inept exegete, at least on this point.
And that he advocates borrowing false doctrine from false teachers In so
doing, I feel constrained to tell you that you have violated the Eighth
Commandment in this matter and have slandered Prof. Valleskey's good name...
By extension, then, you have taken on our Seminary, a most serious matter.
Because this is a public matter and out of my jurisdiction, I am sending a copy
of this letter to District President Mueller."
District President Marcus Nitz, Letter to Pastor Gregory L. Jackson,
October 23, 1991.322
The threat came from District President Nitz because I dared to
publish an article, Figs from Thistles, in which I took issue with Valleskeys
paper published in the Wisconsin Synod journal. Valleskey asked for responses
to his article.323 It was my obligation as a pastor to object to Valleskeys paper
when it was given, and to address his errors when the same false doctrines were
published. I spoke to Valleskey during the question and answer period, as the
conference minutes indicate, which quoted my spoiling the garbage of the
Egyptians remark. After the discussion, I also blocked Valleskeys flank speed
exit from the room so I could talk to him some more.324 Lastly, I sat at dinner
with him and tried to discuss the same issues. A group of pastors phoned
someone elsenot meand claimed that I never spoke to Valleskey first. I do
not know who reported this falsehood to so many of them, but they did not
observe Matthew 18 when they failed to ask me before making a spurious
charge. In fact, in making this accusation repeatedly to the same man, they
convinced him of something patently false. When I pointed this out in a later
article, pastors in the Ohio conference reacted by trying to find out who gave
me the conference minutes. Was it possible that I, as a member of the
conference, had my own copy of the minutes?

399

Stealing the Precious Jewels of Fuller Or Its Garbage?

J-602.2
"There is a fourth option, which is the choice of this writer. It is the same kind
of approach Lawrence Crabb, a Christian counselor, advocates over against the
use of secular counseling resources. He calls it 'spoiling the Egyptians' (Exodus
12:36, KJV), after the action of Israel at the time they left Egypt, when they
took from the Egyptians what would stand them in good stead on their
journey."
David J. Valleskey, "The Church Growth Movement: An Evaluation,"
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1991, 88, p. 115. Holidaysburg, Pa, 10-1590. Exodus 12:36.325
J-603.2
"Yet this writer is confident we won't go astray in adopting a 'spoiling the
Egyptians' approach to the various Church Growth Movement sociological
principles and the research that produced them."
David J. Valleskey, "The Church Growth Movement: An Evaluation,"
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1991, 88, p. 116. Exodus 12:36.
J-604.2
"Introduction to the Church Growth Movement by Lutheran authors, Hunter,
Kent R., Foundations for Church Growth (New Haven, MO: Leader Publishing Co.,
1983) - the author, an LC-MS clergyman who has now set up his own church
growth consulting service, performs the valuable service in this 204 page book
of presenting an introduction to church growth goals and terminology.
Werning, Waldo, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, (Chicago: Moody Press,
1977) - Werning, active for years in LC-MS stewardship work, explains the
foundations, presuppositions and principles of church growth and then shows
how a congregation can benefit from making use of certain church growth
principlesof the two books listed in this category, Werning's is the more
practical."
Seminary Professor David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and
Practice of Evangelism, Pastoral Theology 358A p. 6.326
Later, when I published a critical review of Valleskeys Church Growth
book at the request of a WELS pastor, two ministers from the Church of the
Lutheran Confession, David Koenig and Paul Tiefel Junior, began attacking me
in an organized letter writing campaign, joined by Paul Tiefel, Senior.327 Bethany
Lutheran Seminary organized a special meeting with my son, railing at him and
demanding to know if he agreed with my review of Valleskeys book.328 Who
said that WELS, the CLC, and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod cannot work
together? They certainly can when they need to support their Church Growth
leaders.
400

The topic being debated is: How does the doctrine of the Church
Growth Movement affect the doctrine and methods of Lutheranism? Someone
may attend a Roman Catholic school and write many articles and a book against
Roman Catholic doctrine. Someone may attend Fuller Seminary and write a
book against Church Growth doctrine. Robert Koesters Law and Gospel,
Northwestern Publishing House, based on his study at Fuller Seminary, is used
as an argument that it is safe for WELS pastors to attend the Church Growth
hothouse. According to Reverend Lawrence Otto Olson, (D. Min., Fuller),
almost no one from WELS has gone to Fuller. It is painful for WELS, Missouri,
and the ELS to admit that Church Growth doctrine dominates and subverts
their agenda. Instead of trusting in the efficacy of the Word alone, they rely upon
the following: secular methods, gimmicks, salesmanship, felt needs, cell groups,
user-friendly worship, seeker services, lay ministry, women teaching men,
making disciples, receptivity rating scales, and soil testing. Similar to the
Missouri Synod, and even ELCA!, WELS sent its mission board members to
various Church Growth beehives to learn how to fix Lutheranism.239 The ELS
is not innocent in this matter of promoting false doctrine. The publication of
William B. Kessels "The Theology of Church Growth," in the (ELS) Lutheran
Synod Quarterly, June, 1992, was obviously designed to be a seven-fold Amen to
Valleskeys effort of spoiling the Egyptians, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring,
1991.330
Once a WELS pastor phoned and said he did not understand the value
of the chapter on logical fallacies in Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure. Later, he
claimed, he found all of those rhetorical tricks being used against him whenever
he talked to synod officials. Extensive discussions with various pastors and
officials revealed that the district mission boards of WELS were sent through
Fuller Seminary, the Win Arn Church Growth Institute, or other Church
Growth hothouses to be trained in the new methods. The letter below from
Norm Berg is a goldmine of logical fallacies. One is a tu quoque: (You are too!
You went to Notre Dame!) Another is the ignoratio elenchi: (Change of subject.
Lets not talk about my promotion of Church Growth. Lets talk about your
need for repentance.)
Logical Fallacies from Berg
J-606.2
"Neither things I shared with you nor any of my writings, published or not,
substantiate the implications that I am an advocate of Church Growth theology.
I did attend a Pasadena forum on Church Growth featuring Win Arn and
others... I therefore request a public apology from you for making an
unfounded accusation against me based on the fact that I attended a Church
Growth conference. My attendance is no greater proof (by association) of my
alleged Church Growth advocacy than your attendance at and degree from
Notre Dame is proof of your acceptance of Roman Catholic heresy!"331
401

Rev. Norman W. Berg, WELS, former mission board chairman, Letter

to Gregory L. Jackson, 3-27-96.
ELCA/WELS/LCMS Leaders Work Together
WELS was quite secretive about its work with ELCA and the LCMS,
even when the Lutheran Brotherhood Bond magazine described the leadership
conference at Snowbird involving the leadership of all three synods.332 The
Lutheran, (ELCA) September 4, 1991 p. 33, published a photo of the WELS
president, Carl Mischke, conferring with President Ralph Bohlmann (LCMS),
and Bishop Herb Chilstron (ELCA). The Snowbird conference was organized
by all three synods, just like the cross-cultural project, the Joy radio show, and
the Church Membership Initiative. The WELS hymnal is a clone of the Lutheran
Book of Worship, except in crucial areas where it is worse.333 Anyone with a
library card, a phone, and an IQ above room temperature can find out these
facts. Verbatim quotations from the sources are listed at the end of this chapter.
Less Joy
Missouri leaders, including Al Barry and Paul McCain, have no problem
in working with ELCA, in conducting joint worship services with ELCA, and
engaging in other forms of unionism. WELS leaders are just as lax, but the
pastors and members still believe some of what they were taught, so the
Wisconsin Synod simply lies about all its work with ELCA and the Missouri
Synod. When WELS worked with ELCA and Missouri to produce a panLutheran religious radio show, I commented upon it, after phoning ELCA
about the effort, and got this response from Paul Kelm.
J-607.2
"Your September 21 article in Christian News perpetuates a lie, slanders leaders
of your church and risks spiritual offense to weak brothers and sisters. You
describe a conference on leadership in which fellowship lines were clearly drawn
and at which testimony to the truths which separate Lutherans was publicly
given as 'a joint ministry conference with a liberal agenda.' Then you add,
'Months later, the three groups [ELCA, LCMS, WELS] joyfully announced a
joint religious radio show, Joy, also funded by Lutheran insurance money.
WELS participated in 'Joy' from the beginning and continues to be a
part of the project.' The mistaken announcement by a reporter from another
Lutheran body was clearly repudiated in the March 15, 1992 issues of The
Northwestern Lutheran. Yet you boldly state that the WELS continues to be a part
of this project, in which it never participated. Dr. Jackson, I ask you to repent of
your slanderous lie and retract it publicly. Galatians 6:1-2 leads me to ask this of
you, for the sake of your spiritual life. Titus 3:10 urges me to ask this of you for
the sake of the church.
cc: District President Robert Mueller, Vice President Paul
Kuske, Vice President Gerald Schroer, Rev. David
Grundmeier, Rev. Gary Baumler."
402

Pastor Paul Kelm (WELS), Letter to Gregory L. Jackson, 9-23-92.

Do You Believe Me or Your Lying Eyes?
One of the arguments used to support the innocence of WELS at the
Snowbird conference was that people cannot trust what ELCA reported in their
magazine. As the adulterer said to his wife when caught in the act, Are you
going to believe me or those lying eyes of yours? More than one WELS pastor
objected strenuously to the image, not to mention the reality, of the WELS
synod president conferring with an ELCA bishop about anything.334
The extent of the hypocrisy in WELS is simply astounding. The
Wisconsin Synod has published a book (modestly titled WELS and Other
Lutherans) stating that the ELCA is not a Christian denomination.335 More than
one person has seen a WELS leader curl his mouth in disgust at the thought of
learning anything from the Missouri Synod. The Wisconsin Synod often speaks
about not being in fellowship with the LCMS. Supposedly women do not teach
men in WELS. WELS leaders also allege that they oppose Reformed doctrine.
The description of the teachers at the Snowbird conference offers a completely
different perspective.
No Lutheran Taught the Lutherans
J-608.2
"Four speakers prominent in the field of leadership research shared their
perspectives. Frances Hesselbein of New York City, president and chief
executive officer of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit
Management, spoke on 'The Challenge of Leadership.' She noted, 'The church
shares the same bottom line with all voluntary and human service organizations:
changed lives.'"
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next
Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.336
The letter from Kelm takes issue with the ELCA announcement of a
joint religious radio show called Joy. When I received a copy of the letter
written by WELS President Mischke, I phoned the ELCA leader about it. At
first I talked to his secretary. She was flabbergasted that WELS was denying
involvement in Joy. She said, John Barber comes to all the meetings! I knew
John Barber as one of Kelms colleagues, who works closely with him. Is it
possible that Barber crept out of the office and secretly attended meetings with
ELCA and Missouri, telling Kelm and Mischke that he was golfing or fishing?
ELCA Version of Joy

403

J-609.2
"A new sacred classical music radio program soon will be available to radio
stations across the country. The hour-long, weekly program, called "Joy," is an
inter-Lutheran project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran
Synod. "Joy" will be produced by KFUO-FM in St. Louis and will be funded by
Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit society. 'I'm excited about
being involved in this project which is the first joint venture into ministry that
has ever been done by these three Lutheran churches,' said the Rev. Richard
Jensen, a member of ELCA communications staff and the Joy Advisory
Committee. 'Joy is a program of sacred music. The focus is on the classics of
sacred Christian music..."
ELCA Newsbriefs, Christian News, 12-9-91, p. 2.
WELS Version of Joy
J-610.2
"The article in Christian News to which you refer escaped my attention until one
of our other pastors called it to my attention soon after it appeared. Initially I
even had difficulty relating to it. After thinking about it for a time I remembered
that I was asked about a year ago whether the WELS would endorse or be in
sponsor of such a program. My answer then was 'No" and still is. I have
consistently taken the position with the fraternal benefits societies that 'panLutheran' projects almost inevitably exclude us from participation because of
our fellowship principles. The leadership of the fraternals has respected our
position. So the statement by a member of the ELCA communications staff
that this is the 'first joint venture into ministry' ever done by these three
Lutheran churches is simply not factual. It has been called to the attention of
those who made this statement."
President Carl H. Mischke (WELS Synodical President), Letter to Pastor
James Sherod, 1-3-92. [I have a Xerox of the letter, which was written on
WELS letterhead.]
The official denial in The Northwestern Lutheran made the amusing claim
that John Barber was needed by ELCA and Missouri as a consultant. He only
attended the meetings as an observer.
Just Consulting
J-611.2
"Rev. Brenner tells us how unionists in the General Council chloroformed the
conscience of the body. When they entered into working arrangements (in the
distinctly religious sphere) with the Reformed churches, they glazed the matter
over by reporting that 'the object of these conferences is purely that of counsel
404

concerning the problems of foreign mission-work.' Only counsel; no fellowship;

just consulting with one another. Thus does the camel push its nose into the
tent. Let us keep our eyes open" (p. 98ff.)
Carl Lawrenz, Chairman, Commission on Doctrinal Matters,
Fellowship Then and Now, Concerning the Impasse in the Intersynodical
Discussions on Church Fellowship, no date, p. 23.
The synodical mindset is well illustrated in a message sent from a
WELS pastor. The occasion of his correspondence was an essay I wrote about
the secret initiation rites of the Wisconsin Synod. I wrote chiefly about GA,
where the first year seminary students are misled, verbally abused, humiliated,
and then, when welcomed into our Masonic Lodge, told to never divulge the
secrets of the week. The essay never appeared in Christian News. It was sent out
on the Martin Chemnitz Doctrinal Bulletin and then copied to the WELS
discussion group by a pastor deeply concerned about hazing abuses.337
Telling the Truth Violates the Eighth Commandment
J-612.2
I just saw an expose that you wrote on WELS initiation abuses. I read it on the
'net. I'm under the impression that it appeared in CN, but I don't know that for
certain because I don't get CN anymore. They publish nearly anything and one
cannot be sure about the veracity of what one reads in that publication. It used
to be an excellent source for reliable information. I'm not so sure any more. But
that's not why I wrote you.
I wrote to ask whether what I read was really what you wrote. If so, I'm
shocked that you would write it! I can't understand why you wouldyour
motivation escapes me, except perhaps as a way to get back at those who you
believe hurt you in the past. It appears vindictive, and is clearly not putting the
best construction on everything, as we are taught in Luther's explanation of the
Eighth Commandment.
WELS pastor, anonymous by his request. Email. November 2, 1998.338
The intriguing contradictions of the message are not unique to the
writer, who first denied knowing my motives (which were spelled out in the
article), then attributed base motives to me, and finally informed me that I
violated the Eighth Commandment. This mans worship professor, James P.
Tiefel, writing on seminary stationery, wrote a letter to Pastor Otten (and cousin
Paul Tiefel, Jr.) which climaxed in a claim that I needed a complete medical
exam from a caring physician to deal with my violations of the Eighth
Commandment.
This brief summary of Eighth Commandment abuses serves simply to
illustrate how synods treat anyone who dares to question their doctrine and
practice. When a WELS leader wrote an essay against Church Growth and
405

amalgamation, his brother pastors told people the man was brain-damaged.
When a retired seminary president opposed the amalgamation of the two
colleges, the story was spread that the elderly man was senile. The WELS
pastors who thought abuse was aimed only at outsiders, especially those who
published articles, found themselves in a state of shock as they started to receive
the same kind of treatment from their leaders.
Nothing is meant to suggest that only the Wisconsin Synod abuses the
Eighth Commandment. It happens that publishing so many articles created a
significant number of written reactions. Most pastors and laity do not publish
articles, so the bogus use of the Eighth Commandment and Matthew 18 does
not get recorded. However, I can verify from the stories of many different laity
and pastors that the same methods are used repeatedly in all synods.
Lutheranism has driven many pastors out of the ministry, kept some of the
worst false teachers and predators in business, and now faces a meltdown in
membership and a critical shortage of ministers.
Foundation of the Abuse
Many false approaches to the Scriptures contribute to the pathetic state
of Lutheranism today. All of them are derived from lack of faith in the efficacy
of the Word. The following are cited as primary reasons for avoiding discussion
about doctrine and practice:
A. The synod comes first. Therefore, whatever might hurt the synod is a sin.
B. My career comes first. If I become known for conflict, I will be denied the
position I want. I may be removed from the ministry by vindictive leaders.
C. The synod may take away my pension now that I am retired, so I will keep
silent.
D. I want to retire in peace and not become embroiled in conflict.
The excuses listed above have been offered to me or to my friends at
various times. The excuses reveal a materialistic attitude toward life, a lack of
trust in our Heavenly Father, and a rejection of the efficacy of the Word. No
one is going to say that he is not tempted to give in to the same fears and
delusions. Whenever conflict begins, a minister is going to think about how to
provide for his family, the enormous cost of health insurance, and the
immediate loss of friendship when forced out. No one wants to help the
unemployed minister who has almost no marketable skills. Living on a
ministers salary is not easy, but trying to live without it is far more difficult.
Higher salaries and pension funds have contributed to the entrapment of
ministers. Although the pension funds can no longer be taken away as they were
in the past, the fear of losing so much in benefits can paralyze the conscience.
When we are tempted by materialistic concerns, we should remember the
Scriptures:
406

KJV Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
KJV Psalm 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what
man can do unto me.
KJV Luke 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them
that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
KJV Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he
saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
KJV Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble
knees. 4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your
God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and
save you.
KJV Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of
me, saith the LORD.
KJV 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be
ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that,
whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely
accuse your good conversation in Christ.
In the Name of Love
If I could name one gambit that has proved successful in undermining
orthodoxy in recent years, it would be the improper invocation of love. If
someone tries to raise an issue about doctrine, and he persists, he is called
unloving. One conservative pastor was called Loveless Leonard for arguing
the very position his denomination confessed on paper. Who gave him that
nickname? The pastors in his own synod! Although his congregation was strong
and unquestionably Lutheran, the neighboring pastors were able to cast a pall
over traditional Lutheranism, in the name of love. One of the sins of Loveless
Leonard was committed when he objected to a neighboring pastor who invited
an Episcopalian choir to sing at his congregation and then communed them.
The ecumenical pastor hung up the phone on Leonard. The district president
refused to act. Once again, we can ask, Who caused the strife? Who divided
people? Loveless Leonard or the loving liberal and his lax district president?
KJV 1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth.
407

The men who talk most about love often express themselves rather
sharply, as we can see from the citation below.
J-613.2
Harkey: "We want love as much as orthodoxy, yes, a thousand times more than
what some men call orthodoxy."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1919, II, p. 121.
Harkey represented the position that love was to be preferred to
orthodoxy. In this particular instance, he did not openly argue for a weak or
compromising approach to Lutheranism, but cleverly boasted about his love
while questioning orthodoxy. The barb implies that an abundance of love is true
orthodoxy and that the unloving opponents of doctrinal laxity are not really
orthodox.339
J-614.2
"In the Lutheran Observer, January 2, 1863, H. Harkey wrote: 'Some say that unity
must precede union. But the Bible demands that we unite. Hence those who
magnify these differences [among Lutherans] are the greatest sinners in the
Church.' This has always been the view of the General Synod: union,
irrespective of doctrinal differences... all endeavors at union which disregard the
divine norm of Christian fellowship are anti-Scriptural."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1919, II, p. 19.
American Lutherans have shown little interest in history, even less in
Lutheran history. Therefore, people are vulnerable to the love strategy when
they do not know how successfully it undermined sound doctrine in the past.
The best example is Philip Melanchthon, Luthers co-worker, a man of great
ability. Unfortunately, Melanchthon was far too willing to compromise about
doctrine, both with the Reformed and the papalists, in order to achieve peace.
His example and teaching led to a division that still plagues Lutheranism.
Every liberal or apostate has a special advantage. He can work secretly
to undermine the established confession of faith by suggesting some small
improvements or by pointing out how a clear position alarms and offends
others. Others with the same spirit can work together with him in the name of
love. As one recent apostate said, I have had a lovers quarrel with my church
all my life. What he meant was, I have devoted my life to subverting the
teaching of my church. Anyone who opposes the liberal must argue against the
error and thereby appear unloving. For instance, the proponent of open
communion wants to include everyone, since Christ died for the sins of the
whole world. The first stage may be, Dont ask. Dont tell. The bulletin
announcement of close communion is omitted. The pastor does not say
408

anything. The ushers do not wish to embarrass anyone. No one says, We have
open communion. If a traditional Lutheran tries to reverse the trend, angry
members will list all the reasons why that would be bad for evangelism and
unloving. Someone will cry at the meeting.
Whatever people may claim, doctrinal slippage does not increase love,
but strife.
J-615.2
"As a rule, it is assumed that only the genuine Lutherans indulged in unseemly
polemical invective, and spoke and wrote in a bitter and spiteful tone. But the
Melanchthonians were, to say the least, equally guilty... The 'peace-loving
Melanchthon started a conflagration within his own church in order to obtain a
temporal and temporary peace with the Romanists; while the loyal Lutherans,
inasmuch as they fought for the preservation of genuine Lutheranism, stood
for, and promoted, a truly honorable, Godly, and lasting peace on the basis of
eternal truth. And while the latter fought honestly and in the open, the
Philippists have never fully cleared themselves from the charges of duplicity,
dishonesty, and dissimulation."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
104.
The Pietists all believe that their works, lifestyle, or love will convert
people to Christ. Several Lutherans, endorsed by Lutherans of all synods, even
produced a national dog-and-pony show on Lifestyle Evangelism. The
appealing thesis of their program was that people will be attracted to the church
by the lifestyle of church members, by their love. Unfortunately, all the synods
involved, virtually 99% of Lutheranism, experienced membership declines from
that time on. But, one can imagine the promoters saying, think how bad it
would have been without Lifestyle Evangelism.
Luther found that the key to this entire argument was the efficacy of
the Word. The Holy Spirit does not work through love but through the Word.
Love is a fruit of the spirit, the greatest of the theological virtues (Galatians 5; 1
Corinthians 13). The advocates of love confuse the power of the Word with its
results. Love is produced when the Law and the Gospel are properly taught and
preached. For instance, no one is more thankful, joyous, and loving than one
who has faced the enormity of his sins, the uselessness of his own efforts, and
the depth of Gods mercy revealed in the crucified Messiah. The Law does not
produce love, so one does not spawn a loving congregation by telling them to
be more loving. Members do not become more loving by being told they are
unloving. The Gospel of forgiveness produces love, the first fruit of the
Spirit.340
Word of God Brings Eternal Life
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J-616.2
"Therefore, do not speak to me of love or friendship when anything is to be
detracted from the Word or the faith; for we are told that not love but the
Word brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1411f. Ephesians 6:10-17.
Reversal of Fortune
Our normal reaction to conflict in the congregation or synod is often
the wrong one. If we are offended in any way, our Old Adam wants retribution,
justice, and then some. However, when Gods Word is attacked, whether boldly
or subtly, we tend to suffer in silence. The pure Word of God will always bring
the contempt of the world, the scorn of friends, and the assaults of Satan. The
reaction is often so fierce that we are tempted to say, I would rather have some
peace and let all this go. If someone tries to obtain justice for every single
personal slight and all harm done to him, he will soon be a dog chasing his tail
or rolling in the dirt with others. Instead, we should fight for the truth of Gods
Word and accept the hardships that will certainly come our way as a result.
Bearing the cross cannot be separated from following Christ. Pastors and laity
must be patient with each others faults but unbending about sound doctrine.
J-617.2
"In like manner we will also do to our princes and priests; when they attack our
manner of life, we should suffer it and show love for hatred, good for evil; but
when they attack our doctrine, God's honor is attacked, then love and patience
should cease and we should not keep silent, but also say: I honor my Father,
and you dishonor me; yet I do not inquire whether you dishonor me, for I do
not seek my own honor."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 176.
J-618.2
"To love God with all the soul is to devote your entire bodily life to him that
you can say when the love of any creature, or any persecution threatens to
overpower you: All this will I give up, before I will forsake my God; let men
cast me away, murder or drown me, let what God's will is happen to me, I will
gladly lose all, before I will forsake Thee, O Lord!"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 25.
If someone wishes to follow Luthers advice below, he will be scolded
by church officials, shunned by fellow pastors, disciplined by adulterous
members, but loved by God and His holy angels.341 If a congregation truly
follows this admonition, the members will enjoy among themselves great peace,
410

genuine love, true harmony, and amazing advances in their ministry to the
community and the world.
J-619.2
"In matters concerning faith we must be invincible, unbending, and very
stubborn; indeed, if possible, harder than adamant. But in matters concerning
love we should be softer and more pliant than any reed and leaf and should
gladly accommodate ourselves to everything."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 412f. Galatians 2:8.
J-620.2
"Doctrine is our only light. It alone enlightens and directs us and shows us the
way to heaven. If it is shaken in one quarter (in une parte), it will necessarily be
shaken in its entirety (in totum). Where that happens, love cannot help us at all."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 414. Galatians 5:10.
J-621.2
"But this tender mercy is to be exercised only toward Christians and among
Christians, for toward those who reject and persecute the Gospel we must act
differently; here I am not permitted to let my love be merciful so as to tolerate
and endure false doctrine. When faith and doctrine are concerned and
endangered, neither love nor patience are in order. Then it is my duty to
contend in earnest and not to yield a hairbreadth."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637f.
Closing of the Formula of Concord
Lutherans should not be surprised that the finest statement about love
and sound doctrine should be found near the conclusion of the Formula of
Concord, 1580. The word concord means harmony and it stands for the unity
created by many voices that believe, teach, and confess the same doctrine.
Horrible strife followed the death of Luther in 1546 and the effort of the
Catholic emperor to destroy Lutheranism. In this passage, love is expressed for
the unity created by a sincere, open confession of faith, and trust is placed in the
Holy Spirits work through the pure Word. This statement is in large print to
stop and arrest the attention of anyone paging through the book.
J-622.2

"We have no intention of yielding aught of the eternal,

immutable truth of God for the sake of temporal peace,
tranquility, and unity (which, moreover, is not in our power to
do). Nor would such peace and unity, since it is devised against
411

the truth and for its suppression, have any permanency. Still
less are we inclined to adorn and conceal a corruption of the
pure doctrine and manifest, condemned errors. But we
entertain heartfelt pleasure and love for, and are on our part
sincerely inclined and anxious to advance, that unity according
to our utmost power, by which His glory remains to God
uninjured, nothing of the divine truth of the Holy Gospel is
surrendered, no room is given to the least error, poor sinners
are brought to true, genuine repentance, raised up by faith,
confirmed in new obedience, and thus justified and eternally
saved alone through the sole merit of Christ."
Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article XI. Election. #94-96.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1095.
Tappert, p. 632. Heiser, p. 294.
J-623.2
"When a theologian is asked to yield and make concessions in order that peace
may at last be established in the Church, but refuses to do so even in a single
point of doctrine, such an action looks to human reason like intolerable
stubbornness, yea, like downright malice. That is the reason why such
theologians are loved and praised by few men during their lifetime. Most men
rather revile them as disturbers of the peace, yea, as destroyers of the kingdom
of God. They are regarded as men worthy of contempt. But in the end it
becomes manifest that this very determined, inexorable tenacity in clinging to
the pure teaching of the divine Word by no means tears down the Church; on
the contrary, it is just this which, in the midst of greatest dissension, builds up
the Church and ultimately brings about genuine peace. Therefore, woe to the
Church which has no men of this stripe, men who stand as watchmen on the
walls of Zion, sound the alarm whenever a foe threatens to rush the walls, and
rally to the banner of Jesus Christ for a holy war!
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 28.
Unionism
The modern term unionism expresses what the Bible teaches about
religious work with others who have a different confession of faith. The term is
derived from the damage piously wrought by the Prussian Union of 1817-1830.
The ruler, in a mixed (Lutheran/Reformed) marriage, thought it would be
worthwhile to have the Lutherans and the Reformed in one united church. No
one thought to make the Reformed give up Enthusiasm, to have them stop
teaching against the efficacy of the Word, the Means of Grace, baptismal
412

regeneration and the Real Presence of Christ in the Lords Supper. The goal of
that union movement was to have the Lutherans give up those Biblical
doctrines previously attacked by Zwingli, Calvin, and their followers. Unionism
did not start with the Prussian Union or stop once the European Lutheran
Church was completely adapted to the suppression of truth, that is, absolutely
indifferent to Biblical truths in the name of organizational peace. The original
Prussian Union encouraged the founders of the Missouri Synod to escape to
America, and these founders had a profound and positive influence upon
American Lutheranism.
Indifference and Unionism
Unionism has been defined as exhibiting religious unity where none
exists. The problem has been with pastors and church leaders taking part in
worship services and formal prayer meetings (so designated to avoid the reality
of joint worship), even though no unity exists. Unionism also describes any
religious activity where discordant confessions of faith come together to work
in the name of Christ. Joint board meetings, joint evangelism programs, joint
religious radio shows, and joint religious leadership meetings all qualify as
unionism. Some have claimed that fellowship in externals or joint work in the
area of relief does not count as unionism. Nevertheless, it can be shown that
fellowship in externals has consistently led to old-fashioned unionism by the
process of increasing apathy and indifference.
J-624.2
"Doctrinal indifference is at once the root of unionism and its fruit. Whoever
accepts, in theory as well as in practice, the absolute authority of the Scriptures
and their unambiguousness with reference to all fundamental doctrines, must be
opposed to every form of unionism."
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book
Concern, 1940, p. 20.
Not every one in Europe surrendered to unionism, but the exceptions
have been rare. The sainted Herman Sasse found little support for traditional
Lutheranism in Europe or in America after World War II. Nevertheless, his
articles and books have inspired many Lutherans to reject unionism and the
corpse-cold doctrines of liberalism. Wherever unionism has attacked Biblical
doctrines in the name of love, the Word of God and the Book of Concord have
awakened people to guard the spiritual treasures being stolen away by craft and
stealth, fraud and deceit.
The following passages from the Bible can be argued away, if we place
no emphasis upon the clarity and unity of the Scriptures. However, if we believe
that the Word of God is one complete and integrated truth without error or
contradiction, then the injunctions against any kind of compromise with
falsehood must be regarded as central to the Christian faith and not residue
from an un-mourned past.
413

Unionism can only be described as a violation of the First

Commandment, the one commandment hardly mentioned among Lutherans.
What does this commandment mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God
above all things.342 That must mean above all synods, above all bishops, above
all pension plans, above all methods.
Exodus 20:2-3
KJV Exodus 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.
The prophet Hosea loved and married an unfaithful woman, who
served as a visual symbol of Gods love for His unfaithful people.343 The danger
to Israel and later to Christianity has been a longing for, an adulation of, and an
imitation of false religion. Following false gods is a matter of forgetting, just as a
spouse forgets vows of lifelong fidelity in order to commit adultery. The
promises and blessings of God are not remembered and valued because they
come in such abundance, while the glittering vices of false religions appeal to
the senses by being different, exotic, and carnal.
Deuteronomy 8:19
KJV Deuteronomy 8:19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the
LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them,
I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
People do not simply look over the fence and begin copying a false
religion. First, a fine, good-looking, well mannered, soft-spoken, intelligent and
articulate false prophet stands near the fence, pointing out how much better
everything must be on the other side. We are harsh. They are loving. We are
barely surviving. They are thriving. We are lost. They have a vision for the
future. We are clods. They are cosmopolitan. We are poorly paid. They enjoy all
the finest things in life. The church council of a Christian congregation in a
middle class community came to the stark realization that every church in town
had grownbut theirs!
Gods antidote to the silken words of the false prophet is: "Kill him.
This may seem to be a severe remedy, but the false prophet of the Old
Testament introduced such improvements in worship as sacred prostitution and
infant sacrifice. More importantly, the false prophet murdered souls then as he
does now by destroying faith in the one true God.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
KJV Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a
dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the
wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other
gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not
414

hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the
LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your
God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye
shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of
dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the
LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed
you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the
LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away
from the midst of thee.
When Paul described the work of false prophets, he said, Watch out
for them and lean away from them. Some conservative Lutherans have
recently claimed, They are Christians too. We can lean toward them. But
these progressive Christians reject salvation through Christ alone, mock the
Means of Grace, endorse homosexuality and abortion, and teach their disciples
to get in touch with the spirits who run our universe.345
Romans 16:17-18
KJV Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which
cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and
avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their
own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
simple.
The pan-Christians argue that we must not be too narrow or be
legalistic in rejecting the wisdom of those who have a different confession.
They have not heeded the motto of F. Pfotenhauer, the last truly orthodox
Missouri Synod president, Resist the beginnings. One type of religious
fellowship leads to another. Why would any orthodox Lutheran want to be
yoked together with an ordained pastor or seminary professor who makes fun
of his confession of faith and offers a false confession as an improvement? This
mocking attitude can only happen when someone does not value the Word,
forgetting how God is honored by our love for His Scriptures.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
KJV 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living
God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
415

receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
False teachers glory in their success, in the material trappings of their
power. One anecdote about the liberals in another setting rings true about
Lutherans today, What do they hold? The answer The best congregations
in the land. An evil desire for the things of this world creates a double
jeopardy. First of all, it confirms false prophets in their error, since they look
around and calculate that God must surely bless them or perhaps that He
cannot possibly be watching closely. Secondly, the worldly success of false
teachers serves to attract and seduce ministers who think their weakness,
poverty, and lack of esteem need a man-made remedy.
1 John 2:15-16
KJV 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote a Gospel so filled
with love that it is called the Gospel of love. His first epistle is also filled with
tender injunctions for the believers to love one another, for God is love,
contrary to the modern notion that love is god. The apostles description of
love makes it impossible to love what is false. Put the spirits on trial is just the
opposite of pleading for someone because he is a nice guy, or worse, a
friend of mine, or worst of all, my classmate. Friendship and love are best
exemplified when someone objects to false doctrine coming from his best
friend, his pastor, his district president, and even his seminary professor.
1 John 4:1-3
KJV 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it
in the world.
Christianity spread through hospitality. However, the faith is also
opposed through the use of hospitality, friendships and bloodlines.346 We
should not expect Satan to despise something so convenient to his plans. Many
people will listen to their friends and give up sound doctrine. More than one
person has been threatened with being cut out of the family estate and
responded by modifying his views.247 Foolish people even listen to the cult
416

members who knock on doors and spread poison from house to house. The
worst fools pay huge sums to be trained in falsehood.
Unionism is now so accepted that one conservative pastor allowed a
Mormon, someone trained in hating Christianity, to give a long eulogy at a
Lutheran funeral. The same denomination claims that a Mason could not enjoy
the trappings of his lodge at his funeral, since the Masonic orders teach
salvation through works. But the Mormons deliberately imitate the lodge and go
another step in calling Christianity the Whore of Babylon, teaching that Jesus
is the brother of Satan, and declaring that the Savior had wives and spirit
children. How can a conservative Lutheran pastor share a religious service with
a Mormon?348 The Church of the Lutheran Confession makes a fetish of
denouncing the unionism of other Lutheran bodies, but it is easy to identify
CLC pastors who violate their own guidelines. One very hip CLC pastor
participated in an Episcopalian funeral, because the boy who died had been
attending the church school. The same pastor publicly accepted as members
two people living together but planning to get married.
2 John 1:10-11
KJV 2 John 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he
that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
Many false teachers are named in the New Testament so naming
names must not be a sin, contrary to the claims of some.349 Diotrephes loved
to be top dog and caused all kinds of evil.350 Although false teachers want to be
considered apostles of love, their self-love (a modern word for conceit) leads
them into the worst kind of back-biting, fueled by their Father Below, the
master of deceit. Once again, the remedy can only be avoidance. The outward
behavior illustrates what is happening in their hearts. Hatred of Gods Word
will always bear the bitter fruit of hatred toward the brothers. We should not be
surprised today that so many false teachers, firmly entrenched in false doctrine,
cannot abide a word of correction, but labor night and day to drive out of the
church all those who love Gods Word, laity and ministers alike. Diotrephes has
many children today.
3 John 1:10-11
KJV 3 John 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds
which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content
therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them
that would, and casteth them out of the church. 11 Beloved, follow not that
which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that
doeth evil hath not seen God.

417

Fellowship
Unionism can be called a false fellowship, because the term fellowship in
the New Testament is only used for fellowship with God. Now that so many
musty church basements have been enhanced with the name of Fellowship Hall,
people think that fellowship means friendship, coffee, doughnuts, and
comparing golf scores. The Corinthians were surrounded with paganism, as we
are today, so the members had to deal with the issue of meat offered to idols.
One aspect of the issue was avoiding an association with pagan worship, which
was demonic.
1 Corinthians 10:20
KJV 1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles
sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should
have fellowship with devils.
Pauls warning to the Ephesians concludes a longer passage about the
shameful practices of the pagans who accepted homosexual behavior as normal,
fulfilling Romans 1. The apostates of Lutheranism have progressed so far that
they have cloned the Satanic doctrines and perverse practices of paganism.
Ephesians 5:11
KJV Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Some conservative Lutheran leaders have professed to be hurt that they
have been called liars for their unionism, promotion of false doctrine, and
malicious work against the Lutheran Confessions. One cannot defend falsehood
and claim to walk in the light. One cannot profess to love Christ while despising
His Word. If the Word of the Lord is too weak to be effective, while mans
methods are powerful, then the Savior is dishonored.
1 John 1:6-7
KJV 1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Luther and the Triglotta
J-625.2
"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
418

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.
J-626.2
"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."
Fifth Part, Of The Sacrament of the Altar, #2, Large Catechism,
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert,
p. 447.
J-627.2
"And Paul commands that godless teachers should be avoided and execrated as
cursed. Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10. And 2 Corinthians 6:14 he says: 'Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what communion hath light with
darkness?'"
Marks of Antichrist, 41, Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the
Pope, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 517.
Tappert, p. 328. Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10; 2 Corinthians 6:14.
J-628.2
"If one associates much with heretics, one finally also makes oneself partaker of
their false doctrine, their lies, and their errors; for he who touches pitch soils his
hands with it."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 646.
J-629.2
"The orthodox character of a church is established not by its mere name nor by
its outward acceptance of, and subscription to, an orthodox creed, but by the
doctrine which is actually taught in its pulpits, in its theological seminaries, and
in its publications. On the other hand, a church does not forfeit its orthodox
character through the casual intrusion of errors, provided these are combated
and eventually removed by means of doctrinal discipline."
(A Brief Statement of the Missouri Synod's Doctrinal Position, 1932)
Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and
Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 2.
419

Reu: Three Marks of Unionism

J-630.2
"Here we discover the first mark of unionism: A difference in doctrine which
hitherto has been regarded as divisive, is suddenly made to lose its divisive
significance." (About the Augsburg Confession, Variata, Real Presence)
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book
Concern, 1940, p. 19.
J-631.2
"The second mark of unionism, therefore, is this: Differences in doctrine are
made to lose their divisive significance with a view to uniting hitherto separate
churches." (about unification of all Protestant forces)
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book
Concern, 1940, p. 19.
J-632.2
"The third mark of unionism, therefore, is this: A formula of unification is
found which each of two hitherto separate churches may accept but which each
of them interprets differently. An external bond is found for internally divided
groups." (About Melanchthon using 1 Corinthians 10:16 as the basis for uniting
the Reformed and Lutherans, Luther's favorite text against the Reformed.)
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book
Concern, 1940, p. 19. 1 Corinthians 10:16.
Luthers Rebuke to George Major
American Lutheranism has declined dramatically due to a lack of trust
in the efficacy of the Word, unchecked unionism, and massive indifference
toward doctrinal apostasy. Many men enter the conservative Lutheran
seminaries with an idealistic view of the Word. The seminaries, staffed by
church politicians, replace trust in the Scriptures with faith in the synod and a
professional attitude toward a "career in the ministry. In one room the men are
taught the errors of Zwingli, Calvin, Pentecostals, and the Pietists. In another
room, the same students are told they must study the books written by
Zwinglians, Calvinists, tongue-speakers, and Pietists.
Proof of the decline of Lutheranism can be found in the complete lack
of theological leadership among the synod presidents. In the past, such writers
as Walther, F. Pieper, A. Pieper, Krauth, Lenski, and Ylvisaker were
denominational leaders, professors, or both. The current synodical leaders have
published nothing of value while their predecessors books are valued classics in
theological and pastoral libraries. The current seminary professors of all the
conservative synods have published only a little more than the denominational
officials. In fact, many of the professors are singularly unqualified to teach by
virtue of their slavish devotion to Reformed doctrine, their intellectual laziness,
420

and their Majorism. By Majorism I do not mean his doctrine of the necessity of
doing good works, but the professors amazing likeness to the portrait of
George Major, as preserved in his rebuke by Martin Luther.
J-633.2
"It is by your silence and cloaking that you cast suspicion upon yourself. If you
believe as you declare in my presence, then speak so also in the church, in
public lectures, in sermons, and in private conversations, and strengthen your
brethren, and lead the erring back to the right path, and contradict the
contumacious spirits; otherwise your confession is sham pure and simple, and
worth nothing. Whoever really regards his doctrine, faith, and confession as
true, right, and certain cannot remain in the same stall with such as teach, or
adhere to, false doctrine; nor can he keep on giving friendly words to Satan and
his minions. A teacher who remains silent when errors are taught, and
nevertheless pretends to be a true teacher, is worse than an open fanatic and by
his hypocrisy does greater damage than a heretic. Nor can he be trusted. He is a
wolf and a fox, a hireling and a servant of his belly, and ready to despise and to
sacrifice doctrine, Word, faith, Sacrament, churches, and schools. He is either a
secret bedfellow of the enemies, or a skeptic and a weathervane, waiting to see
whether Christ or the devil will prove victorious; or he has no convictions of his
own whatever, and is not worthy to be called a pupil, let alone a teacher; nor
does he want to offend anybody, or say a word in favor of Christ, or hurt the
devil and the world.
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
94.
The poor example of the synod officials and professors contributes to
the mental sloth and spinelessness of many conservative pastors. Imbued with
the theology of glory, these pastors skip their Biblical studies in favor of
attending practical seminars on how to be successful, always choosing their
words and actions carefully to benefit their standing in the denomination. They
are coffee hour conservatives at best, piously denouncing the apostate trends of
their synod during the break, but silently nodding assent to those same spiritual
atrocities during the meeting itself. They will gladly betray the friends they egg
on to do something about this problem, forgetting that they too wanted the
newest error to be stopped. Doing an about-face and betraying former friends is
often rewarded with the long hoped-for call. No wonder it happens so often!
Misguided toleration is the best way to explain the catastrophic decline
of Lutheranism: what do we find tolerable and what do we consider intolerable?
The Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod, and Evangelical Lutheran Synod all
denounce ELCA for being so radical and pro-abortion, so eager to ordain
women, and so quick to revise the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. But are all
these marks of apostasy intolerable to those conservative synods, those heirs of
Walther, Pieper, and Ylvisaker? Not at all. If ELCAs habits are so atrocious,
421

then why are the conservative synods so eager to attend the same joint
conferences with ELCA and carry out joint work in worship, evangelism,
leadership, and cross-cultural ministry?
American Lutherans no longer tolerate an open discussion of doctrinal
error, for various reasons. The foundation was torn down in the 1930s, when
Biblical errancy was allowed to supplant the orthodox doctrine of Scriptural
inerrancy. The Word of God does not contain errors or contradictionsthat
doctrine was the accepted norm of all Christian confessions until the advent of
the historical-critical method of interpreting the Bible.
In the past, American Lutherans differed in their confession, varying
from the orthodoxy of the Missouri Synod to the unionism of many Pietistic
groups. But they had the same foundation which contributed to trust in the
efficacious Word. Once the authority of the Word was weakened, the
conservative Lutheran groups began holding joint theological conferences with
their liberal Lutheran opponents who openly mocked the Biblical views of the
conservative. Those who truly believed in Biblical inerrancy would not sit down
with the scornful (Psalm 1).351
Many historical reasons can be given for the self-destruction of
Lutheranism, all of them illuminating to some degree, but the decline happened
because Lutherans allowed it to happen. They tolerated professors and ministers
who mocked the Bible, because they were nice guys, classmates, and blood
relatives of synod officials. Ancestor worship is more widely practiced in the old
Synodical Conference than among the primitive tribes of Africa and the
bluebloods of Connecticut.
When Lutheran pastors objected to the horrible errors of the New
International Version of the Bible, they were expelled from the ministry. Others
were put out for complaining about unionism or doctrinal indifference. Still
others walked the plank for rejecting the crafts and assaults of the Church
Growth Movement. I know a pastor who was fired illegally for having a
pancake dinner on Shrove Tuesday.

422

Appendix: Joint Work in WELS, ELCA, LCMS

Unionism: WELS Definition
J-634.2
"Before God every activity of our faith is at the same time fellowship activity in
the Communion of Saints."
Doctrinal Statements of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod,
Authorized by the Commission on Doctrinal Matters. p. 27.
J-635.2
"In selecting specific individuals or groups for a joint expression of faith we can
do this only on the basis of their confession."
Doctrinal Statements of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod,
Authorized by the Commission on Doctrinal Matters. p. 29.
J-636.2
"Unionism is characterized by these marks: It fails to confess the whole truth of
the divine Word; it fails to reject and denounce every opposing error; it assigns
error equal right with truth and creates the impression of church fellowship and
of unity of faith where they do not exist." (Wisconsin Synod, Prayer Fellowship,
Tract No. 10, 1954)
Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches,
and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 64.
WELS Pan-Christian Worship Conference
J-637.2
A Visiona revelation, reallyof what worship would be. What worship
would be in heaven. Jesus offered it; St. John saw it..."
Rev. James P. Tiefel, WELS professor of worship, Wisconsin Lutheran
Seminary, chairman of the WELS national worship conference at Carthage
College (ELCA), 1996.
Conference Leaders Included:
1ELCA parish staff member.
1Episcopalian staff member, who led the Lutheran childrens choir in
worship.
1Roman Catholic businessman.
1Evangelical.
0Evangelical Lutheran Synod pastors.
5Missouri Synod pastors and professors.
5WELS women who taught men about worship and music.
1Future WELS seminary president, David Valleskey, keynote speaker.
423

Recognition of Womens Ordination by Missouri And WELS

J-638.2
"In 1970 there were 500,000 more baptized members of Lutheran
congregations than was the case in 1990. The Church Membership Initiative
project was undertaken to understand and address this decline... Contact:
Rev. Mary Ann Moller-Gunderson, Executive Director, Division for
Congregational Ministries, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W
Higgins Road, Chicago, IL, 60631, 312-380-2570;
Rev. Lyle Muller, Executive Director, Board for Evangelism Services, The
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 1333 S Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO,
63122-7295, 314-965-9000;
Rev. Wayne Borgwardt, Administrator for Worker Training, Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod, 2929 N Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53222, 414256-3236;
Mr. Douglas Olson, Aid Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road,
Appleton, WI, 54919, 414-734-5721."
Church Membership Initiative, Narrative Summary of Findings, 1993, Aid
Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road, Appleton, WI, 54919-0001,
June 30, 1993. Multiple copies of this report can be found at Martin Luther
College Library, New Ulm, Minnesota.
J-639.2
"Its 'overall objective' is: 'To set in motion forces that will result in annual
increases in the number of members of Lutheran congregations.' Why would
any confessional Lutheran wish to 'set in motion forces' for 'annual increases in
ELCA membership? The introductory page already alerts one to the hollowness
of the talk about 'faithfulness to the substance of Lutheranism' (p. 3), by listing
an ELCA official, a pastoress, as one of the sources of further information.
'Unchurched people feel good about their faith,' we are told, and the implication
is that we should too."
Professor Kurt Marquart, "Church Growth" As Mission Paradigm, A
Lutheran Assessment, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Houston: Luther Academy
Monograph, 1994, p. 142.
Joint Religious Broadcast

424

J-640.2
"A new sacred classical music radio program soon will be available to radio
stations across the country. The hour-long, weekly program, called Joy, is an
inter-Lutheran project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran
Synod. Joy will be produced by KFUO-FM in St. Louis and will be funded by
Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit society. 'I'm excited about
being involved in this project which is the first joint venture into ministry that
has ever been done by these three Lutheran churches,' said the Rev. Richard
Jensen, a member of ELCA communications staff and the Joy Advisory
Committee. 'Joy is a program of sacred music. The focus is on the classics of
sacred Christian music..."
ELCA Newsbriefs, Christian News, 12-9-91, p. 2.
Denial by Mischke
J-641.2
"The article in Christian News to which you refer escaped my attention until one
of our other pastors called it to my attention soon after it appeared. Initially I
even had difficulty relating to it. After thinking about it for a time I remembered
that I was asked about a year ago whether the WELS would endorse or be in
sponsor of such a program. My answer then was 'No and still is. I have
consistently taken the position with the fraternal benefits societies that 'panLutheran' projects almost inevitably exclude us from participation because of
our fellowship principles. The leadership of the fraternals has respected our
position. So the statement by a member of the ELCA communications staff
that this is the 'first joint venture into ministry' ever done by these three
Lutheran churches is simply not factual. It has been called to the attention of
those who made this statement."
President Carl H. Mischke (WELS Synodical President), Letter to
Pastor James Sherod, 1-3-92. [WELS staffmember John Barber did attend the
meetings, as a consultant, according to the revised denial in The Northwestern
Lutheran.]
WELS, ELCA, LCMS at Joint Leadership Conference
J-642.2
"CHIEFS CONFER: Waiting their turn to speak at a recent Lutheran
leadership consultation are Dr. Carl Mischke, president of the Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Church... Bohlmann... and ELCA Bishop Herbert W.
Chilstrom. At the July 18-20 event in Snowbird, Utah, in the Wasatch
Mountains, 130 Lutheran leaders gathered to articulate a 'vision of leadership'
for their respective church bodies."
The Lutheran, (ELCA) September 4, 1991 p. 33.
425

Jointly Planned by ELCA, WELS, LCMS

J-643.2
"The Lutheran Leadership Consultation, facilitated by Lutheran Brotherhood in
partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the
Lutheran-Church Missouri Synod (LC-MS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical
Lutheran Synod (WELS), was the first meeting of this type that included the
three major Lutheran Churches as planners and participants."
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next
Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.
ELCA Bible Study Leader
J-644.2
"Throughout the Consultation, Walter F. Taylor, Jr., Professor of New
Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, explored principles
and examples of leadership in the Pauline epistles."
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next
Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 13.
Church Growth Loves Druckerism
J-645.2
"Four speakers prominent in the field of leadership research shared their
perspectives. Frances Hesselbein of New York City, president and chief
executive officer of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit
Management, spoke on 'The Challenge of Leadership.' She noted, 'The church
shares the same bottom line with all voluntary and human service organizations:
changed lives.'"
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next
Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.
Reformed Professor
J-646.2
"William McKinney, dean and professor of religion and society at Hartford
(Connecticut) Seminary, disagreed with the popular view that conventional
Protestant churches have moved from mainline to sideline."
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next
Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.
J-647.2
"George Barna of Glendale, Calif., president of the Barna Research Group, a
marketing firm specializing in research for Christian churches and parachurch
426

organizations, laid out 'The Context for Leadership' with rather challenging
facts about the society the church faces today."
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next
Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.352
WELS Money for LWR and C.A.R.E (United Nations)
J-648.2
"$60,000 General world relief (through C.A.R.E. and Lutheran World Relief).
Rev. Kenneth Strack, chairman, WELS Reports and Memorials for the Fiftyfourth Biennial Convention, Milwaukee: WELS, 1997. p. 165.353
J-649.2
One of many LCMS Congregations in the Willow Creek Association354
Saint John's Lutheran Church
Address: 15808 Manchester Road
City, State, Zip: Ellisville, MO 63011
Country:
Church Phone: (314) 394-4100
Church Fax: (314) 394-9853
Website Address:
E-mail: josh1V7@aol.com
Nearest Metropolitan Area:
Directions to Church:
www.willowcreek.org
A Troubled Conscience
J-650.2
"We find this attitude of tolerance quite frequently among unionists. It is often
used to assuage a troubled conscience, one's own as well as that of others; for
the unionist declares that every one may continue to hold his own private
convictions and merely needs to respect and tolerate those of another. This
attitude is totally wrong, for it disregards two important factors: (a) in tolerating
divergent doctrines one either denies the perspicuity and clarity of the
Scriptures, or one grants to error the right to exist alongside of truth, or one
evidences indifference over against Biblical truth by surrendering its absolute
validity; and (b) in allowing two opposite views concerning one doctrine to exist
side by side, one has entered upon an inclined plane which of necessity leads
ever further into complete doctrinal indifference, as may plainly be seen from
the most calamitous case on record, viz., the Prussian Union."
427

M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book

Concern, 1940, p. 20.

428

Notes
271[Marks

of the Antichrist: the falling away, apostasia, verse 3; seat in the temple
of God, verse 4; acts godlike, verse 4; works have the power of Satan (also see
John 8:44); will remain until Judgment Day, verse 8.] Francis Pieper, Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1953, III, p. 463f. 2 Thessalonians 2:3ff.
272Examples

of the word for efficacy are in bold print in the English and Greek.

273Those

who enjoy reading Francis Piepers Christian Dogmatics are forever

asking, Who is Kalnis?

274When

the Wisconsin Synod seminarys worship professor, James Tiefel,

organized a synodical worship conference at Carthage College in 1996, he
invited a Roman Catholic to share in teaching the sessions. Tiefel also invited an
Episcopalian and a staff-member of an Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America congregation as teachers of the Word. The current seminary president
of WELS, David Valleskey, served as the keynote speaker. Five WELS women
taught the men about worship. Michigan District President John Seifert urged
his pastors to attend the ecumenical, feminist extravaganza.

275Catholic,

Lutheran, Protestant covers the four major areas of disagreement more

completely: justification by faith, Purgatory, Mary, and papal infallibility.

276A

good slogan above the entrance to Purgatory would be: Arbeit Macht
Freiheit.

277I

overemphasized Luthers Marian piety in Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, not

giving enough space to his move toward accepting the true Biblical portrait of
Mary in his later years. In his later sermons we can find references to Mary as a
sinner, a dramatic break with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, the
notion that Mary was conceived without sin and never committed an actual sin.
"In 1532 he denied any notion of a special conception of Mary. 'Mary is
conceived in sin just like us....'" WA 36, 41 Thomas O'Meara, O.P., Mary in
Protestant and Catholic Theology, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1966, p. 116.

278"Having

ascended Mount Carmel and having met the monks there, Saint
Louis [Louis IX of France] is astounded by the account of a most unusual
tradition. The saintly monks say that they are the descendants of the Prophet
Elias and call themselves 'Hermits of Saint Mary of Mount Carmel' because the
fiery prophet, whom they imitate, had beheld, in a foot-shaped cloud that had
divinely soared from the sea below them, a prophetic image of the Immaculate
Virgin Mary who was to bring forth man's Salvation and to conquer the pride of
429

Satan with Her heel of humility." John Mathias Haffert, Mary in Her Scapular
Promise, Sea Isle City, NJ: The Scapular Press, 1942, p. 5. Genesis 3:15.
279"But

the only thing that was taught and advocated was: Invoke the Virgin
Mary and other saints as your mediators and intercessors; fast often and pray
much; make pilgrimages, enter cloisters and become monks, or pay for the
saying of many masses and like works. And thus we imagined when we did
these things we had merited heaven." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John
Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 191.
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:34-46.

280I

heard that the late Robert Preus told his Evangelical friends to stop this
unbecoming reconciliation with Rome on Romes terms. He was ignored.

281[Polish

Count Wladislaw Kulczycki reported in several dispatches that

Cardinal Guidi, who resisted the infallibility drive, was the son of Pope Pius IX.]
August Bernhard Hasler, How the Pope Became Infallible, Pius IX and the Politics of
Persuasion, Garden City: Doubleday and Company, 1981, p. 92. "Bishop Flavian
Hugonin of Bayeeux had to go into hiding for months to escape the wrath of
the Infallibilists in his diocese [in France, after the Council was over]." August
Bernhard Hasler, How the Pope Became Infallible, p. 204. [In America, the Jesuits
"incited" clergy and laity against the opposing bishops, after Vatican I.] "Before
long, one of the key figures in the resistance movement, Archbishop Peter
Richard Kenrick of St. Louis, succumbed to the pressure." August Bernhard
Hasler, How the Pope Became Infallible, p. 205.

282"When

Yussef kissed the foot of Pius IX in the traditional fashion, the pope
placed his foot on the patriarch's head (some said his neck) after the manner of
a pagan conqueror, and said, 'Gregor, you hard head you.' Then he rubbed his
foot about on the patriarch's head a while longer. After Pius had died, the Holy
Synod of the Greek-Melkite church... filed two separate reports of this event in
Rome in order to block the pope's canonization [as a saint]." August Bernhard
Hasler, How the Pope Became Infallible, Pius IX and the Politics of Persuasion, Garden
City: Doubleday and Company, 1981, p. 89. Some of us have had similar
experiences in dealing with Lutheran synodical officials.

283De fide means that Catholics must believe it. When two priests were discussing
Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, the younger one said about Purgatory, It isnt de
fide, is it? The older priest said to him, with some disgust, It definitely is de
fide. The older priest also tried to say that Purgatory was not central in Roman
Catholic doctrine. I should have asked, Is that de fide?
284"The

doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is a classic example of the

development of doctrine." [3 stages: implicit acceptance; discussion and
controversy; reception and solemn definition] E. Caroll, "Mary in the

430

Documents of the Magisterium," Mariology, 3 vols., Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M.,

Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1961, I, p. 18. Yale church history
professor Jaroslav Pelikan was stunned that the modern Roman Catholic
Church published a three volume work on Mary.
285"Even in the literature we do have, Marian references are extremely rare
before the year 150 and are difficult to interpret in works written between 150
and 200." Richard P. McBrien, Catholicism, 2 vols., Minneapolis: Winston Press,
1980, II, p. 869f.
286This

is a reference to the claim of Mary being the Mediatrix of all Graces.

287"The

doctrine is reaffirmed in Pope Paul's Credo of the People of God (1968)

and by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's 'Letter on Certain
Questions Concerning Eschatology' (1979) and is assumed by the Second
Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 51." Richard P.
McBrien, Catholicism, 2 vols., Minneapolis: Winston Press, 1980, II, p. 1144.

288"That

first ground of reason for the existence of the intermediate state

between Heaven and Hell, was appreciated by the pagans themselves. The
philosopher Plato speaks of it in truly remarkable words, in which the Catholic
theologians need hardly make a change. 'Immediately on separation from the
body,' he says, 'the souls come before their judge to be attentively examined.
Does he see a soul disfigured by sin? Heaped with ignominy he will send it to
the dungeon where it will suffer the just chastisement of its crimes. But there
are some who profit by the pains which they endure... (See the Georgias and the
Phaedo)" Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual
Book Associates, 1950, p. 21.
289False

teachers often exclaim that it is a sin to name names in a doctrinal

paper. In the following passage, 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul names two men. We
know of Hymeneus from 1 Timothy 1:20. We do not have any additional
information about Philetus, immortalized in the Scriptures for being one of
many little Antichrists.

290Fuller

Seminary organized a big conference in Columbus, Ohio. One Church

Growth conference leader repeatedly gave tips to 1,000 ministers on how to
have happy campers. He would say, Do this and you will have happy
campers. The one-day event garnered $80,000 just for the basic fees, but many
ministers left with $100 or more in books. The second event, the day after, also
had a large crowd, this time learning about cell groups, paying a similar sum of
money. Conservative Evangelical ministers were glassy-eyed with joy. WELS
Pastor Robert Schumann came with Dr. Paul Leithart, a member of his
congregation.
431

291Those

who study Roman Catholic documents will notice a staggering number

of anathemas pronounced upon everyone who disagrees with their doctrines.
We should not forget that anyone who doubts Roman Catholic doctrine is
damned to Hell, even if these curses are hidden away in dusty volumes of
dogmatic history.
292Two

Wisconsin Synod leaders invoked the term devil: (I)"THE DEVIL'S

DIRTY DOZEN: TWELVE WAYS (AND MORE) TO KEEP YOUR
CHURCH FROM GROWING..." Limit worship experience only to pages 5
and 15... Bulletin should be 'worship service' oriented rather than
'announcement oriented'... Expect unchurched to accept traditions as though
they were doctrine." School of Outreach IV, Notebook, WELS Evangelism
Commission. p. O-1. (II) "Several of our brothers have been warning us to be
careful about the leaven of The Church Growth Movement and the insidious
Reformed doctrine contained within. Not a few of us have heard their warning
and have thought to counter the danger by saying we will weed out the
erroneous material and use only that which is proper and beneficial to the
Lord's work in our congregations. Fellow-shepherds, there is some evidence to
show that that is exactly what the devils wants us to think. That seems to be
used to lull us and our members into sleep, and without our intending it, the
soul-harming false doctrines creep in undetected, under the guise of religious
printed materials and programs." Michigan District President Robert Mueller,
(WELS), "President's Report to the Conferences, Spring, 1991, p. 2.

293The

passage is also directly related to Romans 16:17-18. Belly worshipers do

not realize that man lives by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
The false teachers serve their bodily needs, not trusting in God to provide. They
have forgotten: KJV Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The Word
admonishes: KJV James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is
earthly, sensual, devilish.
294KJV

Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger,

and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

295In

the KJV the same word, offense, is used for a number of Greek words.
That is one reason why knowledge of Greek is so useful in studying the New
Testament.

296"The

building is modern, but features no crucifix or other religious symbols

that might alienate newcomers." WELS Evangelism Workshop IV,
LOCATING THE LOST, Tom Valeo, "Market Wise Pastor Strikes Deep
Chords with Soft-Sell Pitch," Crain's Chicago Business, January 16, 1989 p. C-2.

432

WELS and LCMS leaders pay their pastors to study at Willow Creek. "'I hate
God,' the woman screamed, 'Who have I been praying to?' Or the sketches can
be comical... Only after 30 minutes of such entertainment does Mr. Hybels
appear, prepared to deliver an upbeat sermon that, he says, has 'high user
value.'" WELS Evangelism Workshop, p. C-3.
297KJV

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world.

298Someone

leaked a fraudulent use of a Luther quotation to me, a mailing from

WELS trying to justify aping the Reformed. I was already free of WELS, so I
parsed the complete quotation for a brief comment in Christian News. Soon
after, Wayne Mueller told a gathering of WELS pastors, If I ever get my hands
on the person who leaked that to Greg Jackson
299The

Very Unofficial WELS site on the Internet has just what the Church
Growth advocates love, Excel charts showing the rapid loss of members in
WELS, accompanied by an astonishing growth in highly paid administrators.

300A

WELS leader told lawyer Mary Dinkins that he did not know that a WELS
district president was in state prison for molesting little girls. The WELS
attorney told the court in the lawsuit against Fred Adrian that they knew of no
sexual abuse by WELS church workers. When the judge received contrary
evidence from the plaintiffs lawyer, Dinkins, he ordered WELS to come up
with the facts. WELS then provided a long list of cases.
301methodia

This noun, which in the NT occurs only in Ephesians 4:14, 6:11, in

the sense of scheming, craftiness, is said by Grimm-Thayer to occur neither
in the O.T. nor in prof. auth. It is found, however, in late papyri in the more
primary sense of method, e.g. P Oxy VIII. 1134.9 (A.D. 421) where certain
rents are said to have been collected in method corresponding to the account
given by you of receipt and expenditure J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan,
Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament, Peabody: Hendrickson, 1930, p. 394.

302"Paul... is speaking about methods of preaching the Gospel. He means to say

that you can introduce methods into your Gospel work which on the surface do
not appear as shameful, but which in reality disgrace the Gospel. He is harking
back to 2:17, where he spoke about kapeleuein, about 'selling' the Gospel. To use
a coarse illustration: Some ministers in their eagerness to bring the Gospel to
the people, resort to entertainment to attract the crowds, in order to get an
opportunity to preach to them. If you would tell such ministers that they are
ashamed of the Gospel and that by their methods they disgrace it, because they
manifest a lack of trust in its efficacy, they would resent the charge. Are they not
doing all in order to promote the Gospel? The disgrace their methods bring

433

upon it does not appear on the surface; that is why Paul speaks of secret things
of shame." John P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, Milwaukee: Northwestern
Publishing House, 1963, pp. 62f. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; 2:17. "Faithfulness is the
standard by which God judges those he calls into the public ministry. That
faithfulness may or may not be 'effective' in terms of visible results; results are
up to God, not us. But part of faithfulness ought to include striving to be as
'effective' as we can be in the methods that we use to take the Means of Grace
to people." Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "A Response to
Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23. "Your church will
grow by God's grace because members will want it to grow in obedience to
God's will and because you are using strategy and methodology in making
disciples. Then nongrowth will be called nongrowth, and growth will be
accepted as a gift from God." Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of
Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and
the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 159. [emphasis
added]
303Note

Olson.

the examples above, especially the quotation from Lawrence Otto

304David

Scaers commentary on James is one of the few modern Biblical books

I would recommend buying and using.

305The

Greek word for being watchful and vigilant transliterates as Gregory. Do

people become their names? My archeology professor at Waterloo was named
Lawrence Toombs, a grave man who dug up many sites in the Holy Land.

306It

is not surprising that Hill is so popular in the Church Growth Movement.

307Hills

theology is remarkably void, even for a Church Growth leader: "Faith is

the only agency through which the cosmic force of Infinite Intelligence can be
harnessed and used by man." Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, New York:
Fawcett Crest Books, 1937, revised 1960, p. 51. "I do not even attempt to guess
the over-all purpose or plan behind the universe. So far as I can tell, there is no
plan for man except to come into this world, live a little while, and go."
Napoleon Hill, Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, New York: Fawcett Crest, 1967, p.
213.

308No

pastor is always correct about practice and every minister can make
doctrinal statements that need clarification, if not correction and repudiation.
The Scriptural approach to such problems will build up the congregation.
Unfortunately, individuals will clobber the pastor at a public meaning, often
over a minor or imaginary problem. Pancakes come to mind, but other silly
things have wrecked congregations.

434

309One

of the shameful habits of conservative Lutherans today is excusing bad

or ambiguous doctrinal statements by saying, This can be understood
correctly, and then spinning the statement. One could not invent a better way
to advance false doctrine.

310One

reader said, Who must apologize? The person who questions the false
teacher must apologize for troubling him. The best way to survive such a
confrontation is to brighten up at the end and say, Oh, now I understand!
Persistently correcting a doctrinal error is suicidal in all established synods
today.

311"Soil

Testing. An evangelistic strategy that seeks out those people who are
open to receiving the Gospel at the present time." C. Peter Wagner, ed., with
Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton:
Tyndale House, 1986, p. 300.
312The

same trio traveled all over WELS as paid Church Growth consultants
and expected every WELS pastor to attend their expensive and worthless
Church Growth seminar. Most of the pastors fell into line, as usual. Seminary
graduates have to return after one year to be re-programmed by the trio, in case
they escaped the influence of Church Growth from college, seminary, the
mission board, and the synod evangelism (Church Growth) people, such as
Robert Hartman.

313Huebner

was thrust as a consultant upon Shepherd of Peace, Columbus,

Ohio, at the urging of another Church Growth disciple, Richard Krause, whose
D. Min. mentor was Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary. A
congregational meeting with District President Robert Mueller pointed out that
Huebner was a disaster. It was obvious to members that he was trying to get
even for my published criticisms of Church Growth. Huebner admitted that he,
Olson, and Paul Kelm were trained as consultants by Fuller Seminary.

314"BUT

I would suggest that some of the essential criticisms that have been
used by Pastor Jackson and published are invalid. Please, examine the three
column layout on the cherry sheet." [After conceding that Church Growth is
Reformed] Note: the cherry sheet sets up a straw man argument which bristles
which sarcasm, such as: "If Pastor Jackson is consistent with the criticisms he
has published, he would have to say:... Paul really goofed. Look how few were
converted. (Oops! I don't really mean to put a CGM argument into Greg's
mouth.)" WELS District Vice-president Paul Kuske, Letter to Michigan District
Mission Board, April 21, 1990 p. 5.

315Soon

after this letter was written, Schumann became an AAL insurance agent.
Kuske was voted out of office, an extremely rare event in WELS. As the first
435

vice-president of the district, Kuske was in line to inherit the job of district
president.
316Stolzenburg

came to Kuskes going away party. The local WELS pastors, free
of Kovaciny and Schumann, were disgusted. Whats he doing here? they
wondered.

317KJV

Acts 8:18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles'
hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me
also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy
Ghost. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou
hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

318Rick

Miller told me he was trained at Willow Creek and saw a number of

WELS pastors there at the time. A missionary in Canada told me he was offered
training at Willow Creek, all expenses paid, through the WELS mission board.

319ELS

Pastor Jay Webber gave me a marked up and badly Xeroxed copy of the
story. Apparently it made the rounds of the ELS, secretly. My wife Chris
obtained a clear copy from the newspaper company and I sent it to Christian
News. Dan Kelm is the brother of Paul Kelm. Dan left his Seeker Service WELS
congregation, became a missionary, and then came home to join the LCMS.
Paul Kelms son also joined the LCMS.
320When

he was asked why he did not speak out against the Church Growth
Movement, he said, I am nominated for a teaching call in WELS. I dont want
to ruin my chances. He is still silent.

321WELS

now works with ELCA and the LCMS on cross-cultural ministry, after
co-habiting at the Snowbird Conference. Fuller Seminary teaches cross-cultural
ministry and the Lutherans follow Fullers lead.

322When

I finally met Marcus Nitz at a WELS conference in 1999, he could not

remember writing this letter. Instead, he wrote asking for a copy of his letter.
WELS district presidents have photogenic memories, airbrushing their
memories or wiping them out, to improve the past. Nitz has never apologized
for his false accusation, but the WELS pastors say their district presidents are
too proud to admit being wrong about anything. No one ever explained why he
decided to meddle in Michigan District matters. The article I wrote was Figs
From Thistles, Orthodox Lutheran Forum, September 27, 1991.

323"At

the end of the lively discussion, Professor Valleskey again pointed to his
summary theses and requested any input anyone has concerning them."
Pastor Earl Noffsinger, Minutes, Ohio Conference, 10-15-90, Holidaysburg, PA

436

p. 2. [emphasis added] Isnt it strange to request input, avoid a personal

discussion, and then fly into a rage when the input is provided?
324I asked Valleskey if he studied at Fuller Seminary. He looked very alarmed
and said no. Later, he admitted to CLC Pastor David Koenig that he did attend
a seminar at Fuller on Church Growth. Koenig was furious that I named him as
my source in Christian News. Another source told me about how Valleskey
bragged in his congregational bulletin about going to Fuller Seminary, when he
was serving a congregation in San Jose, California.
325I

pointed out in the discussion that the Israelites spoiled the gold and jewels
of the Egyptians, not their garbage. My observation was preserved in the
minutes and therefore in my database, Megatron.

326Hunter

and Werning were both named to the Church Growth Hall of Shame
in Church Growth: State of the Art. "I would not say this publicly, but I will tell
privately that I received a phone call from a WELS pastor who said that some
claim that there are several WELS pastors in your Circuit who are into church
management and some kind of church growth (and possibly even funded by
some agencies) and that some believe that you are trying to get at them and a
few others in WELS, and that is why you are writing the articles. Whatever the
facts are, your entering into this fray, it seems to me, will not open up channels
for God to use your very good talents in WELS in profitable ways." Waldo J.
Werning, Letter to Gregory Jackson, August 23, 1989 (Letter stamped in red:
CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL).

327The

circuit pastor in Minnesota, Steve Kurtzahn, pointed out that Koenig and
Tiefel were simply reflecting their doctrinal problems. He made a long list of
their errors for the CLC board of doctrine.

328One

LCMS man took the review with him, went out to dinner, and chuckled
throughout the entire article.

329ELS

leaders do not like to be reminded that they are in fellowship with

WELS, that they say nothing while WELS endorses Reformed doctrine.

330According

to Jay Webber, George Orvick tried to pacify the ELS pastors

before the paper was given, because the essay was weak.

331Attendance

at Fuller is not proof by itself, but advocacy of Church Growth

strategies instead of the efficacious Word that is proof. Berg was a pioneer in
New Mode congregations, claiming that people would come to church for felt
needs and stay for the Gospel. Paul Kelm still argues that position. Moreover,
Berg admitted to me that all the district mission board members were sent to
Fuller or to the Church Growth Institute in nearby Monrovia.
437

Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century,"
Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.
332The

LBW, dubbed the Liberal Book of Weirdness, was remarkable for feminist
hymns in 1978. Christian Worship added a feminist creed, avoiding the term and
became man.

333The

LBW published some bad hymns but nothing as tacky as Take My

Hand or Take the World but Give Me Jesus. CW is a very pretty hymnal
with great graphical design, showing the influence of the art community in
ELCA.

334"CHIEFS

CONFER: Waiting their turn to speak at a recent Lutheran

leadership consultation are Dr. Carl Mischke, president of the Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Church... Bohlmann... and ELCA Bishop Herbert W.
Chilstrom. At the July 18-20 event in Snowbird, Utah, in the Wasatch
Mountains, 130 Lutheran leaders gathered to articulate a 'vision of leadership'
for their respective church bodies." The Lutheran, (ELCA) September 4, 1991 p.
33. Pictured together: Rev. Carl Mischke, Rev. Ralph Bohlmann, and Bishop
Herbert Chilstrom (ELCA). Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the
Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.

335A

statistical title would have been: Other Lutherans in America (95%) and WELS
(5%).

336Church Growth enthusiasts love Drucker management books and the bottom
line. The four leaders of the conference were: a woman, a CG icon (in the
words of Rev. James Schaefer, NWL), an ultra-liberal Reformed theologian, and
a historical-critical expert from an ELCA seminary which once boasted of
Lenski and Leupold as professors. The reference to the same bottom line is a
good indication of the poverty of the advice given.
337A

number of WELS pastors wrote me to condemn me for publishing their

secrets in CN, the ad hermanem argument. If someone has written for CN, he is
evil. Others accused me of never witnessing a GA initiation at the seminary,
even though the article stated that I did witness the event.

338The

WELS conference chairman also stated that he did not need to know
anything more about a clergy sex predator, that discussing a public scandal of
that sort would tarnish the mans reputation! His refusal to know anything has
contributed to the cover up.

339See

438

Chapter Seven for a description of Pietism.

340KJV

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law. It is worth noting that the effects of the Holy Spirit are almost always
three-fold in the Bible, reminding us that this work is accomplished by the Holy
Trinity. See Jack Cascione, In Search of the Biblical Order.

341I

got tired of Paul Kuske always referring scornfully to an interest in sound

doctrine. He would say, He has a Luther complex. Finally, I said, Thats
better than a Melanchthon complex.

439

Chapter Seven:
Zwingli, Calvin, Pietism
The Dead Word
Introduction to Enthusiasm
J-701
And in those things which concern the spoken, outward Word, we must firmly
hold that God grants His Spirit or grace to no one, except through or with the
preceding outward Word, in order that we may [thus] be protected against the
enthusiasts, i.e., spirits who boast that they have the Spirit without and before
the Word, and accordingly judge Scripture or the spoken Word, and explain and
stretch it at their pleasure, as Muenzer did, and many still do at the present day,
who wish to be acute judges between the Spirit and the letter, and yet know not
what they say or declare. For [indeed] the Papacy also is nothing but sheer
enthusiasm, by which the Pope boasts that all rights exist in the shrine of his
heart, and whatever he decides and commands with [in] his church is spirit and
right, even though it is above and contrary to Scripture and the spoken Word."
Smalcald Articles, VIII., Confession, #3-4, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 495. Tappert, p. 312. Heiser, p. 147.
J-702
"All this is the old devil and old serpent, who also converted Adam and Eve
into enthusiasts, and led them from the outward Word of God to spiritualizing
and self-conceit, and nevertheless he accomplished this through other outward
words. Just as also our enthusiasts [at the present day] condemn the outward
Word, and nevertheless they themselves are not silent, but they fill the world
with their pratings and writings, as though, indeed, the Spirit could not come
through the writings and spoken word of the apostles, but [first] through their
writings and words he must come. Why [then] do not they also omit their own
sermons and writings, until the Spirit Himself come to men, without their
writings and before them, as they boast that He has come into them without the
preaching of the Scriptures?"
Smalcald Articles, VIII., Confession, #5-6. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 495. Tappert, p. 312f. Heiser, p. 147.
J-703
"In a word, enthusiasm inheres in Adam and his children from the beginning
[from the first fall] to the end of the world, [its poison] having been implanted
and infused into them by the old dragon, and is the origin, power [life], and
440

strength of all heresy, especially of that of the Papacy and Mahomet. Therefore
we ought and must constantly maintain this point, that God does not wish to
deal with us otherwise than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. It is
the devil himself whatsoever is extolled as Spirit without the Word and
Sacraments. For God wished to appear even to Moses through the burning
bush and spoken Word; and no prophet, neither Elijah nor Elisha, received the
Spirit without the Ten Commandments [or spoken Word]. Neither was John
the Baptist conceived without the preceding word of Gabriel, nor did he leap in
his mother's womb without the voice of Mary."
Smalcald Articles, VIII. Confession, #9-10 Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 497. Tappert, p. 313. Heiser, p. 147.
J-704
"Also, we reject and condemn the error of the Enthusiasts, who imagine that
God without means, without the hearing of Gods Word, also without the use
of the holy Sacraments, draws men to Himself, and enlightens, justifies, and
saves them."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article II, Free Will, Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 789. Tappert, p. 471. Heiser, p.
219.
Enthusiasm is the term used by Luther and the Book of Concord to
describe those who separate the Holy Spirit from the Word and Sacraments. In
plain language, the Word of God is dead unless the Enthusiasts make it
relevant, germane, or attractive.355 This teaching is the central error infecting the
Lutheran Church today. To be sure, some Lutherans hide their Reformed
tendencies by masking false doctrine with a dash of efficacy.356 They will say, as
WELS leaders do today, The Word is effective, but we can be obstacles of the
Word in the way we present it. Therefore, if a mission congregation is not
meeting our goals, it is the pastors fault. However, the synodical leaders do
not accept responsibility when the entire denomination is rapidly losing
members and pastors.357
Todays Law-mongers have no trouble making people feel terrible. The
Law can do that, even if it is man-made law. For instance, WELS/ELS leader
Floyd Stolzenburg, told a group of people, The average congregation in
America spends less than $100 a year on evangelism! The WELS members
sucked in their breath in astonishment. Obviously, the answer was to spend
money on evangelism. However, someone who has read Thy Strong Word this far
will know that calling and paying a pastor is the most important and effective
way to proclaim the Gospel, the invisible and the visible Word. Is it not ironic
that District President Robert Mueller and Vice-President Paul Kuske would see
to it that Stolzenburg earned a huge salary to make people lose confidence in
the Means of Grace? The most important accomplishment of a Lutheran
congregation is to have regular worship services, the Sacraments, and classes
where the truth of Gods Word is taught with confidence and clarity. A pastor
441

and congregation should look only to the Means of Grace for the work of the
Holy Spirit. If they measure their work in terms of money spent or goals
accomplished, they will not trust the Holy Spirit working through the Word.358
J-705
"No other human writer has so forcefully as Luther set forth the nature of the
divinely ordained means of grace, their importance for faith and life, and the
destructive effect of severing grace from the means of grace. For Luther was
trained in the school of the terrors of conscience for the work of reforming the
Church, while Zwingli's reformation and theology sprang largely from the soil
of Humanism and bears a speculative stamp throughout. Calvinistic theology
from Calvin down to our day teaches not so much the God who has revealed
and given Himself to us in His Word, but at the critical points substitutes
speculations regarding the absolute God for what the divine Word teaches."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 137f.
Although Luther concentrated on the papacy, he saw through the
claims of the Enthusiasts from the beginning. The Zwickau prophets claimed to
have direct revelations from the Holy Spirit. So did Thomas Muentzer, a
religious leader in the Peasants Revolt. Luther was not against using ridicule
when the doctrines taught were ridiculous.
J-706
"He wants to teach you, not how the Spirit is to come to you but how you are
to come to the Spirit, so that you learn how to float on the clouds and ride on
the wind."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 916.
J-707
"Moreover, the declaration, John 6:44, that 'no one can come to Christ except
the Father draw him,' is right and true. However, the Father will not do this
without means, but has ordained for this purpose His Word and Sacraments as
ordinary means and instruments; and it is the will neither of the Father nor of
the Son that a man should not hear or should despise the preaching of His
Word, and wait for the drawing of the Father without the Word and
Sacraments."
Solid Declaration, Article XI, Election, #76, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1087. Tappert, p. 628f. Heiser, p.
292f.
If Lutherans are to understand what their leaders have done in
betraying their synods, the error of Enthusiasm must be studied and
understood. This topic could easily fill several books, since so many conflicts
442

have arisen. However, the purpose of including this material will be achieved if
serious students of the Word have enough evidence to show that most
Lutheran leaders in America are little more than Enthusiasts. Lutherans must
face this fact and repudiate the false doctrines so thoroughly entrenched in their
own synods. I have organized the discussion around three historical figures:
1. Huldreich Zwingli began the break with Luther and the efficacy of the Word.
2. John Calvin refined the Zwinglian errors while playing the role of a Lutheran,
until Joachim Westphal smoked him out.
3. The Pietism of Jacob Spener was built upon doctrinal indifference, unionism,
and works righteousness while claiming to be the spiritual renewal of the
Lutheran Church.
If all the historical threads of this topic were followed with adequate
attention to all the significant leaders, the result would be so complicated and
footnote bound that many would give up their pursuit of the truth. Readers
should be charitable in their reaction to what has been omitted and ready to
pursue additional study. When one pastor was paid to give confessional
Lutheran lectures at Bethany College (Evangelical Lutheran Synod), he did not
know the answer to a significant question arising from his topic, Pietism. He
was asked the view of Jacob Spener on the Sacraments. His explanation for not
knowing was disappointing, I am a busy parish pastor. In the old days,
Concordia Seminary president Ludwig Fuerbringer refused to accept many
speaking invitations because he needed to devote more time to study. Many
people make fun of the Lutheran leaders of those days with their quaint
dedication to the Word. The synods were growing then instead of collapsing.
Therefore, this topic is not a substitute for research, but a prelude to additional
work. Those who wisely purchase a few of the best Lutheran books will have no
trouble following up on the work condensed here.

Part One: Huldreich Zwingli

The Reformation is often presented as Luthers break with the Church
of Rome and the Vaticans subsequent repudiation of his doctrine at the
Council of Trent. Both the opposition of Huldreich Zwingli (in Zurich,
Switzerland) and the later more subtle antagonism of John Calvin (in Geneva,
Switzerland) contributed to a significant undercurrent in the Lutheran Church, a
plague that continues to this day. The problem can be summarized in two ways.
The first is to consider the nature of Enthusiasm, defined above.
The second way is to examine the error of subjecting the Word of God
to rationalistic analysis, as Siegbert Becker proved so well in his classic work,
The Foolishness of God. For the believer, human reason should not be magisterial
443

(superior to or judging the Word) but ministerial (serving or subordinate to the

Scriptures).359
A. Examples of the magisterial use of reasonHumans cannot walk on
water, so Jesus must have known where the sandbars were on the Sea
of Galilee. (Stop laughing. I heard it at Augustana College.) Or Jesus
was walking on the shore, but the seasoned fishermen on the boat
thought He was walking on the water. The miracle of the Feeding of
the Five Thousand was a miracle of sharing, because the little boys
offer of his lunch caused all the stingy adults to share their food.
B. Examples of the ministerial use of reasonA man learns the Biblical
languages and related languages to learn the exact meaning of the
Scriptures, using the Word to shed light on what he does not
understand. Instead of looking for problems and condemning the Bible
for its alleged errors, he allows the Holy Spirit to teach him through the
Word.
Rationalism
Zwingli and Calvin prepared the way for the ultimate victory of
rationalism in the Unitarianism of the National Council of Churches today. In
fact, after becoming bored with Unitarianism, Marxism and various activisms,
many of the old established denominations have moved to embracing all
religions as equal. Needless to say, one major theme of Luthers work has been
the ministerial use of reason. The theologians of the Formula of Concord and
their successors in defending Lutheran doctrine were intellectual giants whose
publishing accomplishments are difficult to imagine, let alone imitate. Looking
at what Chemnitz and Gerhard wrote, we can only marvel. However, the
Lutheran orthodox writers used their gigantic intellects to understand and
explain the Word, not to set aside what their human reason could not grasp.360
Not surprisingly, the genuine Lutheran Church has been wary of fads,
movements, phony efforts at union, tricks, gimmicks, and reliance upon
subjective experience. Luthers doctrine is grounded in the unchanging nature
of Gods Word, so it is inherently resistant to momentary thrills. The
Reformers doctrine is therefore hated intensely by all agents of corruption
within and without the Lutheran Church. They cannot defeat Luthers doctrine
by a direct assault on Gods Word, so they follow the example of Zwingli, who
separated the Word from the Spirit and subjected the Scriptures to his
rationalistic analysis.
Huldreich Zwingli was born on New Years Day, 1484, so he was a few
months younger than Martin Luther. In all other respects he was quite different
from the Reformer. Zwingli read many books, but he was never formally
trained in theology, while Luther earned a doctorate in the Scriptures. Although
many people know Luthers simple and basic works, they do not realize that he
could argue Medieval theology with the best, and examine the philosophical
444

terms in great detail. His massive Galatians commentary is an example, where he

dealt with the Roman terms congruent and condign grace for 100 pages.
Luther was not political, teaching with great energy the concept of the
two regiments (often called the two kingdoms). Luther saw the foolishness of
the papacy in assuming secular rule and also using force to advance the
doctrines and fortunes of the Church of Rome. Therefore, he asserted that the
material regiment should use the sword to enforce peace, punish offenders, and
defend the nation. The spiritual regiment should use only the Word to teach the
truth and defeat false teachers. In contrast, Zwingli was extremely nationalistic,
serving as a chaplain and ultimately dying on the field of battle with many other
armed ministers and patriots at the battle of Cappel, 1531, shortly after the
Marburg Colloquy with Luther.
While Luther was falsely accused of immorality by the Church of
Rome, Zwingli admitted to affairs while a priest, including one in which he
impregnated the daughter of a barber.361 The slander against Luther continues
to be repeated, even though the material has been previously refuted by Roman
Catholic scholars, but Zwingli is simply remembered as the Zurich reformer. It
is doubtful whether most Lutherans understand the nature of Zwinglis quirky
reformation in Zurich and how it influenced the more refined doctrinal errors
of John Calvin, who worked later in Geneva. For instance, a senior at
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, when asked in class who was wrong at the
Marburg Colloquy, answered with great sincerity that Luther was wrong and
stubborn about insisting on the Real Presence in Holy Communion, a doctrinal
position clearly rejected by Zwingli. The professor was appalled. Ordination was
only a few weeks away!
Zwinglis theological illiteracy has been reproduced on a massive scale
today. Seminary graduates want to be known as masters of divinity, and pastors
want to take a few easy courses to be called doctors of ministry. Many
conservative Lutheran pastors leave seminary with a shallow knowledge of the
Lutheran Confessions, accompanied by an attitude that these documents are
outdated, uninteresting, irrelevant, and boring. Unfortunately, most conservative
seminary professors are hired through their political connections, not because
of their scholarly abilities. John Moldstad Jr. was called to teach at Bethany
Lutheran Seminary without having a bachelors degree!362
Zwingli is a good example of an Enthusiast, since he was vain,
unschooled, jealous of Luthers abilities, against the efficacy of the Word, and
yet eager to publish his own religious opinions. Zwinglis Lutheran disciples are
similarly untrained, vain, and jealous of anyone who might counter their glib
opinions with the Scriptures and the Confessions.
Zwinglis Doctrine
The following quotation from Zwinglis Fidei Ratio reveals the
nauseating pride of the Enthusiasts. This passage is also a classic in describing
Zwinglis departure from the Scriptures and break with the doctrine of
Luther.363 Notice that Zwingli based his argument against the Sacraments upon
445

his own inner conviction. His theological warrant for a change is that God
does not need a guide or a vehicle. However, we do not base our faith upon
rationalistic speculation about Gods needs, but upon trust in His revelation. As
the eighth chapter shows with abundant, clear proof from the Scriptures,
Baptism and Holy Communion are both examples of the Holy Spirit working
faith through the Word combined with earthly elements. Zwingli changed the
subject, using a logical fallacy. The question is not what God needs but what man
needs. If man did not need visible evidence of approval, we would have no
businesses catering to trophies, ribbons, award certificates, and motivational
devices as basic as a gold star on a childs homework. The Sacraments are far
more than evidence of Gods forgiveness. The power of Baptism and Holy
Communion comes from the Word, not from the earthly elements. The Word
always accomplishes what God promises (Isaiah 55) and works forgiveness in
believers.
J-708
"Zwingli said, 'I believe, yea I know, that all the Sacraments are so far from
conferring grace that they do not even convey or distribute it. In this, most
powerful Emperor, I may perhaps appear too bold to thee. But I am firmly
convinced that I am right. For as grace is produced or given by the divine
Spirit (I am using the term grace in its Latin meaning of pardon, indulgence,
gracious favor), so this gift reaches only the spirit. The Spirit, however, needs no
guide or vehicle, for He Himself is the Power and Energy by which all things
are borne and has no need of being borne. Nor have we ever read in the Holy
Scriptures that perceptible things like the Sacraments certainly bring with them
the Spirit.' (Fidei Ratio, ed. Niemeyer p. 24; Jacobs, Book of Concord, II, 68)"
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 132f. [emphasis added]
J-709
"In what vulgar terms does Zwingli here speak of these sacred matters! When
the Holy Spirit wants to approach man, He does not need the Word of God,
the Gospel, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, for a conveyance; He can come
without them! It must be a queer Bible which Zwingli read."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 156.
When we are dealing with generic Protestants, we have to realize that
they are not simply neutral about the Sacraments. Some believe and teach that
infant baptism is satanic. I have seen Pentecostals leave the room in anger when
the subject of infant baptism came up. (If only Lutherans would leave the room
when Pentecostals begin defending their doctrine!) Some Protestants baptize
infants, but they believe only that it is a law to be obeyed. If they were neutral
about the Sacraments, the Reformed would not demand the expulsion of
baptismal regeneration and the Real Presence from Lutheran doctrine as a
446

condition of union. Both doctrines are based upon the efficacy of the Word
alone. The Zwinglian doctrines have an inherent hatred toward the Sacraments
in them. That attitude is the same as hostility toward the Word of God.364
J-710
"Furthermore, consider this: All doctrines of the Bible are connected with one
another; they form a unit. One error draws others in after it. Zwingli's first error
was the denial of the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper.
In order to support this error, he had to invent a false doctrine of Christ's
Person, of heaven, of the right hand of God, etc."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and
Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 41.
J-711
"They [the Zwinglians] divorced the Word and the Spirit, separated the person
who preaches and teaches the Word from God, who works through the Word,
and separated the servant who baptizes from God, who has commanded the
Sacrament. They fancied that the Holy Spirit is given and works without the
Word, that the Word merely gives assent to the Spirit, whom it already finds in
the heart. If, then, this Word does not find the Spirit but a godless person, then
it is not the Word of God. In this way they falsely judge and define the Word,
not according to God, who speaks it, but according to the man who receives it.
They want only that to be the Word of God which is fruitful and brings peace
and life..."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 664f.
Zwinglis Influence
Lutherans who have not heard the tirades of the generic Protestants
will overlook that bias against the liturgy and Sacraments which is based upon
hostility toward the Church of Rome. For many Protestants, and many who call
themselves Lutheran, anything remotely liturgical is Roman and heretical.
Lutherans fall into the same mode of thought when they believe that a white
Geneva gown is suspect and not to be worn by a Lutheran pastor instead of a
black Geneva gown.365 The Lutheran Reformers only wore a black (or
academic) gown when they presided at minor worship services such as Matins
or Vespers. Wearing the classroom academic gown during a Holy
Communion service would have been as out of place during the Lutheran
Reformation as wearing blue-jeans and a Grateful Dead sweatshirt while
presiding today. Therefore, we should see the efforts of Lutherans to eliminate
the liturgical service, the Creeds, the Sacraments, and proper vestments as
Zwinglian and Calvinist bigotry against anything identified with Rome.
As Luther wrote, Zwingli and Calvin are like the man who tried to save
his brother from being attacked by a bear. Taking out his knife, the brother
aimed at the bear but stabbed his brother to death. In the same way, Zwingli
447

and Calvin sought to rid the Church of Roman influence by eliminating

anything they identified with papalism. Sadly, their efforts were aimed at
externals rather than at false doctrine corrupting the true worship of God.
Aiming at the dangerous bear of Rome, they stabbed Baptism, Holy
Communion, the liturgy, the creeds, and the efficacy of the Word to death.
J-712
"Luther protested against Rome's soul-destroying teachings and reformed the
Church by restoring the pure doctrine of Gods Word. Zwingli hoped to reform
the Church by abolishing Rome's superstitious practices. Calvin believed that a
complete reformation implied two things: First, it was necessary to abolish all
ceremonies, even those which were in use in the ancient Church, such as the
liturgy, the church year, pulpits, altars; secondly, a truly reformed Church must
follow the pattern of the Apostolic Church in all its church practices and adopt
the form of church government given to Israel in the Old Testament."
F. E. Mayer, American Churches, Beliefs and Practices, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1946, p. 24.
J-713
"In fact, there is no basis for a real disagreement between Zwingli and Calvin.
The situation here is analogous to the one that obtains in the doctrine of
Christ's Person and Word and the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. In these
doctrines Zwingli and Calvin and all Reformed will agree as long as they all
teach that Christ's body can possess only a local and visible mode of subsistence
or presence. Similarly, Zwingli and Calvin cannot differ materially in their
teaching on the means of grace because they agree, first, that Christ's merit and
saving grace do not apply to all who use the means of grace; secondly, that
saving grace is not bound to the means of grace."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, III, p. 163.
Much of the silliness of modern American worship comes from the
initial efforts of Zwingli and Calvin. They deliberately took away confidence in
the Word working alone through the Means of Grace, then asked, Why are we
lacking? Trying to fill the void caused by lack of confidence in the efficacious
Word, they fed the vacuum of their worship with tricks, legalism, and strange
claims of Biblical authority. For instance, one rationalistic and Fundamentalist
church worshiped in a church building, until some decided that the apostolic
church worshiped only in homes, so they were sinning. They split and formed a
separate congregation where worship was held only in homes. The same
denomination made a case against ever having musical instruments leading
worship. They deflected all arguments about musical instruments in the Bible,
which were either in the Old Testament or only in heaven (Revelation). When a
Willow Creek minister preaches in a business suit or a Missouri Synod pastor
follows his example, it harkens back to the rationalism of Zwingli.366
448

As Otto Heick has observed in A History of Christian Thought, Zwingli

was more of a Savanarola, a political reformer in the guise of a religious leader.
Zwingli was influenced by Erasmus and Luther, but he remained a humanist
and a rationalist. His literary production is considered by some to be impressive
in size and quality, but not monumental. One does not find standard works
of Zwingli as we do of Luther, Calvin, and other religious leaders. In fact,
Zwingli does not have a good name in Christian theology. In other words, many
borrow his idea, but no one wants to admit Zwingli as their authority. In Calvin
and in all non-Lutheran Protestants, we find the same basic error taught by
Zwingli with such relish: denial of the efficacy of the Word in the Means of
Grace. This doctrine is not a casual or minor error, but so fundamental that the
Reformed return to it repeatedlylike people who must constantly shore up a
bad argument. Pentecostals and Baptists refuse to baptize infants, but they are
not significantly different from the Presbyterians and Methodists who baptize
babies while denying baptismal regeneration.
J-714
"Another serious defect of Reformed preaching is its emphasis upon
anthropology, whereby theology is crowded off the highway. They are forever
discussing what goes on in the soul of man. This tendency partakes of
rationalism and of legalism. True, Lutherans also speak of conversion,
regeneration, sanctification, faith, hope, charity; but a true Lutheran preacher
knows that all these are not produced by talking about them. They are produced
by proclaiming the theology of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The anthropological emphasis is a very subtle error not easily detected,
especially by a neophyte; but it is nevertheless thoroughly corrupting. It
prevents the soul from coming to peace by trusting the plain statements of
Gods Word. It is this uneasiness which such preaching produces in the souls of
the hearers that provides the soil for... immersionism, faith-healing, Seventh-day
Adventism, etc"
Martin S. Sommer, Concordia Pulpit for 1932, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1931, p. iv.
Answering in advance whether the Reformed downplay the Means of
Grace, Otto Heick, my professor at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, summarized
the doctrine of Zwingli below, in a work commonly used in the Wisconsin
Synod while it was in print.
J-715
As the Word of God, Scripture is clear. It needs neither interpreters nor
commentators. Tradition is useless, if not downright harmful. Man must be
taught by God. Strictly speaking, the spoken or material Word is no means of
grace at all, let alone the Sacraments.
Otto W. Heick, A History of Christian Thought, 2 volumes, Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1965, I, p. 357.
449

In addition, the confusion between Law and Gospel in Zwingli is

magnified among all those who have followed him in error, knowingly or
unknowingly. This is another facet of the denial of the efficacy of the Word. In
errorists, the Law dominates, so that one is both condemned as a sinner by the
Law and also saved through works of the Law. When the power of the Holy
Spirit is divorced from the visible and invisible Word, the human mind seeks
restlessly for a substitute. The most important substitute is prayer as a means of
grace instead of the fruit of the Gospel. The Enthusiasts order their followers to
pray longer and harder to earn Gods grace.367 Sadly, visible replacements for
the divinely ordained Sacraments include such demonic tricks as speaking in
tongues, giving up an obvious or imagined vice (such as dancing or cosmetics),
or observing certain human rites (taking a pledge in front of the congregation).
Methods of the Law cannot provide comfort, so additional replacements for the
Sacraments are sought. Holiness Christians (no dancing, card playing, movies,
make-up, or jewelry) become tongue speakers. Tongue speakers turn to the
occult with spirit guides from the Fourth Dimension, as taught by Paul Y. Cho,
hero to all Church Growth salesmen.
From Zwingli we get the plague of rationalism but also its false
antidote, irrationalism. Rationalism seeks to explain the Scriptures in such a way
that most people can accept what is beyond their limited understanding, as if
God never said, My thoughts are not your thoughts; and My ways are not your
ways.368 Trying to make the Creation fit into a scheme of evolution is one form
of rationalism, but proving the Six Day Creation with scientific research is
another form of the same illness. Making the Word germane or appealing,
selling the Gospel, is still another form of rationalism. The Lutheran Zwinglian
says to himself, If I can find out what the felt needs of the average person are,
then I can show people that my version of the Gospel answers their felt
needswhether they are lonely, stressed, or short on time. Then they will flock
to my congregation. However, I must avoid such downers as doctrinal purity,
the historic liturgy, classic hymns, and creeds. In fact, it would be better if I
avoid the name Lutheran altogether. Needless to say, many of these Zwinglian
Lutheran pastors have become mere Zwinglians.369

Part Two: John Calvin

John Calvin was a second generation reformer, born in northern France
in 1509 when Luther was already teaching at Wittenberg University. Calvin
studied at the University of Paris and earned a masters degree when he was 19
years old. Trained in ancient languages, Calvin published a commentary on the
Latin author Seneca, but it did not bring him notice or acclaim. In 1536,
Calvins Institutes (revised and enlarged in many editions) became a sensation and
drew people to him. He was delayed in Geneva, Switzerland, during a trip and
encouraged by the Protestant minister G. Farel to stay and help with the work
450

there in 1537. Calvin and Farel were expelled from Geneva but invited back in
1541. Calvin married but did not have any surviving children. He became a
preacher and theologian without being ordained as a pastor, so he had much in
common with Luthers younger associate, Melanchthon, who was also trained in
the classics.
Luther died in 1546 and never met Calvin. Luthers associate Melanchthon
(1497-1563) was younger than the Reformer and met Calvin at the Worms and
Regensburg colloquies, 1540-41. When Calvin and Melanchthon became
friends, Calvins doctrinal firmness affected Melanchthons judgment and
doctrine. Melanchthon suffered from a need to bring warring groups together
based upon compromise rather than doctrinal agreement. After Luthers death,
Melanchthon was so timid in the face of Roman opposition that Calvin felt
compelled to rebuke him.
Calvin, June 18, 1550 to Melanchthon:
J-716
"My grief renders me almost speechless. How the enemies of Christ enjoy your
conflicts with the Magdeburgers appears from their mockeries. Permit me to
admonish you freely as a true friend. I should like to approve of all your actions.
But now I accuse you before your very face. This is the sum of your defense: If
the purity of doctrine be retained, externals should not be pertinaciously
contended for. But you extend the adiaphora too far. Some of them plainly
conflict with the Word of God. Now, since the Lord has drawn us into the
fight, it behooves us to struggle all the more manfully. You know that your
position differs from that of the multitude. The hesitation of the general or
leader is more disgraceful than the flight of an entire regiment of common
soldiers."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
101.
Melanchthon, as heir to Luther, became the instrument by which
Calvinism was secretly introduced to the Lutheran Church. Most Lutherans do
not realize today that Calvin seemed to be Lutheran for many years. We now
look back at that period as a time of stress and mutual rejection, but Calvin was
long considered a Lutheran and willingly assumed that role for years, until
Westphal flushed him out. Calvin was no different from the Lutheran Church
Growth leaders today, accepting the benefits of being considered a Lutheran
while advancing the views of Zwingli.
J-717
"For the adoption of the Consensus Tigurinus in 1549, referred to above,
cannot but be viewed as an overt act by which the Wittenberg Concord, signed
1536 by representative Lutheran and Reformed theologians, was publicly
451

repudiated and abandoned by Calvin and his adherents, and whereby an antiLutheran propaganda on an essentially Zwinglian basis was inaugurated. Calvin
confirmed the schism between the Lutherans and the Reformed which
Carlstadt, Zwingli, and Oecolampadius had originated."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
174.
Calvins Doctrine
To understand the crypto-Calvinist (secret Calvinist) Lutherans, we
need to examine the teachings of John Calvin about the Means of Grace. Not
surprisingly, some of the most revealing statements come from his polemic,
Against Westphal, named for the Lutheran Joachim Westphal (1510-1574) who
taunted Calvin for some time to bring out his actual views.370 The cryptoCalvinists of today loudly moan about Christian-bashing a term they
adapted from homosexual activistswhen someone asks for doctrinal clarity. It
is easy to see from Against Westphal that polemical literature is beneficial in
distinguishing between sound and false doctrine.371 Schaff said this about
Westphals doctrinal publications: The controversy of Westphal against Calvin
and the subsequent overthrow of Melanchthonianism completed and
consolidated the separation of the two Confessions. Calvin called Westphal a
mad dog.372
J-718
John Calvin, Against Joachim Westphal: "The nature of baptism or the Supper
must not be tied down to an instant of time. God, whenever He sees fit, fulfills
and exhibits in immediate effect that which he figures in the Sacrament. But no
necessity must be imagined so as to prevent His grace from sometimes
preceding, sometimes following, the use of the sign."373
Benjamin Charles Milner, Jr., Calvin's Doctrine of the Church, Leiden: E. J.
Brill, 1970, p. 121.
There Must Be Divisions
KJV 1 Corinthians 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the
church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19 For
there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be
made manifest among you.
It was good for Westphal to annoy Calvin and even better for Calvin to
answer Westphal honestly. Similarly, when it was rumored that Luther had given
up his Biblical views about the Lords Supper, he responded with his Brief
Confession on the Lords Supper, another superb document. Today, the massive
doctrinal indifference in the Lutheran Church is a direct result of people studiously avoiding all
doctrinal conflict. We lose our spiritual muscle tone through lack of effort just as
we lose normal muscle tone from inactivity. The inactive person loses not only
452

the ability to exert himself but also the will to try. Lutherans have become so
lazy and inert that they would rather suffer from false teachers, soul murderers
and wife murderers, than object to the most obnoxious heresies in their midst.
Pastors fear for their tiny pensions, but not for their sheep being attacked by
wolves. Synodical professors quake at the thought of returning to the parish, so
they promote Reformed doctrine and methods in the name of making their
institutions strong, though they are dying.
To understand the secret Calvinists, let us look first at Calvins openly
taught doctrine. Calvin wrote well and published his errors over a long span of
time. He continued to revise and expand his Institutes of the Christian Religion and
completed a commentary of every book of the Bible. Sadly, his Biblical
commentaries are bought and used by many Lutheran pastors today. This
tragedy was encouraged by the Biblical inerrancy wars of the early 1900s. Once
Lutherans began to be assaulted by highly educated proponents of Biblical error
and contradiction, they turned to highly disciplined Calvinist scholars who had
already been through the same trials. Lutherans did not stop to think that
Calvinistic rationalism brought Unitarian doctrine to the Presbyterians earlier,
while Lutheran doctrine repelled it. Therefore, Lutherans turned to Calvinists as
allies against the common enemy of doubt.374 But using human reason to cure
the problem of doubt is akin to drinking brine to slake ones thirst.
Calvins rationalism can be summarized by four foundational errors:
A. EnthusiasmSeparating the Holy Spirit from the Word.
B. Extra-calvinisticumDenying that the finite can contain the infinite.
C. Double predestinationTeaching that all people are either
predestined to damnation or predestined to salvation, Gods
horrible decree, before or after the fall of Adam. Calvinists are
divided on the timing of the decree, which is unrecorded in the
Scriptures.
E. Law/Gospel confusion.
Enthusiasm
Calvins Enthusiasm and its effect upon Lutheran doctrine are reason
enough for writing this book and listing so many citations on the subject.
Calvin, like Zwingli, scornfully rejected the Biblical doctrine that the Holy Spirit
is always at work in the Word and never works apart from the Word (Isaiah
55:8-10). Calvin replaced the Biblical teaching of the efficacious Word and
Sacraments with his peculiar notion of the Sovereign Holy Spirit working
independently of the Means of Grace, either before or after or not at all! The
Calvinists are never completely consistent about this, because they believe in
preaching, teaching, and publishing. But they take care to deny the efficacy of
453

the Word at every chance, as did their most famous modern church father Karl
Barth (1886-1968).
J-719
"The means of grace are thus limited for Barth. The preacher descending from
the pulpit can never quote Luther and say with joyful assurance that he has
preached the Word of God. Of course, he can hope and pray; but he can never
know whether the Holy Spirit has accompanied the preached Word, and hence
whether his words were the Word of God. To know this, or even to wish to
know it, would be a presumptuous encroachment of man upon the sovereign
freedom of God."
Hermann Sasse, Here We Stand, trans. Theodore G. Tappert,
Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1946, p. 161.
J-720
"The Sacraments are not mere symbolic expressions by which faith is
strengthened (Calvin), nor are they mere acts of confession of faith (notae
professionis, Zwingli), but are effective means by which God sows faith in the
hearts of men."
Walter G. Tillmanns, "Means of Grace: Use of," The Encyclopedia of the
Lutheran Church, 3 vols., Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing
House, 1965, II, p. 1506.
Barth, the official theologian of Fuller Seminary, was an apostate who
rejected the doctrines of the Christian faith while making a tidy profit from his
publication efforts, aided by his mistress, Charlotte Kirschbaum.375 He moved
her into his house over the strenuous objections of his wife and also lived with
Charlotte in a mountain cabin every summer. Barth is the epitome of the
Church Growth expert: unfaithful to God, unfaithful in marriage, treacherous,
vain, boastful, and eager to impose silence on his critics. After opposing the
Nazis from the safety of Switzerland during WWII, Barth betrayed his loyal
followers in Eastern Europe and told them to submit to the authority of the
Communists. He and his lovely assistant, Charlotte, had been reds all along, as
the historical documents show.376
J-721
"When intent upon establishing their peculiar tenets, Calvin and Zwingli
likewise preferred rational argumentation to the plain proofs of Holy Writ.
Their interpretation of the words of the Sacrament is but one glaring instance;
but there are many more. The schools and the denominations which they
founded became infected with this same disease of theology."
Martin S. Sommer, Concordia Pulpit for 1932, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1931, p. iii.
J-722
454

John Calvin, Commentaries, Amos 8:11-12: "...we are touched with some desire
for strong doctrine, it evidently appears that there is some piety in us; we are
not destitute of the Spirit of God, although destitute of the outward means."
Benjamin Milner, Calvin's Doctrine of the Church, Heicko A.Oberman,
Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1970, p. 109. CO, XLIII, 153.
J-723
Wherefore, with regard to the increase and confirmation of faith, I would
remind the reader (though I think I have already expressed it in unambiguous
terms), that in assigning this office to the Sacraments, it is not as if I thought
that there is a kind of secret efficacy perpetually inherent in them, by which they
can of themselves promote or strengthen faith, but because our Lord has
instituted them for the express purpose of helping to establish and increase our
faith. The Sacraments duly perform their office only when accompanied by the
Spirit, the internal Master, whose energy alone penetrates the heart, stirs up the
affections, and procures access for the Sacraments into our souls. If He is
wanting, the Sacraments can avail us no more than the sun shining on the
eyeballs of the blind, or sounds uttered in the ears of the deaf. Wherefore, in
distributing between the Spirit and the Sacraments, I ascribe the whole energy
to Him, and leave only a ministry to them; this ministry, without the agency of
the Spirit, is empty and frivolous, but when He acts within, and exerts His
power, it is replete with energy. ...then, it follows, both that the Sacraments do
not avail one iota without the energy of the Holy Spirit; and that yet in hearts
previously taught by that preceptor, there is nothing to prevent the Sacraments
from strengthening and increasing faith.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970, I, p. 497. Also cited in
Benjamin Charles Milner, Jr., Calvin's Doctrine of the Church, Leiden: E. J. Brill,
1970, p. 119. Institutes. IV.xiv.9.
J-724
We must not suppose that there is some latent virtue inherent in the
Sacraments by which they, in themselves, confer the gifts of the Holy Spirit
upon us, in the same way in which wine is drunk out of a cup, since the only
office divinely assigned them is to attest and ratify the benevolence of the Lord
towards us; and they avail no farther than accompanied by the Holy Spirit to
open our minds and hearts, and make us capable of receiving this testimony, in
which various distinguished graces are clearly manifested They [the
Sacraments] do not of themselves bestow any grace, but they announce and
manifest it, and, like earnests and badges, give a ratification of the gifts which
the divine liberality has bestowed upon us.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970, I, p. 503. Institutes, IV, XIV,
17.
455

J-725
But assuming that the body and blood of Christ are attached to the bread and
wine, then the one must necessarily be dissevered from the other. For the bread
is given separately from the cup, so the body, united to the bread, must be
separated from the blood, included in the cup.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970, I, p. 570. Institutes, IV, XVII,
18.
J-726
John Calvin, Institutes IV.xvii.19: "We must establish such a presence of Christ in
the supper as may neither fasten Him to the element of bread, not enclose Him
in bread, not circumscribe Him in any way (all of which clearly derogate from
His heavenly glory)...."
Benjamin Charles Milner, Jr., Calvin's Doctrine of the Church, Leiden: E. J.
Brill, 1970, p. 128.
J-727
John Calvin, True Method of Reforming the Church: "The offspring of believers are
born holy, because their children, while yet in the womb, before they breathe
the vital air, have been adopted into the covenant of eternal life."
Benjamin Charles Milner, Jr., Calvin's Doctrine of the Church, Leiden: E. J.
Brill, 1970, p. 123.
J-728
"To remain properly humble while firmly rejecting all erroneous teachings
regarding the means of grace, we should remind ourselves how even Christians
who teach and, as a rule, also believe, the correct doctrine of the means of
grace, in their personal practice very often lose sight of the means of grace. This
is done whenever they base the certainty of grace, or of the forgiveness of sin,
on their feeling of grace or the gratia infusa, instead of on God's promise in the
objective means of grace. All of us are by nature 'enthusiasts.'"
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 131.
Extra-Calvinisticum
The haughty spirit that denies the efficacy of the Word will also invent
new doctrines. One is called the extra-calvinisticum, Calvins assertion that the
finite cannot contain the infinite: finitum non capas infiniti. In other words, the
finite forms of bread and wine cannot hold the infinite, the body of Christ. The
same declaration makes the two natures, human and divine, united in the one
person, Christ, impossible. In fact, both Zwingli and Calvin had serious
problems with Christology. Their rationalistic denials of what Christ has clearly
promised in the Word and Sacraments led to the Unitarianism (Socinianism) of
their later disciples.
456

J-729
"...it is exceedingly difficult to prevent this low view from running out into
Socinianism, as, indeed, it actually has run in Calvinistic lands, so that it became
a proverb, often met with in the older theological writers'A young Calvinist,
an old Socinian.' This peril is confessed and mourned over by great Calvinistic
divines. New England is an illustration of it on an immense scale, in our own
land."
Charles P. Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology,
Philadelphia: The United Lutheran Publication House, 1871, p. 489.
Double Predestination, Limited Atonement, Arminianism
Theological discussions often begin with Calvins doctrine of double
predestination, which was published in his first edition of the Institutes and every
edition thereafter. Double predestination is really secondary to Enthusiasm in
harmfulness. However, one can hardly untangle the chaos created by one
conflict after another in opposition to the Scriptures. Double predestination
teaches that God decreed a minority saved and a majority damned before the
creation of the world or perhaps after the fall of Adam. Associated with double
predestination is the concept that Christ died only for the elect and not for the
sins of the world, a teaching which is called the limited Atonement. Anyone
who dwells on the core of Calvins teaching and applies it consistently must
wonder why he would listen to the Word, which is dead, or receive the
Sacraments, which are dead, when the Holy Spirit will work before or after the
Means of Grace, but not necessarily through them. A Calvinist must either be
proud and secure, since he is taught once saved, always saved, or he is
anxious and fearful that he has been predestined for damnation. The comictragic novels of Peter DeVries, such as Slouching Toward Kalamazoo and The Blood
of the Lamb, catch this spirit of Grand Rapids Calvinism.
J-730
"As a matter of fact, however, also in the doctrine of predestination Zwingli and
Calvin were just as far and as fundamentally apart from Luther as their entire
rationalistic theology differed from the simple and implicit Scripturalism of
Luther. Frank truly says that the agreement between Luther's doctrine and that
of Zwingli and Calvin is 'only specious, nur scheinbar.' (1, 118.) Tschackert
remarks: 'Whoever [among the theologians before the Formula of Concord] was
acquainted with the facts could not but see that in this doctrine [of
predestination] there was a far-reaching difference between the Lutheran and
the Calvinistic theology.' (559.) F. Pieper declares that Luther and Calvin agree
only in certain expressions, but differ entirely as to substance. (Dogmatics, III,
554.)"
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 209.
457

J-731
"Calvin and his adherents boldly rejected the universality of God's grace, of
Christ's redemption, and of the Spirit's efficacious operation through the means
of grace, and taught that, in the last analysis, also the eternal doom of the
damned was solely due to an absolute decree of divine reprobation (in their
estimation the logical complement of election), and this at the very time when
they pretended adherence to the Augsburg Confession and were making heavy
inroads into Lutheran territory with their doctrine concerning the Lord's Supper
and the person of Christ,which in itself was sufficient reason for a public
discussion and determined resentment of their absolute predestinarianism."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 195f.
The Arminians, named for their leader Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609),
rejected the double predestination of Calvin and argued for the universal
Atonement of Christ. The Synod of Dort (1618-1619) established the five
classic doctrines of Calvinism against the Arminians, but few Reformed today
believe or teach them. The Arminians emphasize free will instead of double
predestination, so they are represented by most Presbyterians, Methodists, and
Baptists today.377 Although Calvin began the concept of making the Word
reasonable and germane, the Arminians have nurtured that error to the
point of insisting on marketing the Gospel and using entertainment
evangelism. Their concept of salvation is no less murky than the Calvinists.
The burden of the Law is great on both sides, both for the teacher and for the
potential convert. The teacher must teach in such a way as to win the lost soul,
but the lost soul must make a decision, have the right disposition toward God,
suffer and yield, and complete the transaction. He may be required to speak in
tongues or to give up certain outward vices. Although Calvin was no revivalist,
all the errors of the Reformed stem from his errors, since the foundation of
Enthusiasm cannot sustain anything except the monster of uncertainty.378
J-732
"Reformed ministers make the impression that they are trying to talk people
into something instead of telling their people that they have a message from
God, a 'Thus saith the Lord,' which is to be accepted without argumentation
upon the authority of Gods Word. This weakens their preaching."
Martin S. Sommer, Concordia Pulpit for 1932, Martin S. Sommer, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1931, p. v.
J-733
"The crudest extravagances of revivalism (Methodism, Pentecostalism, Holy
Rollerism) have their root in this specifically Reformed doctrine of the
immediate working of the Holy Spirit.
458

"Grace, Means of," The Concordia Cyclopedia, L. Fuerbringer, Th.

Engelder, P. E. Kretzmann, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1927, p.
299.
J-734
"Zwingli, Calvin, and their adherents denied that the Word of God always
possesses the same efficacy, and that God always operates through the Word."
E. Hove, Christian Doctrine, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,
1930, p. 27.
Law/Gospel Confusion
Another symptom of Enthusiasm is confusion between the Law and
the Gospel. When this is done, there is often very little Gospel at all, because
the Law is used to reveal sin, but the Gospel is mixed with the Law to offer
salvation. When the Gospel includes Law demands, the Gospel is no longer
Gospel but Law. This confusion stems from Calvins bizarre statements about
the Gospel. He claimed that the Gospel slays the sinner, a concept captured in
the popular hymn, Amazing Grace.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.
The problem with Newtons original text is that he places Gods grace
in the role of the Law, teaching his heart to fear. Traditional Lutherans do not
sing these words because they are contrary to the Bible.
J-735
"Because saving grace is particular, according to the teaching of the Calvinists,
there are no means of grace for that part of mankind to which the grace of God
and the merit of Christ do not extend. On the contrary, for these people the
means of grace are intended as means of condemnation. Calvin teaches
expressly: 'For there is a universal call, through which, by the external preaching
of the Word, God invites all, indiscriminately, to come to Him, even those for
whom He intends it as a savor of death and an occasion of heavier
condemnation' (Institutes, III, 24, 8)."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 118f.
J-736
"But according to the teaching of Calvinism this 'inner illumination' is not
brought about through the means of grace; it is worked immediately by the
Holy Ghost. Modern Reformed, too, teach this very emphatically. Hodge, for
example, says: 'In the work of regeneration all second causes are excluded...
Nothing intervenes between the volition of the Spirit and the regeneration of
the soul... The infusion of a new life into the soul is the immediate work of the
Spirit... The truth (in the case of adults) [that is, the setting forth of the truth of
459

the Gospel through the external Word] attends the work of regeneration, but is
not the means by which it is effected." [Hodge, Systematic Theology, II, 634f.]
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 120.
Crypto-Calvinists, Then and Now
Before Luther's death, most of the doctrinal battles were against the
Medieval errors of Roman Catholicism. After his death in 1546, the errors of
John Calvin began to undermine Lutheran doctrine. Calvin's errors, in this
controversy, concerned the two natures of Christ as well as the Lord's Supper.
What someone believes about Christ will inevitably be reflected in what he
believes about Holy Communion. Calvin could not believe that the resurrected
Christ could pass through solid walls (John 20:19).
J-737
They [the Lutherans] object that Christ went forth from the closed sepulcher
[Matthew 28:6] and went to His disciples through closed doors [John 20:19].
This gives no more support to their error. For just as the water, like a solid
pavement, provided Christ with a path as He walked upon the lake [Matthew
14:25], so it is no wonder if the hardness of the stone yielded at His approach.
Yet it is more probable that the stone was removed at His command, and
immediately after He passed through, returned to its place. And to enter
through closed doors means not just penetrating through solid matter but
opening an entrance for Himself by divine power, so that He suddenly stood
among His disciples clearly, in a wonderful way, although the doors were
locked.
John Calvin, ed. John T. McNeill, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 vols.,
Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960, II, p. 1400. Book IV, XVII, #29.
Similarly, Calvin could not accept the Real Presence of Christ with the elements
of the Lord's Supper.379 In addition, he separated the work of the Holy Spirit
from the Word, so the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism were
symbolic and not effective in Calvin's thought. Once again, Melanchthon's
unionism, timidity, and lack of honesty played a tragic part in launching the evil
Crypto-Calvinist party. His desire for union with Calvin's Geneva and with
Rome caused Melanchthon to change his views and try to strike a
compromising position somewhere between the truth, Rome, and Geneva.
As early as 1535, Melanchthon harbored anti-Lutheran views, but hid
them from Luther. By 1540 Melanchthon had changed the Augsburg
Confession to conform with Calvin's views! Many people are still astonished
today that Luther's co-worker could alter a confession of the Lutheran Church
on his own. That is why Lutheran denominations adhere to the "Unaltered
Augsburg Confession" or UAC, as found on church cornerstones. Melanchthon
urged his followers to dissimulate, to cleverly deceive, rather than reveal their
460

positions to the pure Lutherans. Modern Crypto-Calvinists, in the Church

Growth Movement, also refuse to state their doctrinal beliefs.
J-738
"To all practical purposes the University of Wittenberg was already Calvinized.
Calvinistic books appeared and were popular. Even the work of a Jesuit against
the book of Jacob Andreae on the Majesty of the Person of Christ was
published at Wittenberg. The same was done with a treatise of Beza, although,
in order to deceive the public, the title-page gave Geneva as the place of
publication. Hans Lufft, the Wittenberg printer, later declared that during this
time he did not know how to dispose of the books of Luther which he still had
in stock, but that, if he had printed twenty or thirty times as many Calvinistic
books, he would have sold all of them very rapidly."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
189.
Joachim Westphal was one of the first to warn Lutherans of the
influence of Calvinism. John Calvin caused confusion by his early agreement
with the Lutheran position. Melanchthon secretly converted to Calvins position
on the Lords Supper. Westphal's polemics brought out Calvin's polemics,
which clarified the differences between the two confessions. During this period
of time, a group of Philipp Melanchthon's followers in Wittenberg conspired to
surrender Luther's Reformation to the Calvinists. They convinced the Elector
August that they were faithful Lutherans. These secret Calvinists (CryptoCalvinists) also encouraged the Elector to drive out the genuine Lutherans,
accusing the faithful men of being heretics! Luther predicted this would happen.
The Crypto-Calvinists gathered Melanchthons writings into a Corpus
Philippicum with the approval of Melanchthon. The group of writings included
Melanchthon's false doctrine and excluded Luther's writings. Those who did not
subscribe to the document were deposed and driven out of their church
positions. Early success made the Crypto-Calvinists bolder. They surrounded
Elector August and convinced him to persecute sincere Lutherans as zealots
and trouble-makers. Calvinist books were promoted to such a degree in
Wittenberg that Luther's books remained unsold. The theologians craftily
published a book, Exegesis Perspicua, which advocated union with the Calvinists,
surrendering all doctrinal points to Calvin. Their triumph opened the eyes of the
naive Elector, but one more stroke destroyed them in their cleverness.
The Crypto-Calvinists Self-Destruct
After Luther's death in 1546, Melanchthon's followers, with his help,
conspired to replace Luther's doctrine with Calvin's at Wittenberg, Leipzig, and
across Germany. Their stealth book, Exegesis Perspicua, revealed their dishonesty
and allegiance to Calvin. Elector August, a faithful Lutheran who had been
deceived by the Crypto-Calvinists, was angered and humiliated. The Crypto461

Calvinists added to their fame as liars in 1574, when a Calvinist devotional book
was delivered to the wrong person.
J-739
"By mistake the letter was delivered to the wife of the court-preacher
Lysthenius... After opening the letter and finding it to be written in Latin, she
gave it to her husband, who, in turn, delivered it to the Elector. In it Peucer
requested Schuetze dexterously to slip into the hands of Anna, the wife of the
Elector, a Calvinistic prayer-book which he had sent with the letter. Peucer
added: 'If first we have Mother Anna on our side, there will be no difficulty in
winning His Lordship [her husband] too.' Additional implicating material was
discovered when Augustus now confiscated the correspondence of Peucer,
Schuetze, Stoessel, and Cracow. The letters found revealed the consummate
perfidy, dishonesty, cunning, and treachery of the men who had been the
trusted advisers of the Elector, who had enjoyed his implicit confidence, and
who by their falsehoods had caused him to persecute hundreds of innocent and
faithful Lutheran ministers. The fact was clearly established that these
Philippists had been systematically plotting to Calvinize Saxony. The very
arguments with which Luther's doctrine of the Lord's Supper and the Person of
Christ might best be refuted were enumerated in these letters. However, when
asked by the Elector whether they were Calvinists, these self-convicted
deceivers are said to have answered that 'they would not see the face of God in
eternity if in any point they were addicted to the doctrines of the
Sacramentarians or deviated in the least from Dr. Luther's teaching.' (Walther,
56.)"
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
190
The sly letter enclosed with the book from Melanchthon's son-in-law,
suggested that Elector August be converted through his wife Anna. August
ordered an investigation, which revealed even more intrigue. The CryptoCalvinists were thrown into prison. August took on a leadership role in
restoring genuine Lutheran doctrine. Martin Chemnitz, Jacob Andreae, and
Nicholas Selnecker were made trusted advisors to August.380
As horrible as the Crypto-Calvinist reign appeared at the time, their
excesses and sudden collapse provided a God-given way to unite Lutherans in a
common confession. At the Colloquy of Worms in 1557, the Lutherans were
divided, thanks to Melanchthon, and the Romanists refused to negotiate with
them. Many unity efforts failed, until Jacob Andreae published his Six Christian
Sermons in 1573. Andreae's sermons, the collapse of the Crypto-Calvinists, and
Martin Chemnitz' leadership all combined to generate movement toward the
Formula of Concord.
J-740
462

"What really gave Andreae a break and promoted his unity endeavors was the
exposure of the Crypto-Calvinists in Wittenberg in 1574. Thus all three groups
of true Lutherans were for the first time in many years to sit down at the table
and devote their efforts to their internal problems. Just about this time Andreae
providentially published his Six Christian Sermons. At this point and on these
sermons Chemnitz was willing to talk."
J. A. O. Preus, The Second Martin, The Life and Theology of Martin
Chemnitz, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1994, p. 183.
J-741
"The Exegesis perspicua [1573] marked the end of the hidden and underhanded
efforts of those within Saxony who had espoused Calvinism. Everything was
out in the open. These men repudiated the sacramental union, the oral eating of
the body of Christ, and the eating of the body by the wicked. They held that
Christ's body is enclosed in heaven and Christ is present in the Supper only in
His power. There is no union of the body of Christ with the bread. The ubiquity
doctrine of Brenz is repudiated as Eutychianism, and ancient heresy that
asserted that after the union of the divine and human natures in Christ only one
nature remained. Believers who participated in the Supper, the Wittenbergers
asserted, become members of Christ who is present and efficacious through the
symbols of bread and wine. They lavished praise on the Reformed and urged
immediate union with them in opposition to the papacy."
J. A. O. Preus, The Second Martin, The Life and Theology of Martin Chemnitz,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1994, p. 175f.
The Formula of Concord required the cooperation of Andreae,
Chemnitz, Selnecker, David Chytraeus, Musculus, and Cornerus.381 Most people
could not abide Andreae, because of his tactless, overbearing, and self-willed
nature, but he was crucial in getting the work started and completed. Chemnitz
was the dominant theologian, but the others all contributed significant insights
to the Formula, which was signed in 1577. The Book of Concord, which
includes the Ecumenical Creeds, the Augsburg Confession, the Apology to the
Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Small Catechism, the Large
Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, was completed in 1580.
J-742
"Such was the manner in which the Elector allowed himself to be duped by the
Philippists who surrounded him,men who gradually developed the art of
dissimulation to premeditated deceit, falsehood, and perjury. Even the
Reformed theologian Simon Stenius, a student at Wittenberg during the CryptoCalvinistic period, charges the Wittenbergers with dishonesty and systematic
dissimulation."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
188.
463

Crypto-Calvinism Now
J-743
"In other words, Zwingli and his numerous adherents declare that the means
God has ordained are unnecessary and hinder true piety."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 104.
J-744
"Calvinism rejects the means of grace as unnecessary; it holds that the Holy
Spirit requires no escort or vehicle by which to enter human hearts."
John T. Mueller, "Grace, Means of," Lutheran Cyclopedia, Erwin L.
Lueker, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1975, p. 344.
J-745
"The Christian doctrine of the means of grace is abolished by all 'enthusiasts,' all
who assume a revealing and effective operation of the Holy Spirit without and
alongside the divinely ordained means of grace."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 127.
J-746
"Our opponents hold that saving faith must be founded on Christ Himself, not
on the means of grace. This reasoning, common to the Reformed, the
'enthusiasts' of all shades, and modern 'experience' theologians, assumes that
faith can and should be based on Christ to the exclusion of the means of grace."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 152.
J-747
"The specific Reformed cultus, due to the Reformed denial of the efficacy and
objective nature of the Means of Grace, represents a quest after the grace of
God revolving around human agency and subjective experience. The Lutheran
cultus places the grace of God nigh unto the sinner in the Means of Grace."
Th. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer, Popular Symbolics,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 21.
J-748
"The Reformed are simply deluding themselves in claiming Scripture support
for their teaching regarding the means of grace. Their teaching is not derived
from the Bible."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 150.
464

J-749
"The doctrine of salvation through the Means of Grace is distinctive of
Lutheranism. The Catholic churches have no use for means of grace, for a
Gospel and for Sacraments which offer salvation as a free gift. And the
Reformed churches, while they hold, in general, that salvation is by grace,
repudiate the Gospel and the Sacraments as the means of grace. It is clear that
matters of fundamental importance are involved. The chief article of the
Christian religion, justification by faith, stands and falls with the article of the
Means of Grace. Justification by faith means absolutely nothing without the
Means of Grace, whereby the righteousness gained by Christ is bestowed and
faith, which appropriates the gift, is created."
The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer, Popular Symbolics,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 4f.
J-750
"This downplaying of the importance of the means of grace on the part of
many in the Church Growth Movement would seem to stem from several
factors."382
David J. Valleskey, "The Church Growth Movement: An Evaluation,"
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1991 88, p. 105. Holidaysburg, 10-15-90.383
[emphasis added]
J-751
"Observe, then, the depreciative, contemptuous, and scorning ring in the words
of the Reformed when they speak of the sacred Means of Grace, the Word and
the Sacraments, and the grand majestic ring in the words of the Lord and the
apostles when they speak of these matters...The true reason for the Reformed
view is this: They do not know how a person is to come into possession of the
divine grace, the forgiveness of sin, righteousness in the sight of God, and
eternal salvation. Spurning the way which God has appointed, they are pointing
another way, in accordance with new devices which they have invented."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 152f.
J-752
Luther: "True, the enthusiasts confess that Christ died on the cross and saved
us; but they repudiate that by which we obtain Him; that is, the means, the way,
the bridge, the approach to Him they destroy... They lock up the treasure which
they should place before us and lead me a fool's chase; they refuse to admit me
to it; they refuse to transmit it; they deny me its possession and use." (III, 1692)
The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer, Popular Symbolics,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 5.
J-753
465

"On the other hand, the enthusiasts should be rebuked with great earnestness
and zeal, and should in no way be tolerated in the Church of God, who imagine
[dream] that God, without any means, without the hearing of the divine Word,
and without the use of the holy Sacraments, draws men to Himself, and
enlightens, justifies, and saves them."384
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article II, Free Will, 80, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 911. Tappert, p. 536.
Heiser, p. 249. Heiser, p. 249.
J-754
"And it is of advantage, so far as can be done, to adorn the ministry of the
Word with every kind of praise against fanatical men, who dream that the Holy
Ghost is given not through the Word, but because of certain preparations of
their own, if they sit unoccupied and silent in obscure places, waiting for
illumination, as the Enthusiasts formerly taught, and the Anabaptists now
teach."
Article XIII, The Sacraments, 13, Apology of the Augsburg
Confession, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
311. Tappert, p. 213. Heiser, p. 95.
J-755
"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.

Part Three: Jacob Spener and Pietism

Pieper on Pietism
J-756
"In so far as Pietism did not point poor sinners directly to the means of grace,
but led them to reflect on their own inward state to determine whether their
contrition was profound enough and their faith of the right caliber, it actually
denied the complete reconciliation by Christ (the satisfactio vicaria), robbed
466

justifying faith of its true object, and thus injured personal Christianity in its
foundation and Christian piety in its very essence."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 175.
Hoenecke on Pietism
J-757
"Wohl scheint auf den ersten Blick die ganze Differenz recht unbedeutend; aber
in Wahrheit gibt sich hier die gefaehrliche Richtung der Pietisten zu erkennen,
das Leben ueber die Lehre, die Heiligung ueber die Rechtfertigung und die
Froemmigkeit nicht als Folge, sondern als Bedingung der Erleuchtung zu setzen
also eine Art Synergismus und Pelagianismus einzufuehren.
(At first glance, the total difference seems absolutely paltry, but in truth the
dangerous direction of Pietism is made apparent: life over doctrine,
sanctification over justification, and piety not as a consequence but declared as a
stipulation of enlightenment, leading to a kind of synergism and Pelagianism.)"
Adolf Hoenecke, Evangelische-Lutherische Dogmatik, 4 vols., ed., Walter
and Otto Hoenecke, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1912, III, p.
253.
Walther on Pietism
J-758
"What may be the reason why the Pietists, who were really well-intentioned
people, hit upon the doctrine that no one could be a Christian unless he had
ascertained the exact day and hour of his conversion? The reason is that they
imagined a person must suddenly experience a heavenly joy and hear an inner
voice telling him that he had been received into grace and had become a child
of God. Having conceived this notion of the mode and manner of conversion,
they were forced to declare that a person must be able to name the day and
hour when he was converted, became a new creature, received forgiveness of
sins, and was robed in the righteousness of Christ. However, we have already
come to understand in part what a great, dangerous, and fatal error this is."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 194f. Thesis IX.
"'Pay more attention to pure life, and you will raise a growth of genuine
Christianity.' That is exactly like saying to a farmer: 'Do not worry forever about
good seed; worry about good fruits.' Is not a farmer properly concerned about
good fruit when he is solicitous about getting good seed? Just so a concern
about pure doctrine is the proper concern about genuine Christianity and a
sincere Christian life. False doctrine is noxious seed, sown by the enemy to
produce a progeny of wickedness. The pure doctrine is wheat-seed; from it
spring the children of the Kingdom, who even in the present life belong in the
467

kingdom of Jesus Christ and in the life to come will be received into the
Kingdom of Glory."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 21.
J-759
"Meanwhile, back in Europe the corrosive effects of Pietism in blurring
doctrinal distinctions had left much of Lutheranism defenseless against the
devastating onslaught of Rationalism which engulfed the continent at the
beginning of the 19th century. With human reason set up as the supreme
authority for determining truth, it became an easy matter to disregard doctrinal
differences and strive for a 'reasonable' union of Lutherans and Reformed."
Martin W. Lutz, "God the Holy Spirit Acts Through the Lord's
Supper," God The Holy Spirit Acts, ed., Eugene P. Kaulfield, Milwaukee:
Northwestern Publishing House, 1972, p. 176.
If the reader has a good grasp of the Reformed rejection of the Means
of Grace, then this section will explain how Pietism served as the midwife to
deliver Reformed doctrines into the Lutheran Church. This is a key area,
because the Church Growth serpents use Pietism as their litmus test. If a
Lutheran has a favorable view of Pietism, he can be depended upon to be a
supporter of cell groups, subjectivism, heart religion (with no connection to the
brain), revivals, lay or staff ministers, Seeker Services, unionism, and judging
success by outward appearances. All positive references to a heart religion are a
signal that the speaker has a heart and is loving, in contrast with the cold,
heartless orthodox who make sound doctrine the priority. If a Lutheran
criticizes Pietism, then he can be safely described as an enemy of the Church
Growth Movement.
Characteristics of Pietism
The Lutheran Pietists of today do not necessarily call themselves
Pietists. They may even use the term Pietist in a disparaging way, a common
occurrence in the Wisconsin Synod, where Pietism dominates.385 I told one
young pastor who woke up to the Confessions and phoned me, years after I left
the synod, You are not in a Lutheran Synod. You are in a Pietistic Reformed
sect that has some Lutherans in it. In fact, the Lutheran Church Growth
Pietists are so burdened with self-loathing that they accuse their opponents of
being Church Growth advocates, a logical short-circuit if there ever was one.386
It goes like this, We hate you because you criticize the Church Growth
Movement. You actually support the Church Growth Movement, so you cannot
say anything against us.387 Nevertheless, it is not difficult to detect the
Lutheran Pietists, even if they throw out a smoke screen and a few stink bombs
to avoid being spotted. The characteristics of Lutheran Pietism are:
468

1.

Doctrinal indifference. Pietists are annoyed and infuriated by doctrinal

discernment.

2. Unionism. We find an unseemly zeal in Pietists to have all manner of

denominations in religious projects together. Some examples are James
Tiefels pan-denominational worship conference, Bethany College
having a Roman Catholic bishop as a featured speaker, and Wisconsin
Lutheran College aping Bethany by promoting Roman Catholic
Archbishop Weakland as a special speaker, along with other Roman
Catholic priests!388 The Missouri Synod has featured ELCA women
pastors preaching in their pulpits, always with a feeble and toothless
response.
3.

Lay led cell groups. According to Pietists, this is the real church. They
feverishly promote cell groups under a variety of names: home Bible
study, prayer, koinonia, care or share groups. Lutheran Pietists need
congregations to support their work, but they regard those who attend
cell group meetings as the only genuine members. Waldo Werning and
Kent Hunter, both listed in Whos Who in Church Growth, heavily
promoted cell groups in the Missouri Synod and WELS. Cell groups
manufacture disciples, they claim.

4. The ordination of women. Cell groups have by-passed normal

synodical restrictions on women teaching men and usurping authority.
St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio, introduced Serendipity
cell groups in the 1980s with a husband and wife leading the sessions.
Soon the husband disappeared. Then, when a man questioned how the
group was being managed, the woman snarled at him, Im in charge
here.
5.

Promotion of Reformed publications. Look up the Northwestern

Publishing House website and look at the evangelism books. Examine
the reading list for the Missouri Synods evangelism committees and
synodical commission. Read the Church of the Lutheran Confessions
While There Is Day. Study footnotes in evangelism books. You will find
the muddy footprints of the Reformed. You will not find these
characters promoting orthodox Lutheran authors.389

6.

Spiritual gifts inventory. Lutheran leaders borrowed this from the

Pentecostals, dreaming that it would beef up their congregations
size.390

7. Denigration of the ministry, worship, and the Sacraments. Everyone is a

minister, so the divinely called pastor becomes a hireling to manage cell
groups. Worship must generate fuzzy feelings, so the Law/Gospel
469

sermon, the liturgy, creeds, pipe organ, and vestments must go.
Baptism can remain for now, but Holy Communion is pushed into the
background as an obstacle.
Reading Habits of Lutherans
Recently, someone took an informal survey about the reading habits of
Lutheran clergy. The pastors who hated the Church Growth Movement read
the Triglotta, the King James Version, Luther, Walther, and other confessional
writers. The pastors who loved the Church Growth Movement read the NIV
and books by Reformed authors. The genius of Pietism is that it can inject itself
into a Lutheran body slowly while allowing the membership to think they are
still Lutherans. When Pastor Tim Buelow was newly ordained in WELS, he
looked at my library in astonishment. He said, You really have a Lutheran
library. Most of us have lots of Reformed books. I asked why. Because they
were required reading at Mequon. For that reason I have tried to get pastors to
read kosher, to expend energy on Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard, Chytraeus, and
Walther, and to sing kosher, using hymns by Luther, Selnecker, Jacobs, Loy,
Gerhardt, and Nicolai.
I would like to take credit for inventing one new doctrine in the
Lutheran Church: the non-reciprocity of false teachers. The Reformed do not promote
Lutheran books and Lutheran doctrine at their seminaries, headquarters, and
congregations, so Lutherans should not promote Reformed doctrine and books
at any time. If Lutherans enforced this one rule, God would bless their work
once again. I am outraged when so-called Lutheran presses publish and
promote Reformed works.391 Lutherans must also write in such a way that no
one doubts their trust in the Means of Grace, even when they happen to
publish with non-Lutheran presses. I understand the temptation to submerge
Lutheran doctrine, because I could publish books in Grand Rapids and make a
lot of money if I only suppressed infant baptism, baptismal regeneration, the
Real Presence, and the efficacy of the Word. I could write around these subjects
if I wanted to follow the example of Lutheran leaders today. However, I cannot
write anything religious and surgically remove those doctrines that give eternal
life to me and my family.
J-760
"Pietism greatly weakened the confessional consciousness which was
characteristic of orthodox Lutheranism."
Helge Nyman, "Preaching (Lutheran): History," The Encyclopedia of the
Lutheran Church, 3 vols., ed. Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1965, III, p. 1945.
Jacob Spener published his Pia Desideria (Pious Wishes) in 1675 when
he was 40 years old. The famous book was simply an essay, published as a
preface to one of J. Arndts sermon books. Spener had the advantage of a free
promotional ride in a very popular and respected book. Much later, Arndt was
470

still regarded as highly as Luther, so Spener had the benefit of this association.
The Muhlenberg tradition regarded Pietism favorably, but the Missouri Synod
did not. Nevertheless, for all the sound criticism aimed at Pietists by name in
Law and Gospel, Walther did not name Spener in his classic work. Although I am
guessing, I believe that Walther spared Spener because of the mans iconic
stature in the Lutheran Church. Speners proposals in Pia Desideria are
summarized by Heick below.
J-761
It contains six proposals for a reformation of the Church:
(1) a more diligent study of the Bible;
(2) a more serious application of Luthers doctrine of the general
priesthood of all believers;
(3) confession of Christ by deed rather than a fruitless search after
theological knowledge;
(4) prayer for unbelievers and erring Christians rather than useless
dogmatic disputations;
(5) reform of the theological curriculum with emphasis on personal
piety;
(6) devotional arrangement of sermons instead of formal arrangement
after the manner of rhetoric.
Otto W. Heick, A History of Christian Thought, two volumes,
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966, II, p. 21f.
Pastor Mark Jeske offered almost the same program of Pietistic reform
in the Wisconsin Synod, when he addressed a conference:
J-762
Here are the top ten areas of our ministries in which I would like to see
changed.
1. Myself. I trust God too little...
2. We don't prize our synod and our ministry relationships enough... Our
called workers at 2929 will tell you that they take a lot more abuse than
encouragement.
3. We need to loosen up.... Our public worship/praise/prayer style seems
stiff, overly formal, unemotional, smotheringly doctrinal. I personally
do not think that our synod in general has a good balance of head &
heart in our worship life. There. I said it.
4. Our schools are not being fully utilized to draw unchurched people into
the fellowship.
5. We need to love cities more.
6. We need to welcome diversity, prize new racial groups and the cultural
and ministry treasures that they bring. New people groups coming in to
the WELS will not pollute our "pure" (quotation marks in the original)
Lutheran practices. but enrich them.
471

7. We need a little more sanity and calm in our discussions of church

fellowship. Things I can't stand:
Assigning a seminary professor a paper and then letting all
applications and conclusions become canon law instead of
each of us getting into Word [sic] personally.
Passing off crude oversimplification as WELS canon law, such
as, "You can't pray with anybody who is not WELS," or "if
anyone rejects a clear word of God, he is in rebellion against
the most High God and you can't be sure that he/she is really
saved.
We have a very highly developed sense of what we can't do
with other Christians, to the point that it is safer to have
nothing to do with other Christians. We lack the positive side
of dealing with other Christians in practical ways.
8. I think we need a little more sanity in dealing with men/women role
issues in the church... sometimes the WELS position is described as
asserting male headship in all relationships: in family, church and
society. Scripture speaks only of the first two areas, and so should we.
9. We need to declare a moratorium on negative comments about public
schools. It is possible to be proud of our WELS system without
running down Milwaukee Public Schools. There are many wonderful
educational programs and innovations happening in MPS that we
would do well to study and learn from.
10. There is a price that we have paid for our unity of practice in the
WELS, and that is we have only each other as ministry models. We
have many weak areas of ministry, such as in cities, and need to get
around more to learn from other successful ministries even if they're
not WELS. It is not helpful if our attempts to learn from other
Christians is ridiculed as "sitting at the feet of the Reformed" or
"capitulating to the papacy.
Remarks delivered at a conference on March 3, 2000 by Rev. Mark
Jeske, vice-president of WELS' Southeastern Wisconsin District.
Heick called Spener the first union theologian.392 Spener rejected
Calvins double predestination but accepted his view of the Lords Supper. The
Pietists also rejected baptismal regeneration so the effect of the movement was
to keep Lutherans as nominal Lutherans while they embraced Enthusiasm and
worked actively with the Reformed.393 Some people will argue with this claim,
but I am willing to say that American Christianity is inherently the religion of
Pietism and that includes Roman Catholicism as well. True, one can find all
kinds of distinctions that fill the pages of dissertations and journal articles.
However, look at the history of American Christianity in the last two centuries
472

and see if it is not within the pattern of Pietism, a fact which will become more
obvious when this section is studied. As Patsy Leppien observed when writing
Whats Going on Among the Lutherans?, it is difficult to describe Pietism and what
is wrong with the movement. When Lutherans try to start a mission in the
South, they are forced into this kind of argument, The Southern Baptists are
for prayer and against whiskey. We are for whiskey and against prayer. That
explains why Lutherans would rather join the Pietists than fight them. This is
our history, America:
A. The German Lutherans and German Reformed tried to create a merger
based on nationality rather than doctrine. Many congregations,
including the Wisconsin Synod, began in this fashion.
B. The German merger failed to take place on a national scale, but the
Evangelical Alliance sought to bring all Protestants together in the 19th
century.
C. Revivalism has marked the American scene from the days of
Whitefield.394 The 20th century saw the hollow successes of Billy Sunday
and Billy Graham.
D. American Pietism in the 19th century led to the union efforts of the
more liberal denominations through the Federal Council of Churches,
reorganized as the National Council of Churches when the FCC
became too overtly Marxist.
E. Lutheran groups have often been as Pietistic as the Methodists,
banning card playing, dancing, alcohol consumption, tobacco, theatre,
movies, and insurance.
F. The most Pietistic groups in one generation become the most Unitarian
in the next. ELCAs Muhlenberg roots and Midwestern Scandinavian
Pietism have collapsed into mindless activism.
G. All the mergers and pan-Christian efforts have been based upon tearyeyed emotional appeals. The American Lutheran Church Bishop David
Preus, who established Holy Communion with the Reformed,
admonished his audience not to major in the minors. He used the
example of Lincoln telling his quarreling generals, Gentleman, the
enemy is over THERE. One Lutheran leader used this story, full of
enough holes to make a city slicker wonder: A little boy was lost in the
fields. The entire town was called out and they could not find him in
the tall rows of corn. Finally they joined hands and went down the rows
together. They found him, too late. He was dead. The town leader cried
out, Why didnt we join hands earlier? The necessary, moist, heartpounding conclusion was that Lutherans had to merge before someone
died.395 It is ironic that David Preus joined a host of former synod
officials in howling about how the new ELCA leaders ruined their
synod.
J-763
473

Spener maintained that the doctrinal difference between the two churches of
the Reformation, the Lutheran and the Reformed, was such that it should no
longer exclude a mutual recognition in the faith. In this manner Spener and the
Pietists in general did the spade work for the church unions of the nineteenth
century.
Otto W. Heick, A History of Christian Thought, two volumes, Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1966, II, p. 21f.
Two additional characteristics of Pietism mentioned by Heick are: 1)
chiliasm, a focus upon the endtimes; and 2) an emphasis upon the blood of
Christ. One early and important Pietist, Johann Bengel, taught that the blood of
Christ was drained from His body on the cross, not reunited with His body, but
stored in heaven for the sprinkling of sinners in justification. Bengels doctrine
helps to explain why American Lutheran Pietists have had problems with
millennialism and why Pietistic hymns are often so bloody.
J-764
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, My glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Jesus Thy Blood, The Lutheran Hymnal,
#371, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Pietism is a complicated and extensive subject to treat. The movement
influenced all denominations in various ways and remains with us today in
various ways. Many of our favorite hymns come from the Pietists. The common
table prayer, Come Lord Jesus, was written by Count Ludwig von
Zinzendorf, a man so influential that Halle sent Henry Melchior Muhlenberg to
America to counter his influence among Lutherans. This action created an
ironic situation, where a Pietist was sent to keep Lutherans from following
another Pietist. The Muhlenberg tradition in America became the largest
segment of the Lutheran Church in America when it merged in 1962. Another
significant group was the Augustana Synod, the Swedish Lutheran
denomination formed to bring Pietism to America.
Muhlenberg and Pietism
J-765
"The pietism and unionism of Muhlenberg and his co-laborers was the door
through which, in the days of Wesley and Whitefield, revivalism had found an
early, though limited, entrance into the Lutheran Church."
474

F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church,

Gen Synod, General Council, United Synod in the South, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 78.
It was not possible to merge all the doctrinally indifferent Lutherans
together in the 1960s. The Norwegian Pietists and conservative Germans of the
old American Lutheran Church (1930 merger) formed The American Lutheran
Church in 1960. Although the German side of the ALC merger was more
inclined toward orthodoxy, we can find in Professor Lenskis excellent
commentaries a reference to the issue of dancing, an issue among Pietists. That
reference does not make Lenski a Pietist, but it shows that dancing was an issue
in his era as well. He also wrote books for pastors to use for Sunday evening
and Wednesday evening services, also typical of the agenda of Pietism.
Although one will now find Sunday and Wednesday evening services expected
among the Fundamentalists, it is not part of Lutheran parish planning, except
for mid-week services in Advent and Lent.
J-766
"Since the age of Rationalism and Lutheran Pietism a new spirit has crept into
the life of the church which is un-Lutheran, un-Evangelical, and un-biblical. The
Sacraments have been neglected at the expense of the Word."
Walter G. Tillmanns, "Means of Grace: Use of," The Encyclopedia of the
Lutheran Church, 3 vols., Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing
House, 1965, II, p. 1505.
Symptoms of Lutheran Pietism
One must generalize about Pietism, since its influence has been so
extensive and damaging. But generalizing is an effort deeply resented by
Lutheran Pietists, because it implies extensive reading, study, and years of
experience. If we recognize the undercurrent of Enthusiasm among Lutherans,
especially in the conservative synods, we can see why rejecting the efficacy of
the Word and welcoming the doctrines and methods of Pietism go claw in claw.
Lay Led Cell Groups396
The conventicle, as it was called then, was the chief method for
promoting Pietism. Claiming that the visible church was dead or not active
enough, Pietists gathered to study and pray. The ideal was and continues to be a
higher or deeper spiritual life with an abundance of good works. Such
gatherings can be very intense, intimate, and binding. A reader has pointed out
that a small group is used quite effectively for Marxist cell groups and Navy
SEAL teams. Since the Means of Grace are set aside in cell groups, prayer
becomes the only means of grace.397 The Reformed emphasize prayer groups
and prayer as a means of grace, so Reformed material is extremely attractive to
Lutheran Pietists.398 In addition, since these groups tend to be open to
outsiders, false teachers gladly participate. One Adventist minister attended a
475

Missouri Synod Bible study group and dominated all the meetings until I
complained!
When I warned a Missouri Synod congregation against all lay led cell
groups, since they are typically anti-Means of Grace, one woman was very
angry. She attended a Lutheran study group and did not see what was wrong
with it. Later, she attended the lay-led group and brought up Baptism as a
Sacrament. The leader of the Lutheran cell group became very hostile and did
not want to discuss the topic. The cell group leader did not believe in Baptism.
Much later the woman admitted her anger about my comments and what had
happened subsequently. She said, Now I know what you meant. She was
impressed by the hostility expressed by a Lutheran leader about something so
basic to all Lutherans.
J-767
"We probably think first of such groups coming into being in the late 1600s in
connection with Pietism. Spener promoted them as a vehicle by which pious
laypeople could be a leaven for good in reforming the 'dead orthodoxy' of a
congregation and its pastor."399
Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin
Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 126.
J-768
"The point being made here is that the reason for having home Bible study in
small groups seems to have shifted from the Pietists' or parachurch groups goal
of creating cells of people who will reform the church to having small groups as
an integral part of a congregation's work."
Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin
Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 127.
Whenever cell groups meet, Pentecostals or charismatics see these
groups as fertile ground for promoting tongue-speaking. If one can fervently
pray for Gods grace and forgiveness, then how much better would it be to
speak in tongues? Every glossolalia salesman acts as if he swallowed the Holy
Ghost feathers and all, so innocent people are easily swindled by the talk of
love and Jesus and do not let them quench the Holy Spirit. Many WELS
and LCMS pastors enamored of the Church Growth Movement have
abandoned Lutheran doctrine to be non-denominational, Reformed, or
charismatic.
Whether the cell group is Pentecostal or not, spiritual pride soon sets
in. The group is superior to the rest of the congregation, more loving, more
generous, and more willing to witness. One advocate for koinonia groups in the
LCA said, Who was in church every Sunday? The koinonia groups. Who
showed up for work day? The koinonia groups. Who gave most of the offering?
The koinonia groups. Before we had the koinonia groups, nothing was going
on.
476

J-769
"The church is no longer the community of those who have been called by the
Word and the Sacraments, but the association of the reborn, of those who
'earnestly desire to be Christians'... The church in the true sense consists of the
small circles of pietists, the 'conventicles,' where everyone knows everyone else
and where experiences are freely exchanged. The man who is really pious can
and must stand on his own feet. Only little weight is attached to the ministry of
the Word, to worship services, the Sacraments, to confession and absolution,
and to the observance of Christian customs; a thoroughly regenerated person
does not need these crutches at all. Pietism stressed the personal element over
against the institutional; voluntariness versus compulsion; the present versus
tradition, and the rights of the laity over against the pastors.
Martin Schmidt, "Pietism," The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, 3 vols.,
ed. Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1965, III, p.
1899.
Cell groups are also extremely divisive. They not only act superior, but
also set themselves up against the congregation and pastor. Many Baptists will
admit sheepishly that they have Sunday School leaders who have never set foot
in church for decades and never plan to do so. Obviously, for them, the lay-led
group is the real church. These words are often spoken by Lutheran Pietists: my
church is the home Bible study group. The group leader often conducts himself
as an opponent of the called pastor. At the very least, the Means of Grace are
scorned or diminished in favor of experience, feelings, and the intimacy of the
group.
Doctrinal Indifference
Speners program made personal experience the norm of the Christian.
What someone thought, felt, or experienced was more significant than what the
Bible revealed or the Confessions taught. Lack of trust in the efficacy of the
Gospel was accompanied by an anxious need to witness, to save all those lost
souls. In addition, Lutheran orthodoxy is seen as an enemy of evangelism, as
cold and intellectual.
J-770
"But a cold heart can beat close to a correct mind. There are too many churches
with impeccable credentials for orthodox theology whose outreach is almost nil.
They are 'sound,' but they are sound asleep." Leighton Ford (Billy Grahams inlaw), The Christian Persuader. Valleskey asks: "true to a certain degree of us?"
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of
Evangelism, Pastoral Theology 358A, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, p. 24.400
Lutheran Pietists excuse their love of Reformed doctrine by saying,
Look at all the witnessing I am doing. Their position is appealing, because it
477

does not require much thought. Any adult could carry a handful of their books
easily. Their works are physically and doctrinally light but long on emotions,
appealing to the Me Generation. Their leaders learn to pipe their eyes, as one
person described it so eloquently. At the right moment, they burst into tears.
One pastor would wipe a tear from his eye, hold it up, and look at it during the
sermon. The best sermons at that church were succinctly described in this way:
The treasurer wept.
As Professor Reu stated so well, doctrinal indifference and unionism
are closely allied. One requires or causes the other. Doctrinal indifference is so
important to Pietists that they get angry when someone insists on doctrinal
standards. The Pietistic rebuke is either, You are loveless and divisive, or We
all believe in the same Lord. Why cant we get along? However, this
indifference is also a smokescreen. The Pietists are not ecumenical about antiPietists. They will travel over heaven and earth to silence one dissenter, often
with personal attacks. Pietists have perfected the art of shunning and
excommunication. Many a pastor or lay leader has found himself permanently
excluded by these apostles of love and tolerance. They should consider it a
blessing from heaven.
The Holiness Code
The Reformed view of sanctification leads to a list of rules for proving
acceptable Christian behavior. The strictest codes bar dancing or the
observation of anyone dancing, all forms of alcohol, including communion
wine, all makeup and jewelry, all movies and theatre, girls wearing slacks or
shorts, anything suggestive of gambling, and all forms of tobacco. Each group
has its peculiar variations upon the holiness code, which tends to slacken over a
period of time. At first the Methodists were very keen on the code but lax about
doctrine. When the Methodists became more liberal, conservatives within their
ranks broke away to form their own denominations, trying to recapture the
buzz of the holiness tradition. Hence, we have such groups as the Wesleyan
Methodists, the Nazarenes, and the Church of God.
Sanctification
J-771
"This doctrine concerning the inability and wickedness of our natural free will
and concerning our conversion and regeneration, namely, that it is a work of
God alone and not of our powers, is [impiously, shamefully, and maliciously]
abused in an unchristian manner both by enthusiasts and by Epicureans; and by
their speeches many persons have become disorderly and irregular, and idle and
indolent in all Christian exercises of prayer, reading and devout meditation; for
they say that, since they are unable from their own natural powers to convert
themselves to God, they will always strive with all their might against God, or
wait until God converts them by force against their will; or since they can do
nothing in these spiritual things, but everything is the operation of God the
478

Holy Ghost alone, they will regard, hear, or read neither the Word nor the
Sacrament, but wait until God without means..."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article II, Free Will, 46, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 899. Tappert, p. 530.
Heiser, p. 246.
No Drinking or Cards
Germans have formed Pietistic groups, but no German group has ever
banned alcohol. One member of a German Canadian congregation remembered
the time when the pastor, John Reble, also the president of the synod, stopped
by for a visit and saw the boys playing a game of cards. The pastor said nothing
but delivered a blistering sermon on Sunday about the dangers of playing cards.
The same pastor had a drink at every home he visited, because it was polite to
offer beverages, often home-made, and horribly rude to refuse them. The
Augustana Synod banned cards and would have considered one drink per
pastoral visit a sign of Satans visitation.
My wife made the mistake of having a glass of wine at the company
dinner of the engineering firm where she worked. Seated next to her was a
Fundamentalist, a good friend of ours. My wife left the party early with me and
learned later that the engineers had turned the gathering into a wild bash,
crashing another party and getting themselves thrown out. The Fundamentalist
had no problem with the drunken revelry. He spent a lot of time condemning
that solitary glass of wine. You are a Christian. They are not. Similarly, he was
deeply disturbed by the concept of the Means of Grace. He could not accept
the Sacraments as anything more than symbolic.
The holier-than-thou attitude of Pietists is seldom hidden away. It may
be based on never drinking, never smoking, or always being better than others
in certain ways. Otto Heick (History of Christian Thought) was an LCA Lutheran
but also a member of a Pietistic group. He told me his Pietistic group raised a
large amount of money for missions, quietly, in a weeks time. He left no
doubt that his group was superior in that regard to an ordinary Lutheran
congregation. And he was a Lutheran seminary professor, with dual church
membership.401
Proud Pietists
J-772
"Another very repulsive concomitant of the Reformed false teaching is spiritual
pride. Because those who harbor the conception of an activity of the Holy
Ghost apart from the means of grace are dealing in an illusory, man-made
quality, they regard themselves, as experience amply proves, as the truly spiritual
people and first-class Christians, while they consider those who in simple faith
abide by the divinely appointed means of grace, 'intellectualists,' having a mere
Christianity of the head; at best, second-rate Christians."
479

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 162.
Some people think that conservative Pietists turn liberal over a period
of time, but instead they simply become liberal Pietists. Being dominated by the
Law does not change for Pietists, but the focus of the Law does. Conservative
Pietists condemn alcohol, but liberal Pietists condemn big business, Western
democracies, and the Republican Party, while condemning conservative Pietists.
Those who wish to understand liberal Pietism should read Walter
Rauschenbuschs swan song, The Theology of the Social Gospel. All the Biblical
doctrines are re-interpreted to deny the divinity of Christ. The book eloquently
makes fun of the old Pietists while stating that congregations should be more
careful about the kind of person they take in as members. A conservative
Baptist church would supposedly turn down someone known to be a drinker,
but a liberal Social Gospel congregation should turn down someone who is
openly anti-union, in the view of Rauschenbusch.
At first, in the 1960s, the Pietists of The American Lutheran Church
(TALC) were shocked at the liberalism of the Lutheran Church in America.
Soon TALC leaders launched their own in-house attack on inerrancy and
brought their synod up to speed, as they like to say. TALC leaders backed the
homosexual activist group Lutherans Concerned with monetary grants and beat
the LCA in declaring altar fellowship with the Reformed. Needless to say, some
of the same TALC leaders became conservative dissenters in ELCA, when they
found themselves shunned and rejected for being old fuddy-duddies. The
legalism of the holiness code never ends. Each fad of the liberals is made
necessary for fellowship and salvation, but fads quickly become threadbare and
boring.
"Deeds Not Creeds" Anti-Confessionalism and Missions
The Pietists have long had a slogan, Deeds, not creeds. Spener began
this with his emphasis on good works, which is in harmony with the Reformed
view of sanctification. It is at first gratifying, then terrifying, to have people
demonstrate outward signs of living a Christian life. Many times, as we can see
from the Swedish Lutheran experience, it begins with a voluntary rejection of a
damaging aspect of society. In 19th century Sweden, the founder of a
temperance society began his work after a drunken fight broke out in his church
during the sermon, and the two pugilists were women!402 The Augustana Synod
in America, openly influenced by Pietism and the temperance movement,
shunned alcohol. In the 1960s, the dean of women at Augustana College said in
a huff, No one ever drinks alcohol on this campus. Everyone knew that
alcohol consumption was a major factor in dorm life and social events, but the
college officials would never admit it in public. After the first generation has
passed on its rules for Christian behavior, the next generation feels a need to
obey it outwardly. Eventually, the legalism is thrown out and the Ten
Commandments with them, but the guilt remains. More than one person has
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said to me, emphasizing their pretense about not using liquor in so many words:
We have hidden the liquor while dad is visiting. Do not mention it. Do not
even joke about it. I am begging you.403 The same college that officially banned
alcohol in the 1960s now supports a homosexual activist group called Lutherans
Concerned. Augustana College now has a Roman Catholic priest on its payroll
to serve the Roman Catholic students. Pietism consistently degenerates into
Unitarianism.
Pietists began the first mission societies, which were ecumenical,
parachurch groups. Cooperation went both ways. The Reformed supported
Lutheran Pietistic efforts and Lutherans participated in Reformed works.
Needless to say, when so many good things were happening through
cooperation, people could not stop and fight over the Sacraments and the
efficacy of the Word.
Pietists do not like schools. They will say, Schools benefit us, so they
are not missions. Pietists close down Lutheran schools to generate more
money for missions. The Missouri Synod took the lead in this area, decapitating
all their prep schools, which were designed to support church vocations. It
helps men to have a head-start in languages by starting Latin in high school and
Greek and Hebrew in college. The purpose of a prep school is to have an
atmosphere where church vocations are emphasized in the context of a high
quality, classical, but low cost school.404 WELS bemoaned the stupidity of the
Missouri Synod in closing their prep schools and then closed two of their four
prep schools, also in the name of missions.405 Now both synods have millions
of dollars of foundation and insurance grants but fewer pastors and declining
educational standards. No matter how intelligent a man is, he will gain far more
from seminary if he enters pastoral training without the need to start cold in
Greek and Hebrew.
The early Lutheran Pietists were fanatical about studying the Bible in
Greek and Hebrew, as Heicks work shows, but over a period of time, the
educational requirements for Pietistic ministers slacken. ELCA candidates enter
and leave seminary with a dash of Greek and no Hebrew. ELCA officials now
admit that their future pastors enter seminary without even knowing the Small
Catechism! WELS and Missouri leaders: look at ELCA. That is your future.
Fuller Pietism
Fuller Seminary in Pasadena was formed to teach inerrancy, although
its initial position was really quite soft. Nevertheless, the faculty went through a
revolution and Fuller adopted an anti-inerrancy statement. When The Battle for
the Bible, about Fuller, was published, Harold Lindsell, the author, was attacked
by Fuller for being bitter and jealous because he did not become president. In
fact, the author was offered the position and turned it down. Notice how the
amazingly successful president of Fuller Seminary, the late David Hubbard,
defined the problem of inerrancy. Like most liberals in the drivers seat, his
words drip with sarcasm and scorn. The words are taken directly from the
brochure Fuller mailed the author during a vain effort to recruit him.406
481

Fuller: The Bible Does Not Consider Gods Word Inerrant

J-773
"Were we to distinguish our position from that of some of our brothers and
sisters who perceive their view of Scripture as more orthodox than ours, several
points could be made: 1) we would stress the need to be aware of the historical
and literary process by which God brought the Word to us... 4) we would urge
that the emphasis be placed where the Bible itself places iton its message of
salvation and its instruction for living, not on its details of geography or science,
though we acknowledge the wonderful reliability of the Bible as a historical
source book; 5) we would strive to develop our doctrine of Scripture by hearing
all that the Bible says, rather than by imposing on the Bible a philosophical
judgment of our own as to how God ought to have inspired the Word."
David Allan Hubbard, "What We Believe and Teach," Pasadena,
California: Fuller Theological Seminary, 800-235-2222 Pasadena, CA, 91182.
[emphasis added]
Inerrancy Misleading and Inappropriate
J-774
"Where inerrancy refers to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches
through the biblical writers, we support its use. Where the focus switches to an
undue emphasis on matters like chronological details, the precise sequence of
events, and numerical allusions, we would consider the term misleading and
inappropriate. Its dangers, when improperly defined, are: 1) that it implies a
precision alien to the minds of the Bible writers and their own use of Scriptures;
2) that it diverts attention from the message of salvation and the instruction in
righteousness which are the Bible's key themes;... 5) that too often it has
undermined our confidence in the Bible we have... 6)that it prompts us to an
inordinate defensiveness of Scripture which seems out of keeping with the bold
confidence with which the prophets, the apostles and our Lord proclaimed it."
David Allan Hubbard, "What We Believe and Teach," Pasadena,
California: Fuller Theological Seminary, 1-800-235-2222 Pasadena, CA, 91182.
[emphasis added]
Inerrancy Advocates Are Against the Bible and Tick Me Off
J-775
"We resent unnecessary distractions; we resist unbiblical diversions Can
anyone believe that all other activities should be suspended until all evangelicals
agree on precise doctrinal statements? We certainly cannot."
David Allan Hubbard, "What We Believe and Teach," Pasadena,
California: Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, 91182. [emphasis added]
482

The downhill doctrinal slide of Pietism begins with placing the good
works of man above the truth of Gods Word. At every stage of the decline, the
Pietists firmly believe they must tolerate doctrinal laxity in the name of getting
more done, for the glory of God, of course. Soon they find themselves helpless
to stop the radicalism of the next generation. The last bishop of the Lutheran
Church in America, James Crumley, begged his extremely liberal staff not to
succumb to the radicalism of the newly formed Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. Soon, those same staff-members were ousted for being too
conservative by ELCA Bishop Herb Chilstroms network.
Road to Unitarianism. From anti-creed to anti-Trinity.
Pietism begins with the slogan of deeds, not creeds. In every case,
Pietism has spawned Unitarianism in the next generation or two. The University
of Halle was the mecca of Pietism in one generation and the headquarters for
apostasy in the next. The American Lutheran congregations most devoted to
unionism in the 19th century became Congregational or worse in the next. Fuller
Seminary, somewhat conservative but ecumenical to a fault, became an antiinerrancy school in only one generation. The Augustana Synod blended Pietism
from the old country with orthodoxy from Capital Seminary (now Trinity,
ELCA, in Columbus, Ohio). Lutheran orthodoxy was taught at Augustana
Seminary until the 1930s, and then the old faculty was removed at once. The
Pietists at Augustana were instrumental in bringing the Social Gospel
Movement into their seminary, by calling A. D. Mattson to the faculty.
The original Wisconsin Synod was as Pietistic and unionistic as a
Lutheran group might be. Many congregations offered both Reformed and
Lutheran communion, both Reformed and Lutheran catechism.407 Some
congregations, like St. Pauls in Columbus, were named German Lutheran and
Reformed. Many congregations, like old St. Johns in Milwaukee, had
Reformed splits in their early days. The Wisconsin Synod, later influenced by
the great theologian Adolph Hoenecke and the synodical leaders Bading and
Brenner, who rejected Pietism and unionism, joined the Synodical Conference.
However, the Pietists within the Wisconsin Synod were beaten down but not
conquered. They lost, too, when the Wisconsin Synod finally voted to break
with the Missouri Synod after two decades of dithering. However, the Pietists
did not give up. They quietly networked and got their men into key positions,
using training at Fuller Seminary as their uniting force. After years of denying
that anyone ever went to Fuller Seminary, even though their own Lawrence
Otto Olson bragged up his D. Min. degree from Fuller, the Church Growth
advocates finally came out of the closet and said, Yes, we love Church
Growth. Yes, we love religious projects with ELCA. Yes, we want women to be
ordained. Now try to stop us.
Ordination of Women
The ordination of women is a natural step for Pietists, a necessary
outgrowth of the cell group. In the cell group, which is anti-Means of Grace and
483

anti-Confessional, anyone may serve as the leader. In general, women tend to be

more spiritual than men and enjoy taking these positions. Cell group method
books call them lay pastors so there is little difference between serving as a
pastor in a cell group and serving as one in the congregation. Although
ordination is far more important than the Pietists allow, they have already
accomplished their goal when they have women teaching men and women in
authority over men in the church.
Historically, womens ordination has begun with the anti-Christian
cults, whenever an alpha female can gather a group together. The Pentecostal
groups follow, since they believe the Holy Spirit calls them directly in their
dreams and visions. One Pentecostal woman baptized herself in a bathtub, got
her tongue-speaking going by saying yabba-dabba-doo repeatedly, and
announced she had the gift of preaching, according to her submissive husband.
If we concede that the Confessions are old-fashioned, boring, and
irrelevant, even though they are not, and we claim that doctrine is divisive, then
there is no particular reason why women should not be ordained and called to
serve as pastors of congregations. The Lutheran Church in America took the
lead in dismissing the inerrancy of the Scriptures and in teaching the flexibility
of the Confessions, so they naturally, as liberal Pietists, ordained the first
women pastors in America, in 1970.408 The American Lutheran Church
followed. Acknowledging the ordination of known lesbians and homosexuals
followed soon after.
Method Actors
Since Pietism rejects the Confessions, the efficacy of the Word, and the
Means of Grace, advocates of Enthusiasm must trust in methods. The key to
understanding the Enthusiasts is not only in realizing their separation of the
Holy Spirit from the Word but also in seeing the implication of that concept.
The Reformed do more than imply what their Enthusiasm means. They teach it
quite openly The Word of God is dead and lifeless without human aid. Here
is the secret to cell groups, tongue speaking, the seeker service, entertainment
evangelism, friendship evangelism, child evangelism, mission vision statements,
and all the flotsam of the Reformed. Why must the ministers pretend to be used
car salesmen, talk show hosts, or stand-up comedians? In their eyes, Gods
Word is dead without a boost from them to make it appealing and get results.
Since they have no faith in the Holy Spirit working through the Word alone, they
measure their success by visible results they can put on a graph. They take
people out to their parking lots and tell them how many acres they have paved.
That is good news for the National Asphalt Paving Association,409 but it means
nothing to God to watch these people clown around and carry on to win the
approval of people, who are not even given the chance to hear the saving Word
of Truth. In a word, these men are ashamed of the Gospel.
Pietistic Methods
J-776
484

"Pietist preachers were anxious to discover and in a certain sense to separate the
invisible congregation from the visible congregation. They had to meet
demands different than those of the preceding period: they were expected to
witness, not in the objective sense, as Luther did, to God's saving acts toward all
men, but in a subjective sense of faith, as they themselves had experienced it. In
this way Pietism introduced a tendency toward the dissolution of the concept of
the ministry in the Lutheran Church."
Helge Nyman, "Preaching (Lutheran): History," The Encyclopedia of the
Lutheran Church, 3 vols., ed. Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1965, III, p. 1943.
J-777
"All those doctrinal questions which were not immediately connected with the
personal life of faith were avoided. The standard for the interpretation of
Scripture thus became the need of the individual for awakening, consolation,
and exhortation. The congregation as a totality was lost from view; in fact,
pietistic preaching was (and is) more apt to divide the congregation than to hold
it together."
Helge Nyman, "Preaching (Lutheran): History," The Encyclopedia of the
Lutheran Church, 3 vols., ed. Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1965, III, p. 1943.
We might as well start on the bottom of Pietistic practices with the
holy laughter movement, also known as the Toronto Blessing. Pentecostals
wore out speaking in tongues, singing in tongues, as well as dancing and being
slain in the spirit. They have done every rock version of every spiritual ditty one
could imagine. What was left? Holy laughter! (They are actually reviving an old
Pentecostal fad.) The minister begins a Toronto Blessing service by telling some
lame jokes. People are already set to laugh their heads off. After a few jokes,
people begin falling out of their chairs laughing. It helps if the minister does this
too, as Richard Roberts, son of Oral Roberts, has done on television. Instead of
piping their eyes with tears of contrition, yelling Glory, glory, glory on their
backs on the floor, the Pentecostals now howl and bellow with laughter, with
their backs on the floor. This too will fade and become wearisome. In contrast,
the historic Lutheran liturgy is always uplifting to man because the worship
service glorifies God, always emphasizing His grace through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Promise Keepers, a cancerous growth from cell groups and
Pentecostalism, has also run through its time of excitement, its movement of
the Spirit, and its roaringly high income. Wildly ecumenical and emotional, it
offered to bring Protestants, Catholics, and Mormon men together in one big
hug and cry. Stadiums were filled. Now they are not. Rage, rage against the
dying of the light.
Visible and Invisible Church
485

J-778
"No one will open his eyes to the fact that mere human devices and doctrines
are ensnaring souls, weakening consciences, dissipating Christian liberty and
faith, and replenishing hell. Wolves! Wolves! How abominably, awfully,
murderous, how harassing and destructive, are these things the world over!"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 32. Second Sunday in Advent Romans
15:4-13.
Divisive Preaching

J-779
"All those doctrinal questions which were not immediately connected with the
personal life of faith were avoided. The standard for the interpretation of
Scripture thus became the need of the individual for awakening, consolation,
and exhortation. The congregation as a totality was lost from view; in fact,
pietistic preaching was (and is) more apt to divide the congregation than to hold it
together."
Helge Nyman, "Preaching (Lutheran): History," The Encyclopedia of
the Lutheran Church, 3 vols., ed. Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1965, III, p. 1943. [italics added]
Although the crypto-Calvinists self-destructed in Europe, they came
back in the form of Lutheran Pietism, just as they returned again in the
Lutheran revivalism of the 19th century and the Church Growth enthusiasm of
the 20th century. Lutheran orthodoxy thrived after the Book of Concord was
published in 1580. Johann Sebastian Bach composed and played his music as an
orthodox Lutheran, a fact widely ignored, especially in the entertaining LCA
film, The Joy of Bach. Lutheran orthodoxy saw the growth and revitalization
of congregations and a remarkable production of excellent commentaries and
doctrinal books, most of them out of print and untranslated today.410 Although
the theologians of Lutheran orthodoxy are second to Luther, they surpass all
others, including the fathers of the old Synodical Conference. Walther and
Pieper did not point their students to the recent writings of the Synodical
Conference founders in their dogmatics classes at St. Louis, but to the Lutheran
orthodox theologians of Europe.
The Lutheran orthodox theologians have been faulted more than they
have been read, but even the most ardent admirers, such as Robert Preus,
conceded that the philosophical style introduced by Melanchthon and hardened
by polemics against the Calvinists, tended to become rather dry.411 Nothing
compares to the juiciness of the current Lutheran synodical favorites, such as C.
Peter Wagner, a Pentecostal Baptist who writes with admiration about snake
handlers, evil demons living in his crockery, and a spirit who rolls around in
hoops. The undemanding nature of Enthusiasm, compared to the intellectual
rigor demanded by orthodoxy, has made Church Growth doctrine popular
among the mentally lazy and easily bored clergy of today. If the ministers lifted
486

their standards of reading, they would find that the writings of Chemnitz,
Chytraeus, and Gerhard are ideal companions to Luther.
The folly of subordinating the Word of God to human reason can be
shown by the mysteries of the faith impervious to mans understanding or
experience: the holy Trinity, the Creation, the Incarnation and Virgin Birth, and
the resurrection. All attempts to explain or prove these articles of faith have
reduced these versions of Christianity to a reasonable and positive philosophy
of love, brotherhood, and do-goodism, which are devoid of the cross, robbed
of the Gospel, and incapable of providing comfort.
J-780
"The Lutheran Confessions take a decisive stand against 'enthusiasts,' who teach
that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of men without the Word and
Sacraments (SA-III VIII 3-13; LC II 34-62; FC Epitome II 13)."
John T. Mueller, "Grace, Means of," Lutheran Cyclopedia, Erwin L.
Lueker, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1975, p. 344.
Can We Learn from the Pietists?
I found it appalling that the Wisconsin Synod prided itself on being
against false doctrine while promoting the worst and stupidest Reformed
authors. Their favorite authors were not distinguished Reformed theologians
from the past, but greedy Law-mongers from Fuller Seminary. Time after time
various Wisconsin Synod pastors either defended the use of Reformed materials
or argued that they were so expert in doctrine that they could separate the
wheat from the chaff, as they liked to say. David Valleskey, on his way to be
president of the seminary, spoke in favor of spoiling the Egyptians, as if the
Church Growth Movement were the gold and precious gems of Christendom
rather than its garbage. Before you jump at spoiling the Reformed Pietists,
consider what the Book of Concord has recorded about their contempt for
Holy Communion.
J-781
"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].412
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 67, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 997. Tappert, p. 581f.
[emphasis added].
487

Not every Fuller Seminary professor is so crude they would call Holy
Communion Satans excrement, but the Church Growth teachers all stand in
that same tradition of interpreting the Scriptures. Many other blasphemous
words could be cited from the publications of Fuller faculty members and their
illustrious alumni. For instance, one professor of missions taught that Christ
was not necessary for salvation.413 The meta-successful Fuller president, David
Hubbard, now earning his reward in the afterlife, attacked the inerrancy of the
Bible in the clearest possible way, as quoted previously in this chapter. Paul Y.
Cho, the occult leader, was a special speaker at Fuller Seminary.414 After
entering many different Cho aphorisms into my database, I still wonder what he
can teach anyone in Christianity. Nevertheless, Lawrence Otto Olson praised
him at a WELS evangelism seminar and Pastor James Witte sold Cho books at a
WELS cell group seminar.
J-782
"There is but one way by which the Reformed theology can escape the doctrine
of worksby accepting Lutheranism. And the Reformed actually take this step
when they, including Calvin, at the last direct those who are troubled by grave
doubts of their election to the universal grace as it is attested in the means of
grace."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 169.
Lurking in the minds of all Enthusiasts is the Monster of Uncertainty.
Roman Catholics ask, Are we really doing enough? The doctrine of Purgatory
feeds the monster in spite of good works, daily masses, confessions of sin,
monetary offerings, acts of contrition, pilgrimages, and estate planning. The
Reformed monster is no less demanding, asking if the Law has really been
obeyed to perfection, if enough souls have been won for Christ, if health and
wealth are conspicuous enough to impress unbelievers. That is why so many
Lutheran pastors are harangued into quitting or so discouraged they look for
any job where there is a modicum of satisfaction. The Lutheran pastors are
constantly under the Law because their supervisors think only in terms of the
Law. It has been Gods good pleasure to deny statistical success to the Lawmongers and to hold before their eyes a remarkable collapse in membership and
ministerial candidates, worsened by the Midas touch, producing a mountain of
gold from estates, a treasure that cannot buy what they desperately need to feel
successful.
J-783
"The Lutheran theologians, in general, had reason to illustrate very particularly
the doctrine of the operation of the Word of God, in order to oppose the
Enthusiasts and Mystics, who held that the Holy Spirit operated rather
irrespectively of the Word than through it; and to oppose also the Calvinists,
488

who, led by their doctrine of predestination, would not grant that the Word
possessed this power per se, but only in such cases where God chose..."
Heinrich Schmid, The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
trans., Charles A. Hay, Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication
Society, 1889, p. 511.
J-784
"Hence, too, the lack of emphasis, even in the best of Reformed preaching,
upon the divine Word as the vehicle of regenerating grace and on the
Sacraments. The office of the Word, then, is merely to point to the way of life,
without communicating that of which it conveys the idea. The Word and
Sacraments are declared to be necessary; their office in the Church is a divine
institution; but they are only symbols of what the Spirit does within; and the
Spirit works immediately and irresistibly."
"Grace, Means of," The Concordia Cyclopedia, L. Fuerbringer, Th.
Engelder, P. E. Kretzmann, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1927, p.
298.
J-785
"The divine power must never be separated from the Word of Scripture; that is
to say, the Holy Ghost does not operate beside or outside the Word
(enthusiasm, Calvinism, Rathmannism in the Lutheran Church), but always in
and through the Word, Romans 10:17; 1 Peter 1:23; John 6:23."
John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, Concordia Publishing
House, 1934, p. 134f.
J-786
"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.
J-787
"To the Lutheran the sermon, as the preached Word, is a means of grace.
Through it the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole
Christian church on earth. It is a constant offer of pardon; a giving of life, as
well as a nourishing and strengthening of life. In the Reformed churches the
sermon is apt to be more hortatory and ethical. It partakes more of the
sacrificial than of the sacramental character. The individuality of the preacher,
489

the subjective choice of a text, the using of it merely for a motto, the discussion
of secular subjects, the unrestrained platform style, lack of reverence, lack of
dignity, and many other faults are common, and are not regarded as
unbecoming the messenger of God in His temple. Where there is a properly
trained Lutheran consciousness such things repel, shock, and are not tolerated."
G. H. Gerberding, The Lutheran Pastor, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1915, p. 278.
The Gospel, when proclaimed in its truth and purity, offers only
comfort and forgiveness. The Gospel only makes one demand, that we believe,
and the Gospel itself creates the faith it requires.
KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
Where is the demand of the Law in the Little Gospel? Where are the
qualifications and the ifs? The Holy Spirit does not say, whosoever believeth
in Him and taketh a pledge or whosoever believeth in Him if he also speaketh
in tongues or whosoever believeth in Him and doeth good works or
whoever believeth in Him if he is a big booming success. Moreover, the Lord
spoke later of the foundational sin when He was facing His death. The Holy
Spirit would convict people of their sin, and the sin is defined. Of sin, because
they believe not on Me.
KJV John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you
that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but
if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they
believe not on me.
Those who understand the Biblical doctrine of the efficacy of the Word
can understand this emphasis upon faith in the Word, but Enthusiasts cannot.
For all their talk about the Gospel and conversion, Enthusiasts do not give God
the glory but return to what the Old Adam and Satan desire as satisfaction,
works of the Law. For that reason, most people see Christianity in America as
condemning and legalistic, defined by one set of rules after another. This
legalism, which is man-made law, does not make people better but serves to
make them worse. Either they are thrown into despair because they can never
be good enough or they are proud and spiteful because they imagine they have
reached a higher level of spirituality in their obedience to God. Sin is set ablaze
by this excess of the Law, whether in despair or in pride.
America is the most legalistic Christian country in the world and also
the nation with the most murderous abortion parameters. No other Western
democracy works so hard at getting rid of unborn children. From the moment
490

of conception to the delivery table, the medical, educational, and social work
communities are ready to murder the child. Why is this? The legalism of
Reformed Pietistic Christianity in America has made getting caught a greater sin
than having a baby born out of wedlock.415 Pious parents will pay for the
murder of their grandchild to keep others from finding out that their daughter is
pregnant. Worse, they will fund an abortion to save money needed in raising a
child. Enthusiasts actually reward this behavior by claiming that all aborted
babies are in heaven, a claim I have heard more than once. Thus, one woman
phoned into a pro-life radio show to say, We do not have to worry about the
aborted babies, because they are all in heaven. When my wife and I attended a
Contemporary Christian Music concert with Pastor and Mrs. James Sherod, the
Reformed leader of the concert stated, I see all those aborted babies around
the throne of the Lamb. People cheered. Murder of the unborn is excused with
a rationalistic, extra-Biblical claim, based upon the Reformed attitude of natural
innocence.
Law/Gospel confusion begins with reliance upon the Law, degenerates
into legalism, and finally collapses into anti-nomianism and hedonism. Most
people would view the radical left-wing Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America as being anti-Law and hedonistic, and that is a fair conclusion. But the
ELCA is also extremely legalistic, with its man-made laws changing from
moment to moment. Only the most skilled Pharisees can manage to obey the
regulation du jour and appear qualified for office. In fact, the legalism of all the
Lutheran synods is a testimony to the influence of Calvin and the neglect of
Luther. Most Lutheran leaders, especially the conservative ones, do not even
realize they are mouthing Reformed doctrine and methods when they exhort
their disciples with the lash of the Law.
Scholars are always looking for someone to blame for a movement, and
it is easy to work over the orthodox for causing Pietism. However, the orthodox
saw the errors of Pietism and fought against them, gradually losing control of
the theological faculties and the church agenda. The Prussian Union definitely
advanced the merger of Lutheran and Reformed doctrine at the expense of the
Lutheran Church in Europe. The old Synodical Conference sought to restore
Lutheran orthodoxy under synodical presidents Walther, Pieper, and
Pfotenhauer, but lost its nerve in the 1930s and retreated from the standards of
the past. Now the Synodical Conference (Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod,
Evangelical Lutheran Synod) is broken up and fading away, its former members
actively promoting the very doctrines once anathema to all Lutherans, especially
to orthodox Lutherans. Jacob Spener and his Pietists have won. The cell group
appendix shows what they teach.

491

Appendix: Cell Group Quotations

The lay-led cell group or conventicle is at the heart of Pietism,
Reformed doctrine, and the Church Growth Movement. Below are quotations
from WELS, LCMS, and various non-Lutherans, all saying approximately the
same thing in favor of cell groups.
J-788
"Small Group Fellowships are not, as is sometimes supposed, a formal Bible
class. Instead, Small Group Fellowships are a 'relationship,' a relationship
among members of the group, a relationship with God, a relationship based on
and centered in the Word of God. Small Group Fellowships are gatherings of
people who study Gods Word together and then put the Word into action
together by (a) applying it to their lives, (b) by worshiping the Triune God, and
(c) by serving otherssharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and their very
lives."
Campus Ministry Foundation (WELS), Inc., Small Group Fellowships,
Madison: Campus Ministry Foundation, 1990, p. 3.
J-789
"The Rationale for Small Groups... 5. It Follows Biblical Practice. a. Jesus and
the Twelve Apostles (Jesus concentrated on investing Himself in His small
group of disciples to teach and model spiritual truth, attitudes and behavior for
them and to train them to be spiritual leaders. b. The Early Christians (Acts
2:42-47; 16:40; 20:20-21).
WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9,
1991, Madison. p. 3.
J-790
"Small Group Fellowships are lay-led."
Campus Ministry Foundation (WELS), Inc., Small Group Fellowships,
Madison: Campus Ministry Foundation, 1990, p. 8.
J-791
"HomeWORD Bound Groups, Fairview (WELS), Milwaukee, WI. The Boards
of Elders and Education of Fairview Ev. Lutheran Church Prayerfully Extend A
DIVINE CALL to____________________ To Lead a Small Group Bible
Study along with ________. Purpose: A Bible study leader in Fairview's
HomeWord Bound program shall facilitate lay-led, home Bible studies which
assist Fairview in its ministry..."
WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9,
1991, Madison.
J-792
492

"Definition: 'A small group within the church is a voluntary intentional

gathering of people, varying in number, regularly meeting together for mutual
Christian purposes.' - Serendipity
WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9,
1991, Madison. p. 2.
J-793
"Types of Home Groups, by Karen Hurston (Church Growth Assoc.), from
material by Bob Fulton."
WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9,
1991, Madison. p. 10.
J-794
"A Look at Several WELS Small Group Ministries. 1. Fairview in Milwaukee
(Pastor Jim Aderman) 2. Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel in Madison (Mr. Rolf
Wegenke) 3. Emanuel in New London (Pastor Steve Witte)"416
WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9,
1991, Madison. p. 19.
J-795
"A cell group is the basic part of our church. It is not another church
programit is the program of our church."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco:
Word Books, 1984, p. 42.
J-796
"We have many different types of cell groups. I have found that there is a basic
sociological principle which must be maintained in order for them to be
successful. The principle is one of homogeneity."417
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco:
Word Books, 1984, p. 44.
J-797
"Students of Church Growth realize that a good structure for the church that
really wants to grow is the organization of celebration plus congregation plus
cell. When we see the importance of the organization of the church we are
looking with 'Church Growth Eyes.' We are looking from an x-ray perspective
and understanding the internal organs of the body of Christthe Church!"
Kent R. Hunter, Launching Growth in the Local Congregation, A Workbook for
Focusing Church Growth Eyes, Detroit: Church Growth Analysis and Learning
Center, 1980, p. 81.
J-798
"In an article on the small group movement, J. A. Gorman notes that 'both the
Church Growth Institute of Fuller Seminary and the American Institute of
493

Church Growth became centers for influencing the use of this means for
evangelizing." (Christian Education, Moody Press, 1991, pp. 509, 510)
Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin
Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 126.
J-701.1
"This writer's acquaintance with this current phenomenon is threefold: 1) he has
attended one of the workshops held by Lyman Coleman; 2) he has read about a
dozen books in the last ten years coming from evangelical sources [i.e. false
teachers] that deal with small groups either wholly or in part; 3) he has also
inquired about why a number of WELS congregations have begun to conduct
small group Bible study and how they have structured these groups."418
Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin
Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 127.
J-702.1
"PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY AT CROSSROADS... Conduct seeker
services... Provide small group leadership. At Crossroads, as people come to
know Jesus they are encouraged to participate in groups of 8 to 10 people who
meet weekly for 2 years of fellowship, holding one another accountable,
discipleship training, encouragement and support. 1 Thessalonians. 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up."
Pastor Rick Miller, (WELS), Crossroads Community Church, 1
Thessalonians 5:11.
J-703.1
"Every disciple had responsibility over two types of cells, one cell where he
formed the lives of the new converts, and another cell where he took the most
advanced of those new converts and taught them how to be leaders, knowing
that cell would soon be divided and the most advanced disciples put over
additional cells. So came the multiplication." Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to
Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International, 1975, p. 101. "A cell has five
elements: 1) devotion; 2) discussion; 3) programming; 4) mobilization; 5)
multiplication. It takes all five to form a cell group." Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to
Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International, 1975, p. 106.
J-704.1
"The cell groups are used to teach sound doctrine... Sound doctrine is not just
belief in the millennium, the rapture, and the tribulation."
Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International,
1975, p. 111.
J-705.1
"Another cause for the misplacement of believers is the Sunday school. The
early church knew nothing about Sunday schools. They knew the best way for
494

believers to grow and multiply is not through Bible lectures, but through living
cells. This means small groups of four or five persons who meet in homes
under a leader so their lives may be shaped so they may mobilize and multiply
themselves in other cells."
Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International,
1975, p. 29.
J-706.1
"Resources mentioned in this 'Bulletin' are available from CHURCH
GROWTH, 709 E. Colorado Blvd. #150, Pasadena, CA 91101. Or call 1-800423-4844."
Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, Mission Counselor Newsletter, Austin, Texas,
May, 1988
J-707.1
"Types of Home Groups, by Karen Hurston (Church Growth Assoc.), from
material by Bob Fulton. Copied with the permission of Charles Arn."
Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS Mission Counselors' Newsletter, Oct.,
'91, 2929 Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53222 p. 11.
J-708.1
"The dynamics of assimilation into active church membership have very little to
do with theological issues. Rather, a new members' class should focus primarily
on relational issues of involvement and belonging." (Defining an Assimilated
Member, by Charles Arn, copied with permission from EVANGELISM, 12800
North Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI, 53092. Annual subscription rate for
EVANGELISM is $12... Charles Arn is Vice President of Church Growth, Inc.
in Monrovia, Ca.)
Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS Mission Counselors' Newsletter, Oct.,
'91, 2929 Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53222 p. 150.
J-709.1
"What Are Affinity Groups? by Pastor Wayne Vogt, Fount of Life, Colorado
Springs, CO."
Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS Mission Counselors' Newsletter, Oct.,
'91, 2929 Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53222 p. 8.
J-710.1
WELS Mission Counselors' NEWSLETTER, April, 1992: authors are - James
Woodworth, Disciples of Christ; "Net Results," March, 1991; Roger K. Guy,
Disciples of Christ; Arnell P. C. Arn, American Baptist Church; Jane Easter
Bahls, Presbyterian; C. Jeff Woods, freelance writer and minister; Lyle Schaller,
United Methodist; Pastor Paul Kelm; Pastor Jim Mumm, WELS; Pastor Peter
Panitzke, WELS; Pastor Randall Cutter and Mark Freier, WELS; First
Congregational Church, Winchester, MA."419
495

Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS Mission Counselors' Newsletter, April,

'92, 2929 Mayfair Road Milwaukee, WI 53222
J-711.1
"The church is no longer the community of those who have been called by the
Word and the Sacraments, but association of the reborn, of those who 'earnestly
desire to be Christians'... The church in the true sense consists of the small
circles of pietists, the 'conventicles,' where everyone knows everyone else and
where experiences are freely exchanged."
Martin Schmidt, "Pietism," The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, 3
vols., ed. Julius Bodensieck, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1965,
III, p. 1899.
J-712.1
"Some 15 years ago, Peter Wagner's equation read 'Cells + Congregation +
Celebration = Church.'"
Ken Sidey, "Church Growth Fine Tunes Its Formulas," Christianity
Today, June 24, 1991, p. 46.
J-713.1
"Wouldn't it be terrible to sleep through the Second Reformation? Cell Group
Churches. The New Lifestyle For New Wineskins. Cell Group Churches Are
Really Different! A 'Cell Group' Church is built on the fact that all Christians
are ministers, and that there is no 'professional clergy' hired to do the work of
ministry. According to Ephesians 4, God has provided 'Gifted Men' to equip
'Believers Who Are Gifted' to do the work of ministry... The life of the church
is in its Cells, not in a building. While it has weekly worship events, the focus of
the church is in the home Cells."
Touch Outreach Ministries, P.O. Box 19888 Houston, TX 77079 1800-735-5865.
J-714.1
"Cell Groups For Reaching The Unchurched Are Called... SHARE GROUPS.
Touch Outreach Ministries has spent many years experimenting with the best
way to train Cell Group members to form 'Sub-Groups' called SHARE
GROUPS which specifically target evangelizing the unchurched. SHARE
GROUPS are 'pre-Bible study' Cells, which bond relationships between three
Christians and six unbelievers. A series of three small books are used over a 27week period of training. The first book, called 'BUILDING BRIDGES,
OPENING HEARTS,' guides the SHARE GROUP Team through the first
part of the strategy."
Touch Outreach Ministries, P.O. Box 19888 Houston, TX 77079 1800-735-5865 p. 7.
J-715.1
496

"The cell groups have probably become the universal trademark of Full Gospel
Central Church... A cell group is a cluster of church members who meet weekly
in a home, factory, office, or other place for the purpose of evangelism and
Christian fellowship through singing, prayer, Bible study, offering giving,
announcements, sharing of needs, and praises and ministry to one another."
John N. Vaughan, The World's Twenty Largest Churches, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1984, p. 44.
J-716.1
"Cell. Sometimes called a kinship circle; a small group of 8-12 believers; an
important part of the church's structure which has the primary functions of
spiritual accountability and intimacy and secondary functions of Bible, prayer,
and healing."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth:
The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 283.
J-717.1
"Cell groups of Christians fellowshipping together date back to the first century,
for it was largely through the activities of little groups or cells of believers that
the message of Jesus Christ spread throughout the Roman Empire."
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes
Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena:
William Carey Library, 1975, p. 93.
J-718.1
"Bible studies from Serendipity. Serendipity makes available Bibles (with
outlines and discussion questions) and topical study booklets for adults and
teen-agers. See appendix D for sample study courses. Order a SERENDIPITY
SMALL GROUP RESOURCES CATALOG from Serendipity, P.O. Box 1012,
Littleton, CO, 80160 or call 1-800-525-9583 (In CO call 1-303-798-1313)."
Notebook, WELS School of Outreach IV, p. 225.
J-719.1
"Introduction to Small Group Ministry outline. Evangelism Office. Buy the
book Good Things Come in Small Groups, Intervarsity Press. Small Group Bible
Study Materials, Serendipity, Littleton, CO (1-800-525-9563)."
WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, Five Year
Plan For Outreach, p. 177.

497

Notes
342Small

Catechism, Concordia Triglotta, p. 539.

343Hosea

1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the
LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of
whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the
LORD. 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which
conceived, and bare him a son.

344Church

of the Lutheran Confession Pastor Stephen C. F. Kurtzahn, Let

Your Light Shine, An Evangelism Program for Those who Want to Share the
Savior with Others, p. 1. The program is typical Fuller Pietism, emphasizing
prayer rather than the efficacy of the Word. CLC Pastor David Koenig is a
champion of this approach. He gave a one hour sermon in Madison, Wisconsin,
denouncing Lutherans for being no good at evangelism. In the sermon
transcript sent to me by Christ Williams and Peter Press, who left the
congregation, Koenig praised the Reformed and the Jesuits for their mission
efforts.

345The

facts about Fuller Theological Seminary are easily available in Harold

Lindsells The Battle for the Bible and its sequel. Paul Y. Cho, the occult leader, has
been a featured speaker at Fuller. The conservative Lutherans gladly work with
ELCA, whose pagan ideas about homosexuality and abortion are well known.
346Blood

is thicker than doctrine in Lutheranism today.

347One

prominent Church Growth leader in WELS left his synod for doctrinal
reasons. His father-in-law, a prosperous farmer in southern Minnesota, said: If
you leave the synod, you will never be welcome in this house again. The
prodigal came back and rose to prominence supporting false doctrine. Carob
pods do not taste very good, compared to Godiva chocolate, he must have
reasoned. KJV Luke 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the
[carob] husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

348The

Mormon probably went to his brothers and bragged that he was able to
witness to the Whore of Babylon. One Augustana Synod professor wrote a fine
critique of Mormonism. Whenever a pair of Mormons showed up at the
Augustana College Library, where I worked, the librarians hid the booklet, since
the missionaries invariably stole the booklet. In the past, Mormonism could not
get a foothold in America because ministers trained their members against the
cult.

349John

Lawrenz, now a Mequon professor, denounced an outstanding paper by

Pastor Harold Sauer, because Sauer named names who were not there to

498

defend themselves. Of course, Sauer was there to defend himself from Lawrenz,
who also attacked the paper because Sauers congregation was dead. I
wondered if Lawrenz ever learned the Marks of the Church.
3503

John 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the
preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

351KJV

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful.

352"A

number of experts on church growth principles added muscle to the

conference. Among the experts were George Barna, George Gallup Jr., Lyle
Schaller, and Tom Sineicons in the church growth movement... Of the four
church growth experts mentioned above, I have heard three of them speak at
some length." James P. Schaefer, The Northwestern Lutheran, October 15, 1991, p.
363. "Marketing churches to reach people is consistent with biblical principles
and doesn't mean the message needs to be watered down or compromised,
according to researcher George Barna... Church growth is primarily
accomplished by word of mouth. Barna advised clergy to see themselves as
cheerleaders rather than leaders, as laypeople carry out the practical marketing
of the church." News From Around the World, The Northwestern Lutheran,
November 15, 1991 p. 395. "MEDIA RESOURCES. Marketing the Church
(George Barna), Navpress." WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING
THE LOST, Marketing the church is a key Church Growth concept. p. 96.
"George Barna is a Christian researcher/author/marketer/social analyst who
tends to 'turn a lot of heads' when he speaks. He usually couches his
provocative and interpretive comments to the church with honesty and reality.
On occasion he has been retained by leaders of the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod to facilitate mission interpretation from an outside perspective." Rev.
Michael Ruhl, "Here Are Five Evangelism Myths..." The Michigan Lutheran,
January 1996 Board of Evangelism and Church Growth.
353WELS

Pastor Tim Buelow refused to believe that WELS had been secretly
supporting Lutheran World Relief while he was growing up in the synod. He
was stunned to learn that District President Robert Mueller was on the LWR
board and knew all the ELCA leaders by name. Mueller mentioned his work
with ELCA on the LWR board to defend the Snowbird Conference.
354This

was copied directly from the Willow Creek website. The same
information is now very hard to obtain from the same site. When I first looked
up LCMS congregations in the Willow Creek Association, I found them in every
state. Supposedly, the conservative LCMS, under the confessional leadership of
Al Barry and Paul McCain, look down on ELCA for unionism with the
Reformed.
499

355The

Church of Rome makes the Word effective within its own structure, so
people have confidence only in Roman Catholic doctrine and Sacraments.
Pentecostals place their trust in outward signs of the Holy Spirit, even if they
have to be faked: healings, tongue-speaking, ecstatic dancing and laughter.
Generic Protestants demand that their congregations have numeric growth. The
radical Left insists on their church bodies having visible activity in social
activism, such as newly discovered rights. If the Left is not spending money
on these fads, they say, We are not doing the Lords work.

356"The

term 'Reformed' has therefore become a distinctive name and denotes

all those church bodies which follow the theology and particularly the church
practices of Zwingli and John Calvin. It is correct when Lutherans insist that
there are three large groups of Christians: the Catholics, the Lutherans, and the
Reformed." F. E. Mayer, American Churches, Beliefs and Practices, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1946, p. 24."The history of dogma tells this story:
In those doctrines in which it differs from the Lutheran Church and for the
sake of which it has established itself as a separate body within visible
Christendom, the Reformed Church, as far as it follows in the footsteps of
Zwingli and Calvin, sets aside the Scripture principle and operates instead with
rationalistic axioms. The Reformed theologians frankly state that reason must
have a voice in determining Christian doctrine." Francis Pieper, Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1950, I, p. 25.

357The

LCMS suffered a net loss of 1,305 highly trained pastors during the
1988-1997 period, marked by the peak of the Church Growth Movement and
the beginning of the Barry/Otten administration in 1992. LCMS News, January
24, 2000.

358"A

denial of the efficacy and sufficiency of the means of grace is contained in

the theological systems of all religious enthusiasts." Edwin E. Pieplow, "The
Means of Grace," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 343.

359The

magisterial use of reason requires pride and increases mans arrogance.

The ministerial use of reason requires and increases humility. False teachers
condemn confidence in the Word as pride while spitefully abusing the
Scriptures.

360Calvinists

could not understand how the risen Christ could leave the sealed
tomb or enter the locked room. Can any miraculous work of God be
understood by human reason alone? Once the leaven of rationalism begins to
grow, it soon invades all doctrines of the Bible. Remember the adage: young
Calvinist, old Unitarian. It is true for congregations and synods as well.

500

361Zwinglis

answer to the charges can be found in Hans J. Hillerbrand, The

Reformation, New York: Harper and Row, 1964, p. 115f. The charges against
Luther are discussed and explained in the last chapter of Catholic, Lutheran,
Protestant. The accusations were invented by an unstable man named Cochlaeus
in The Seven-Headed Luther.

362We

can only imagine how Bethany brags about their seminary faculty Yes,
every seminary professor has a high school diploma. We insist on that. ELS
Pastor Jay Webber said the Bethany faculty was especially weak because of
selection based upon bloodlines rather than ability. Another factor is the
repression of more able pastors in favor of those who will bow and scrape
before the throne of WELS.

363"Zwingli,

who was a moralist and a Humanist rather than a truly evangelical

reformer, taught: 'In itself the Law is nothing else than a Gospel; that is, a good,
certain message from God by means of which He instructs us concerning His
will.' (Frank 2, 312.)" F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the
Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1921, p. 161.

364"In

other words, Zwingli and his numerous adherents declare that the means
God has ordained are unnecessary and hinder true piety." Francis Pieper,
Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 104.

365The

CLC congregation in Sleepy Eye did not accept the wearing of a white
Geneva gown, according to Pastor Paul Gerhardt Fleischer. He was glad that I
wore an alb there, breaking the ice. Do Lutherans ever consider that the black
Geneva gown identifies them with Zwingli and Calvin? The Geneva gown was
favored by many of the early Lutherans in America because they were trying to
blend in with the Reformed, overly sensitive to the charge of Romanism.
Roman Catholic priests do not wear Geneva gowns of any color.

366[Zwingli

placed Numa, Aristides, Socrates, etc. among the dwellers in heaven]

Zwingli: "A heathen, if he nurses a pious mind within himself, is a Christian,
even though he is ignorant of Christ." (Witus Winshemius: "Beware, my
hearers, of the heaven of the Zwinglians: I should not like to live in that heaven;
I should be afraid of the club of Hercules.") Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3
vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1950, I, p. 376.

367The

Church of the Lutheran Confession distributed an evangelism program

by Steve Kurtzahn who constantly urged prayer as the solution for numerical
decline while remaining strangely silent about the efficacy of the Word. When
501

we believe in the Word, we also accept what God accomplishes through the
Word, so numbers do not matter to a Lutheran. "Reformed theologians, in
order to support their denial of the illocalis modus subsistendi of Christ's human
nature, have sought, in their exposition of John 20, an opening in the closed
doors, or a window, or an aperture in the roof or in the walls, in order to
explain the possibility of Christ's appearance in the room where the disciples
were assembled." Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F.
Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, II, p. 127. See also I,
25ff., III, 324..John 20:19.
369Wisconsin

Synod pastors who have left Lutheranism include: Rick Miller,

Randy Cutter, Mark Freier, Kelly Voigt, Robert Rhyne, and Marc Schroeder.
Some WELS missionaries in WELS turned Pentecostal. The same experience
has been repeated many times over in the Missouri Synod and the Evangelical
Lutheran Synod. The ELS Church Growth guru, Steve Quist, is now an ELCA
pastor, which is tantamount to leaving Lutheranism.

370Calvin

could appear to be Lutheran in certain statements: "Wherever we see

the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the Sacraments administered
according to Christ's institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God
exists." Benjamin Charles Milner, Jr., Calvin's Doctrine of the Church, Leiden: E. J.
Brill, 1970, p. 100. Institutes. IV.i.9. The statement by itself agrees with the
Augsburg Confession, but Calvin clearly did not agree about how the Holy
Spirit worked through the Word and Sacraments.

371Note this fruit of doctrinal conflict: "The happy result of this altercation
[about Selnecker promoting the Wittenberg corpus doctrinae], however, was that
Selnecker came completely around to the position of Chemnitz on the mode of
Christ's presence in the Supper, especially after the Crypto-Calvinists at
Wittenberg published their Wittenberg Catechism and were finally exposed and
driven out by Duke August in 1574." J. A. O. Preus, The Second Martin, The Life
and Theology of Martin Chemnitz, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1994, p.
173.
372Philip

Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, I, p. 280. Cited in F. Bente, Historical

Introductions to the Symbolical Books, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 181.

373LCMS

trained Alfred N. Balmer insisted on the same position about

Baptism at the Norfolk conference. No one agreed with him, and most were
outraged. Not surprisingly, Balmer also gave us a tear soaked testimony.

374Christian

News follows this weak tendency of the older Missouri Synod

pastors, to quote with approval rationalistic books by the Reformed, proving
that God really did create the universe. The Book of Concord does not excuse

502

liberals who reject the Means of Grace simply because they accept the authority
of the Bible. Lutherans have lost the ability and the will to reject Calvinism,
although the Reformed have no trouble in continuing their polemics against
Luthers doctrine, and they charge foolish Lutherans tuition to listen!
375Someone

who earned his D. Min. at Fuller Seminary agreed that Barth is

indeed the official theologian of the school. Note that Barth was a key
theologian in making Fuller a liberal hothouse: "A third indication of the
coming crisis involved the son of the founder, Daniel Payton Fuller...After he
had been there [on the faculty at Fuller] several years, he went to Basel,
Switzerland, to work for another doctorate under men like Karl Barth. While
Fuller was at Basel, rumors began coming back to America that he had shifted
his position on the Scriptures. I personally talked to Charles E. Fuller about this
on a number of occasions. In every instance he assured me that there was no
truth to the rumors that his son had changed his position. He was wrong, as
subsequent events demonstrated." Harold Lindsell, The Battle for the Bible, Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1976, p. 108f. Pastor Martin Kalish observed in a note that
Barth is also popular at Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne.

376Many

Barthians were shocked when George Hunsinger (Karl Barth and Radical
Politics) revealed that Barth had always been a Marxist. Some Calvinists could tell
that Barth was an apostate, but many conservative Evangelicals were fooled. I
agree with the theory that Kirschbaum wrote most of the Dogmatics, the
scholarly fine print, while Barth wrote the large print. Barth published almost
nothing after Kirschbaum died. If you have a chance, look at the dedications.
Charlotte the mistress received an early dedication. Barths wife Nelly was finally
noticed at the end. See Eberhard Busch, Karl Barth, Philadelphia: Fortress Press,
1975. The Barth biography has a telling photo of the Barth family. Old Nelly is
not at all happy. Young and beautiful Charlotte is grinning at the camera.

377Readers

should not jump to the conclusion that the confessional position of

Evangelicals in America is clear. A questionnaire from Wheaton College asked
the reader to fill in such categories as Calvinist, Arminian, Cal-arminian, free will
Baptist, Calvinist Baptist, pre-trib or mid-trib or post-trib millenniallist, and so
forth. The errors of the Enthusaists vary in their number and intensity but they
began with separating the Word from the Spirit.

378"Thus

Calvin, as we saw, cautions against seeking to discern one's election

from the universal call, that is, from the Word of the Gospel (Institutes, III, 24,
8). Likewise the Consensus Tigurinus (c. 20) warns against the thought that the
'visible sign [the Sacraments], in the same moment when it is being offered,
brings with it the grace of God' (Niemeyer, p. 195). The Geneva Catechism,
too, enjoins ['De Sacramentis'], that salvation must not be sought in the visible
signs." Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 145.
503

379Institutes,

Book IV, XVII, #21.

380Articles

VII (Of the Holy Supper) and VIII (Of the Person of Christ) refute
the errors of the Crypto-Calvinists. One statement is: "On account of this
personal union and communion of the natures, Mary, the most blessed Virgin,
bore not a mere man, but, as the angel [Gabriel] testifies, such a man as is truly
the Son of the most high God, who showed His divine majesty even in His
mother's womb, inasmuch as He was born of a virgin, with her virginity
inviolate. Therefore she is truly the mother of God, and never-theless remained
a virgin." Article VIII, Triglotta, p. 1023.

381See

the biographical sketches at the end of this book.

382Theses very close to Valleskey's Quarterly article (Spring, 1991, p. 117).

Questionnaire mentions CG "underemphasizing the Means of Grace as the
power of the Holy Spirit." David J. Valleskey, P.T. 418, The Church Growth
MovementAn Evaluation, Summer Quarter, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary,
June 23-July 11, 1986.
383Why

have so many of Valleskeys students gone charismatic? "The term

'spiritual breathing' originated with Dr. William Bright in his booklet, Have You
Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-filled Life? David Valleskey, Forest Bivens
New Life in Christ, September, 1981, p. 1.

384May

God have mercy on the pastor who does this in the Missouri Synod,
Wisconsin Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Church of the Lutheran
Confession, or Concordia Lutheran Conference.

385The

softs are Pietists in GA, the secret initiation rite of Wisconsin Lutheran
Seminary. See Chapter Nine.

386Do

Marxists accuse their opponents of being Marxists?

387Lawrence

Otto Olson, D. Min. (Fuller Seminary), tried this approach in

Cascione News, claiming that my article about treating pastors wives well was
really Church Growth.
388WELS

districts formally asked to have the invitation to Martin Marty

rescinded, but they said nothing about the coven of Roman Catholic priests
speaking at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The WLC board held firm against the
fanatical horde of district presidents and thumbed their noses at WELS. The
district presidents declared that the religious speech did not technically violate
their fellowship principles!

504

389Bob:

"..I'd like to share with you a book I came across the other day. It's
interesting, easy to read, and may be the answer to our problem..." "Its title is
Your Church Can Grow, and it's filled with all sorts of practical hints that could
help us turn things around here." Author: "Bob didn't realize it at the time, but
in his browsing he had stumbled upon one of many similar books written from
the perspective of the church growth movement, books with such titles as How
to Grow a Church, Ten Steps for Church Growth, Church Growth: Strategies that Work,
and Leading Your Church to Growth." Prof. David Valleskey, "The Church Growth
Movement, Just Gathering People or Building the Church?" The Northwestern
Lutheran, May 5, 1991, p. 184. "The term 'spiritual breathing' originated with Dr.
William Bright in his booklet, 'Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spiritfilled Life?'" David Valleskey, Forest Bivens New Life in Christ, September, 1981
p. 1. "For several years I've been a Pete Wagner fan. Although I don't see eye to
eye with him on many important theological points (he approves of faith
healing and speaking in tongues as long as it promotes church growth and he
comes from a Billy Graham decision for conversion doctrinal background), he
is the most eloquent spokesman of the Church Growth Movement. A prolific
author on mission/evangelism/church growth subjects, Wagner is also an
excellent teacher and a crystal clear writer." Reuel J. Schulz, The Evangelism Life
Line (WELS) Winter, 1980.
390"The

instructor may find it best not to distribute the Spiritual Gifts Analysis
(pp. 33-49) until the end of the course, when the time has come for class
members to work through it." David J. Valleskey, Gifted to Serve, Parish Services,
WELS
391Augsburg

Fortress is an interesting and extreme version of this malady. Once

Augsburg was the source of some outstanding Lutheran works, including
Lenski, Sasse, and Schmid. Fortress once dominated the required reading list at
Notre Dames theology graduate program, no mean achievement. The Fortress
books were liberal but scholarly standards. Lately, Augsburg Fortress has
published titles by an assortment of rabbis and women, so far removed from
their own market that the concern had to completely re-assess what it was
doing. ELCA may be as radical as a Unitarian cell group, but the members still
long for the Gospel.

392"Wherever

Lutherans unite with the Reformed, the former gradually sink to

the level of the latter. Already by declaring the differences between the two
Churches irrelevant, the Lutheran truths are actually sacrificed and denied.
Unionism always breaks the backbone, and outrages the conscience, of true
Lutheranism. And naturally enough, the refusal to confess the Lutheran truth is
but too frequently followed by eager endorsement and fanatical defense of the
opposite errors." F. Bente, American Lutheranism, The United Lutheran Church,
General Synod, General Council, United Synod in the South, 2 vols., St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 68.
505

393Otto

W. Heick, A History of Christian Thought, two volumes, Philadelphia:

Fortress Press, 1966, II, p. 23-4.

394George

Whitefield was the key figure in a sweeping revival called the Great
Awakening between 1763 and 1775, speaking to hundreds of thousands
throughout Colonial America.

395ELCA

leaders joined the Methodist Pietists in promoting and funding the

Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights. ELCA will pay a woman pastor to have
an abortion through its health plan. How many little boys lives have been lost
from ELCA joining hands?

396Prayer

or Bible study groups are also called koinonia, share, care, or home
study groups. WELS kept changing the names, but not the method.

397The

soviet in Soviet Union refers to councils based upon cell groups.

398The

Peretti novels found in Christian book stores portray Gods angels as

energized by prayer. Towns lacking in prayer warriors are set upon by
demons. Lots of prayer will strengthen Gods angels enough to drive the
demons away. This obviously causes people to think in terms of salvation by
works.
399"In

an article on the small group movement, J. A. Gorman notes that 'both

the Church Growth Institute of Fuller Seminary and the American Institute of
Church Growth became centers for influencing the use of this means for
evangelizing." (Christian Education, Moody Press, 1991, pp. 509, 510) Prof. David
Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin Lutheran
Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 126. "This writer's acquaintance with this current
phenomenon is threefold: 1) he has attended one of the workshops held by
Lyman Coleman; 2) he has read about a dozen books in the last ten years
coming from evangelical sources [i.e. false teachers] that deal with small groups
either wholly or in part; 3) he has also inquired about why a number of WELS
congregations have begun to conduct small group Bible study and how they
have structured these groups." Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups
in the 1990s," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 127. "Definition: 'A
small group within the church is a voluntary intentional gathering of people,
varying in number, regularly meeting together for mutual Christian purposes.' Serendipity WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9,
1991, Madison. p. 2. "Bible studies from Serendipity. Serendipity makes
available Bibles (with outlines and discussion questions) and topical study
booklets for adults and teen-agers. See appendix D for sample study courses.
Order a SERENDIPITY SMALL GROUP RESOURCES CATALOG from
Serendipity, P.O. Box 1012, Littleton, CO, 80160 or call 1-800-525-9583 (In CO

506

call 1-303-798-1313)." Notebook, School of Outreach IV, p. 225. "Introduction

to Small Group Ministry outline. Evangelism Office. Buy the book Good Things
Come in Small Groups, Intervarsity Press. Small Group Bible Study Materials,
Serendipity, Littleton, CO (1-800-525-9563)." WELS Evangelism Workshop IV,
LOCATING THE LOST, Five Year Plan For Outreach, p. 177.
400The

CLC Church Growth salesmen yelped that I could not quote Valleskeys
class notes, which are published and kept by his students, since I did not take
his class. Valleskey claimed to have inherited his notes from another professor,
so he would not take responsibility for the content. However, if we examine his
small body of publications, no doubts are left about his love for Reformed
authors and the Church Growth Movement.

401Heicks

History of Christian Thought was used throughout Lutheranism for a

long time. He was the most Lutheran of the professors at Waterloo Lutheran
Seminary, but he did not believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. He was kind to
various students, including me and my wife Chris. Unlike others, he would
analyze what students said during their chapel talks.

402Some

of you think you are in difficult parishes.

403One

successful CPA always hid his boat when his dad visited, because his
father did not approve of such frills. When he thundered at voters meetings,
one was tempted to think, You hide your boat from your daddy?

404Herman Otten told me that his father, a painter, sent him to prep school to
turn him into a pastor. It is also worthwhile if students learn at an early age that
church vocations are not for them. Seminaries should not be used as group
therapy for the spiritually confused to find the meaning of life.
405WELS

tried to turn another prep school into an ordinary area high school.
The two surviving schools are now deemed inadequate for the supply of
students. We need another prep school, one official said.

406Every

so often, Fuller Seminary would phone and I would think, They are
going to chew me out for my latest article. Instead, they were soliciting me to
spend thousands of dollars to earn a degree, because I requested a catalogue.
Many WELS pastors jumped me about Fuller Seminary, so I always asked them,
Have you ordered a catalogue? Do you want the latest one, to show you what
they are teaching the WELS, ELCA, and LCMS leaders?

407The

oldest part of the Muhlenberg tradition, the General Synod, formed

many union congregations, which were being de-unionized in the 1970s for a
period of time. LCA pastors might serve a Reformed congregation, or a
Reformed minister might serve an LCA congregation. Both would be on the
507

ministerial roll of both denominations. After years of agonizing de-unionizing

efforts, ELCA began forming new union congregations, with the Reformed,
Episcopalians, and Roman Catholics. One ELCA story has a photo of a Roman
Catholic priest grinning at his associate, a stunningly beautiful ELCA woman
pastor. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
408Womens

ordination required the death of LCA president Franklin C. Fry. He

would not even discuss the topic. At least one of his granddaughters is an
ELCA pastor. Fry led the United Lutheran Church in America in rejecting
inerrancy and refused communion from an ALC leader who advocated close
communion.

409National

Asphalt Paving Association, 5100 Forbes Boulevard, Lanham,

Maryland, 20706. Toll free phone: 1-800-HOT-MIXX.

410The

best source of English translations is Repristination Press, Malone,

Texas, headed by Pastor James Heiser.

411The

orthodox writers excelled in precise language, so their elaborations about

certain topics are good to study when that topic is being attacked.
412Beza,

an apologist for Calvin, established an attitude of contempt toward

Lutheran doctrine that infects the Reformed and the Lutheran Pietists today.
Self-loathing Lutheran Pietists often speak the language of Beza without
knowing it.

413"Dr.

Kraft is a professor in the School of World Mission at Fuller Seminary.

Two illustrations will suffice to show the continuing Fuller drift away from the
authority of Scripture. Dr. Kraft has been deeply involved in anthropological
and sociological studies in relation to missions...His [Dr. J. Robertson
McQuilkin's] burden included demonstrating that in some cases people who
profess to be evangelical place the behavioral sciences over Scripture rather than
under Scripture, with the result they undermine the Word of God. He made
specific reference to Professor Kraft...." Harold Lindsell, The Bible in the Balance,
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979, p. 226. "Similarly, he [the
Muslim] doesn't have to be convinced of the death of Christ. He simply has to
pledge allegiance and faith to God who worked out the details to make it
possible for his faith response to take the place of a righteousness requirement.
He may not, in fact, be able to believe in the death of Christ...." [Dr. Charles
Kraft, consultation in Marseilles, France] Harold Lindsell, The Bible in the Balance,
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979, p. 226. "Dr. Charles
Kraft...regretted that missionaries 'westernized African ways.' He questioned the
missionary/church position on polygamy, and in doing so released a bomb in
the audience... One delegate reminded Kraft that polygamy is not a respectable
way of life, for if it were so, how come the polygamist had a 'preferred wife
508

leaving the other wives in a secondary position?'" [Perception (Nairobi

Association of Evangelicals of Africa and Madagascar, April, 1977), pp. 6-7.]
Harold Lindsell, The Bible in the Balance, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1979, p. 227.
414"They

had a clear-cut goal - to have a son...Eventually God gave them a

promise, and when they received the assurance, God immediately changed their
names: 'You are no more Abram, but Abraham, the father of many
nations'...Abraham protested to God, 'Father, people will laugh at us. We don't
even have a puppy in our home, and you mean you want us to change our
names to 'father of many nation,' and 'princess'? My, all the people in town will
call us crazy." Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The
Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 28f.
"Since the spiritual world hugged the third dimension, incubating on the third
dimension, it was by this incubation of the fourth dimension on the third
dimension that the earth was recreated." Paul Yonggi Cho, The Fourth Dimension,
2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 39.

415This

attitude degenerated into being happy with the number, timing, health,
and gender of the child, so many couples use abortion to reach their quality of
life goals.

416"The

Network of WELS Small Group Leaders. 1. Information on

active/interested small group leaders. 2. The Resource Sharing Network led by
Divine Savior in Indianapolis, Indiana [Pastor Dan Kelm]." WELS Campus
Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9, 1991, Madison. p. 19. "A
Look at Several WELS Small Group Ministries. 1. Fairview in Milwaukee
(Pastor Jim Aderman) 2. Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel in Madison (Mr. Rolf
Wegenke) 3. Emanuel in New London (Pastor Steve Witte)" WELS Campus
Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9, 1991, Madison. p. 19.
417"The

unrelenting growth is based on a multiplication of home cell groups led

by lay leaders." Harry Genet, "Big Trouble for the World's Largest Church,"
Christianity Today, January 22, 1982 p. 30.

418CLC

Pastor David Koenig was anxious to prove that David Kuske was not
trained by Lyman Coleman. Koenig even published a letter in Christian News
about it. Koenig was always eager to start cell groups and heatedly supported
Pietism while trying to quash any criticism of his beloved Church Growth
Movement.
419Two

of the featured WELS authors, Cuter and Freier, have left Lutheranism.

509

Chapter Eight:
The Visible Word,
Baptism and
Holy Communion
Introduction
Many people try to hide the differences between Lutheran and
Reformed doctrine. In brief, the difference is this:
1) The Reformed separate the work of the Holy Spirit from the Word and
Sacraments, believing the Word of God to be dead and useless unless we
make it relevant, germane, and attractive to listeners.
2) The Reformed reject the Biblical truth that the preached Word and the
visible Word (Baptism and Holy Communion) give us the forgiveness of
sin.
3) The Reformed believe that prayer is the only means of grace, so they urge
people to make a decision for Christ and ask Jesus to come into your
heart. In denying that the Gospel in Word and Sacrament confers faith,
they set up a system of works to merit the forgiveness of sin: yielding to
Jesus, praying hard enough to earn forgiveness, suffering, tarrying, leading a
life of holiness.
The spirit of the unionist moves him to say, as Church of the Lutheran
Confession Pastor David Koenig did, Lutherans and Reformed teach the same
thing about the Word, but the Reformed do not accept the Sacraments.420 We
can see the uneasy conscience at work when David Valleskey falsely claimed
that the Reformed downplay the Means of Grace.421 Not surprisingly, one
unionist will support another unionist, angrily denying what they both truly
believe. Nothing betrays the anti-Scriptural foundation of the Reformed more
than their war against the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
Disguising that difference with clever words will never bridge the gap between
truth and falsehood. Moreover, it suggests that Lutherans who downplay the
differences are secret bedfellows with the Reformed. The writings of these
Lutheran foxes display a remarkable fondness for Reformed authors and a
corresponding antipathy for Lutheran writers, especially Dr. Luther himself.
If we do not trust the efficacy of the Word preached and taught, then
we will also doubt the work of the Holy Spirit in the visible Word of
Baptism and Holy Communion. Sadly, many Lutherans have had their faith in
the Sacraments undermined by those who have sought to replace the effective
510

Word with their clever methods. The purpose of this chapter is to show how
the concept of the visible Word can be seen throughout the Scriptures as a great
comfort to all believers.
J-801
"Thus we see what a very splendid thing Baptism is. It snatches us from the
jaws of the devil, makes us God's own, restrains and removes sin, and then daily
strengthens the new man within us. It is and remains ever efficacious until we
pass from this state of misery to eternal glory. For this reason everyone should
consider his Baptism as his daily dress, to be worn constantly. Every day he
should be found in the faith and its fruits, suppressing the old man, and
growing up in the new; for if we want to be Christians, we must practice the
work whereby we are Christians. But if anyone falls from baptismal grace, let
him return to it. For as Christ, the Mercy Seat, does not withdraw from us or
forbid us to come to Him again even though we sin, so all His treasures and
gifts also remain with us."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 61. Article on Baptism, 1529.
The Visible Word
J-802
"If we call Sacraments rites which have the command of God, and to which the promise of
grace has been added, it is easy to decide what are properly Sacraments. For rites
instituted by men will not in this way be Sacraments properly so called. For it
does not belong to human authority to promise grace. Therefore signs instituted
without Gods command are not sure signs of grace, even though they perhaps
instruct the rude [children or the uncultivated], or admonish as to something [as
a painted cross]. Therefore Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution, which is the
Sacrament of Repentance, are truly Sacraments. For these rites have God's
command and the promise of grace, which is peculiar to the New Testament.
For when we are baptized, when we eat the Lord's body, when we are absolved,
our hearts must be firmly assured that God truly forgives us for Christ's sake.
And God, at the same time, by the Word and by the rite, moves hearts to
believe and conceive faith, just as Paul says, Romans 10:17: 'Faith cometh by
hearing.' But just as the Word enters the ear in order to strike our heart, so the
rite itself strikes the eye, in order to move the heart. The effect of the Word and
of the rite is the same, as it has been well said by Augustine that a Sacrament is a
visible word, because the rite is received by the eyes, and is, as it were, a picture of
the Word, signifying the same thing as the Word. Therefore the effect of both is
the same."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, XIII, #3-5. Number/Use
Sacraments. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
309. Tappert, p. 211. Heiser, p. 94.
511

The term Sacrament is not directly from the Scriptures but expresses
what the Bible teaches.422 In this area especially, one must not only ask about
the terms used, but also determine what an individual means by those terms.
Many expressions overlap. Those who do not accept the Biblical meaning of the
Sacraments will still use the term while calling the Sacrament only symbolic.
One can find this use among Presbyterians and Methodists as well. The
Methodists claim to teach the Real Presence of Christ in Holy Communion, but
their official doctrinal statement limits the presence to a spiritual presence.
Lutherans may rarely use the favorite Reformed term, ordinance, instead of
Sacrament. Lutherans may also write about the Sacraments being symbolic,
without suggesting that they are only symbolic. Thus the secret bedfellows of
the Reformed have a certain amount of confusion aiding them in their nefarious
attempts to create a pan-Protestant generic faith marked by the absence of
creeds, liturgy, and the Means of Grace.
J-803
"Although the Church properly is the congregation of saints and true believers,
nevertheless, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled
therewith, it is lawful to use Sacraments administered by evil men, according to
the saying of Christ: 'The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, etc.'
Matthew 23:2. Both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the
institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered
by evil men."
Augsburg Confession, VIII. What the Church Is, Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 47. Tappert, p. 33. Heiser, p. 13.
We live in an era where Lutheran leaders believe they can slither around
the topic of false doctrine by teaching Lutheran doctrine while embracing
Reformed methods. Thus WELS District President Robert Mueller published a
fine statement against the Church Growth Movement while promoting Church
Growth fervently within his district. Likewise, CLC President Dan Fleischer
wrote an equally eloquent statement against the Church Growth Movement but
also fanned the flames of Reformed doctrine within his tiny fiefdom. The
Evangelical Lutheran Synod has prided itself on its opposition to the Church
Growth Movement, but President George Orvick has always supported the
error, sometimes with calculating silence, often with loud hurrahs for the false
teachers of WELS.423 The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, under the
conservative leadership of Al Barry, Paul McCain, and Herman Otten, has
harbored in its bosom hundreds of Pentecostal ministers, not to mention
congregations belonging to another denomination, the Willow Creek
Association.424
J-804
512

"You cannot of a truth be for true doctrine without being unalterably opposed
to false doctrine. There can be no 'positive theology' where the God-given
negatives have been eliminated from the Decalog."
Norman A. Madson, Preaching to Preachers, Mankato: Lutheran Synod
Book Company, 1952. Preface.
Being for the Means of Grace must also include opposing any system
of thought replacing or supplanting the doctrine revealed to us in the Scriptures
and confessed in the Book of Concord. Lutherans use the expression Means of
Grace to show that forgiveness of sin comes to us only through the invisible
Word of preaching, teaching, and absolution or the visible Word of
Baptism and Holy Communion. The Reformed do not downplay the Means of
Grace. They utterly reject the Means of Grace, as all junior seminarians know.425
J-805
"But just as the Word of God is the means of Grace, it is also the means of
judgment. 'He that rejected Me,' says Christ, John 12:48, 'and receiveth not My
words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the Last Day.'"
Eduard Preuss, "The Means of Grace," The Justification of the Sinner before
God, trans., Julius A. Friedrich, Chicago: F. Allerman, 1934, p. 63.
We owe our confirmation youth the knowledge of the Means of Grace
in an era where so much confusion abounds concerning how we are forgiven of
our sins by God. Lutherans are not Protestants who happen to use the liturgy
and creeds. Cults have their greatest success with youth who have been poorly
trained in their own faith, whether it is Judaism or Christianity. The loss of
confessionalism quickly turns into apathy toward the Bible and a vague sense of
righteousness based upon good works. This leaves youth with no sense of Godgiven purpose, no place to turn for genuine forgiveness, and no foundation for
discerning between truth and falsehood, good and evil. The mainline churches
set up their youth for cult membership by teaching tolerance for everything
except confessionalism.
J-806
"To you, I must thank especially. You made me realize that there is so much in
the Bible that is yet to be discovered. You definitely made confirmation fun and
sweet! I have learned so much from you and I hope that I never forget it. I want
you to know that without your teaching, I would not know the Means of Grace.
Thank you so much, again."
Katie Schmidt, (newly confirmed), Church of the Lutheran Confession.
Letter to Gregory L. Jackson, 5-29-96.
J-807
513

"The Holy Spirit works through the Word and the Sacraments, which only, in
the proper sense, are means of grace. Both the Word and the Sacraments bring
a positive grace, which is offered to all who receive them outwardly, and which
is actually imparted to all who have faith to embrace it."
Charles P. Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology,
Philadelphia: The United Lutheran Publication House, 1871, p. 127.
J-808
"The Lutheran Church Faces the World by clinging to the Means of Grace. The
doctrine of the means of grace is truly a most timely subject. For just in these
last times, according to divine revelation, there will be at work many spiritual
brigands who will perpetrate the grossest kind of deception."
Edwin E. Pieplow, "The Means of Grace," The Abiding Word, 3 vols.,
ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 322.
J-809
"For the joy Thine advent gave me,
For Thy holy, precious Word;
For Thy Baptism, which doth save me,
For Thy blest Communion board;
For Thy death, the bitter scorn,
For Thy resurrection morn, Lord,
I thank Thee and extol Thee,
And in heaven I shall behold Thee."
Thomas Kingo, "Like the Golden Sun Ascending," #207, The Lutheran Hymnal,
trans., George T. Rygh, 1908 St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-810
"For this reason we shall now relate, furthermore, from Gods Word how man
is converted to God, how and through what means [namely, through the oral
Word and the holy Sacraments] the Holy Ghost wants to be efficacious in us,
and to work and bestow in our hearts true repentance, faith, and new spiritual
power and ability for good, and how we should conduct ourselves towards
these means, and [how we should] use them."
Formula of Concord, SD II. #48. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 901. Tappert, p. 530. Heiser, p.
246.
J-811
"Therefore God, out of His immense goodness and mercy, has His divine
eternal Law and His wonderful plan concerning our redemption, namely, the
holy, alone-saving Gospel of His eternal Son, our only Savior and Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, publicly preached; and by this [preaching] collects an eternal
Church for Himself from the human race, and works in the hearts of men true
514

repentance and knowledge of sins, and true faith in the Son of God, Jesus
Christ. And by this means, and in no other way, namely, through His holy
Word, when men hear it preached or read it, and the holy Sacraments when
they are used according to His Word, God desires to call men to eternal
salvation, draw them to Himself, and convert, regenerate, and sanctify them. 1
Corinthians 1:21: 'For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom
knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe.' Acts 10:5-6..."
Formula of Concord SD II. #50. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 901. Tappert, p. 530f. Heiser, p. 246.
J-812
"Moreover, the declaration, John 6:44, that no one can come to Christ except
the Father draw him, is right and true. However, the Father will not do this
without means, but has ordained for this purpose His Word and Sacraments as
ordinary means and instruments; and it is the will neither of the Father nor of
the Son that a man should not hear or should despise the preaching of His
Word, and wait for the drawing of the Father without the Word and
Sacraments. For the Father draws indeed by the power of His Holy Ghost,
however, according to His usual order [the order decreed and instituted by
Himself], by the hearing of His holy, divine Word, as with a net, by which the
elect are plucked from the jaws of the devil. Every poor sinner should therefore
repair thereto [to holy preaching], hear it attentively, and not doubt the drawing
of the Father. For the Holy Ghost will be with His Word in His power, and
work by it..."
Formula of Concord, SD XI. #76-77. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1089. Tappert, p. 629. Heiser, p.
293. John 6:44.
J-813
"In the Acts of the Apostles also we read how again and again the Spirit was
given through and in connection with the Word. The Apostles depended on
nothing but Word and Sacrament."
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 136.
J-814
"The same divine Saviour now works through means. He has founded a
Church, ordained a ministry, and instituted the preaching of the Word and the
administration of His own Sacraments. Christ now works in and through His
Church. Through her ministry, preaching the Word, and administering the
Sacraments, the Holy Spirit is given. (Augsburg Confession, Article 5.)
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 30.
515

J-815
"But in extraordinary cases, does He not dispense with means? Even there,
means are employed; but in an extraordinary way. At Pentecost the multitudes
were converted through the Word, although this Word was given under
extraordinary conditions and circumstances, just as the multitudes in the
wilderness were sustained not without bread, but with bread furnished in an
extraordinary manner."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia:
General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 266.
J-816
"When the efficacy of Word and Sacraments encounters man's unbelief and
persistent resistance, their efficacy is not destroyed; but it is transformed from
an efficacy of grace to one of judgment (2 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Corinthians
11:29)."
Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia:
General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 320.
J-817
"If the question is put, 'Why did God ordain so many means of grace when one
suffices to confer upon the sinner His grace and forgiveness?' we quote the
reply of Luther who writes (Smalcald Articles, IV: 'The Gospel not merely in
one way gives us counsel and aid against sin, for God is superabundantly rich in
His grace. First through the spoken Word, by which the forgiveness of sins is
preached in the whole world, which is the peculiar office of the Gospel.
Secondly through Baptism. Thirdly through the holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Fourthly through the power of the keys and also through the mutual
conversation and consolation of brethren, Matthew 18:20.'"
John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal
Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 447. SA, IV,
Concordia Triglotta, p. 491.
J-818
"For we can definitely assert that where the Lord's Supper, Baptism, and the
Word are found, Christ, the remission of sins, and life eternal are found. On the
other hand, where these signs of grace are not found, or where they are
despised by men, not only grace is lacking but also foul errors will follow. Then
men will set up other forms of worship and other signs for themselves."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 914. Genesis 4:3.
J-819
"From this it follows that they act foolishly, yea, against God's order and
institution, who despise and reject the external Word, thinking that the Holy
516

Spirit and faith should come to them without means. It will indeed be a long
time before that happens."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 915.
J-820
"Give us Thy Spirit, peace afford
Now and forever, gracious Lord.
Preserve to us till life is spent
Thy holy Word and Sacrament."
Nikolaus Selnecker, "O Faithful God, Thanks Be to Thee," #321, The Lutheran
Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-821
"Since it is God's gracious purpose to remove every hindrance to conversion by
the means of grace, and it is still possible for a man at every point to continue in
his opposition to God, a man is never without responsibility over towards the
grace of God, although he may mock and say that, since God is the one who
does everything for our salvation, then a man has no responsibility himself, as
we see in Romans 9:19. Cf. Theses 17 and 18."
U. V. Koren, 1884, "An Accounting," Grace for Grace: Brief History of the
Norwegian Synod, ed., Sigurd C. Ylvisaker, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book
Company, 1943, Romans 9:19.

Part One: Baptism

Old Testament Sacramental Actions
We should not hesitate at the thought that God would unite His
promises with earthly elements. Every rainbow reminds us of one particular
promise.
KJV Genesis 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between
me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more
become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I
will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said
unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between
me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
God gave Abraham a sign of His covenant.
KJV Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between
me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be
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circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall
be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Those who insist that God does not need a visible sign of His promises
miss the entire point of the Sacraments. God was with the Israelites during the
Exodus and spoke to Moses. Nevertheless, the Israelites needed a visible sign of
His presence and His promises. Even then they faltered many times because of
doubt.
KJV Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar
of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them
light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day,
nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
When God defeated the Philistines, the prophet Samuel set up a
memorial stone to remind the people of what God had accomplished. In
remembering Gods gracious acts among us, faith is strengthened.
KJV 1 Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between
Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the
LORD helped us.
The entire Old Testament is a preparation for the complete revelation
of the Gospel. We tend to view Gods time as calendar time, one event leading
to another, cause and effect, just as we learn in history classes. In contrast we
must allow that the Incarnation was determined by God from the beginning of
time, along with all the promises associated with the Savior. Therefore, the Old
Testament is truly based upon the New Testament. The spotless Passover lamb,
sacrificed for the meal, foreshadowed the Lamb who would bear the sins of the
world.
KJV Exodus 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the
two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat
it.
KJV 1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

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God promised to care for His people during the Exodus. One of the
greatest anxieties of a wandering multitude would be water. The Israelites fell
into doubt and strife from their lack of water.
KJV Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock
in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it,
that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the
chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying,
Is the LORD among us, or not?
KJV 1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for
they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
heaven.

Another sign of Gods love came in the form of manna, bread from

KJV Exodus 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said
one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto
them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
KJV John 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not
as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall
live for ever.
Who could have imagined that the attack of serpents against the
Israelites would be directly connected with the best and most concise summary
of the Gospel message in the Bible?
KJV Numbers 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We
have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto
the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the
people. 8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it
upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he
looketh upon it, shall live.
KJV John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
Those who are offended by the visible Word should consider the giving
of the Ten Commandments. God might have given His commandments and
allowed them to be written down. Instead God inscribed them and had them
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placed in the ark of the covenant to be carried with the people of God as a
visible sign of the Word. Surely God did not need to have His commandments
carved in stone and carried with great awe and solemnity in a special casket.
And yet God willed that this be done to sustain faith.
KJV Joshua 3:10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living
God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the
Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the
covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
One definition of Calvinist worship is A sermon surrounded by four
white walls. In fact, one church in New Haven, Connecticut, home of Yale
University, found itself offended that members saw fit to add Tiffany glass
windows to the original plain structure. The offending windows were removed.
Formerly, in the name of protecting people against Roman influence,
Protestants jettisoned the liturgy, creeds, chorales, paraments, stoles, liturgical
gowns (preferring the academic black gown often seen on Court TV), and
almost all visual images of the Christian faith. Now, Lutherans, in aping their
non-liturgical brethren, have done the same, even removing the black Geneva
gown in favor of a polyester business suit.426
Baptism in the Small Catechism
J-822
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, as the Head of the Family Should
Teach It in a Simple Way to His Household.

I.
What is baptism?
Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in Gods
command and connected with Gods Word.

Which is that word of God?

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew: Go ye into all the
world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost.
II.
What does Baptism give or profit?
It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives
eternal salvation to all who believe this, as words and promises of God
declare.427
Which are such words and promises of God?
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Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he believeth not shall be damned.
III.
How can water do such great things?
It is not the water indeed that does them, but the word of God which is
in and with the water, and faith, which trusts such word of God in the water.
For without the word of God the water is simple water and no baptism. But
with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a
washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul says, Titus, chapter three:
By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be
made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying.
IV.
What does such baptizing with water signify?
It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and
repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a new
man daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and
purity forever.
Where is this written?
St. Paul says, Romans chapter 6: We are buried with Christ by Baptism into
death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life.428
The Large Catechism on Baptism
I have two specific, personal reasons for avoiding doctrine and
methods of the anti-Means of Grace Protestants. First of all, my family attended
the Congregationalist church for many years and then joined the unionistic and
quasi-Baptist Disciples of Christ congregation in town. I remember the
Congregationalist church best for the woman who attended in a mans suit and
tie, long before anyone considered it normal. My mothers answers to my
puzzled and child-like questions were vague and disconcerting. The Disciples
congregation, boldly named First Christian Church, emphasized the pastors
personality, rebaptized everyone who had not been immersed, and motivated a
packed Sunday School with special youth trips earned by faithfulif riotous
attendance. Hymns were obnoxiously sentimental in tone. The service was
curiously divided into various unchanging rituals, including the Ritual of
Friendship. People explained that they did not like Lutheranism because of all
the ritual, and that perplexed me. I escaped to Lutheranism, good hymns, the
liturgy, the creeds, paraments, and sermons about the Word. I also had the good
fortune to marry the smartest and cutest Lutheran girl at Augustana College, a
school once closely allied with my new Augustana Synod/LCA congregation.
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Secondly, both of our daughters died at an early age. Because of neurological

degeneration that attacked their muscular strength, neither Bethany nor Erin Joy
could speak beyond cooing, crying, and laughing. Nevertheless, their intelligence
was superior and they matured in ways identical to any little girl. I baptized both
girls as babies and experienced their faith in Jesus their Savior. Nothing in the
Baptist armory can convince me that:
1. Bethany and Erin Joy were born innocent, since both could be
rebellious, mischievous, jealous, and self-centered.
2. Bethany and Erin Joy lacked faith, since their faces responded so
radiantly when we talked about their eternity with Christ in heaven.
3. Bethany and Erin Joy failed to show the fruits of the Spirit, since they
showed faith in Christ, great love for people, endurance under the
greatest hardships, growing self-control, and a boundless sense of joy.
Nurses called Bethany Angel because of her cherubic expressions.
Another set of nurses called Erin Joy, not knowing it was her middle
name.429
Infant Dedication Apes Baptism
The arguments of the Baptists against infant baptism begin with the
innocence of babies and their lack of knowledge about sina powerful weapon
if one has never read the Bible or raised a child. Baptists have no concept of the
true meaning of Baptism, so they imitate infant baptism by dedicating their
babies, baptizing without water to show their denial of baptismal
regeneration.430 They baptize adults and then baptize them many times over,
using Baptism as a moist form of absolution and destroying its meaning by
abuse. It is impossible for Baptists to deny the efficacy of the Word alone and
still have a proper understanding of Baptism. Liberal Lutherans are no less
confused.
Baptism has fallen so low in esteem among Lutherans that feminist
pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America feel compelled to
baptize in the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer to avoid the
odious and sexist terms Father and Son. According to Dr. David Scaer,
some ELCA pastors also include references to Our Mother God in the
baptismal formula.431 This is not Christian Baptism, but an outrage, a sacrilege,
one made worse by the pathetic eagerness of the Missouri Synod, WELS, and
ELS leaders to participate in unionistic religious projects with ELCA while
denouncing the liberalism of ELCA from time to time.
J-823
"For as truly as I can say, No man has spun the Ten Commandments, the
Creed, and the Lord's Prayer out of his head, but they are revealed and given by
God Himself, so also I can boast that Baptism is no human trifle, but instituted
by God Himself, moreover, that it is most solemnly and strictly commanded
that we must be baptized or we cannot be saved, lest any one regard it as a
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trifling matter, like putting on a new red coat. For it is of the greatest
importance that we esteem Baptism excellent, glorious, and exalted, for which
we contend and fight chiefly, because the world is now so full of sects
clamoring that Baptism is an external thing, and that external things are of no
benefit. But let it be ever so much an external thing, here stand Gods Word and
command which institute, establish, and confirm Baptism."432
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #6-8. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 733. Tappert, p. 437.
Heiser, p. 205.
J-824
"From this now learn a proper understanding of the subject, and how to answer
the question what Baptism is, namely thus, that it is not mere ordinary water,
but water comprehended in Gods Word and command, and sanctified thereby,
so that it is nothing else than a divine water; not that the water in itself is nobler
than other water, but that Gods Word and command are added."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #14. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 735. Tappert, p. 438. Heiser, p.
205.
J-825
"Therefore it is pure wickedness and blasphemy of the devil that now our new
spirits, to mock at Baptism, omit from it Gods Word and institution, and look
upon it in no other way than as water which is taken from the well, and then
blather and say: How is a handful of water to help the soul? Aye, my friend,
who does not know that water is water if tearing things asunder is what we are
after? But how dare you thus interfere with God's order, and tear away the most
precious treasure with which God has connected and enclosed it, and which He
will not have separated? For the kernel in the water is Gods Word or command
and the name of God, which is a treasure greater and nobler than heaven and
earth."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #15-16. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 735. Tappert, p. 438.
Heiser, p. 205f.
J-826
"Comprehend the difference, then, that Baptism is quite another thing than all
other water; not on account of the natural quality, but because something more
noble is here added; for God Himself stakes His honor, His power and might
on it. Therefore it is not only natural water, but a divine, heavenly, holy, and
blessed water, and in whatever other terms we can praise it,all on account of
the Word, which is a heavenly, holy Word, that no one can sufficiently extol, for
it has, and is able to do, all that God is and can do [since it has all the virtue and
power of God comprised in it]. Hence also it derives its essence as a Sacrament,
as St. Augustine also taught: Accedat verbum ad elementum et fit sacramentum. That is,
523

when the Word is joined to the element or natural substance, it becomes a

Sacrament, that is, a holy and divine matter and sign."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #17-18. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 735f. Tappert, p. 438.
Heiser, p. 206.
J-827
"Thus, and much more even, you must honor Baptism and esteem it glorious
on account of the Word, since He Himself has honored it both by words and
deeds; moreover, confirmed it with miracles from heaven. For do you think it
was a jest that, when Christ was baptized, the heavens were opened and the
Holy Ghost descended visibly, and everything was divine glory and majesty?"
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #21. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 737. Tappert, p. 439. Heiser, p.
206.
J-828
"Therefore I exhort again that these two, the water and the Word, by no means
be separated from one another and parted. For if the Word is separated from it,
the water is the same as that with which the servant cooks, and may indeed be
called a bath-keeper's baptism. But when it is added, as God has ordained, it is a
Sacrament, and is called Christ-baptism. Let this be the first part regarding the
essence and dignity of the holy Sacrament."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #22. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 737. Tappert, p. 439. Heiser, p.
206.
J-829
"Here you see again how highly and precious we should esteem Baptism,
because in it we obtain such an unspeakable treasure, which also indicates
sufficiently that it cannot be ordinary mere water. For mere water could not do
such a thing, but the Word does it, and (as said above) the fact that the name of
God is comprehended therein. But where the name of God is, there must be
also life and salvation, that it may indeed be called a divine, blessed, fruitful, and
gracious water; for by the Word such power is imparted to Baptism that it is a
laver of regeneration, as St. Paul also calls it, Titus 3:5."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #26-27. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 739. Tappert, p. 439f.
Heiser, p. 206.
J-830
"Thus faith clings to the water, and believes that it is Baptism, in which there is
pure salvation and life; not through the water (as we have sufficiently stated),
but through the fact that it is embodied in the Word and institution of God, and
the name of God inheres in it. Now, if I believe this, what else is it than
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believing in God and in Him who has given and planted His Word into this
ordinance, and proposes to us this external thing wherein we may apprehend
such a treasure?"
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #29. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 739. Tappert, p. 440. Heiser, p.
206.
J-831
"Now here we have the words: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
To what else do they refer than to Baptism, that is, to the water comprehended
in God's ordinance? Hence it follows that whoever rejects Baptism rejects the
Word of God, faith, and Christ, who directs us thither and binds us to
Baptism."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #31. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 739. Tappert, p. 440. Heiser, p.
206f.
J-832
"And here you see that Baptism, both in its power and signification,
comprehends also the third Sacrament, which has been called repentance, as it
is really nothing else than Baptism. For what else is repentance but an earnest
attack upon the old man [that his lusts be restrained] and entering upon a new
life? Therefore, if you live in repentance, you walk in Baptism, which not only
signifies such a new life, but also produces, begins, and exercises it. For therein
are given grace, the Spirit, and power to suppress the old man, so that the new
man may come forth and become strong."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #74-76. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 751. Tappert, p. 445.
Heiser, p. 209.
J-833
"Thus it appears what a great, excellent thing Baptism is, which delivers us from
the jaws of the devil and makes us God's own, suppresses and takes away sin,
and then daily strengthens the new man; and is and remains ever efficacious
until we pass from this estate of misery to eternal glory."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #83. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 751. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p.
209.
J-834
"For this reason let every one esteem his Baptism as a daily dress in which he is
to walk constantly, that he may ever be found in the faith and its fruits, that he
suppress the old man and grow up in the new. For if we would be Christians,
we must practice the work whereby we are Christians. But if any one fall away
from it, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy-seat, does not
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recede from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all
His treasure and gifts also remain. If, therefore, we have once in Baptism
obtained forgiveness of sin, it will remain every day, as long as we live, that is, as
long as we carry the old man about our neck."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #84-86. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 446.
Heiser, p. 209f.
The Holy Trinity and the Baptism of Jesus
J-835
"But here it is written that when Christ was baptized, all three Persons of the
Trinity were presentGod the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit... and
that the heavens stood open, too. In fact, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
daily stand about and at the side of our own Baptism... For this reason we
should highly esteem and honor Baptism and say: Baptism was not devised by
any human being, but God instituted it; and it is not simple water, but Gods
Word is in it and with it, which makes of its water a washing of the soul and a
washing of regeneration."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 45. John 1:30-32.
KJV Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to
pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a
voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am
well pleased.
Passages Showing Gods Activity in Baptism
The poverty of the anti-Means of Grace perspective is exceptionally
clear when we examine the New Testament passages about Baptism. Most of
the passages listed below are directly concerned with Baptism, but many more
texts could also be listed. Baptism is the singular Sacrament uniting all
Christians, without regard to age, gender, or social status.433 One passage is so
important that Baptists have converted it from a Baptism text to a sedes doctrinae
for the Hour of Decision.
Born from Above
KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees,434 named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do
these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and
said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man
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be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb,
and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the
Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not
these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you
earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly
things?
The conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus took place on two
levels, as it did with the woman at the well and with Peter having his feet
washed. Jesus explained His heavenly wisdom to Nicodemus, but Nicodemus
heard only earthly things at first.435 Nevertheless, we know he was converted to
faith by the subsequent references to him in the Gospel. The key to his first
misunderstanding is lost on people who do not know New Testament Greek.
When Jesus said, You must be born from above, He used a word in Greek
that has two meanings. The primary meaning in Greek is from above and is
based upon the adverb for above. The secondary meaning for the Greek
word is again. The main Greek adverb for again (palin) can be found in an
English word palindrome.436 The Greek word used in John 3 is not palin but
anothen. The adverb palin is found 140 times in the New Testament, but anothen
only 13 times.437 Significantly, the adverb anothen is used in the Gospel of John
in the sense of from above in two additional places:
KJV John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of
the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is
above all.
KJV John 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all
against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin.
KJV James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
KJV James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy.
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The adverb anothen is also used in the New Testament in the sense
from top to bottom and from the beginning. The context in John demands
the primary meaning of from above. From time to time, someone will insist
that we must translate the Greek text into Aramaic to understand it, as if the
Incarnate Son of God and His disciples could not have known two languages at
once, a common presumption among Americans, some of whom do not even
know their own mother tongue. It is not difficult to find unschooled people
today who speak five or six languages because of their need to communicate
with various ethnic groups in the same neighborhood. Jesus lived in Roman
occupied territory where Latin, Greek, and Aramaic were spoken, so we can
imagine the typical person needing to speak more than one language.
Nevertheless, we should emphasize what we knowthe textrather than
speculate about what we will never know.
The Baptist spin on this passage is entirely wrong. Jesus did not tell
Nicodemus that he must be born again in the primary sense, but that he must
be born from above. There is some ironic humor in the failure of Nicodemus
to understand the statement correctly, just as the woman at the well (John 4)
thought only of water to drink, at first. The ever-impetuous Peter refused a
foot-wash and then asked for a shampoo (John 13:8-9) when foot-washing was
explained to him.
We can forgive the King James Version for translating the adverb
anothen as again, to make the question of Nicodemus seem appropriate:
KJV John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born again {from above}, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.438
After Nicodemus made the issue an obstetrical problem, Jesus
explained:
KJV John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.
The Son of God is stating that being born from above means being
water/Spirit born. We can join water and Spirit together in English because the
Greek text is anarthrous, or lacking the article. Greek uses the article more than
English, so the lack of an article is a grammatical event used for emphasis.
Pentecostals claim to speak every tongue except New Testament Greek, so they
insist this water/Spirit Baptism is a reference to a second baptism, a baptism of
the Spirit accompanied by ecstatic speech. However, this is impossible on three
counts.
1. Water and Spirit are joined together by the anarthrous construction.
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2. The preposition ex is used only once, so it governs both water and Spirit
together and not separately. Born of water/Spirit, not born of water
and born of Spirit.
3. Thirdly, the Bible teaches only one Baptism (Ephesians 4:5).
God uses different but parallel terms to teach us, if we take the time to
study the passages. Being born from above is necessary to see the kingdom of
God and to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus might have said, Except a man
be born of water and Word The Holy Spirit works only through the Word
(Isaiah 55:8-11),439 so Spirit and Word are interchangeable. We can simplify the
exchange in this way:
Nicodemus: How can someone be born from above and see the
kingdom of God?
Jesus: Only through Baptism.
Jesus and the Apostles converted people through the spoken Word.
Faith in the Gospel moved adults to ask for Baptism. A man who believed in
Jesus would be baptized with his entire household, including the smallest
infants. The babies and small children would be nurtured in the faith given
them at Baptism. We know that Christians have always been baptized. In some
exceptional cases, someone might be converted to the faith and never have the
opportunity for Baptism, but that would be extremely rare.
J-836
"Observe from this text how Christ in plain words ascribes to Baptism, which
He calls water, such glory and power as to say that the Holy Spirit is present in
it, and that by its means a person is born anew. By this statement all false
doctrines and errors against the doctrine of faith and Baptism are overthrown."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 434. Trinity Sunday John 3:1-15.
J-837
Yea, Thy Word is clear and plain,
And we would obey it duly:
He who is not born again,
Heart and life renewing truly,
Born of water and the Spirit,
Can My kingdom not inherit.
Benjamin Schmolck, Dearest Jesus, We Are Here, The Lutheran Hymnal, #300,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Original Sin and the Two-Fold Blessing of Baptism
529

J-838
"Also they teach that since the fall of Adam, all men begotten in the natural way
are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God, and
with concupiscence; and that this disease, or vice of origin, is truly sin, even
now condemning and bringing eternal death upon those not born again through
Baptism and the Holy Ghost. They condemn the Pelagians and others who
deny that original depravity is sin, and who, to obscure the glory of Christ's
merit and benefits, argue that man can be justified before God by his own
strength and reason."
Augsburg Confession, II. #1. Original Sin. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 43f. Tappert, p. 29. Heiser, p. 12.
J-839
"Here our adversaries inveigh against Luther also because he wrote that
'Original sin remains after Baptism.' They add that this article was condemned
by Leo X. But His Imperial Majesty will find on this point a manifest slander.
For our adversaries know in what sense Luther intended this remark, that
original sin remains after Baptism. He always wrote thus, namely, that Baptism
removes the guilt of original sin, although the material, as they call it, of the sin,
i. e., concupiscence, remains. He also added in reference to the material that the
Holy Ghost, given through Baptism, begins to mortify the concupiscence, and
creates new movements [a new light, a new sense and spirit] in man."
Apology Augsburg Confession, II. #35. Original Sin. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 115. Tappert, p. 104f. Heiser,
p. 31.
KJV Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Infant Baptism
J-840
"Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through
Baptism is offered the grace of God; and that children are to be baptized, who,
being offered to God through Baptism, are received into God's grace. They
condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that
children are saved without Baptism."440
Augsburg Confession, IX. Baptism. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 47. Tappert, p. 33. Heiser, p. 13.
J-841
"We should be on our guard against the Anabaptists and sectarian spirits, who
speak contemptuously of Baptism and say that it is nothing but ordinary water,
which helps no one. They look at the sacred act as a cow looks at a new door;
530

for they see a poor preacher standing there or some woman who baptizes in an
emergency, are offended at the sight, and say: Indeed! What might Baptism be?
Moreover, they state: Whoever does not believe is really not baptized. In this
way they dishonor and blaspheme the most worthy Sacrament, not seeing any
farther than a horse or a cow sees..."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 45. John 1:30-32.
Arguments against infant baptism did not surface with any strength in
the Christian Church until followers of Zwingli took his rationalism seriously
and began rebaptizing adults. Thus the Christian Church existed for 16
centuries without being burdened by doubts about infant baptism.441 The
assault against infant baptism continues along the same lines established by the
rationalists:
1. Infants cannot believe.
2. The Word is not efficacious.
KJV Psalm 22:9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou
didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon
thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
NIV Psalm 22:9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me
trust in you even at my mother's breast. 10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Some may want to dismiss the Psalm 22 passage because it is so clearly
Messianic. However, when we turn to the Gospels, we find young children
praising Christ and confessing their faith in Him as the Son of David, much to
the distress of the scribes and chief priests.
KJV Matthew 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the
wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying,
Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 16 And said unto him,
Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never
read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Jesus Himself taught that we must become as tiny children to enter the
kingdom. That would be impossible if children did not believe. The term for
children in Matthew 21:15 is paidia. Jesus as a newborn was a paidion, the
singular form of paidia.442 The Jews circumcise on the eighth day, and this
newborn named John was called a paidion.443 The woman in travail parable in
John uses paidion for the newborn baby.444 The newborn Moses was called a
paidion.445
531

KJV Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be
converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same
is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little
child in my name receiveth me.
KJV Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the
kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
KJV Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid
them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
J-842
"The purest and best part of the human race, the special nursery and flower of
God's Church, is tender youth. Youth retains the gift of the Holy Spirit which it
received in Baptism; it learns eagerly the true doctrine about God and our
Redeemer, Jesus Christ; it calls Him God with a chaste mind and with a simple,
pure faith; it thanks Him with a quick and joyful heart for the blessings received
from Him; in its studies and the other parts of life, it carries out the duties
commanded it; and it obeys God and parents reverently. Particularly Godpleasing, therefore, are the studies of one's earliest age: prayer, obedience and
praises which honor God, regardless of how weak and stammering its voice
may be."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard
Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 9.
J-843
"I still maintain, as I have maintained in the Postil (SL 11, 496f.) that the surest
Baptism is infant baptism. For an old person may deceive, may come to Christ
as a Judas and permit himself to be baptized. But a child cannot deceive. It
comes to Christ in Baptism as John came to Him and as the little children were
brought to Him, that His Word and work may come over them, touch them,
and thus make them holy. For His Word and work cannot pass by without
effect; and in Baptism they are directed at the child alone. If they were to fail of
success here, they would have to be entire failures and useless means, which is
impossible."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 50. Letter to two ministers, 1528.
J-844
"He that believes and is baptized
Shall see the Lord's salvation;
Baptized into the death of Christ,
He is a new creation.
Through Christ's redemption he shall stand
532

Among the glorious heavenly band

Of every tribe and nation.
"With one accord, O God, we pray:
Grant us Thy Holy Spirit;
Look Thou on our infirmity
Through Jesus' blood and merit.
Grant us to grow in grace each day
That by this Sacrament we may
Eternal life inherit."
Thomas Kingo, 1689, "He That Believes and Is Baptized" The Lutheran
Hymnal, #301, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Meaning of Hinder
When Jesus said, Do not hinder the small children from coming to
Me, we should ask about the meaning of hinder. The Greek verb for hinder,
koluein, is used in the New Testament in the sense of prevention.446 As we see
below, what prevents me from being baptized?
KJV Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be
baptized?
The following verse concerns the evil of Diotrephes, who did not
receive the brothers into membership, but prevented them and threw them
out.447 This one passage casts considerable light upon forbidding and its
opposite, receiving. See Mark 9:37 below. Forbidding means preventing
membership in the Christian Church, so receiving means taking someone into
membership.448 Casting out suggests a formal resolution by the congregation
and not physical removal.
KJV 3 John 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds
which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content
therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them
that would, and casteth them out of the church.
How can one exaggerate the meaning of Mark 9:37? Receiving a child is
the same as receiving Christ, and receiving Christ is the same as receiving the
One Who sent Him. This is no small matter. To say a baptized child has faith
requires faith in the Word. This is a great comfort to the parents. In contrast,
someone who denies infant faith and baptismal regeneration becomes a modern
Diotrephes, forbidding children and destroying the faith of their parents.449
Modern Baptists are quite conflicted. Most of them seem to dedicate babies
now, an acknowledgement of the reasons for infant baptism. Nevertheless, they
533

insist on teaching against infant faith and baptismal regeneration while

performing their dry baptisms.450
Nothing should make a pastor and congregation more confident in
their work than infant baptism. It is such a simple thing and yet it is a once in a
lifetime Sacrament for the child. Only God is at work. The pastor, parents, and
godparents simply participate in what the child receives through the Holy Spirit
working in the Word. The baby is too small to dismiss the Word and too
unlearned to imagine the Word is beneath him. Is a newborn incapable of
believing? In many cases I have held the baby for the first time when it was time
to apply the water. More than once a baby has looked into my face, seen a
stranger, and wailed the cry of an angry or frightened child. Does he trust me?
No. I baptize him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Then I hand the outraged child softly into his mothers arms. She says a
few words to him. He sniffles and coos. Does he trust his mother? Yes. We can
also say with confidence that he trusts God.
KJV James 1:21 Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is
able to save your souls.
KJV Mark 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my
name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him
that sent me.
Households Baptized
How the Baptists and Pentecostals cry out in dismay when anyone
states that entire households were baptized in the New Testament! First they
say, Do not talk about church history. One cannot even mention that babies
were baptized in the church for 16 centuries. The Baptists also say, This
baptism of households is not a proper argument. Not once is a baby mentioned
in these passages. Since the manner of Baptism is disputed, we have to look at
these passages in their historical context. If we could find examples of Baptisms
limited to adults in the apostolic era and in subsequent times, the household
Baptisms might be imagined to be limited to adults. However, just the opposite
is true. We have many specific examples of infant baptism from the earliest days
of the Church. Moreover, the reason for the lack of New Testament
argumentative material on the subject of infant baptism is the universal lack of
debate on the issue.
The only reference to a later age for Baptism in the early church is an
argument against infant baptism based upon postponement until the turbulent
adolescent years are over. In other words, infant baptism was taken for granted
from the earliest days of the Church and not doubted until the Anabaptists
broke with Zwingli. Baptists and Pentecostals ignore all church history between
the apostolic era and the Reformation. Luther is given some credit, but he did
not go far enough in the opinion of Baptists. Unfortunately, Lutherans now
have a Baptist/Pentecostal view of church history. One of the many strengths
534

of the Book of Concord is its consistency with the church fathers. If we do not
understand Augustine, Jerome, and Ambrose, it is difficult to appreciate the
catholic, that is, the truly universal and orthodox nature of the Lutheran
confessions, which begin with the Three Ecumenical Creeds.
Cornelius believed and was baptized:
KJV Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name
of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Lydia was baptized with her household:
KJV Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into
my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
him.

The jailer was baptized with all his after the spoken Word converted

KJV Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and
washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Crispus believed and was baptized with his entire household:
KJV Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed
on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed,
and were baptized.
In the light of these passages and the centuries of infant baptism
following, we would have to see a specific exclusion of babies to believe that
God never intended for the young to be baptized. In addition, dozens of
passages would have to be removed from the Bible to allow for the
Baptist/Pentecostal position. As we can see from all passages concerning the
Word, where God is not glorified, man must be magnified. If God does not
accomplish His will through the Word, then man must make a decision,
surrender his will, have the correct attitude toward God, search for God and
come to the right conclusion after hearing a skillful and winsome presentation.
This rationalistic concept is behind the indictment of the Baptists against infant
baptism in the Bible. They cannot imagine someone coming to faith solely
through the visible Word of Baptism.
Activity of the Word in Baptism
Seven Ones
The seven ones passage emphasizes unity in the Christian church. It
is clearly Gods will that one Sacrament would unite all believers in the church.
535

Our good works do not unite us. Our plans and attitudes do not bring us
together. The distinguishing mark of unity is one Baptism we all share in
common. Therefore, it is not surprising that the universal Christian use of
Baptism, for all ages, would be ended during the Swiss Reformation, when a
division was created that encouraged the Church of Rome to call Protestantism
a half-way house on the road to unbelief.451
KJV Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One
God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ.
KJV 1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been
all made to drink into one Spirit.
KJV Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Buried-with, Risen-with
The apostle Paul taught the efficacy of Baptism, using the word for
efficacy, energeia, translated by the KJV as operation. Although the Holy Spirit
never formed a compound verb for make disciples, He did create two
compound verbs to emphasize the working of Baptism: buried-with and risenwith. In Greek the verbs are formed by adding sun (syn) to the beginning of the
normal verb. This prefix strengthens the impact of God at work in Baptism, for
the baptized person is passive in being buried-with Christ and being raised-with
Christ. The Scriptures teach us that Baptism is Gods activity and energy
through the Word in creating faith and sealing us for the Kingdom of God.
KJV Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are
risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him
from the dead.
The significance of Baptism grows with our understanding of the Word
at work in our lives as believers. The anti-Sacramental confessions think of
Baptism as an ordinance, a law to be obeyed. Baptism cannot be so trivial if we
are buried with Christ by the Sacrament and enabled to walk in newness of life.
KJV Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
536

J-845
"Baptized into Thy name most holy,
O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
I claim a place, though weak and lowly,
Among Thy seed, Thy chosen host.
Buried with Christ and dead to sin,
Thy Spirit now shall live within."
Johann J. Rambach, "Baptized into Thy Name Most Holy," #298, The
Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Baptism Saves
No passage terrifies the anti-Sacrament people more that 1 Peter 3:1822. The key verse is 1 Peter 3:21, but it should be read within the context of the
argument being presented. Noahs ark saved eight people from the total
destruction of all life on earth. The Genesis flood is seldom considered seriously
now, in spite of obvious physical evidence of a global flood. But for someone
who believes that the Old Testament is Gods Word, the implications of the
flood are beyond imagination. No human beings survived unless they were on
Noahs ark. The ark saved a few people from certain death. Death by drowning
is frightening, but drowning when there is no hope for rescue on the entire
planet that drowning is universal death. The ark did not save Noahs family
symbolically, but in reality, rescuing them from certain death. When we read the
entire passage, it is clear that Noahs ark is the figure or metaphor being used to
show the miraculous work of Baptism. Baptism does now save us in the same
way, but even beyond that. Baptism gives us the ability to rest in Gods grace
and not be afraid of His wrath, because we are forgiven.
We could view the entire passage as having this form: A B A. At
first the apostle teaches us about Christ suffering for our sins and rising from
death. The verses about His descent to Hell and the ark seem to be a digression,
but Peter returns to the main theme, showing how the treasure of the atoning
death of Christ comes to us through Baptism. The ultra-conservative
Evangelicals love the King James Version, but not here, because the Word of
God says what they deny: Baptism now saves you just as certainly as Noahs ark
once saved eight souls from universal death.
KJV 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the
spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
537

resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Translations Drown Baptism in Symbolism
Notice how the clear words of the King James Version must be
changed in two modern revisions. Martin Jackson said about the need for
publishers to change the Authorized Version, pretending only to update the
verb endings for conservative Evangelicals, They know their market.
KJV 1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save
us
New King James 1 Peter 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us
baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh
Modern King James 1 Peter 3:21 which figure now also saves us, baptism
King James 21st Century 1 Peter 3:21 In like manner baptism doth also now
save us452
ASV 1 Peter 3:21 which also after a true likeness doth now save 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.453
NRS 1 Peter 3:21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you
NAB 1 Peter 3:21 This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
NLT 1 Peter 3:21 And this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the
power of Jesus Christ's resurrection.
Washing of Baptism
God always gives us more than one example of His clear teaching, so
no one has an excuse to say that, for instance, 1 Peter 3:21 is exceptional. A
second passage portraying Baptism as saving us can be found in Titus, an
overlooked Pauline letter with many significant passages for Lutherans to
consider carefully.
The key verse in this section is Titus 3:5, but it means more when
considered within its context. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to Titus to
advise him about his pastoral work. This glorious statement about Baptism is
preceded first by an admonition about Christian behavior and a reminder of
how the believers lived before they were converted to faith in Christ. A simple
outline would be:
538

a.
b.
c.

This is how we should live as Christians.

This is what the unconverted were like.
This is what God did for us.

Gods kindness, love, and mercy caused Him to save us, not because of
our works, but through the washing, rebirth, and renewal of the Holy Spirit in
Baptism.454 It is true that Baptism itself is not named in Titus 3:5, but washing
can only refer to Baptism here, especially in light of many other references to
Baptismal water, washing and rebirth.455
KJV Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and
powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of
no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3 For
we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers
lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration,456 and renewing of the Holy
Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.
J-846
"Whoever is baptized in Christ is baptized through His suffering and blood or,
to state it more clearly, through Baptism he is bathed in the blood of Christ and
is cleansed from sins. For this reason St. Paul calls Baptism a "washing of
regeneration" (Titus 3:5); and according to what Christians say and picture, the
Sacraments flow from the wounds of Christ. And what they say and picture is
right." [Plass footnote: "Thus Jerome (d. 420) sees the Sacrament symbolized by
the blood and water that flowed from the side of the dead Christ (John 19:34).
Similarly St. Augustine (d. 430). In Luther's days pictures and woodcuts
presented the same view. See W 30, II, 527, note; SL 13a, 491f.]
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 46. to Duke George, 1533. John 19:34;
Titus 3:5.
KJV Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and
wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
KJV 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of our God.
539

KJV Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.
J-847
"How beautifully the apostle in these strong words extols the grace of God
bestowed in baptism! He refers to baptism as a washing, whereby not our feet
only, not our hands, but our whole bodies are cleansed. Baptism perfectly and
instantaneously cleanses and saves. For the vital part of salvation and its
inheritance, nothing more is necessary than this faith in the grace of God. Truly,
then, are we saved by grace alone, without works or other merit."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 154. Early Christmas Morning Titus
3:5.
J-848
"Take note, God pours out upon us in baptism superabundant blessings for the
purpose of excluding the works whereby men foolishly presume to merit
heaven and gain happiness. Yes, dear friend, you must first possess heaven and
salvation before you can do good works. Works never merit heaven; heaven is
conferred purely of grace... The true Christian's whole life after baptism is but a
waiting for the manifestation of the salvation already his."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 151. Early Christmas Morning. Titus
3:4-8.
J-849
"O Triune God, we humbly pray
That all Thy blessings be conferred
Upon this child here cleansed today
By means of water and the Word."
Albert Knapp, "Dear Father, Who Hast Made Us All," #299, The
Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Water and the Word
Another indisputable passage about Baptism saving us can be found in
Ephesians 5. We can see that the Scriptures do not give us how-to or fix-it
sermons about marriage, and that may explain why the Word of God is so
seldom mentioned at Seeker Services. Instead, the apostle urges husbands to
love their wives even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. A
Gospel admonition about marriage is welded to the meaning of Baptism. The
love of Christ is revealed in His sacrifice on the cross for the purpose of making
the Church holy and cleansing it with Baptism, the washing of water with the
540

Word. Justification by faith through Baptism is so complete that Christ can

present believers to Himself as spotless, holy, and without blemish.
KJV Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself
a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish.
The image of the beloved bride dressed in her special gown is captured
in the last verse of Paul Gerhardts exquisitely beautiful hymn, A Lamb Goes
Uncomplaining Forth.
J-850
And when Thy glory I shall see
And taste Thy kingdoms pleasure,
Thy blood my royal robe shall be,
My joy beyond all measure;
When I appear before Thy throne,
Thy righteousness shall be my crown,
With these I need not hide me.
And there, in garments richly wrought
As Thine own bride, I shall be brought
To stand in joy beside Thee.
Paul Gerhardt, A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth, #142, The
Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.457
Marks Missionary Commission
Those Lutherans who favor the modern translations must now ask
themselves whether they can use the traditional absolution from the ending of
Mark during the worship service:
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, unto us all.
The Lutheran Hymnal, p. 6.
He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, to us all.
Lutheran Worship, p. 137.
According to the most admired experts on the subject, including
Princetons Bruce Metzger, the traditional endingMark 16:9-20was
invented by someone to smooth the jagged edge of 16:8, for they were afraid.
All of the evidence, internal and external, supports the traditional ending being
written by Mark. Our modern anti-Means of Grace Lutherans do not want to
say these words on Sunday, so they are likely to drift into the swamp of Seeker
541

Services where the liturgy is disdained in favor of entertainment. Nevertheless,

the remnant who take comfort in these words from Jesus Himself realize that
salvation comes from Gods work, through the Word alone, whether invisible in
preaching or visible in the Sacraments. Mark 16:16 is another clear testimony
that Baptism is Gods powerful Sacrament of forgiveness. Jesus teaches us that
Baptism saves in the context of His commission to the apostles to preach the
Gospel to the entire Creation and to baptize. This mandate parallels the one we
find at the end of Matthews Gospel: preach to all nations and baptize.
KJV Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the Gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
KJV Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
J-851
"And yet, one single Christian believer, by his preaching and prayer, can be the
means of salvation to uncounted multitudes. In spite of Satan's hatred and
desire to hinder, many people hear the Gospel, receive baptism and become
teachers of the faith; and through the influence of the Gospel the sacredness of
home and country are preserved."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 241.
Johann Gerhard on Baptism
J-852
"Even though the water which is used for holy Baptism continues to retain its
natural essence and natural attributes after Baptism, it is nevertheless not just
lowly [plain] water, but it is formulated in Gods Word and combined with
Gods Word. Thus it is a powerful means through which the Holy Trinity works
powerfully; the Father takes on the one who is baptized as His dear child; the
Son washes him of his sins with His blood; the Holy Spirit regenerates and
renews him for everlasting life."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 56.
"Children are no less in need of holy Baptism than the adults; indeed, children
need it more than the older folks, for one can deal with them [adults] through
the proclamation of the divine Word. The children, however, cannot be washed
of the inherited sin into which they are born through any other means (under
normal circumstances) than through holy Baptism."
542

Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the

Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 127.
"Among other apparent grounds for denying Baptism to little children, not the
least of them is that holy Baptism does not benefit little children because they
do not believe. We have already given answer to this above in chapter 19, point
of contention 8that, indeed, little children by nature do not have faith and do
not bring faith to Baptism. Yet God the Lord wants to awaken the same in their
hearts through the Sacrament of holy Baptism, since, along with other effects,
God ignites faith in and through Baptism, as demonstrated in chapter 13, #1."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 159.
"The entire Scripture testifies that the merits of Christ are received in no other
way than through faith, not to mention that it is impossible to please God
without faith, Hebrews 11:6, let alone to be received into eternal life. In general,
St. Paul concludes concerning this [matter] in Romans 3:28: Thus we hold then
that a man becomes righteous without the works of the Lawonly through
faith."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper,
1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination Press, 2000, p. 165.
"Therefore, the fulfillment of this promise to Abraham is in no way to be
interpreted to mean that Abraham's seed became righteous and saved without
individual faith."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 167.
"For just as we are born again through the Sacrament of holy Baptism, so also
we are nurtured for eternal life through the Sacrament of this holy Supper. Just
as we were taken into God's covenant of grace through the former Sacrament,
so also through the latter Sacrament we are preserved in the very same covenant
of grace. Just as the Holy Spirit awakens faith in us through the former, so also
He strengthens and increases it through the latter. Just as circumcision typifies
the former, so the Passover [paschal] lamb of the Old Testament typifies the
latter."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 209.

543

Absolution and Baptism

The number of Sacraments has lately been a topic of discussion among
some Lutherans, in part to create some mischief and confusion.458 Lutherans
should be eager to discuss absolution, because we obtain comfort and peace
from the efficacious Gospel, both in individual and corporate confession. In
general, Lutherans have settled on limiting the Sacraments to the Gospel in
visible form, Baptism and Holy Communion. But we should not neglect the
Book of Concord and the reasons for including absolution as a third Sacrament.
J-853
"If we call Sacraments rites which have the command of God, and to which the
promise of grace has been added, it is easy to decide what are properly
Sacraments... Therefore Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution, which is
the Sacrament of Repentance, are truly Sacraments. For these rites have God's
command and the promise of grace, which is peculiar to the New Testament.
For when we are baptized, when we eat the Lord's body, when we are absolved,
our hearts must be firmly assured that God truly forgives us for Christ's sake.
And God, at the same time, by the Word and by the rite, moves hearts to
believe and conceive faith, just as Paul says, Romans 10:17: 'Faith cometh by
hearing.' But just as the Word enters the ear in order to strike our heart, so the
rite itself strikes the eye, in order to move the heart. The effect of the Word and
of the rite is the same..."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, XIII,#3. Number/Use
Sacraments. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p.
309. Tappert, p. 211. Heiser, p. 94.
The most frequently asked question about the liturgy has been, How
can you declare that my sins are forgiven? This question comes from people
who associate the absolution with Roman Catholicism. I respond, I am not
announcing your forgiveness as a matter of personal opinion or because of my
own power. I am speaking for Christ. Because Lutherans have carried with
them the burden of Pietism, they have trouble realizing they are completely
forgiven all their sins. Even without the toxic effect of Pietism, our Old Adam
rebels against and doubts the Word of God. That doubt explains why a formal
absolution is so important to us. We see and hear that our sins are forgiven, to
strengthen our faith in the Gospel, to be assured that we are justified before
God through faith.
The first move of the Liberal Book of Weirdness was to get rid of
Confession and Absolution at the beginning of each service. ELCA Pastor
Franklin D. Fry, the son of the sainted Lutheran Church in America president,
Franklin C. Fry, argued at the national convention for the inclusion of the
Confession and Absolution in the three settings. The convention agreed with
him by resolution. The LBW editors set up the hymnal so that omitting the
Confession and Absolution was a preferred option for the three settings. Each
setting began, as indicated by the title of the setting and the table of contents,
544

on a certain page. The Confession and Absolution preceded each setting, much
like the preface seldom read in books. The LBW promoters also made it clear
that Confession and Absolution were late developments in the service and likely
to detract from the joyous nature of worship. Franklin D. Fry was apoplectic
with rage, because the hymnal editors cleverly by-passed the stated wishes of the
national convention. This deceit was a harbinger of sinister trends in the other
synods. Convention votes only mattered when they served the interests of the
radical minority.459
The most beautiful expression of absolution can be found in a hymn
often neglected by Lutherans. The hymn below may best be sung to Old
Hundredth (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow).
J-854
(1)"Yea, as I live, Jehovah saith, I would not have the sinner's death,
But that he turn from error's ways, Repent, and live through endless days.
(2) To us therefore Christ gave command: 'Go forth and preach in every land;
Bestow on all My pardoning grace Who will repent and mend their ways.
(3) 'All those whose sins ye thus remit I truly pardon and acquit,
And those whose sins ye do retain Condemned and guilty shall remain.
(4) 'What ye shall bind, that bound shall be; What ye shall loose, that shall be
free;
Unto My Church the keys are given To ope and close the gates of heaven.'
(5) The words which absolution give Are His who died that we might live;
The minister whom Christ has sent Is but His humble instrument.
(6) When ministers lay on their hands, Absolved by Christ the sinner stands;
He who by grace the Word believes The purchase of His blood receives.
(7) All praise, eternal Son, to Thee For absolution full and free,
In which Thou showest forth Thy grace; From false indulgence guard our race.
(8) Praise God the Father and the Son And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
As twas, is now, and so shall be World without end, eternally!
Nicolaus Herman, 1560, "Yea, As I Live, Jehovah Saith," #331, The
Lutheran Hymnal, Trans. Matthias Loy, 1880, alt. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1941. Ezekiel 33:11.
Lutheran pastors have turned from the Scriptural mandate of
Confession and Absolution to the death-trap of psychological counseling. An
old liberal bishop pointed out that he could tell when a minister was on his way
545

out of pastoral work. He said, Instead of visiting members, he spends all his
time in counseling in his office. It reminded me of a pastor in a large, affluent
congregation. Not long after I heard that he was spending all his time
counseling people, he announced he was leaving pastoral work to set up a
counseling center. In the same letter, with unintentional humor, he said he was
also available to do magic shows.
The counseling situation creates a false intimacy in which both the
minister and the member are tempted. Repeated visits to an office weaken both
parties. Counseling theories are based upon achieving happiness and satisfaction
in life, not on right and wrong and the forgiveness of sin. More than one pastor
has left town with his girlfriend in tow after abandoning his family and
congregational responsibilities, often breaking up another marriage as well.
In contrast, as the old bishop said, counseling can take place during the
course of pastoral visitation, something as neglected as the efficacy of the Word.
The pastor will normally visit with the entire family or the husband and wife
together.
Once a couple was completely alienated by one partners open
infidelity, divorce seemed to be around the corner. At one point I visited the
home, an event which had never happened in 20 years, when the couple
attended another congregation. I explained the meaning of complete
forgiveness through the Gospel. The couple not only reconciled, they looked
like newly- weds. I remember the day when they signed up for flowers on their
anniversary, smiling and holding hands. Once again, as in Baptism, Gods Word
did everything. Secular counseling can condemn, but it cannot heal. The Gospel
heals, comforts, dissolves anger, grants us peace, all through the forgiveness of
our sins. Knowing the power of Absolution, we should never be timid in using
this Means of Grace.
J-855
"Of Confession they teach that Private Absolution ought to be retained in the
churches, although in confession an enumeration of all sins is not necessary.
For it is impossible according to the Psalm: 'Who can understand his errors?'
Psalm 19:12."
Augsburg Confession, XI. Confession. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 47. Tappert, p. 34. Heiser, p. 13. Psalm
19:12.
J-856
"Of Repentance they teach that for those who have fallen after Baptism there is
remission of sins whenever they are converted; and that the Church ought to
impart absolution to those thus returning to repentance. Now, repentance
consists properly of these two parts: One is contrition, that is, terrors smiting
the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of
the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that, for Christ's sake, sins are
546

forgiven, comforts the conscience, and delivers it from terrors. Then good
works are bound to follow, which are the fruits of repentance."
Augsburg Confession, Article XII. Repentance. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 49. Tappert, p. 34f. Heiser, p. 13.
J-857
"On this account, as the Augsburg Confession in Article XI says, we also retain
private absolution, and teach that it is God's command that we believe such
absolution, and should regard it as sure that, when we believe the word of
absolution, we are as truly reconciled to God as though we had heard a voice
from heaven, as the Apology explains this article. This consolation would be
entirely taken from us if we were not to infer the will of God towards us from
the call which is made through the Word and through the Sacraments."
Formula of Concord, SD, XI. #38. Of God's Eternal Election. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1075. Tappert, p. 622.
Heiser, p. 289.
J-858
"We further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of sin,
which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution, moreover,
through all manner of consolatory promises of the entire Gospel. Therefore,
whatever is to be preached, concerning the Sacraments belongs here, and in
short, the whole Gospel and all the offices of Christianity, which also must be
preached and taught without ceasing. For although the grace of God is secured
through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the
Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh
which we bear about with us we are never without sin."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #54. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 417. Heiser, p.
195.

Part Two: Holy Communion

J-859
"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.
Those who have grown up in non-liturgical denominations can
understand how unimportant communion has become for the Zwinglians.460
547

When a Roman Catholic attends a traditional Lutheran communion service, he

will respond very favorably to the dignity and Christ-centered nature of the
worship. The only real worship service for a Roman Catholic is a Mass, because
the Eucharist is dominant in their understanding of Christianity, even though
the reasons are warped by Purgatory and the promise of limited forgiveness. In
contrast, a non-liturgical Zwinglian service contains only the sermon and some
emotional hymns. One Baptist worship professor alienated his pandenominational audience at Wheaton College by telling the Pentecostals to
observe the Sunday of Pentecost, the Evangelicals to have a cycle of Biblical
readings, and the entire crowd to consider the value of reciting the Ecumenical
Creeds.461 The applause was definitely scattered and hostile.
When I left the Lutheran Church in America, the denomination was
moving toward the Episcopalian model of high church Unitarianism. In other
words, the ministers believed nothing and each congregation had more doctrinal
opinions than members. Nevertheless, rules for the proper conduct of worship
were emphasized in many official communications. A 1970s evangelism
filmstrip, the grandfather of the video, explained how important a liturgical
service and a well prepared sermon were. Some vocal ministers of the LCA and
ALC were arguing for every Sunday communion in a legalistic way, but they
were talking about worship.462 A few progressives began promoting infant
communion, following the Eastern Orthodox. The national LCA conventions
redeemed themselves to some degree with their communion services.
Imagine my shock when I joined the Wisconsin Synod and found
people repeatedly denouncing more than one congregation as a page five and
fifteen congregation. Someone had to explain this term to me, because I
thought it referred to by-laws. My informant said, Those are congregations
using The Lutheran Hymnal all the time, page five for the normal service and page
fifteen for the communion service. So I asked, Whats wrong with that? The
WELS pastor said, They are not being creative in worship. All too soon I
learned what being creative meant. I went to a WELS conference where the
worship bulletin cover said that Easter keeps us going and going and going and
going, an obvious reference to a battery commercial on TV, one that featured a
pink rabbit.463 The Introit for the service was simply invented by the pastor,
who is now on the board of the seminary. The Creed could be anything, such as
a part of the Small Catechism.
The powerful district mission boards of the Wisconsin Synod, surely no
more debased than their LCMS counterparts, could not impress on
congregations enough the need to make every visitor happy. Closed
communion was converted to Dont ask. Dont tell. No one bragged about
having open communion, but no one mentioned closed communion either. I
attended one WELS conference where a pastor explained how congregations
could get away from the hymnal altogetherwith transparencies on an
overhead projectorjust like the Assemblies of God. No one really spelled it
out, but it was clear that the liturgy was an obstacle in the eyes of the Church
Growth groupies.
548

How far can this trend go? Following are some actual examples.
1. The Wisconsin and Missouri Synods have endorsed Seeker Services,
copying Willow Creek Community Church.
2. Lutheran hymns have been set aside in favor of treacle like Take
the world but give me Jesus, featured in the new WELS hymnal,
edited by James P. Tiefel and Iver Johnson.
3. ELS missionary Roger Kovaciny is known for singing and dancing
in the pulpit with a basket on his head. Using a pistol or gun-case
in the pulpit is another famous example of Kovaciny making the
Word relevant.
Where did this infuriating display of contempt for the Means of Grace
begin? First of all, it started with the denial of the efficacy of the Word. If the
foundation is wrong, the worship service is turned into a sad, sick parody of
praising God. Lutherans should have a national day of shame and contrition for
what they have done to worship in the name of evangelism. God has betrayed
them, as He does all the reprobate, by denying them the one thing they desire,
numerical growth.464
In the past, no one imagined that Holy Communion was an entitlement
for anyone who happened to be in church on a given Sunday, those visiting
relatives or the curious and the lost, like a Methodist woman who dropped by
St. Pauls in Columbus and was communed with her young son. Yale professor
emeritus George Lindbeck, who regularly attended the early service at Bethesda
Lutheran Church, New Haven, where I worked as a student assistant, recently
wrote an article on this subject: The Eucharist Tastes Bitter in the Divided
Church.465 Lindbeck pointed out that the divinity school chapel began to use
the eucharistic rite of the Church of South India, which was a union of the
Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregationalist confessions. However,
one colleague objected to the words of distribution, This is my body and
This is my blood. The dissenter did not believe those words and did not want
to participate. Lindbeck wrote: I had misled him about my belief in the real
presence by joining in the old quasi-Zwinglian service just as he felt he had
misled others in the opposite direction by eating and drinking in accordance
with the new South Indian liturgy. Both of us had in our respective ways borne
false witness to our faith and were guilty of mendacitysome would say,
blasphemyby signifying fraudulently with sacred things. The articles
assumption of ecumenical communion reminds me of the impertinent question
asked by a woman at a Greek Orthodox congregations open house. She kept
saying, I want to take communion here. The priest patiently responded more
than once, Then take classes and join if you agree with our confession. The
woman sounded exasperated that the priest took the Lords Supper so seriously.
No one else does today.
Luther explained why Holy Communion means so much to the
individual.
549

J-860
"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."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 199.
Holy Communion in the Small Catechism
J-861
VI. The Sacrament of the Altar,
As the Head of a Family Should Teach It
in a Simple Way to His Household466
What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and
wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.
Where is this written?
The holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul, write thus:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He
had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My
body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.
After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave thanks, and gave it
to them, saying, Take, drink ye all of it. This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is
shed for you for the remission of sins. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.
What is the benefit of such eating and drink?
That is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins;
namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us
through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and
salvation.
How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?
It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, that does them, but the words which
stand here, namely: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins. Which words are,
beside the bodily eating and drinking, as the chief thing in the Sacrament; and
550

he that believes these words has what they say and express, namely, the
forgiveness of sins.
Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily?
Fasting and bodily preparation is, indeed, a fine outward training; but he is truly
worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: Given, and shed for you, for
the remission of sins. But he that does not believe these words, or doubts, is
unworthy and unfit; for the words For you require altogether believing hearts.
Holy Communion in the Large Catechism
J-862
"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.
J-863
"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.
J-864
"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.

551

J-865
"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 ever 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.
J-866
"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.
J-867
"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.
Against the Word, Against the Real Presence
J-868
(1) "Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide, For round us falls the eventide;
Nor let Thy Word, that heavenly light, For us be ever veiled in night.
(2) In these last days of sore distress Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness
That pure we keep, till life is spent, Thy holy Word and Sacrament.
552

(3) Lord Jesus, help, Thy Church uphold, For we are sluggish, thoughtless, cold.
Oh, prosper well Thy Word of grace And spread its truth in every place.
(4)Oh, keep us in Thy Word, we pray; The guile and rage of Satan stay!
Oh, may Thy mercy never cease! Give concord, patience, courage, peace.
(5) O God, how sins dread works abound! Throughout the earth no rest is
found.
And falsehoods spirit wide has spread, And error boldly rears its head.
(6) The haughty spirits, Lord, restrain Who over Thy Church with might would
reign
And always set forth something new, Devised to change Thy doctrine true.
(8) A trusty weapon is Thy Word, Thy Church's buckler, shield, and sword.
Oh, let us in its power confide That we may seek no other guide!
(9) Oh, grant that in Thy holy Word We here may live and die, dear Lord;
And when our journey endeth here, Receive us into glory there.
Nikolaus Selnecker et al.,"Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide," The
Lutheran Hymnal, #292, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
In the name of love, ecumenical communion prepared the way for the
next atrocity in Christian worship, the inter-faith service, where various world
religions are recognized and treated as equals. Many examples could also be
cited where pagan religion has been added to a Lutheran service in the name of
providing relevance and excitement. This is especially true in the ELCA and the
sisterhood of the National Council of Churches. The Sophia goddess
conference wedded female goddess worship to feminist mainline leadership.
However, long before all these blasphemies took place, the efficacy of the Word
in Holy Communion was denied.
Huldrich Zwingli began the rejection of Gods work through the visible
Word by proudly declaring that the Holy Spirit did not need a vehicle like an
oxcart. Zwingli did not know theology very well and he was inordinately jealous
of Martin Luther. His Swiss Reformation in Zurich anticipated the more refined
rationalism of John Calvin in Geneva. Many of Zwinglis statements are
revolting for their block-headed ignorance, but his move to separate the Holy
Spirit from the Word was his foundational error. The Book of Concord calls it
Enthusiasm. Whenever someone declares that God works apart from the Word
and Sacraments, he is an Enthusiast. Granted, some Christian confessions are
closer to the efficacy of the Word and less obnoxious in their statements, but
the union of the Holy Spirit and the Word, whether visible in the Sacraments or
invisible in preaching, cannot be relinquished because it is Scriptural.
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J-869
"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.
John Calvin was an erudite legal scholar before he became a Christian
leader, so he lifted Zwinglis rationalism to a more refined level. He stated this
about the Lords Supper that the finite forms of bread and wine cannot
contain the infinite of Christs body and blood (finitum non capax infinitum, called
the extra Calvinisticum).467 If we examine his statements in his Institutes more
closely, we can easily find the same mocking tone so familiar in Zwingli.
However, few Lutheran pastors read the Institutes, even though they buy and use
Calvins complete Biblical commentaries.468
J-870
"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.
J-871
"When the preacher who is administering this holy Sacrament repeats, along
with the Lord's Prayer, the words of institution, he first of all is testifying that
he does not desire to perform, from his own opinion, a human action and
institution; rather, as a householder [steward] of the divine mysteries, he is, in
accordance with Christ's command, desiring to administer a holy Sacrament.
Accordingly, he sets aside visible bread and wine so that it can be the means and
instrument for the distribution and fellowship of the body and blood of Christ.
Further, he prays that, in accordance with His institution and promise, Christ
would be present in this action, and that by means of the consecrated bread and
wine he might distribute Christ's body and blood. Finally, he testifies that by the
power of the institution of Christ, the bread and wine in the holy Supper are not
[merely] base bread and wine, but rather that Christ's body and Christ's blood
554

are received sacramentally united and present with the bread and wine. He will
herewith then point out this institution and ordinance of Christ to the
communicants."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 301f.
Communion Texts
KJV Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins.
It is difficult to improve on Luthers Small Catechism, but some things
need to be noted because of recent developments. One is the use of testament
or covenant for the Greek word diatheke. In this context we have to ask about
the English meaning of the terms. Testament is clear, suggesting a last will and
testament. I can leave my entire fortune to a Lutheran synod, without having a
Planned Giving Counselor guide my signature while stepping on my oxygen
hose. A last will and testament is a one-sided agreement, made without the
permission of the other party. When Jesus instituted the Lords Supper, He did
not ask for a mutual agreement. He simply announced what He was doing and
what it meant. We often use the term covenant for an agreement between two
parties. For instance, when I did an Internet search on the word covenant, the
first page found was Reformed and concerned the Covenant of Scotland,
quoting Joshua 24:25.469 Covenant has been a favorite term for Calvinists. The
term is also used now as a legal term for an agreement among two parties. So it
arouses my suspicions to have the new Wisconsin Synod hymnal change the
Words of Institution to This is my blood of the new covenant...470 The
Lutheran Hymnal reads: This cup is the New Testament in My blood...
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod has had a long-running debate on the
Moment of Consecration. The discussion has provided the benefit of avoiding
serious doctrinal issues for years. If the ELS understood and believed in the
efficacy of the Word, they would not have a debate or use such a term as The
Moment of Consecration, a term which by itself sounds Roman Catholic. I have
not participated in the ELS discussions or taken sides, since it seems like a
replay of the Spanish Civil War. Obviously, the power of the Sacrament of the
Altar comes from the Word. One cannot divorce the Real Presence of Christ
from the Word. In the days of the old Synodical Conference, people were
taught to think in the following way and they still say, It is not the body and
blood of Christ until the communicant receives it. That belief would make the
reception efficacious in effecting the Real Presence. All my quotations about the
555

Lords Supper assume the Real Presence before the reception of the elements.
Receptionism has even been critiqued by WELS.
J-872
"It should perhaps be mentioned also that some of our Lutheran teachers
limited the real presence to the moment of eating and drinking. This, too, goes
beyond the specific words of Christ."
W. Gawrisch, Review of Bjarne Wollan Teigen, The Lord's Supper in the
Theology of Martin Chemnitz, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1987, 84, p. 155.
J-873
"This precium nostrae redemptionis, that is, this His true body, which He gave into
death for our redemption, and this His true blood, which He poured out for our
redemption, the Lord Christ takes and distributes to us by means of the
consecrated bread and wine so that thereby we might be strengthened and made
sure in faith and so that also the promise of the gracious forgiveness of sins
applies to us."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 369.
J-874
"This consumption of the body of Christ along with the consecrated wine is in
no way to be regarded as a natural eating and drinking, much less as a
Capernaitic eating and drinking, since Christ's body and blood are not eaten and
drunk as one usually receives and uses other food and drink, [i.e.] in a natural
manner for the nurture of the body. Rather, such an eating and drinking takes
place in a highly incomprehensible mystery, [in an] unfathomable and genuinely
spiritual manner. It is, however, called a sacramental eating and drinking
because it occurs only in this Sacrament and is due to the sacramental union of
the true body of Christ with the consecrated bread and the true blood of Christ
with the consecrated wine."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 336.
J-875
"Human reason, though it ponder,
Cannot fathom this great wonder
That Christ's body ever remaineth
Though it countless souls sustaineth
And that He His blood is giving
With the wine we are receiving.
These great mysteries unsounded
Are by God alone expounded."
556

Johann Franck, 1649, "Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness" The

Lutheran Hymnal, #305, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-876
(1) "An aweful mystery is here To challenge faith and waken fear:
The Savior comes as food divine, Concealed in earthly bread and wine.
(2) This world is lovelessbut above, What wondrous boundlessness of love!
The King of Glory stoops to me My spirit's life and strength to be.
(3) In consecrated wine and bread No eye perceives the mystery dread;
But Jesus' words are strong and clear: 'My body and My blood are here.'
(4) How dull are all the powers of sense Employed on proofs of love immense!
The richest food remains unseen, And highest gifts appearhow mean!
(5) But here we have no boon on earth, And faith alone discerns its worth.
The Word, not sense, must be our guide, And faith assure since sight's denied."
Matthias Loy, 1880, "An Aweful Mystery Is Here" The Lutheran Hymnal,
#304, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-877
"Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord
And drink the holy blood for you outpoured.
Offered was He for greatest and for least,
Himself the Victim and Himself the Priest."
"Draw Night and Take the Body of the Lord," The Lutheran Hymnal,
#307, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-878
"We eat this bread and drink this cup, Thy precious Word believing
That Thy true body and Thy blood Our lips are here receiving.
This word remains forever true, And there is naught Thou canst not do;
For Thou, Lord, art almighty."
Samuel Kinner, 1638, "Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Hast Prepared," The
Lutheran Hymnal, #306, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
A cavalier attitude about the efficacy of the Word in the Lords Supper
has led to many different episodes shocking to anyone who values the liturgical
tradition of the Christian Church, a tradition whose foundation rests upon Old
Testament worship. For instance, it has been claimed that pastors at
557

conferences have held communion services where the Words of Institution

were deliberately omitted, claiming freedom to change the form of worship, as
if the words of distribution are an adequate substitute for the Consecration.
Another practice indicative of bad doctrine, common of large churches, is that
of keeping most of the bread and wine in the sacristy, to be hauled out like extra
bulletins when the supply runs low on the altar. Worse, someone runs back to
the cupboard and takes out additional wine and bread. One could argue
speciously that the Word is efficacious throughout the church building, but
slovenly practices leave the definite impression that the Consecration is
meaningless, a message reinforced by communion without the Words of
Institution. An altar guild or pastor can easily place all of the elements on the
altar or on an area adjacent to the altar. The solution to such problems is not a
how-to program, but education about why we show utmost respect and awe for
the miracle of Holy Communion, the visible Word.
Efficacy or Church Growth Eyes?
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.
Someone suddenly visiting the remnants of the old Synodical
Conference would never know that close communion was once the practice of
the entire Christian Church. Pauls discussion of communion rests upon the
efficacy of the Word in the Lords Supper, pouring out forgiveness and many
blessings upon believers while damning and hardening those who receive Holy
Communion unworthily. Proof of this powerful effect can be found everywhere
in Christendom. Where the Lords Supper has been relegated to a mere
ordinance, a human display of piety rather than the reception of Gods grace,
Christian doctrine is subordinate to human reason and embarrassing to
intelligent people. The lower the view of Holy Communion, the more debased
the denominations doctrine, a fact admitted ruefully by its own leaders. Once
the ELCA had pursued every radical Left advocacy group and every ecumenical
mandate, its own leaders began poping and half-poping to escape the ultimate
result of Zwinglian doctrine: a church without liturgy, doctrine, direction, or the
Sacraments.471
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Ask a denomination what it believes about the Lords Supper and soon
you will find out how frequently and prominently the Sacrament of the Altar is
celebrated, if those words can be mentioned at all. The absolute bottom pit of
Zwinglianism may be the self-enclosed grape juice and wafer package to be
picked up on the way out of church, as seen in various Christian catalogues. The
worst extreme needs to be mentioned, because Lutherans have a horrible
tendency to veer in the wrong direction. Pietism influenced the Lutherans to
participate in Holy Communion less frequently, as infrequently as three times a
year. The Temperance Movement caused General Synod Lutherans in the
Grape Juice Belt to replace wine with juice in the name of social improvement.
When Lutherans start wishing that Holy Communion did not lengthen the
service on Sunday nor annoy visitors, they are falling into the slough of
despising the Means of Grace.
This passage from Paul promotes a love of the solemn service of Holy
Communion. In the Eastern Orthodox service, the priest chants, The doors.
The doors. In wisdom let us attend. The opening admonition came from the
practice of shutting the doors to prevent others from casually hearing or
attending the Eucharist.472 There is also evidence from the early Church that
Holy Communion was regarded in much the same way. Therefore, if someone
cannot discern the body of Christ in the Lords Supper, he should not be given
Holy Communion. The Church Growth camp followers are so ignorant of
Gods Word that they use discerning the body to fraudulently promote their
concept of Church Growth Eyes. Church Growth gurus are so proud of their
Church Growth Eyes that they cannot stop bragging about it. When Lutherans
use the term, they appear especially foolish.473
Sacraments Define the True Church
J-879
"But the Church is not only the fellowship of outward objects and rites, as other
governments, but it is originally a fellowship of faith and of the Holy Ghost in
hearts. [The Christian Church consists not alone in fellowship of outward signs,
but it consists especially in the heart, as of the Holy Ghost, of faith, of the fear
and love of God]; which fellowship nevertheless has outward marks so that it
can be recognized, namely, the pure doctrine of the Gospel, and the
administration of the Sacraments in accordance with the Gospel of Christ.
[Namely, where Gods Word is pure, and the Sacraments are administered in
conformity with the same, there certainly is the Church, and there are
Christians.] And this Church alone is called the body of Christ, which Christ
renews [Christ is its Head, and] sanctifies and governs by His Spirit, as Paul
testifies, Ephesians 1:22..."
Apology Augsburg Confession, VII & VIII. #5. The Church. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 227. Tappert, p. 169.
Heiser, p. 71.
559

J-880
"Of Ecclesiastical Order they teach that no one should publicly teach in the
Church or administer the Sacraments unless he be regularly called."
Augsburg Confession, Article XIV. Ecclesiastical Order. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 49. Tappert, p. 36.
Heiser, p. 14.
J-881
"[We are speaking not of an imaginary Church, which is to be found nowhere;
but we say and know certainly that this Church, wherein saints live, is and
abides truly upon earth; namely, that some of God's children are here and there
in all the world, in various kingdoms, islands, lands, and cities, from the rising of
the sun to its setting, who have truly learned to know Christ and His Gospel.]
And we add the marks: the pure doctrine of the Gospel [the ministry of the
Gospel] and the Sacraments. And this Church is properly the pillar of truth, 1
Timothy 3:15."
Apology Augsburg Confession, VII & VIII. #20. The Church.
Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 233. Tappert,
p. 171. Heiser, p. 73. 1 Timothy 3:15.
J-882
"That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and
administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and
Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith,
where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God,
not for our own merits, but for Christ's sake, justifies those who believe that
they are received into grace for Christ's sake. They condemn the Anabaptists
and others who think that the Holy Ghost comes to men without the external
Word, through their own preparation and works."
Augsburg Confession, V. #1-2. The Ministry. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 45. Tappert, p. 31. Heiser, p. 13.
J-883
"This power {the Keys} is exercised only by teaching or preaching the Gospel
and administering the Sacraments, according to their calling, either to many or
to individuals. For thereby are granted, not bodily, but eternal things, as eternal
righteousness, the Holy Ghost, eternal life. These things cannot come but by
the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments, as Paul says, Romans 1:16: The
Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.
Therefore, since the power of the Church grants eternal things, and is exercised
only by the ministry of the Word, it does not interfere with civil government; no
more than the art of singing interferes with civil government."
Augsburg Confession, XXVIII. #8. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 85. Tappert, p. 82. Heiser, p. 23. Romans
1:16.
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J-884
"Now, it is not our faith that makes the Sacrament, but only the true word and
institution of our almighty God and Savior Jesus Christ, which always is and
remains efficacious in the Christian Church, and is not invalidated or rendered
inefficacious by the worthiness or unworthiness of the minister, nor by the
unbelief of the one who receives it."
Formula of Concord, SD VII, #89. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1003. Tappert, p. 585. Heiser, p.
272.
Benefits of Holy Communion
J-885
"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.
J-886
"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 the 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.'"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 211.
J-887
"Accordingly, we say that by virtue of the institution, the holy Supper was
established by Christ and was used by the believers chiefly to this end: that the
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promise of the gracious forgiveness of sins should be sealed and our faith
should thus be strengthened. Then, too, we are incorporated in Christ and are
thus sustained to eternal life; in addition, subsequently, other end results and
benefits of the holy Supper come to pass. Yet, both of the fruits indicated
above always remain the foremost."
Johann Gerhard, A Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the
Lord's Supper, 1610, ed. D. Berger, J. Heiser, Malone, Texas: Repristination
Press, 2000, p. 369.
J-888
"O living Bread from heaven,
How richly hast Thou fed Thy guest!
The gifts Thou now hast given
Have filled my heart with joy and rest.
O wondrous food of blessing,
O cup that heals our woes!
My heart, this gift professing,
In thankful songs overflows;
For while the faith within me
Was quickened by this food,
My soul hath gazed upon Thee,
My highest, only Good."
Johann Rist, 1651, "O Living Bread from Heaven," The Lutheran
Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #316. Matthew
26:26-29.
J-889
(1) "Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray
That we may feed on Thee today;
Beneath these forms of bread and wine
Enrich us with Thy grace divine.
(2) The chastened peace of sin forgiven,
The filial joy of heirs of heaven,
Grant as we share this wondrous food,
Thy body broken and Thy blood.
(3) Our trembling hearts cleave to Thy Word;
All Thou hast said Thou dost afford,
All that Thou art we here receive,
And all we are to Thee we give."

562

Henry E. Jacobs, 1910, "Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray," The

Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #314. 1
Corinthians 10:17.
Altar Fellowship with the Church of Rome
J-890
"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.
J-891
"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.
Altar Fellowship with the Reformed
J-892
"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.
J-893
"Hence it is manifest how unjustly and maliciously the Sacramentarian fanatics
(Theodore Beza) deride the Lord Christ, St. Paul, and the entire Church in
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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.
J-894
"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.
J-895
"Therefore also it is vain talk when they say that the body and blood of Christ
are not given and shed for us in the Lord's Supper, hence we could not have
forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. For although the work is accomplished
and the forgiveness of sins acquired on the cross, yet it cannot come to us in
any other way than through the Word. For what would we otherwise know
about it, that such a thing was accomplished or was to be given us if it were not
presented by preaching or the oral Word? Whence do they know of it, or how
can they apprehend and appropriate to themselves the forgiveness, except they
lay hold of and believe the Scriptures and the Gospel? But now the entire
Gospel and the article of the Creed: I believe a holy Christian Church, the
forgiveness of sin, etc., are by the Word embodied in this Sacrament and
presented to us."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #31-32. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 450.
Heiser, p. 211.

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J-896
"The Reformed, and all Reformed sects, deny the Real Presence of the body
and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper. Through this they detract from God's
honor."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and
Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 36.
J-897
"Furthermore, consider this: All doctrines of the Bible are connected with one
another; they form a unit. One error draws others in after it. Zwingli's first error
was the denial of the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper.
In order to support this error, he had to invent a false doctrine of Christ's
Person, of heaven, of the right hand of God, etc."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and
Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 41.
Final Proof
Those who wish to glide over the differences between Reformed and
Lutheran doctrine need only to consider these questions: How many Reformed
hymns about Baptism and Holy Communion do we have? How many
Reformed hymns even mention the Means of Grace? Which Reformed hymn
teaches the efficacy of the Word? If the answer to all these questions is Zero,
then we also need to ask ourselves how we can learn from the Reformed if they
cannot sing our hymns or publish hymns suitable for our worship. For them, it
is a death-trap to admit to Baptismal regeneration and the Real Presence in Holy
Communion. If it is a death-trap to them to confess these Biblical doctrines,
then why is it so easy to overlook their rejection when we embrace them, saying,
as the president of one Lutheran seminary did, They [the Fuller professors] are
Christians. We can learn from them too.? This issue is not a black robe/white
robe question, where people can spend time fussing about nothing. The
Reformed refuse to promote a book teaching the Biblical view of the Word and
the Sacraments. How can Lutherans silence themselves on these crucial issues in
order to please the Reformed?

565

Notes
420This

happened at a meeting attended by Dan Fleischer, Steve Kurtzahn, Paul

Tiefel Jr., and me. Tiefel and Koenig promoted unionism, Reformed doctrine,
and Roman Catholic doctrine with their While It Is Day newsletter, distributed in
the Church of the Lutheran Confession as a CLC newsletter. WIID was so
awful that it was ordered to cease publication. Koenig and Tiefel continued to
publish and distribute their newsletter anyway. WIID was also distributed free to
CLC college and high school students.

421Questionnaire

mentions CG "underemphasizing the Means of Grace as the

power of the Holy Spirit." David J. Valleskey, Pastoral Theology 418, The
Church Growth MovementAn Evaluation, Summer Quarter, Wisconsin
Lutheran Seminary, June 23-July 11, 1986. "This downplaying of the importance
of the means of grace on the part of many in the Church Growth Movement
would seem to stem from several factors." David J. Valleskey, "The Church
Growth Movement: An Evaluation," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1991,
p. 105. Holidaysburg, 10-15-90. "Those who claim that Baptism is not a Means
of Grace, no washing of regeneration, must continually deny these words of
Scripture, Galatians 3:27: 'For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ,
have put on Christ." [Also Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5] Francis Pieper, The Difference
between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St.
Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 40. Galatians 3:27; Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5.
422"For

Scripture never calls either Baptism or the Lord's Supper mysteries or

Sacraments. Therefore this is an unwritten (agraphos) appellation." Martin
Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, 4 vols., trans., Fred Kramer, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 29.
423The

ELS printed a fine critique of Church Growth in their journal. It was

followed by Adie Harstads article supporting Valleskey about spoiling the
Egyptians.

424Missouri

congregations can also belong to the in-house Association of

Courageous Churches, a clone of the Willow Creek Association. Many LCMS
clergy have their hearts in ELCA and their money in the Missouri Synod
pension fund.
425"A

denial of the efficacy and sufficiency of the means of grace is contained in

the theological systems of all religious enthusiasts." Edwin E. Pieplow, "The
Means of Grace," The Abiding Word, 3 vols., ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 343. "The Lutheran Confessions take
a decisive stand against 'enthusiasts,' who teach that the Holy Spirit works in the
hearts of men without the Word and Sacraments (SA-III VIII 3-13; LC II 3462; FC Ep II 13)." John T. Mueller, "Grace, Means of," Lutheran Cyclopedia,

566

Erwin L. Lueker, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1975, p. 344.

"Calvinism rejects the means of grace as unnecessary; it holds that the Holy
Spirit requires no escort or vehicle by which to enter human hearts." John T.
Mueller, "Grace, Means of," Lutheran Cyclopedia, Erwin L. Lueker, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1975, p. 344.
426The

founder of the LCMS Association of Courageous Churches (!) preached

in a business suit for a period of time. The Church of the Lutheran Confession
considers a white Geneva gown to be high church and problematic.

427"The

devil is always plaguing the world by keeping people from distinguishing

between the work of God and the work of men... But you should know that
though no human being believed Baptism and the Gospel, the Gospel and
Baptism would still be right; for both are not mine but Gods Word and work."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 705. November 24, 1537 John
1:30-34.

428"To

be sure, Baptism is so great that if you turn from sins and appeal to the
covenant of Baptism, your sins are forgiven. Only see to itif you sin in this
wicked and wanton manner by presuming on God's gracethat the judgment
does not lay hold of you and forestall your turning back. And even if you then
wanted to believe and trust in your Baptism, your trial might by God's decree,
be so great that faith could not stand the strain. If they scarcely remain in the
faith who do no sin or who fall because of sheer weakness, where will your
brazen wickedness remain, which has challenged and mocked God's grace? Let
us, therefore, walk with care and fear that we may hold fast the riches of God's
grace with a firm faith and joyfully give thanks to His mercy forever and ever.
Amen." What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 57. Treatise on Baptism, 1519.

429Our

family wrote the book Angel Joy to help people understand the loss of
children.

430Baptizing

Baptist.

431Martin

without water is my term, not one likely to escape the lips of any

Luther, cited by David P. Scaer, Logia, Reformation, 1999, p. 58.

432"One

must not make the sweeping assertion: God is not worshiped by

anything external. Therefore we should not ridicule all things that are external in
the worship of God. For when God speaks about a splinter, His Word makes
the splinter as important as the sun. It is, therefore, profane language to say that
the water of Baptism is only water; for the water of Baptism has the Word
added to it. Therefore it is like a glowing or fiery iron, which is as truly fire as it
567

is iron and does all that fire usually does. But only the pious see and appreciate
the Word in the water; a cow or a dog sees only water." What Luther Says, An
Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1959, I, p. 45. Psalm 122:3.
433I

am indebted to David Scaers course on the Sacraments at Concordia

Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne.

434WELS

would have us believe that anthropos can only be translated as fully

human. Their abominable hymnal, Christian Worship, avoids and became man
in the Creed by using the words fully human, arguing from the verbal form of
anthropos. Thus we must translate John 3:1 as There was a fully human of the
Pharisees
435KJV

John 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night,
being one of them,) KJV John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at
the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about an hundred pound weight.

436A

palindrome is a phrase that runs around the track again, so we can read it
forwards and backwards the same way, for example, a man, a plan, a canal,
Panama. Anna, Bob, and Otto are also palindromes.

437When

anothen appears to be used in the sense of again, I would argue that it

adds emphasis to palin, back again into slavery. KJV Galatians 4:9 But now,
after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again
to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in
bondage?
438"Man's

own merit or holiness can contribute nothing toward getting out of

the old birth of flesh and blood or achieving the new birth. Man is not born
again of his own choice and idea; but a new birth must take place through Holy
Baptism, without man's contributing anything. The Holy Spirit is bestowed
through the divine will and grace by means of the externally preached Word and
the water." What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 344. John 3:3.

439KJV 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.

568

440"The

same is true of other factionsthe Anabaptists and similar sects. What

else do they but slander baptism and the Lord's Supper when they pretend that
the external [spoken] Word and outward Sacraments do not benefit the soul,
that the Spirit alone can do that?" Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas
Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 208. Tenth Sunday
after Trinity, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

441"There

is on earth no greater comfort than Baptism." What Luther Says, An

Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1959, I, p. 61.

442KJV

Matthew 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the
star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over
where the young child was.

443KJV

Luke 1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to
circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his
father.

444KJV

John 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her
hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no
more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
445KJV

Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three
months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were
not afraid of the king's commandment.

446Dr.

David Scaer, Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, emphasized this point

about hindering in his course on the Sacraments.
447This

is one of many places where the Word of God names names, supposedly
a felony among conservative Lutherans today. No one is allowed to name false
teachers. If someone does, he is vilified for the sin of naming names. Obviously
this is not a sin in the Bible. Teaching against Gods Word is a sin, a terrible sin,
because it dishonors God and murders souls.

448KJV

Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a
prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man
in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

449One

pastor claimed to be Lutheran and did not believe in the efficacy of

baptism. When asked by mothers of newly baptized babies if their child would
be in heaven if death occurred, the pastor responded, We should not
569

speculate. The pastor himself offered the example of what he taught. In

another case, a district president taught pastors that babies were better off if
they died before baptism. One would hope that Lutherans could at least get
baptism right. However, if they doubt the efficacy of the Word, everything else
collapses into works righteousness, rationalism, or irrationalism.
450Oral

Roberts did this when he dedicated a baby on TV, carefully denying

baptismal regeneration, in case listeners suspected him of a Roman Catholic
heresy.

451Herman

Sasse pointed out that Zwingli created the rationalistic foundation

for the Anabaptists to deny the efficacy of infant baptism. The progression
from Zwingli denying the efficacy of the Word in baptism to his followers
denying infant baptism altogether is natural, but damnable.

452The

intention of this revision of the KJV was to update word meanings only,
taking no liberties. It can be done.

453The

answer of a good conscience becomes a pledge from man in the NIV.

454The

Wisconsin Synod had a Spiritual Renewal project, a national effort to

promote the work-righteousness of the Church Growth Movement. Paul Kelm
led the effort, with the usual gang of suspects. This is obviously not the
meaning of renewal in the New Testament.

455KJV Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash
away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. KJV 1 Corinthians 6:11 And
such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. KJV
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed
with pure water. KJV Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word
456Pastor

Martin Kalish has pointed out that this word alone, palingenesis, a new
Genesis, a new beginning, stumps Baptists.

457It

is impossible to sing this verse without thinking of the death of Gerhardts

wife and children. Those who have lost children or a spouse can see this image
in their minds eye, making this verse difficult to sing but nevertheless
comforting beyond all measure.

458The

argument goes something like this: Lutherans have used various numbers
for the Sacraments, so doctrinal agreement is not necessary. We could apply the
same reasoning to the numbering of the Ten Commandments, since Lutherans

570

and the Reformed differ somewhat, giving us permission to break all of the
commandments at our leisure.
459Notice

that Lutheran worship in America has moved toward the Reformed in

some respects (Seeker Services, how-to sanctification sermons, avoiding the
Creeds) and toward the Church of Rome in other respects (three year Scripture
cycle, early communion, newly invented liturgical colors). The LCMS, WELS,
and ELS are all following the lead of ELCAs ecumenical probes, also aping the
ELCA trend of women preaching, reading the Scriptures, distributing
communion, serving as ushers, feminist hymnals (Christian Worship). The ELS
and WELS both borrowed heavily from copyrighted ELCA material for their
new hymnals.

460Not

every Evangelical denomination is the same, as a music librarian keeps

writing me, but the trend toward happy talk baptisms and no communion is
fairly typical. A happy talk baptism features the baby as a cute object for the
congregation to admire. Two ELCA pastors baptized a baby, chattered with
each other during the Sacrament, and then carried the baby down the aisle as if
the child were some prize cabbage grown for the county fair. WELS Pastor
Roger Zehms solemnly advised me that many congregations move communion
to Wednesdays, so the Lords Supper will not be an obstacle for Sunday
morning membership recruitment. Pastor Martin Kalish visited ex-WELS
Pastor Marc Freiers community church, where the goal at the Sunday seeker
service was to get visitors to attend the swimming party. The Pentecostals have
moved from baptism without water (infant dedication) to water without the
Word (swimming parties).
461I

attended three summer sessions at Wheaton College when I was in the

Lutheran Church in America. I was surprised to see that the same training was
recommended at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. A poster for the School of
Evangelism was outside of President A. Pannings office with a note: See Paul
Kelm for details.

462One

ALC pastor insisted that a worship service without communion was

castrated. I never forgot the crassness of his advocacy.

463Being cute by copying TV commercials is now very popular in Lutheranism.

The recent LCMS Vacation Bible School material recast the stories of the Bible
with cutesy titles. Parish newsletters feature the same kind of nauseating
embroidery. The Peoria, Arizona WELS mission described the post-Easter
appearance of Jesus as Jesus hits the beach and throws a beach party.
464KJV

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which
are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
571

wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,

malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding,
covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy
of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. "Those,
however, who set the time, place and measure, tempt God, and believe not that
they are heard or that they have obtained what they asked; therefore, they also
receive nothing." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 172. John 16:23-30.
465Spectrum,

Yale Divinity School, Spring, 1999, p. 1. Various anecdotes from Ivy

League seminaries remind me of the prescient article in Theology Today, a parody,
called, The Seminary of the Future. At Princeton outraged women had
petitions signed in the chapel because a foreign student mistakenly referred to
God with male terms during his sermon.

466The

Book of Concord places the responsibility for catechetical training of the

child upon the head of the household, not on the pastor or on the mother.

467"If

Reformed theology wishes to free itself from the confusion of selfcontradiction 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.

468The only commentaries worth using are Luthers, Lenskis, and Kretzmanns.
The Book of Concord is a Biblical commentary, very concise and easy to use.
One can look up topics and Scriptural passages in the index or use the excellent
Concordance to the Book of Concord from NPH. No Lutheran should use the ELCA
sermon helper books, Calvins Commentaries, or the weirdly titled Handfuls on
Purpose.
469KJV

Joshua 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and
set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

470The

WELS spin-doctors like to say, It can be understood in the right way.

But why be ambiguous when clarity is needed? "Error loves ambiguities."
Charles P. Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, Philadelphia: The
United Lutheran Publication House, 1913 (first edition, 1871), p. 215.

471Poping

is an old term for Protestants who join the Church of Rome. Father
Richard J. Neuhaus was the first of many, although Concordia Seminary (St.
Louis) had an earlier version: Eduard Preuss. Some have half-poped, joining
Eastern Orthodoxy to avoid the stigma of poping.
572

472One

Lutheran told me that he grew up in Eastern Orthodoxy and did not

know what that opening chant was about.

473"We

have discovered that the Early Church was an institution that

unknowingly saw its world through Church Growth eyes. We have some
benefits they did not have in that we can look back today and analyze their
successes and failures." Floyd L. Stolzenburg, "Church Growth - the Acts of the
Apostles," Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio."The
Institute for American Church Growth has created a card game called 'Church
Growth Eyes.' The game may be used in groups to learn how to see through
church growth eyes." Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville:
Broadman Press, 1981, p. 51. "As we consider various factors and principles
relating to Church Growth we need abundant, accurate information about the
members of our churches. This basic principle of Church Growth is called
Discerning the Body. Pastors and lay people need to discern the Body in the
congregation in which they are serving. For this, Church Growth eyes are
essential." Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church
Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 61. "This is not a handbook on
how to do certain things, not offering us gimmicks, procedures, models, and the
like, although there is much of practical material to be found throughout. It is
rather a theology of church growth and missions." [foreword by Robert Preus]
Waldo J. Werning, LCMS, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth
Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South
Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 9. "Students of Church Growth
realize that a good structure for the church that really wants to grow is the
organization of celebration plus congregation plus cell. When we see the
importance of the organization of the church we are looking with 'Church
Growth Eyes.' We are looking from an x-ray perspective and understanding
the internal organs of the body of Christthe Church!" Kent R. Hunter,
Launching Growth in the Local Congregation, A Workbook for Focusing Church
Growth Eyes, Detroit: Church Growth Analysis and Learning Center, 1980,
p. 81.

573

Chapter Nine: The Law

And the Lawless Legalists
Introduction
The work of the Holy Spirit through the Law has been fatally neglected
in this century. Lutherans have also suffered from the lawless legalists, church
leaders who invent their own laws and make them necessary for salvation, while
living contrary to the divinely ordained Ten Commandments. The Kokomo
perversion of justification can also be viewed as a result of the improper
teaching of the Law. Another manifestation of the neglect of Gods Law is the
failed attempt to merge Christianity with psychology, giving us many examples
of lawlessness, where feelings are normative. Yet another manifestation of the
wrong use of the Law in counseling is legalism, where healing can come only
through works of the law: you must build up your self-esteem.474
The classic work on this topic is C. F. W. Walthers The Proper Distinction
between Law and Gospel, his Luther lectures reproduced from notes. Often called
Law and Gospel, this work is justly called the greatest theological work published
in America. Lutheran pastors and laity should own it, study it, and use it
constantly as a reference book. However, we should read it in conjunction with
Luther and the Book of Concord. Lutherans from the Synodical Conference
have tended to make the Missouri Synod founders the only men deserving the
name church fathers. Walther would have been the last one to think that his
works could replace the study of Luther and the men who wrote the Formula of
Concord. Walther was a dedicated student of Luther, so we will follow his
example best when we start with Luther.
One of Luthers great insights was the division of the Bible into Law
and Gospel. That does not mean that the Old Testament is all Law and the
New Testament all Gospel. We can discern that passages are either Law, making
demands and condemning sin, or Gospel, offering forgiveness apart from the
works of the Law. This distinction is emphasized again in the Book of Concord
and in all Lutheran theologians following the Concordists. A proper distinction
is so important that many difficulties can be diagnosed as a confusion of Law
and Gospel. For instance, a father caught a large softball deliberately tossed by
his daughter at the china setting on the table and then returned it to her without
comment. From that response we can conclude he was offering the Gospel to
the unrepentant. When an individual is told he must give up all his sins before
he can be forgiven, that is a misuse of the Law, mixing it with the Gospel, just
as the Galatian false teachers told their victims that they must be circumcised to
be real Christians.
Non-Lutherans do not discuss Law/Gospel distinctions and find this
topic both opaque and confusing. The Church of Rome proclaims salvation
through the Law and condemns to Hell anyone who teaches with Paul that
574

salvation comes to us through faith apart from the works of the Law. The
Reformed are far more subtle in making Law demands, and the mixture of Law
and Gospel can take place in many ways. The convert may be told he must
suffer and tarry before he can be forgiven, a new atonement to energize the
atonement of Christ. Or he may be forced to give up certain carnal sins, as if
this Lenten sacrifice cleansed him from sinfulness. Or he may be told that he
must have a conversion experience which he can describe and also attribute to a
moment in time. He may be forced to speak in tongues after a severe and
sweaty session of coaching. He may be told that his faith will shrivel away if he
does not offer public testimonies about what God has done for him, a threat
not easily harmonized with the Gospel. He may be told that all of Gods future
success is dependent upon his efforts: God has no arms but yours, no tongue
but yours, no bank account but yours. He may be forced to fund free world
tours of mission executives by being told that all those dying without faith are
his personal responsibility. In short, there is so much misapplied Law in the
visible church that many people define Christianity not as a message of comfort
for sinners, but rather as a list of rules, demands, and prohibitions, all of which
are badly observed.
J-901
"But the fanatics soon torment us with works, and profess to have a nobler
spirit; they urge and insist upon our doing something first of all, and permit
faith and love to be overlooked. This of course is not of the Holy Spirit. Christ
first takes possession of the conscience, and when it is right in faith toward
God, then He also directs us to do works toward our neighbor. But He first
highly extols faith and keeps works in the background.
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 200. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity,
Matthew 9:1-8
From Legalism to Lawlessness G.A.
In my opinion, the rotten state of the Lutheran Church today is largely
based upon the transition from the legalism of its recent past to the lawlessness
of today. A false view of the Word lets people think they are righteous through
obedience to the Law, even if it is only ever-changing synodical law. In this
atmosphere, the only sin is questioning what the synod is doing and teaching.
The worst example of this process is the secret initiation rite known in the
Wisconsin Synod as GA, the capstone of a series of abusive initiations in the
WELS school system. The initials GA stand for Gemuetlicher Abend, a misleading
term which translates as friendly evening. All the facts below are based upon
my eye-witness observation of GA and a similar ceremony leading to GA, called
Bonecruncher. I have also heard many different reports about the initiations in
WELS. My initial observations, sent by someone else to WELS pastors, also
elicited some interesting and revealing responses.
575

GA is the secret initiation rite for Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, but

the effort to create a cult begins much earlier. Although WELS is taking apart
its education system, the ideal Wisconsin Synod pastor was once someone who
began parochial school in kindergarten in the state of Wisconsin, went to prep
school and college in Watertown, and then attended Wisconsin Lutheran
Seminary. Northwestern College is gone, but the old system continues to have
its toxic effects. The ideal student who attended Mequon had already endured
two previous initiation rites. Prep schools have a system called sechs-ing, based on
the German term for first year student (Sechstaner). Older students in WELS
prep schools are allowed to boss freshmen around, forcing them to carry lunch
trays, and do odd jobs. The tradition is innocent enough, but many older
students cannot control their sadistic attitudes and their need to get even with
smaller students. One student was held out of the second story window by his
legs, and then dropped accidentally, breaking some bones. One rule is absolutely
enforced in WELS schoolsno one tells. If various facts get back to the dean
and he takes action, the male student who reported the infraction is picked up
by his nipples, causing excruciating pain. When the wife of prep school board
member Brownie Schmitzer heard about this tradition, her husband said,
Thats what we always did. She did not want her children to attend a WELS
prep school. Her husband, schooled in the Wisconsin Synod tradition of
sadism, did not view it as a problem.475
Northwestern College also had an initiation rite for freshmen students.
The older students could use the time for innocent fun, but they could also
brutalize younger students. It depended on the class, not the faculty. The faculty
did almost nothing to stop the abuse. One event involved having students run a
gauntlet where older students socked the victim with pillows. Obviously, that
would not hurt. But one older student filled his pillowcase with books, hit a
student in the head, and knocked him out cold. Another tradition concerned the
famous Sprinter statue, now at Martin Luther College. The older students
forced every single freshman to simulate anal intercourse with the statue.
Anyone who objected was shunned as a sissy and tattle-tale. One class stopped
the physical brutality and deviant behavior, but a later class of students in charge
of initiation was suspected of returning things to abnormal.
Amazingly, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary even has an extra initiation
rite just before GA. In the past, when the future seminary students were all at
Northwestern College in Watertown, a short distance from Milwaukee, the
seminary had a special event called Bonecruncher (which I observed). Once
again, the idea could have been fun, but many seminary classes abused their
power over the younger students. One perverted tradition was to give the
students a new name, often an obscene name based upon his surname. For
example, someone named Knollmueller was renamed Hole-filler, amid hoots
of laughter and mock disapproval. The students were told to wear their best
clothes to the dinner and basketball game, and then they were forced to ruin
their best suits by sitting on food and performing various monkey acts for the
amusement of upperclassmen, future WELS pastors all. Wives and girlfriends
576

also attended. The students were told that cleaning bills would be paid, but no
one was expected to be a sissy and complain.
The name of Bonecruncher is derived from another weird tradition.
Each student is given a bone based upon the seminary students attitude toward
him. If the man was a square-jawed athlete with an IQ smaller than his chest
size, he was given a large bone amid shouts of approval. If he was a quiet,
studious man, he might get a jar of water with bone powder dissolved in it. The
future pastors are amazingly proud of how they inflict pain and disapproval
upon their future colleagues, especially when they note who gets the jabs. The
goal, as Church Growth leader James Huebner noted, is to have everyone
exactly alike.476 That tradition is why ELS pastors call Mequon the sausage
factory.
This superfluity of initiation rites has several intended results. First of
all, no one attending Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary is unaware of the initiation
system and what happens to those who object. Secondly, the initiation system
has weeded out those who do not wish to conform to sadistic and perverted
acts. Thirdly, the faculty is pleased to have students who already expect to be
beaten down and abused when they resist utter and mindless conformity. Those
who puzzle over the strange attitudes of WELS pastors do not understand the
secret initiation rite called GA.
The president of Northwestern College referred to GA in his history of
the college, when he wrote about Dr. Martin Luther College defeating his
school in football, below.
J-902
In 1981 DMLC defeated NWC for the first time. The Northwestern team and
its followers were crestfallen; they felt they had let their school down. Alumni at
the seminary predicted that dire things would happen to the seniors at GA
(Gemuetlicher Abend) the next year.
Carleton Toppe, Holding the Course, Northwestern College 125, Milwaukee:
Northwestern Publishing House, 1990, p. 136.
If all has gone well, the first-year student at Wisconsin Lutheran
Seminary enters with a vague and fearful concept of GA. All GA veterans are
sworn to secrecy. When I observed GA, I was told repeatedly that I could not
tell my son, my wife, or anyone about GA. Once, when I mentioned some little
item in front of my family and a WELS pastor, he glared at me and said, You
have said too much already. Although WELS leader Vic Prange called GA
our Masonic Lodge, GA is actually far more secretive than the Masonic rites.
I am publishing this information to help close down the sadistic system forever.
Two times in the past, students decided to end GA because of abuses.
However, others brought it back. Seminary professor, ecumenist, and GA pope
James P. Tiefel wrote from his parish in Saginaw to express concern over GA
being shut down. GA started again, thanks to efforts like Tiefels.
577

GA begins the school year for the entire school. No classes are held for
a week. The first event in GA is a fake debate and vote on whether to hold GA.
This debate happens every year, getting students to call their fathers (who are
pastors) and say, Dad, they may not have GA this year. The fathers laugh
over the fact that their sons are being fooled! One student was still in the dark
at the end, saying that a former lawyer argued convincingly against having GA.
They even voted on it, he said. This opening move of GA is very important
for understanding the WELS compulsion for lying about everything. Missouri
works with ELCA, supports Fuller Seminary, and admits it happily.
WELS works with ELCA, adores Fuller Seminary, and denies
everything. One WELS pastor said, It bothers me that our leaders lie even
when everyone knows they are lying. The second important aspect of GA is
division of upperclassmen into hards and softs. The softs are also called
Pietists. The hards constantly persecute and threaten the first year students, but
the softs offer comfort and support. The students become increasingly reliant
upon the softs for guidance and then finally realize at the end that everyone was
lying. Hards were working with the softs all along and laughing about student
reactions.
GA causes enormous family tensions and scandalizes those who have
qualms about the Wisconsin Synod. As one Roman Catholic father said to his
son, You say you are against secret societies, but GA is a secret society.
Employers find men missing from work and unable to explain why they were
gone. Although this is supposed to be taken care of, the upper classmen do not
care about the damage they do to relationships.
Not surprisingly, GA involves both emotional and physical abuse. One
pastor told me about how they knocked out someones tooth and then paid for
the mans dental work as a class. Every so often, they would ask to look at the
class tooth. According to some, bones have been broken and blood has been
drawn. This abuse is defended because it is like boot camp for Marines. GA
leaders have students pull a hay wagon and various other useless chores. I saw
men being forced to do push-ups while students poured beer down on their
heads. One veteran of GA said that students put cigar ashes and filthy pond
water in the chili and forced students to drink it. A pastors widow thought GA
led to her husbands ill health, which is not impossible if he got a strep infection
from the sewage laced pond.
One great honor is to become the GA pope. The GA pope gets to
dress up and order people around. I saw the GA pope demand that the students
find his bowling ball, lost in the pond, an annual event. The students were
expected to wade into the pond and go under water to find the missing ball. I
saw this taking place. Behind me, Professor James Westendorf stood and
grinned as he remembered the good old days. When the men returned from the
pond, most of them took all of their filthy clothes off outside before going up
to their rooms. Needless to say, I was a little shocked at seeing the first-year
class buck naked outdoors. The WELS pastor who invited me said, The
cafeteria women always work near the windows when this part of GA takes
578

place. The windows of the kitchen offer an excellent view of the male strip
show.
The GA week builds up to a climax where each student is certain that
the hards will get him. Students who know this is not true are really given the
business during GA. The student body waits in a lounge while each first year
student is brought to the doors with the idea that this is his last chance to
escape, if he only runs hard enough. A soft has guided him to this escape and he
is told the hards are waiting to get him. Inside, everyone makes a lot of noise.
When the door opens, the student runs in with a white face, truly afraid. Two or
more seminarians catch him, tell him it is all over, and calm him down. Quickly
he realizes that the entire week was an enormous deception. Individually, each
student is captured until everyone is together and drinking beer. Afterwards, the
GA committee has a party for students, faculty, and synodical workers.
One pastor noted that GA forever changes pastors, even those who
hated every juvenile minute of it. Because most of the WELS ministerium has
passed through this initiation (and several previous ones), an unwritten code
unites them. A non-conformist must be driven out and abused. No one is
spared. Once the Mischke backyard barbeque bunch decided to get rid of
Northwestern College, no previous position or synodical seniority helped those
who objected. The previous seminary president was senile because he
opposed the amalgamation, as it was so delicately called. A senior pastor was
denounced as brain-damaged for publishing a paper against Church Growth
and amalgamation. In fact, he had a stroke after he wrote the paper. When I
leaked the essay to Christian News, Pastor Tim Buelow phoned to rant at me for
giving away secret information. Someone sent me the paper to leak, omitting
the cover page which sought to restrict its readership.477
GA has many different consequences. WELS leaders enjoy criticizing
all synods, especially the only one in fellowship with Wisconsin, the tiny
Evangelical Lutheran Synod. (May God have mercy on the ELS pastor who
openly criticizes WELS.) However, no one is allowed to say that anything is less
than perfect within WELS. Anyone who points out an obvious wrong is
disloyal, a trouble-maker, and worthy of being driven away. This oppression
makes the ministerium the most timid in America. The WELS district
presidents keep everything a secret among themselves, and no one is allowed to
askBecause it is a secret. The entire synod is run more like a little boys
club, where the worst bullies are the most esteemed for their sadism. One exWELS member wrote to me that her former pastor, newly graduated from
seminary, spent an inordinate amount of time bragging about the dirty tricks he
had played on his classmates. This arrested state of emotional development is so
obvious because the pastors get together and begin acting just like Cub Scouts
who recently burned down an outhouse or two. We attended a WELS pastors
wedding. One feature was throwing marshmallows at the groom during the
reception. He got worked up and began throwing them back at everyone. He
was elected the district secretary soon after, divorced and out of the ministry in
579

short order. The divorced women in the congregation wept openly when he left
the ministry.
Not all the WELS pastors suffer from the GA syndrome, but they
cannot escape the consequences of serving in a synod where GA is cherished by
the seminary faculty and where the editor of the synods hymnal was the GA
pope. Two students went to the dean of the seminary, John Brenner, now a
graduate student at a Jesuit school, and objected to GA in advance.478 That
tradition is the rule for WELS, and it has the benefit of identifying anyone who
objects to anything. Dean Brenner, grandson of the last decent WELS synod
president said, The benefits of GA outweigh the bad side. Neither student is a
WELS pastor now. More than one student has avoided Mequon because of
GA. They want no part of it.
One former victim of WELS clergy abuse asked me to write about GA.
I did it with reluctance, because I had many previous experiences with WELS
getting even with me and members of my family.479 However, I believe the truth
will eventually break the back of WELS abuses, especially if a few lawsuits
identify the culprits who have blessed abusive behavior which is clearly contrary
to the law. My doctrinal bulletin went to Lutherans of all synods and one person
decided to put it on the WELS clergy chat mail service. Suddenly I began
getting abusive email from various WELS pastors. One person claimed that the
faculty knew nothing about GA. The next one said GA was fine because it was
faculty approved. Another person denounced me for writing about something I
never saw, even though my bulletin clearly identified my eyewitness experiences
with GA and Bonecruncher. My favorite email was already quoted in the
chapter on false doctrine. It came from someone I knew. He did not know my
motivation for writing the description, he said, but then said I was motivated by
bitterness. I was amazed that this man could pretend to read my mind when he
has had no contact with me for about 8 years. A number of people accused me
of publishing the bulletin in Christian News when it was never sent to the
periodical and never appeared there. But this was the sin of sins, the ad hermanem
argument: anything published in CN against WELS was twice cursed.
In the aftermath of the GA email dust-up, one person sent me a packet
of GA songs, gathered and reprinted by Pastor Jon Balge, a son of the seminary
professor. The former WELS pastor kept his Balge edition of GA songs for
years, leaving them behind in his office when he left his wife and children for
his mistress. One of the songs is printed below.
G. A. Never Sleeps
My, my; hey, hey;
Kinder, would you like to stay?
Its better to endure than to run away,
My, my; Hey, hey.
A little bit blue, a little bit black
Youre afraid of this, afraid of that.
And once you start, you can never turn back
580

Youre in the lagoon, and the mud is black.

On a day that will not soon be forgotten
Last one in is an egg thats rotten,
Its do or dieno questions asked
On a day we call Gemuetlicher Abend.
Hey, hey; my, my;
Dont worry, you wont die
But you might throw up, and you might cry
Hey, hey; my, my.480
When I first wrote about GA, I looked up information about another
secret society, Skull and Bones at Yale University, whose members include
former President Bush, Governor George W. Bush, and many other famous
civil leaders, such as William F. Buckley. Certain parallels between GA and Skull
and Bones amazed me, because one would never connect the two, except for
their secretive nature. Both cults give new names to the initiates and have
special songs that are sung only at their gatherings. Initiations include the new
persons and the old veterans as well, who come back for the reunions. The
rituals are kept secret, but they are very much like the Masonic Lodge, where
one is born again into the new way of life. Loyalty is rewarded in both cults.
Someone who partakes in the new paganism is sealed for life, even if he has the
deepest regrets. There are homosexual overtones in both rituals. One WELS
pastor wrote about GA: Jackson has a point with regard to the homosexual
jokes. They ought not to be. Homosexuality is a serious problem for some. It is
even possible that at an all male school the problem can be triggered in some.
Avoid even a hint of sexual immorality.481
J-903
Having read Jackson's expose on WELS Initiation rites (this is a Latanism, [sic]
isn't it?), I am shocked to read of the abuse suffered by our beloved Sprinter.
Statue rape? I am appalled. Do such things actually happen? Let Synod appoint
a special prosecutor to conduct a thorough investigation of this brutal deed, and
if the perps be caught, I say, condemn them to be ministers of independent
Lutheran congregations.
PS. And no, I didn't rat to Jackson. I haven't told my wife much about GA. My
dad won't even tell me what happened to him in 1941, except I discovered
some really great photos of him, dressed up as the Pope, the mere mention of
which gets him to smile. I guess August Pieper got a real charge out of it.
Nathan R. Pope
From: Ryan Heiman <heimanr@wls.wels.net>
Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 8:29 PM
Subject: in christian love
Hello,
581

I am not going to argue with someone that is saying lies and many other false
doctrines, but I would just like to point how the correct way of doing things in
christian love is not to go out and print some crazy article in a magazine but go
to them and talk with them in privat [sic] first. Hopefully you will see your sins
and repent to God that he will in his mercy show you the Gospel truth and
work the correct faith in your heart again.
Sincerly,[sic]
Ryan Heiman
From: David E Koehler <koehlerd@juno.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 04, 1998 9:12 AM
Dear Mr. Jackson,
I recently received your piece on the WELS and initiation for the CN. I was just
a bit curious as to your motivation for writing this excellent work. I can only
assume that it was done purely out of Christian love. I am sure that a man of
your exceptional moral fortitude would never blatantly break the 8th
commandment. I am also assuming that you talked to the people involved
personally before you turned the story over to a tabloid. I would definitely love
to give you the benefit of the doubt. Although I would never accuse you of
being a blatant liar or slanderer, I would definitely say you write with half-truths
and exaggerations. It gives credence to "A little knowledge is a dangerous
thing." You obviously possess a little knowledge on this subject. I was moved
by your article in two ways. The first way was laughter. You knew so little about
the actual events that I laughed out loud. It almost seemed that you were trying
to blow the cover off of it, but in reality I think you enhanced the mystery. Way
to go. The second way I was moved was to sadness. I was sad that you would
blatantly attack the reputation of faithful called workers in God's kingdom. It
was shameless. Like I said before, I am sure your motivation was strictly out of
Christian love to help these men and they were not ad hominem attacks to settle
personal vendettas. Believe me I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt.
I don't think it necessary for me to sit here and defend the practices of our
synodical institutions. That would just give credit to your article of lies and
exaggerations
Well, I tire of you, but I have one last comment. Check your Bible for the
commandments and see if the eighth has been removed from yours.
Vicar David Koehler
MLS Class of '92
MLC Class of '96
WLS Class of 2000
Effects of Lawlessness
Unfortunately, those who think they are escaping the Law-monkey of
Pietism end up carrying it around with them in the form of hedonistic
lawlessness. The Wisconsin Synod has had far more than its share of scandals,
all covered up by the GA-trained hierarchy. Two church workers have
582

murdered their wives, escaping any serious penalty. It is true that Al Just went to
prison after being convicted, but he did not spend many years behind bars. He
was recently seen with a WELS youth group. Pastor Taber joined the Wisconsin
Synod with a group of people he took out of the LCR congregation in Cape
Girardeaux, Missouri. He did not serve any time for the murder of his wife,
which took place in his Milwaukee congregation, although his girlfriend did
suffer the consequences of participating in the act. District President Ed Werner
was arrested and convicted of molesting young girls in his congregation. He is
currently in the state prison in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The sexual abuse had
been going on for years. The pastors who kept electing him district president
would not allow their wives or daughters to be alone in the room with Reverend
Werner. The cloak of secrecy did not benefit Ed Werners soul, nor help the
victims of his attention, nor his family. Retaliation against anyone who finds out
such information and reports it has only served to protect the worst offenders.
To this day most members in WELS do not know about the two spouse
murders, the vicar and the district president in prison.
When I was serving a mission congregation in Columbus, Ohio, Pastor
Fred Adrian chaired the powerful District Mission Board. During this time a
married vicar, Scott Zerbe, had an affair with a minor girl, who subsequently
took the congregation and WELS to court. Zerbe went to the state prison in
Michigan for his offenses. The synodical lawyers pleaded their innocence. They
knew of no other incidents in their entire synod, even though a district
president was in state prison at that moment. The plaintiffs lawyer presented
evidence that WELS was not telling the truth. Finally the judge ordered WELS
to produce evidence. The jury looked at the facts and found Pastor Fred Adrian,
his congregation, and WELS guilty of poor supervision. The initial judgment
was $400,000, which was immediately contested by WELS. The plaintiffs
lawyer was disgusted with her dealings with the Wisconsin Synod. When the
jury announced the award for the plaintiff, the Michigan District kept it a secret
from their own pastors, even though it was in the Grand Rapids newspaper.
This is such a common pattern in WELS that more examples would be
wearisome.482
The Holy Spirit Works Efficaciously Through the Law
J-904
"All Scripture ought to be distributed into these two principal topics, the Law
and the promises."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 121. Tappert, p. 108.
J-905
"But the chief office or force of the Law is that it reveal original sin with all its
fruits, and show man how very low his nature has fallen, and has become
583

[fundamentally and] utterly corrupted; as the Law must tell man that he has no
God nor regards [cares for] God, and worships other gods, a matter which
before and without the Law he would not have believed. In this way he
becomes terrified, is humbled, desponds, despairs, and anxiously desires aid, but
sees no escape; he begins to be an enemy of [enraged at] God, and to murmur,
etc. This is what Paul says, Romans 4:15: 'The Law worketh wrath.' And
Romans 5:20: Sin is increased by the Law. [The Law entered that the offense
might abound.']
Smalcald Articles, Third Part, I. 3. Of Sin. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 479. Tappert, p.
J-906
Thesis VIII. In the fourth place, the Word of God is not rightly divided when
the Law is preached to those who are already in terror on account of their sins
or the Gospel to those who live securely in their sins."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 101.
When Lutherans speak about the efficacy of the Word, we should
never neglect the power of the Holy Spirit in working through the Law.
Although Christians in general seem to acknowledge the Law, and Lutherans
often mention the concept of Law and Gospel, in practice the Law of God has
been almost completely abandoned. Once again, it is because Lutherans have
lost their trust in the Holy Spirit working through the Word alone. The evidence
is all around us. Lutheran seminaries clamor for counseling expertise in their
students. Counseling can be extremely valuable. The Christian faith has a long
history of the Care of Souls, called Seelsorge in German. But the counseling
which is advocated and put into practice today is a horrible hodge-podge of
Freud, Jung, Masters and Johnson, Carl Rogers, and Reformed authors who
vainly seek to Christianize a method plainly pagan and materialistic in origin.
For instance, the analysis of dreams pioneered by Freud and his disciple Jung is
nothing more than a rehash of Jewish occultism from the Kabala. Masters and
Johnson, the dreary and sad looking sex experts from St. Louis, have turned the
Scriptural revelation of God is love into Love is god, or rather, to be more
precise, Sex is god. Carl Rogers, an apostate, bragged that he began a
revolution by teaching all counselors to be non-judgmental. Some call his
method arent you counseling. If a boy says he would like to kill his father,
the properly trained pastor will respond, in a flat and non-judgmental voice,
You are angry, arent you.
Reformed authors are even worse than the classical secular leaders. The
case of the Journal of Pastoral Care is instructive. Clinical Pastoral Education
began in part with the work of Anton Boisen, whose mental illness and divinity
school background prompted him to work toward helping people by training
ministers to be comfortable in the hospital setting. Boisen emphasized the
Christian faith and influenced others to create organizations to promote the
584

training of current and future pastors for hospital work and individual
counseling. Seward Hiltner, Princeton Seminary, established the Journal of
Pastoral Care with this idea in mind. In the 1970s, the Journal of Pastoral Care was
written for ministers with an emphasis on theology. Later, the same periodical
adopted the style and method of the psychological journals. The message was
completely secular, because pastoral counselors look at psychiatrists the way
socialists look at Marxists. A psychiatrist is the real thing, the expert who gains
everyones attention. I recall a speaker in Cleveland stating quite bitterly that
Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross got all the credit for grief counseling (from writing On
Death and Dying) after working on the subject with two pastoral counselors.
The larger Lutheran synods established required Clinical Pastoral
Education quarters for all their students. The standards in training were not
Christian, but secular and were based upon the tendencies of the individual
chaplain in charge. Most of them were ministers who were eclectic, borrowing a
little here and there, depending upon what was popular at the moment. One
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary program featured two Methodist ministers in
charge of Lutherans, Mennonites, and Dutch Reformed.483 We spent a lot of
time studying various therapeutic methods, including Carl Rogers and
Masters/Johnson. When I took a second quarter of CPE at Yales alcoholism
center after the required work at Waterloo, the psychiatrist in our group made
fun of my comments about forgiveness through the Gospel, saying, Should we
tell the alcoholic to put his hands on the television and be healed?
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary has students studying the so-called
Christian counseling books of Reformed authors. Walthers Law and Gospel
would be much better, but the WELS Pietists are smitten and will not be parted
from the sanctimony of the Reformed. If we look at their attempt to add a tint
of Lutheran doctrine to this effort, in The Counseling Shepherd, we find the Fuller
influence writ large. The authors present Presbyterian Jay Adams as if he were a
Lutheran who believes in the efficacy of the Word alone! According to this
standard WELS and ELS seminary text, Larry Crabb, a favorite psychologist for
the Church Growth Movement, is good reading for the shepherd who counsels
his sheep.484 Interestingly, false doctrine in The Counseling Shepherd led the
Church of the Lutheran Confession into the same error that God commands
us to love ourselves.
J-907
Low self-esteem enters in when we see things in ourselves that prevent us
from having the love of self that we normally have or would like to have
As objects of God's love, we can properly love ourselves... The same love of
God which redeemed me has also reached out to my neighbor. This fact gives
motive and meaning to the Lord's command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
It leads me to see my neighbor as someone for whom the Savior died, and it
compels Gospel outreach. Such love of my neighbor helps me avoid both pride
and low self-esteem. It leads me to the kind of self-love that gratefully and
585

humbly rejoices in the gifts, talents, and blessings of God which can be used in
loving service to my neighbor."
Armin Schuetze and Frederick Matzke, The Counseling Shepherd,
Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1988, p. 199. Cited with approval
by David Schierenbeck.
Pastors David Schierenbeck and Paul F. Nolting accepted this
nonsense and began promoting it in the so-called Church of the Lutheran
Confession, causing enormous conflict. Several ministers left or were fired by
the CLC. Three congregations left the CLC. Nolting made matters worse with
his paper, delivered at an annual clergy meeting in his role as chairman of the
board of doctrine. No one promoting self-love or self-esteem in the CLC
seemed to care that it was just a regurgitation of WELS rehashing the false
doctrine of Fuller Seminary, Robert Schuller, and James Dobson.
J-908
"A man loves his wife because she brings him a variety of pleasures, satisfies his
needs, etc. His wife satisfies his love of himself. Is he sinning by loving his wife
which satisfies his self-love? A young man desires the office of a bishop. He
loves to preach the Gospel. He derives satisfaction and fulfillment from
preaching. Is he sinning because preaching satisfies his love of himself? These
questions need to be raised because of the contention that all self-love is
sinful."485
Paul F. Nolting, "The End-time Heresy of the Cosmic Gospel of SelfSalvation," CLC Pastors' Conference, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, June 20-22, 1995,
p. 8.
Therefore, the abandonment of trust in the Law of God has had the
effect of letting Lutherans turn to the secular leaders of psychiatry or to the
Reformed amalgamation of false doctrine and psychiatry. Either form of leaven
spreads quickly and turns into hedonistic Unitarianism. Lutherans have already
become used to this leaven and no longer wish to hear the pure Word of God.
Once Christians are introduced to self-love in the sermon, the Bible class, and
synodical press and thus after being exposed to it at work, they view the
irritation of their Old Adam as the sign of bad preaching, bad pastors, and bad
karma. They will not abide this and desire only to be praised and told God loves
them. In truth, if the Law is removed, the Gospel also vanishes.

Part One: Attributes of the Law

The Law Convicts Us of Unbelief
J-909
586

"However, here the Lord speaks quite differently, and says: 'The Holy Spirit will
convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not on me.' Unbelief
only is mentioned here as sin, and faith is praised as suppressing and
extinguishing the other sins, even the sins in the saints. Faith is so strong and
overpowering that no sin dare put it under any obligation. Although sins are
present in pious and believing persons, they are not imputed to them, nor shall
their sins condemn them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 127. Fourth Sunday after Easter,
Second Sermon John 16:5-15.
When the Reformed and Roman Catholics teach about sin, most
people think they mean spending too much money on slow horses and fast
women. Both confessions place their emphasis upon sanctification rather than
faith. However, Jesus taught about sin in a different way.
KJV John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you
that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but
if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they
believe not on me.
Non-Lutheran preaching of the Law focuses upon sins of the flesh,
providing a constant source of guilt without a clear sense of forgiveness. Such
Law preaching is usually followed by Law solutions. To pay for his sins, a
Roman Catholic must do something: acts of contrition, masses, payments
(reparations). The Reformed believer is given a variety of Law solutions: he
must yield his life to Jesus, become a prayer warrior, or give up a particular
habit. The sins identified are outward and easily visible, in contrast to coveting
which cannot be seen and yet prompts so many other sins.
J-910
"You may tie a hog ever so well, but you cannot prevent it from grunting, until
it is strangled and killed. Thus it is with the sins of the flesh."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 247.
Luther preached against the sin of not believing the Word of God.
False teachers are inclined to exemplify this sentiment, I will preach about
those things which inflame me, but I cannot support parts of the Bible that are
contrary to reason or my confession. Thus there is only a short step between
the Reformed who cannot believe in the Real Presence of Christ and the
Jehovahs Witness saying he does not believe in the Trinity. As a recent
Jehovahs Witness said to me, I cannot believe that Jesus as God prayed to
God. I said, A cow cannot believe it either. The greatest work of the Holy
587

Spirit in working through the Law can be seen in showing us that we do not
trust the Word completely. We should be thankful that the Holy Spirit has
revealed the Gospel to us and nurtured the faith He created. Human reason
cannot grasp Christ crucified for our sins.
In the last few decades, conservative Lutherans thought they were
mighty fine fellows when they preached in favor of the inerrancy of the
Scriptures, a minority view in this age. However, in the Christian Church this is
no more remarkable than defending the moistness of water or the color of the
sky. A pan-Christian inerrancy conference reveals that the confessions gathered
together do not agree on anything except inerrancy, which is also defined in
various ways. Lutherans now need to preach against the sin of selective belief in
the Bible, showing how the Scriptures are the Book of the Holy Spirit, an
integrated and harmonious truth revealed for our salvation and blessings. The
sin of unbelief can be seen in many different ways today in the Lutheran
Church:
1. People do not trust in the forgiveness of their sins through the atoning
death of Christ, so they remain anxious and seek after other cures.
2. Pastors and congregations look for material proof of their success,
forcing visible results upon the Gospel when Jesus promised only a
cross.
3. Synods, pastors, and congregations do not trust the Gospel, so they lash
people with the Law and then provide Law solutions.
4. The constant displays of resentment, grudges, and retaliations in the
Lutheran Church indicate that few believe in the forgiveness of sins.
5. Kokomo justification has had such a toxic influence on the Wisconsin
Synod, ELS, and parts of the LCMS that faith seems to be something
evil rather than the reason for preaching the Gospel.
J-911
"If remission of sins without repentance is preached, the people imagine that
they have already forgiveness of sins, and thereby they are made secure and
unconcerned. This is a greater error and sin than all error of former times, and it
is verily to be feared that we are in that danger which Christ points out when He
says, Matthew 12:45: 'The last state of that man shall be worse than the first.'"
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 123.
Our carnal nature, because of Original Sin, is tainted and corrupted in
every respect. The Reformed and Roman Catholics do not believe this. The
Lutherans say they believe in Original Sin but carry on in the worst Pietistic,
588

sanctimonious, holier-than-thou way. A major step in listening to the Holy

Spirit speaking through the Law is to confess, It is true. Even my noblest
thoughts and actions are tainted by sin, so I should stop bragging about what I
have done and instead confess what Christ has done for me.
J-912
"No work is so evil that it can damn a man, and no work is so good that it can
save a man; but faith alone saves us, and unbelief damns us. The fact that
someone falls into adultery does not damn him. Rather the adultery indicates
that he has fallen from faith. This damns him; otherwise adultery would be
impossible for him. So, then, nothing makes a good tree except faith."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 475. Matthew 7:15-23.
Using the Law to show unbelief is especially important in this age of
Pelagianism. People truly believe they can perfect and save themselves. One
amusing example was the grim young couple shown on TV who admitted they
did not like fish, but forced themselves to eat it twice a week to make
themselves healthier. Others are on a campaign to save Planet Earth by
recycling, without ever giving God credit for the miracle of compost. Still others
have grasped various cures, therapies, clinics, and movements to find their
earthly and heavenly Xanadu. Anyone who denies that this movement has
invaded Christianity is delirious.
When we met two Fundamentalists at a hotel, they began speaking
about Paul Y. Cho, who had just given a speech at some Christian gathering. I
tried to tell them that Chos occult religion put him outside of the Christian
faith, but they smiled glassy-eyed and repeated their devotion to him. In another
situation, a Presbyterian woman started asking me about studying the Bible. At
one point she asked about reincarnation. I pointed out the pagan and antiChristian nature of the concept, but she smiled dreamily and said she still
believed in it. Later, when I attended a Church Growth seminar, I sat next to a
Church of God minister. He had the look of a man just getting off the plane in
Las Vegas, grinning in hyperbolic anticipation. The minister asked me what I
thought about the seminar, so I responded about Fuller being anti-inerrancy,
inviting Cho, and undermining the faith. He fire-walled me with one terse
comment, I like it.
J-913
"Today nothing is so common as turning right into wrong and wrong into right
by employing all sorts of clever expedients and strange tricks."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1294.
The challenge of Lutheran preaching and teaching today will be to
bring this passageJohn 16:7to the forefront. This challenge involves
589

teaching against selective belief and hearingagainst cafeteria Christianity

where only the favorite dishes are chosen. (No thanks. I do not want that cross.
It is much too large for me.) Although this duty will seem to be too difficult for
many, and they may likely rebel in many different ways, the message also has
within it a source of great comfort. The more we listen to Luthers sermons, the
more we understand how the Holy Spirit alone works contrition through the
Law and forgiveness through the Gospel. Luther also helps us see how much
pure Gospel is contained in the Old Testament and in each phrase of the
epistles (where we may overlook it).
There are really three different styles of preaching in the Christian
Church today.
1. The Reformed or Pietistic preacher says, You are horrible sinners, but if
you do what I tell you to do, God may ease up on the judgment you so
richly deserve.
2. The Roman Catholic priest says, You are horrible sinners, but if you
submit to my authority and perform various acts of contrition, I may get
you some time off of Purgatory.
3. The sincere Lutheran pastor says, We are sinful, weak people, tainted by
Original Sin and unable to save ourselves. Nevertheless, Christ has paid
for our sins through His death on the cross and has provided the Means
of Grace to distribute this forgiveness, which we receive in faith. When
God says our sins are forgiven, His efficacious Word removes them
forever. Where sin is forgiven, eternal life springs up.
Many Lutheran pastors now combine the Romanism of the synod with
the Pietism of the culture, so their members hear little of Gods Law and even
less of the Gospel.
J-914
"A penitent heart is a rare thing and a great grace; one cannot produce it by
thinking about sin and hell. Only the Holy Spirit can impart it."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1212.
J-915
"Now God drives us to this by holding the law before us, in order that through
the law we may come to a knowledge of ourselves. For where there is not this
knowledge, one can never be saved. He that is well needs no physician; but if a
man is sick and desires to become well, he must know that he is weak and sick,
otherwise he cannot be helped."
590

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 370. Second Sunday after Easter,
Second Sermon John 20:19-31.
J-916
"For the heart is ever hostile to the law and resists it with inward disobedience."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 140. Fourth Sunday after Easter, Third
Sermon John 16:5-15.
J-917
"Therefore the Holy Spirit rightly and justly convicts, as sinful and condemned,
all who have not faith in Christ. For where this is wanting, other sins in
abundance must follow: God is despised and hated, and the entire first table is
treated with disobedience."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 141. Fourth Sunday after Easter, Third
Sermon John 16:5-15.
J-918
"It breaks in not piecemeal on certain works and actions, but reduces to nothing
and condemns everything that reason and worldly wisdom propose. In short,
He convicts and censures them in and for the very things they do not wish to be
convicted in, but rather praised and lauded, as teaching and doing well and
right."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 138. Fourth Sunday after Easter, Third
Sermon. John 16:5-15.
The Law Always Condemns
J-919
"I have often told you, dearly beloved, that the entire Scriptures consist of two
parts, of the law and the Gospel. It is the law that teaches us what we are
required to do; the Gospel teaches where we shall receive what the law
demands. For it is quite a different thing to know what we should have, and to
know where to get it. Just as when I am given into the hands of the physicians,
where it is quite a different art to tell what my disease is than to tell what
medicine I must take so as to recover. Thus it is likewise here. The law
discovers the disease, the Gospel ministers the medicine."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 31. Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity,
Luke 10:23-37.
591

J-920
"This is the situation with him: the greater his external restraint from evil, the
greater his inward hatred of him who restrains. His character is in the scales;
when one side goes up, the other goes down. While outward sin decreases,
inward sin increases. We know from experience that those youths most strictly
reared are, when given liberty, more wicked than young men less rigidly brought
up. So impossible it is to improve human nature with commandments and
punishments; something else is necessary."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 268. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:2329.
The Law is the work of the Holy Spirit, but it is limited to
condemnation and threats. For that reason, the Law can never provide the
perfection it demands. Lutherans should be especially aware of this limitation,
because the Reformed solutions provided by mission boards, evangelism
experts, and synodical officials are all Law, but man-made law at best. Luthers
analogy, comparing Law and Gospel to diagnosis and treatment, is still good to
use today. I was waiting with a family while the head of the household was in
surgery. A former Roman Catholic began talking about her change from the
Church of Rome to Pentecostalism. She was much happier as a Pentecostal. I
knew that my chance to say something was quite limited, so I pointed out that
the Law was the same as getting an x-ray, but all the x-rays in the world would
not cure an ailment. Only the Gospel of forgiveness could provide healing. She
brightened up when she heard this and I hope paid more attention to the
Gospel in the future. Many people I know would have said, You have to quit
the Pentecostals and join my synod. That would be a Law solution and the
wrong one, as far as the immediate problem was concerned.
Because the Law always condemns, it can bear no fruit. The Law can
be enforced on anyone and often produces comical results. For instance,
mission boards love mission reports but seldom read them. Two pastors tested
this principle by sending in phony, inflated, and hilarious reports for months.
They had the audacity to tell the mission executive that they would not send any
more reports because he did not read them. Of course I have! They taunted
him into opening the file and reading them, provoking an angry response
unbecoming to a minister of the Gospel. The Law by itself produces guilt and
moves people to obey, but they cannot love Gods Law through hearing the
Law alone. Consequently, correct Lutheran teaching includes both Law and
Gospel, with the Gospel predominating.
J-921
Luther: "The lawmonger compels by threats and punishments; the preacher of
grace persuades and incites men by setting forth the goodness and mercy of
God."
592

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, I, p. 79.
J-922
"What is said there concerning the servant is true here concerning the pupil.
Paul employs the two figures to teach us the office of the Law and what it
profits. We must, therefore, again refer to the Law and its works, to the fact that
works are of twofold origin. Some are extorted by fear of punishment or
prompted by expectation of pleasure and gain; others are spontaneous, cheerful
and gratuitous, not performed to escape punishment nor to gain reward, but
inspired by pure kindness and a desire for what is good. The first class are the
works of servants and pupils; the second class, of children and free heirs."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 267. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:2329.
J-923
"As for example when we feel in our conscience that God rebukes us as sinners
and judges us unworthy of the kingdom of heaven, then we experience hell, and
we think we are lost forever. Now whoever understands here the actions of this
poor woman and catches God in His own judgment, and says, Lord, it is true, I
am a sinner and not worthy of Thy grace; but still Thou hast promised sinners
forgiveness, and Thou art come not to call the righteous, but, as St. Paul says in
1 Timothy 1:15, 'to save sinners.' Behold, then must God according to His own
judgment have mercy upon us."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 153. Matthew 15:21-28.
The Law Produces Contrition
J-924
"The Law, in condemning sins and setting forth the gravest threats of God, is
that hammer (Jeremiah 23:29) through which God breaks rocks, that is, crushes
the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humbles it, so that truly and earnestly
acknowledging the multitude and magnitude of sins and of the wrath of God
over sin, the mind begins to hate and detest sin, to fear the wrath and judgment
of God so that it is unwilling to perish eternally under them but sighs and
struggles with groaning that it may be freed from them."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 556.
J-925

593

"The Holy Spirit thus uses the Law to bring us to despair; it is a despair of
ourselves and our own righteousness before God; and then through the Gospel
He shows us Christ."
George Tiefel, Jr., "God the Holy Spirit Acts in Both Law and Gospel,"
God The Holy Spirit Acts, ed., Eugene P. Kaulfield, Milwaukee: Northwestern
Publishing House, 1972, p. 50.
J-926
"The Word of the Law (nomos pneumatikos), as it is revealed in Holy Scripture,
has the inherent power to work such a knowledge of sin that man realizes his
eternal damnation and despairs of all self-help (contritio, terrores conscientiae).
Romans 3:20: 'By the Law is the knowledge of sin.' True, man may arrive at a
partial knowledge of his sinfulness by virtue of the divine Law as it is written in
the heart of natural man also after the Fall. But while this knowledge suffices to
give man an evil conscience, it is not sufficient to effect a complete collapse of
man before God and to cause him to despair of all self-help. Natural man rather
turns from one form of self-help to another, even to suicide."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans. Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, I, p. 315f.
No one has ever enjoyed hearing the Law, but we need the Law to
crush our pride and realize our need for a Savior. Without the Law of God, the
unconverted go on their way and think something is vaguely wrong, but they
have no hunger for the righteousness of God. Each person thinks of himself as
especially good, better than most, a fact attested to by the speeches of various
incorrigibles in society. A drug dealer will say, I never sold to children. A man
will steal millions and find a good reason for his actions. A synodical leader will
destroy lives for the good of the synod. Every believer is tempted to think along
the same lines. If we hear the Gospel without the Law, we take everything for
granted, condemn others, and soon refuse to hear the Gospel or the Law.
Our society has substituted many different man-made Law programs to
replace Gods Law, flattery by imitation. No self-improvement program has any
Gospel in it. The latest substitute is an urgent appeal for people to love
themselves. I can take a course on self-esteem for credit at Glendale College,
because self-esteem is now the cure for everything. When my wife Chris lost
weight through considerable self-discipline, a nurse nodded approvingly and
smiled, You must have been working on your self-esteem. Both of us
grimaced.
J-927
"Unless the rocky subsoil in their hearts has been pulverized by the Law, the
sweet Gospel is of no benefit to them."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 119.
594

Because pastors are taught not to trust in the Law to produce contrition
for sins, they flail about and try almost everything else. One experience had a
profound effect on me. I was talked into visiting a group of men in a county jail
in Ohio. One of my members worked at the jail and knew the men. I was very
reluctant because I did not know what to say. I was used to criminals who never
get caught, not men who spend their lives locked up for a series of relatively
minor crimes. I decided to have a Bible study where we would talk about Law
and Gospel. Many other ministers had visited the same men. Several had a
Christian background. One was a Lutheran. One day I was quietly talking about
how the Word shows us we are sinners. I did not shout at them or tell them to
yield their lives to Jesus. I put the whole group of us on the same plane and
talked about how we all needed the Gospel because of our sinful nature. One
man started crying, followed by the rest. I had never seen such a reaction. I
knew it had nothing to do with the presentation. When they were
acknowledging their sinfulness in a group confession, I drew upon Walthers
Law and Gospel. I did not want them to think in terms of sorrow for sin alone.
Contrition is not the cure. The Gospel is the medicine we all need. So I
emphasized the wiping out of their sin through the atoning death of Christ.
The Lutheran prisoner straightened out and finally stopped taking drugs that
were being smuggled into jail. After he got out of jail, he went to his former
addict friends and shared the Gospel. Later he went to live with an uncle and
sent me a thank-you card. It is difficult to know what happened to the others.
The advantage they enjoyed over most people is that they knew they were
sinners. Being locked up is a genuine and visible reminder of ones
shortcomings. The problem today is whether a man who knows his sinfulness
will also hear the genuine Gospel. No one appreciates the forgiveness of God
more than a man who faces the consequences of his actions.
J-928
"Therefore, I hold that the German proverb is true, that more souls go to
heaven from the gallows than from the cemetery; for criminals have not so
greatly practiced lack of confidence in the goodness of Christ."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1275. Isaiah 28:19.
J-929
"But now, if we are to know Christ as our helper and Savior, then we must first
know, out of what He can help us, not out of fire or water, or other bodily need
and danger, but out of sin and the hatred of God. But whence do I know that I
lie drowned in misery? From no other source than from the Law, that must
show me what my loss and disease are, or I will never inquire for the Physician
and His help."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 192. Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity,
Matthew 22:34-46.
595

The Law is Good, Holy, Just, Useful

KJV Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy, and just, and good.
When the limitations of the Law of God are discussed, some fall into
the delusion that the Law is entirely bad, that they must escape and repudiate
the Law. Lutherans believe in natural law, that God commands what is good for
us. The negative aspects of the Law involve our sinful reaction to the perfect
will of God, on one hand, and to the more glorious ministry of the Gospel, on
the other hand. Nevertheless, the Law of God is holy, just, and useful. The
Greek New Testament has two words for good. One is used for the Good
Shepherd and is often translated as noble or beautiful. The other word for good
can be translated as useful.
The Law is holy because it comes from God. Therefore, woe to the
minister who cannot say, Thus saith the Lord. A faithful pastor is fully aware
of all his failings as a sinful person, but he does not teach the Law of God as his
personal opinion but as the very Word of God. The congregation should not
say, Who are you to tell me this? but Who are we to question and debate the
Scriptures?
The Me Generation has been loquacious in talking about fairness. The
Law of God is always just, never favoring the rich over the poor, the powerful
over the weak. It is easy for a congregation to have one set of rules for the
influential and another set for the ordinary members. One Christian school had
a written policy in its constitution. Drug use by a student meant expulsion. The
student in question was not just using drugs but was caught selling illegal drugs.
However, he was a star basketball player and the son of a board member. The
board discussed how soon the boy could return to school and start playing
again, ignoring comments about the expulsion (not suspension) written in the
constitution. Although this boy never made it into professional basketball, even
at the college level, he is an example of why so many professional players are
immature and constantly in trouble with the justice system. The Law of God is
just and will be executed in time, in spite of the failings of man.486
Although the Law is limited, it is still useful in accomplishing Gods
will. The Law has three uses:
1. The universal use of the Law is described succinctly as a curb. All
nations recognize a system of right and wrong, even if their system is
bad and corrupt. Even atheists are appalled by marital infidelity.
Why? It is a testimony to their inner sense of right and wrong, even if
their lips deny the Creator.
2. The work of the Law in producing contrition, or godly sorrow for
sin, is compared to a mirror. The Law reveals our sinfulness the way
596

a mirror reflects our true image. When we see ourselves from the
perspective of Gods holy Law, we long for forgiveness, comfort,
healing, and love from our gracious Savior.
3. The Law continues to be useful in the life of the believer as a guide.
The explanation of the Ten Commandments in the Small Catechism
is the best example. Luther clearly teaches us how we should obey
each commandment through fear of God (the Law) and love of God
(the Gospel). It is not enough to refrain from murder. We must also
help the bodily needs of our neighbor.
Matthias Loy, the highly respected Lutheran leader and author, also
wrote a fine hymn to help teach the proper distinction between Law and
Gospel.
J-930
"The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.
Its light of holiness imparts
The knowledge of our sinful hearts
That we may see our lost estate
And seek deliverance ere too late."
Matthias Loy, 1863, "The Law of God Is Good and Wise," The Lutheran
Hymnal, #295, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Psalm 19:8.487
The Isaac Watts hymn is also an excellent presentation about the
difference between Law and Gospel. I wonder if anyone on an evangelism
commission has sung it.
J-931
"The Law commands and makes us know
What duties to our God we owe;
But 'tis the Gospel must reveal
Where lies our strength to do His will.
My soul, no more attempt to draw
Thy life and comfort from the Law.
Fly to the hope the Gospel gives;
The man that trusts the promise lives."
Isaac Watts, 1709, "The Law Commands and Makes Us Know," The
Lutheran Hymnal, #289, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Psalm
19:9.488
597

The Law Works Wrath

KJV Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is,
there is no transgression.
J-932
"But the chief office or force of the Law is that it reveal original sin with all its
fruits, and show man how very low his nature has fallen, and has become
[fundamentally and] utterly corrupted; as the Law must tell man that he has no
God nor regards [cares for] God, and worships other gods, a matter which
before and without the Law he would not have believed. In this way he
becomes terrified, is humbled, desponds, despairs, and anxiously desires aid, but
sees no escape; he begins to be an enemy of [enraged at] God, and to murmur,
etc. This is what Paul says, Romans 4:15: 'The Law worketh wrath.' And
Romans 5:20: Sin is increased by the Law. [The Law entered that the offense
might abound.']
Smalcald Articles, Third Part, II. #3. The Law. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 479. Tappert, p. 303. Heiser, p.
142.
J-933
"Chastize them when they deserve it, but accompany the correction with
affectionate words so that they do not become disheartened and expect nothing
good from you. It is very bad if a son loves someone else more than his father.
The father should give some sort of proof that there is no intention entirely to
crush the child. The Law alone serves no good purpose; in fact, it is
intolerable."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 142. V. Dietrich, 1533 Ephesians 6:4.
The Law by itself bears no fruit. How little do Lutheran leaders
understand this teaching in their important roles! They should use the Law in
defeating false doctrine and running scoundrels out of the ministry. Gospel
admonitions would go far in supporting the essential work of the Means of
Grace through faithful pastoral work. Instead, pastors find themselves caught
between members ungrateful for the Gospel and synodical leaders intent on
raising cash and lowering standards. Caught by man-made law on both sides,
ministers have decided to leave the calling for which they took years to prepare.
Children of church workers are no longer following their parents. The Lutheran
Church will soon reach the point achieved by the Church of Rome years ago,
when someone who wanted to be a priest got this reply, Why? Priestly
candidates fell under great suspicion just because no one in his right mind
would want to serve as one.
598

When pastors grasp how little the Law alone can accomplish, they are
less inclined to think their task is to glorify man in budgets, asphalt parking lots,
and larger buildings. Some of us grew up in the 1950s, when numerical growth
of congregations was taken for granted through the blessings of the Baby
Boomers. Little attention was paid to doctrinal soundness or the spiritual needs
of the congregation. Few said, We teach the pure Word of God. Most said,
We just built a new addition to accommodate our growth. Those same
buildings are hollow shells today, not only from lack of attendance by the
members themselves but also (in a spiritual sense) from abandoning the Word
in favor of fads.
J-934
"Work-righteous people have not this glory, for they have not the Word; but as
the work is, so is the praise, they urge and compel us to depart from the Word
to human work. But the Holy Spirit urges us from our works to the Word. The
former boast of their works, the latter, where the Holy Spirit is, rejoice internally
in the heart with God, that He has done this work, and they remain clinging to
grace, and attribute nothing at all to their works."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 203. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity,
Matthew 9:1-8.
Pastors and members torture one another today by declaring what the
other party should be doing. This attitude is a perfect example of the law
working wrath. Gospel fruits only come through the promises of God, not
through the Law. Nothing is more anti-Lutheran than a minister telling the
congregation they should be friendlier so that people will want to join. He is
asking people to pick apples where there are no trees. Gospel preaching
produces Gospel fruits. A congregation thankful for the forgiveness of sins will
be gracious to one another and to strangers. Programs of friendliness are as easy
to spot as policemen on a stakeout.489 How many congregations have put
together a squad of greeters who shake hands and say hello with the same
robotic friendliness of airline stewardesses?
I once tried a phone calling campaign. The congregation received a
grant and phoned thousands of people. We obtained a large mailing list of
seemingly interested people and sent them many letters, including one in the
form of a card. When the big day arrived, one family came. They knew about us
from Christian News and wanted to add to our attendance that day. Not a single
new family arrived from the phone blitz. Pastor Roger Zehms, who was taking
credit for the phone effort at first, said ominously, The card was not large
enough. Thats where it went wrong. It had to be a large card.
The Law Only for the Unrepentant
599

J-935
"Observe, God and men proceed in contrary ways. Men set on first that which
is best, afterward that which is worse. God first gives the cross and affliction,
then honor and blessedness. This is because men seek to preserve the old man;
on which account they instruct us to keep the Law by works, and offer
promises great and sweet... But God first of all terrifies the conscience, sets on
miserable wine, in fact nothing but water; then, however, He consoles us with
the promises of the Gospel which endure forever."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 69.
J-936
"Contrition is altogether necessary in those who truly and earnestly repent. For
there can be no true repentance in those who, persuaded of their own holiness,
dream that they are without sin, or who disregard, minimize, excuse, cloak, and
defend their sins, despise or ridicule the divine threats, do not care about the
wrath of God, are not moved by His judgment and displeasure, and therefore
persevere and continue in sins against their conscience, delight in sins, and seek
and seize occasions for sinning and for whatever they intentionally heap up
without the fear of Godin them, I say, there can be no true repentance..."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 581.
J-937
"In like manner Moses must precede and teach people to feel their sins in order
that grace may be sweet and welcome to them. Therefore all is in vain, however
friendly and lovely Christ may be pictured, if man is not first humbled by a
knowledge of himself and he possesses no longing for Christ, as Mary's Song
says, 'The hungry he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away,' Luke 1:53."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 149.
Law/Gospel confusion proliferates in the hands of false teachers. One
error is to preach the Gospel first and then the Law. According to one of my
sources, some Wisconsin Synod pastors are writing their own catechisms (!) and
putting the Ten Commandments at the end. Although WELS pastors are prone
to give tongue-lashings to people without provocation, they imagine that one
can teach Kokomo justification and broaden the Kingdom of God by telling
people their sins are already forgiven, before and without repentance, before
and without faith. The person who does not understand the Law of God is also
in the dark about the Gospel of forgiveness. Such Law/Gospel confusion will
produce the worst kind of character, a Pharisee one moment, saved by works, a
lawless hedonist the next, rejoicing in a libertine Gospel.
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The Gospel Only for the Contrite

J-938
"The Holy Spirit is given to none except to those who are in sorrow and fear; in
them it produces good fruit. This gift is so precious and worthy that God does
not cast it before dogs. Though the unrepentant discover it themselves, hearing
it preached, they devour it and know not what they devour."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 281f. Pentecost Sunday, John 14:23-31.
The Reformed and their Pentecostal allies sin terribly in withholding
the promise of forgiveness from those who are sincerely sorry for their sins.
Instead they teach that people must struggle, wrestle, and agonize until they feel
a breakthrough of Gods grace. In effect, they teach people to earn Gods
forgiveness by sweating for it. Pentecostal testimony on TV often revolves
around how much someone moaned, cursed, cried, and thrashed about until he
suddenly felt forgiven. Similarly, in a film about Roman Catholic missions, a
murderer carried a large weight up a mountain until he felt he had suffered
enough and was forgiven. Then he wept with joy as he let the heavy pile of
metal fall down the mountain.
Those ministers who enjoy a feeling of power must relish the suffering
of people who long for forgiveness but only receive additional requirements to
fulfill, demands to earn with pain what Christ offers freely through His cross.
Therefore, the minister assures those who are sincerely sorry for their sins that
Christ has died for their sins, that all sins are forgiven except for rejection of the
Gospel.490
However, if the minister sees a lack of contrition in an individual, it is
wrong for him to say that his sins are still forgiven. Such assurances harden the
heart of the sinner. One district president found out his district vice president
was committing adultery. The district president assured him of forgiveness and
also agreed to keep the sin a secret from the congregation, the mans wife, and
the district. The adulterer was given an administrative position and a public
excusehe was leaving the ministry because of depression. Obviously the
adulterer was not contrite, because he wanted everyone deceived. The district
president sinned in covering up for his friend and in rewarding adultery with a
church related job. Later, the district president was forced to admit to everyone
that he had lied to them. Still later, district pastors denied that this had ever
happened at all, even though every single pastor heard the district president
admit the deed. In addition, the parish pastor who found out about the adultery
was punished severely by the district presidents hatchet man. The pastor told
me, Im glad my dad is dead, so he doesnt know what has become of his old
synod.

601

The Gospel Must Predominate

J-939
"I would much rather have people say that I preach too sweetly and that it
hinders people from doing good works (even though my preaching does not do
that), than that I failed to preach faith in Christ, and there was no help or
consolation for timid, fearful consciences."
Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, 3 vols., ed. Eugene F. A. Klug,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, II, p. 115.
J-940
"To turn water into wine is to render the interpretation of the Law delightful.
This is done as follows: Before the Gospel arrives everyone understands the
Law as demanding our works, that we must fulfill it with works of our own.
This interpretation begets either hardened, presumptuous dissemblers, and
hypocrites, harder than any pot of stone, or timid, restless consciences. There
remains nothing but water in the port, fear and dread of God's judgment. This
is the water-interpretation, not intended for drinking, neither filling any with
delight; on the contrary, there is nothing to it but washing and purification, and
yet no true inner cleansing. But the Gospel explains the Law, showing that it
requires more than we can render, and that it demands a person different from
ourselves to fulfill it; that is, it demands Christ and brings us unto Him, so that
first of all by His grace we are made in true faith.
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 67. Second Sunday after Epiphany.
John 2:1-11.
J-941
"Since we are unable to keep the Law and it is impossible for the natural man to
do so, Christ came and stepped between the Father and us, and prays for us:
Beloved Father, be gracious unto them and forgive them their sins. I will take
upon Me their transgressions and bear them; I love Thee with my whole heart,
and in addition the entire human race, and this I will prove by shedding My
blood for mankind. Moreover, I have fulfilled the Law and I did it for their
welfare in order that they may partake of my fulfilling the Law and thereby
come to grace."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 188. Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity,
Matthew 22:34-46.

Part Two: Lawless Legalists

An academic treatise would have one section about antinomianism and
another about legalism. In the Lutheran Church the two are found together,
602

mutual fellow travelers, each one following the other. Legalism is simply manmade law turned into a system of salvation.491 For instance, when the false
teachers bewitched the Galatians, they forced Jewish ritual law upon the
Christians, using the excuse that Jesus and His disciples were observant Jews.
This excuse made a certain amount of sense, and the issue troubled the early
Christian church. The two greatest issues in the apostolic age were circumcision
and food offered to idols. Legalism forces an activity not required by the
Scriptures, such as circumcision, or forbids something not prohibited by the
Word of God, such as eating food offered to idols.
Antinomianism (nomos means law in Greek) is the delusion that the
Law of God is obsolete and no longer applies to Christians, who simply live
under the Gospel. Once again, there are phrases in the Scriptures to prop up
this concept, but only if they are twisted around to suit the needs of the
antinomians. Agricola was a brilliant theologian during the Reformation, but he
fell into antinomianism time after time. He also set a record for deceitfulness
and treachery. The classic antinomian text is found in Galatians.
KJV Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The antinomians say, Aha! We no longer need the Law as our
schoolmaster! We live under the Gospel! Nevertheless, the antinomians lay
down the law on everyone else and cry out in rage when someone violates this
law, which conveniently does not apply to them. Dealing with the so-called
conservative Lutherans has led me to the conclusion that the legalists are
antinomians and that the antinomians are legalists.
J-942
"The Law continually chastises us as sinners and transgressors, and threatens us
with death and hell, until Christ comes and bestows His Spirit and His love,
through the faith preached in the Gospel. Then we are freed from the Law. No
longer it demands, no longer chastises, but lets the conscience rest. No more it
terrifies with death and hell. It has become our kind friend and companion."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 281. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:2329.
J-943
"Thus, mark you, has Christ given us spiritual freedom from the Law. He did
not abrogate, did not destroy, the Law. But he changed the heart which before
was unwillingly under the Law. He so benefited it and made the Law so
desirable that the heart has no greater delight and joy than in the Law."
603

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 275. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:2329.
J-944
"All preaching of sin and God's wrath is a preaching of the Law, no matter how
or when it may be done. On the other hand, the Gospel is such preaching as
sets forth and bestows nothing but grace and forgiveness in Christ. And yet it is
true that the Apostles and preachers of the Gospel sanctioned the preaching of
the Law, as Christ Himself did, and began with this in the case of those who
had not yet acknowledged their sins and had felt no fear of God's anger."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 158. Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Luke
5:1-11.
In the Missouri Synod, the Seminex crisis was a perfect example of
legalism and antinomianism. John Tietjen was shoe-horned into his position as
president of Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis by the convenient
resignation of Fibby, Al Fuerbringer, son of the conservative Ludwig
Fuerbringer. This early resignation allowed Tietjen to take his position without
the normal supervision of the synodical structure, a likely obstacle for the
ecumenical liberal. When Jack Preus was elected president of the synod,
replacing the liberal Harms, the doctrinal differences between the synod and
Tietjens Union Seminary West began to emerge. The Tietjen faculty members,
with certain exceptions, saw themselves as teaching the Gospel alone, free of
the hidebound restrictions of Missouris orthodox past. However, they also lied
about their doctrine. The liberals kept insisting that nothing had changed when
the evidence pointed to just the opposite. This deceit encouraged the growth
and popularity of Lutheran News/Christian News by Pastor Herman Otten. When
people wanted to leak information about the seminary, they sent it to Christian
News. Proof of the liberalism of the faculty came from photocopies of their
theological articles. The liberals cried foul. It was not fair to print their words!
Some warned in a sinister way about the copyright laws.492
I do not want to paint the Missouri conservatives as sinless angels. I
recall hearing an audio tape from the late Robert Preus who admitted that his
side did not always conduct themselves honorably. The crisis erupted when I
was still in the LCA and heard only the liberal side of the debate. The Tietjen
camp never considered themselves wrong in any way whatsoever. They were
noble, pure martyrs of the highest order. The grandson of Missouris last great
president told me that he gave a sermon in which he called Jack Preus an
unprincipled blah-blah-blah. The Seminex cult accused Preus of dishonesty, but
they set up a foundation to support their future work (F.L.U.T.E.) while still at
the seminary. They accused the conservatives of cowardice, but they marched
out of the school in exile, stopped at the nearby park, and came back to live and
eat on the campus. Some exile!493
604

The liberal camp filled the air with the gross injustice of their plight.
Jack Preus and his evil partner Herman Otten had forced Missouri into the past,
stealing the synod from them and interrupting their plans for a Lutheran union
with the ALC and LCA. Oh darkest woe. When I met one of the first Seminex
martyrs, a man who was fired from his call in Black Jack, Missouri for being a
member of the ELIM group, he told me about how the exiles took as many
books from the Concordia Seminary Library as they could. I had asked him
about an account in the Cleveland Lutheran Messenger. Is it true that the Seminex
group emptied the library of its books and kept them? He said, They were
ours to begin with. In other words, the Seminex boosters could go into exile
on TV, come back for lunch, steal the library books to establish their own new
seminary, and then plead that they were innocent victims. Antinomians do not
need to obey the Ten Commandments, but they insist that their opponents
obey all of their laws. The faculty refused to work at Concordia, but they
received their salaries for months and lived in school housing while crying and
blubbering in public about how badly they were treated. The faculty and
students were not expelled. They all left and came back on strike in solidarity
with Tietjen, who alone was suspended.
Legalism
J-945
"It is now plain to whom Paul addresses the words of this versethe workrighteous, who would become godly through the Law and its work, who
consider the first office of the Law sufficiently effective to make them
righteous. This doctrine gives rise to a class who might be styled 'Absalomites.'
For as Absalom remained hanging by his head, in an oak tree, suspended
between heaven and earth (2 Samuel 18:9), so this class hang between heaven
and earth. Shut up by the Law, they do not touch the earth; they are restrained
from the things their evil nature ardently desires. On the other hand, since the
Law, powerless to improve their nature, only irritates and provokes it, making
them enemies to the Law, they are not godly and so do not reach heaven."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 277. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:2329; 2 Samuel 18:9.
The liberals can be extremely legalistic, especially since they love the
trappings of power in the Church of Rome, which also suffers from TLC:
triumphalism, legalism, and clericalism, as they used to say at Notre Dame.
However, no one does legalism better than the remnant groups who see
themselves as a boil on the backside of the next larger synod. Legalists do not
see any need to obey the laws they apply to others. They live on such a spiritual
plane that the Ten Commandments are void. They cry out Eighth
Commandment! and Matthew 18! while violating both, because thats the
605

way we are, as Paul Kuske liked to say with a smug smile. Consider some
examples.
1. The Barry/McCain administration of the LCMS has made a lot of noise
against the disgraceful capitulation of ELCA to the Church of Rome.
They claim this development is a terrible wrong, but they continue to
work with ELCA in every possible way. ELCA should not engage in
unionism with Rome, but the Missouri Synod can engage in unionism
with ELCA.
2. The Wisconsin Synod has made a fetish of fellowship principles, not in
observing them, but in talking about them. One would never guess from
their constant carping about the Missouri Synod that WELS has been
working with the LCMS and ELCA the whole time. When this unionism
is pointed out, they fly into a rage.494
3. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod pastors constantly moan about the
Wisconsin Synod. Jay Webber, the ELS Ukraine seminary rector wrote,
I often call them our Weaker Evangelical Lutheran Siblings.
Nevertheless, the ELS never objects to the Reformed doctrine openly
promoted by WELS.
4. The Church of the Lutheran Confession has given itself a reputation for
opposition to fraternal insurance. Pastors and members who joined the
CLC thought they had to give up their AAL policies, even if they were
uninsurable. When Internet surfing became popular, people soon learned
from the AAL site that most CLC congregations had AAL branches,
including the parish of Dan Fleischer, the president of the tiny synod,
and the parish of Paul Tiefel, Junior, the mother church of the CLC in
Eau Claire. The parish of Elton Hallauer, a vice-president of the synod,
showed up as a participant in branch activities. The same CLC men who
condemned everyone for participation in AAL suddenly began excusing
AAL in their own synod. One person said, It will take 400 years before
we are all out of AAL. Oddly, the AAL site suddenly showed no CLC
congregations belonging to branches, leaving us to wonder if a
revolution of conscience caused everyone to quit at once.
Lawlessness
Most people do not realize this, but their synods are above the law.
Synod presidents are hippies with short hair. They rage against all the slights
against their organizations, but they do not hesitate to use any tactic against
members of their own synods. I gathered some legal information from the
Minnesota court system to show to a corporate lawyer. Most of the cases dealt
with the Missouri Synod in Minnesota, where clergy had been deposed in
violation of the synod constitution and the most obvious examples of basic
606

contract law. The Missouri Synod pleaded that the courts cannot say anything
about their conduct because it is a violation of church/state separation. I asked
the lawyer how corporations deal with such cases. He said, This never happens
in business. If a business operated the way the Missouri Synod does, no one
would work for them and they would close. That may be an indication why the
LCMS will have a 77% vacancy in their pulpits in only a few years.
Likewise, the Church of the Lutheran Confession said they do not have
a divine call or a contract with pastors, even though the call letter is a written
contract making certain promises in return for specified services. The CLC says
they hire and fire at will, the way a family hires a man to mow the lawn or fix
the toilet, with no long-term obligations.
When the synods have to face the consequences of their lawlessness in
the legal system, they cry out in horror, You cannot take us to court. That is a
violation of 1 Corinthians 6.495 They could easily sit down with the plaintiff
and settle, but instead they run to the legal system and say they are above the
law, use their lawyers to run up the legal costs of their victims, and rage to their
members that the Word of God is being violated, while suing the pants off of
anyone who gets in their way. The Missouri Synod used a spurious lawsuit to
drain Christian News of all its funds, but the same administration that uses Pastor
Herman Otten to placate the conservatives refused to offer any information to
help Ottens position. The lawsuit collapsed when the litigant got into trouble
himself and suddenly left his position at Concordia Lutheran Seminary. He
generated a huge legal bill for Christian News even though the lawsuit went
nowhere.
When Ralph Bohlmann removed Dr. Robert Preus from his position as
president of Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Preus was forced to use the legal
system to protect his call. The antinomian legalists called down thunderbolts on
this horrible violation of Scripture and the Missouri Synod way of life. But wait.
C. F. W. Walther took a minister to court for slander.
J-946
"Walther himself initiated a lawsuit in the state of Indiana against a fellow
Lutheran of the Ohio Synod who had been guilty of slandering him. Through
his lawyer he even sought monetary damages from the man guilty of slander,
although stating that any damages awarded would not be used for his personal
benefit. Walther dropped his lawsuit only when the two individuals primarily
responsible for slandering him had retracted their slander and apologized in
writing, submitting their apologies for publication in 'Der Lutheraner.' (Der
Lutheraner, July, 1884, p. 109)
Daniel Preus, "Christians, Lawsuits and 1 Corinthians 6," Affirm, June,
1991, p. 5-6. Reprinted in Christian News.496
I was at the public meeting where Pastor Rolf Preus asked the new
synod president, Al Barry, to apologize to his father for the wrongs done by the
synod. Barry refused, even though he became synodical president largely
607

because of the reaction against Bohlmanns tactics. Bohlmann drove Preus out
and Barry locked the door. Do the LCMS, WELS, ELS, and CLC leaders ever
imagine that their jealousy, spite, envy, and peevishness have driven their synods
into the ground? No doubt the very large clan of Robert Preus opponents will
read this and begin confessing his sins, post-mortem. It is wonderful they know
the Law, but do they apply it to themselves and their political allies? I have
criminal records in my files that tell me how selective the conservative
Lutherans have been in applying the Law.
Several things protect clergy thugs. One is that additional exposure will
only hurt their families and their victims, so one is not inclined to add to the
harm done. Secondly, the greater the scandal, the greater the desire for synod
officials to hush it up at once. Third, the cover up often removes as much
evidence as possible, so people are reluctant to speak about something when
actual evidence is lacking. Fourth, the person caught in scandal and preserved
by his clergy connections will be as loyal as a puppy, since his livelihood could
be taken away in a moment. Mutual blackmail preserves outward peace. One
pastor told his child going to a prep school, Dont let the dean give you a hard
time. If he does, I have five different things against him.

608

Appendix: The More Glorious

Ministry of the Gospel
J-947
"Concerning the article on the justification of the poor sinner in God's sight, we
believe, teach, and confess on the basis of Gods Word and the position of our
Christian Augsburg Confession that the poor, sinful person is justified in God's
sightthat is, he is pronounced free and absolved of his sins and receives
forgiveness for themonly through faith, because of the innocent, complete,
and unique obedience and the bitter sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus
Christ, not because of the indwelling, essential righteousness of God or because
of his own good works, which either precede or result from faith. We reject all
doctrines contrary to this belief and confession."
Jacob Andreae, Confession and Brief Explanation of Certain Disputed Articles,
cited in Robert Kolb, Andreae and the Formula of Concord, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1977, p. 58.
J-948
"It is the Word of God, that still remits and retains, that binds and looses. The
pastor can only declare that Word, but the Word itself does effectually work
forgiveness to him that rightly receives it. Not only can the minister carry this
Word of God, this key of the kingdom, this power of God unto salvation, and
apply it, but any disciple of Christ can do so."
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 126f.
J-949
"The whole Gospel is nothing but a proclamation of the forgiveness of sins, or
a publication of the same Word to all men on earth, which God Himself
confirms in heaven."
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 127.
J-950
"Every time a believer in Christ sits down beside a troubled and penitent one,
and speaks to such an one Christ's precious promises and assurances of
forgiveness, he carries out the Lutheran or scriptural idea of absolution."
G. H. Gerberding, The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church,
Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1887, p. 127.
J-951
609

"Observe, Christ is not put into your hand, not given you in a coffer, not placed
in your bosom nor in your mouth. He is presented to you through the Word,
the Gospel; He is held up before your heart, through the ears He is offered to
you, as the Being who gave Himself for youfor your unrighteousness and
impurity. Only with your heart can you receive Him. And your heart receives
when it responds to your opened mind, saying, 'Yes, I believe.' Thus through
the medium of the Gospel Christ penetrates your heart by way of your hearing,
and dwells there by your faith. Then are you pure and righteous; not by your
own efforts, but in consequence of the Guest received into your heart through
faith. How rich and precious these blessings!"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 135. Christmas Eve, Titus 2:11-15.
J-952
"God, too, shows Himself to us through the Gospel as wholly lovable and kind,
receiving all, rejecting none, ignoring our shortcomings and repelling no soul by
severity. The Gospel proclaims naught but grace, whereby God sustains us and
through which He kindly leads us, regardless of our worthiness. This is the day
of grace. All men may confidently draw near to the throne of his mercy, as it is
written in Hebrews 4:16."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 143f. Early Christmas Morning Titus
3:4-8; Hebreews 4:16.
J-953
"Dear friends, you know that the Gospel is nothing else than a sermon about
one person who is called Christ."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 328. Twenty-fourth Sunday after
Trinity, Matthew 9:18-26.
J-954
"To this end Christ is presented to us as an inexhaustible fountain, Who at all
times overflows with pure goodness and grace. And for such goodness and
kindness He accepts nothing, except that the good people, who acknowledge
such kindness and grace, thank Him for it, praise and love Him, although others
despise Him for it."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 329. Twenty-fourth Sunday after
Trinity, Matthew 9:18-26.
J-955
"Recognizing the weak and wounded condition of the offender, Christ's
doctrine comes in a friendly way, teaching the real truth about human laws
that of Christian liberty. It is patient, bearing with him who does not
610

immediately abandon his erroneous ways, and giving him time to learn to
forsake them. It allows him to do the best he can, according to what he has
been used to, until he is made whole and clearly perceives the truth."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 33. Second Sunday in Advent Romans
15:4-13.
J-956
"Therefore, whoever would have a joyful conscience that does not fear sin,
death, hell, nor the wrath of God, dare not reject this Mediator, Christ. For He
is the fountain that overflows with grace, that gives temporal and eternal life."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 331. Twenty-fourth Sunday after
Trinity, Matthew 9:18-26.
J-957
"If sin terrifies my conscience and preachers of the law come and want to help
me with their works, they will accomplish nothing. Christ alone can help here
and no one else."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 331. Twenty-fourth Sunday after
Trinity, Matthew 9:18-26.
J-958
"Now, the Christian hatred of sin discriminates between the vices and the
individual. It endeavors to exterminate only the former and to preserve the
latter. It does not flee from, evade, reject nor despise anyone: rather it receives
every man, takes a warm interest in him and accords him treatment calculated to
relieve him of his vices. It admonishes, instructs and prays for him. It patiently
bears with him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 35f. Second Sunday in Advent Romans
15:4-13.
J-959
"For the Holy Spirit aids us, fortifying our hope and enabling us not to fear nor
to flee from the disasters of the world; but to stand firm even unto death, and
to overcome all evil; so that evil must flee from us and cease its attacks.
Remember, it is hope in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in human weakness,
that must do all this through the medium of the Gospel."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 63. First Sunday in Advent, Romans
13:11-14.
J-960
611

"This righteousness is offered us by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel and in
the Sacraments, and is applied, appropriated, and received through faith,
whence believers have reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins, the grace of
God, sonship, and heirship of eternal life."
Formula of Concord, SD III. #16. Righteousness of Faith. Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 921. Tappert, p. 541.
Heiser, p. 251.
J-961
"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.
J-962
"We further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of sin,
which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution, moreover,
through all manner of consolatory promises of the entire Gospel. Therefore,
whatever is to be preached, concerning the Sacraments belongs here, and in
short, the whole Gospel and all the offices of Christianity, which also must be
preached and taught without ceasing. For although the grace of God is secured
through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the
Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh
which we bear about with us we are never without sin."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #54. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 417. Heiser, p.
195.
J-963
"Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is offered to the end that we
shall daily obtain there nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and
signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. Thus,
although we have sins, the [grace of the] Holy Ghost does not allow them to
injure us, because we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but
[continuous, uninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us,
and in that we forgive, bear with, and help each other."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #55. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p.
195.
J-964
612

"For now we are only half pure and holy, so that the Holy Ghost has ever
[some reason why] to continue His work in us through the Word, and daily to
dispense forgiveness, until we attain to that life where there will be no more
forgiveness, but only perfectly pure and holy people, full of godliness and
righteousness, removed and free from sin, death, and all evil, in a new,
immortal, and glorified body."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #58. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p.
196.
J-965
"Behold, all this is to be the office and work of the Holy Ghost, that He begin
and daily increase holiness upon earth by means of these two things, the
Christian Church and the forgiveness of sin. But in our dissolution He will
accomplish it altogether in an instant, and will forever preserve us therein by the
last two parts."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #59. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693f. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p.
196.
J-966
"Therefore we believe in Him who through the Word daily brings us into the
fellowship of this Christian Church, and through the same Word and the
forgiveness of sins bestows, increases, and strengthens faith, in order that when
He has accomplished it all, and we abide therein, and die to the world and to all
evil, He may finally make us perfectly and forever holy; which now we expect in
faith through the Word."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #62. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 695. Tappert, p. 419. Heiser, p.
196.
J-967
"Luther says the Gospel is not a law-book, not even a book of instruction, but a
message of joy."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 292.
Right and Wrong
Truth forever on the scaffold,
Wrong forever on the throne.
Standeth God within the shadow,
keeping watch above His own.
James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) The Present Crisis.
613

Notes
474I

endured pastoral counseling classes at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary,

Lutheran Church in America, where adultery was considered a cure for one
womans problems, where the Clinical Pastoral Education director chewed out a
pastor for questioning a four-way marriage, where Lizzie Borden would have
been told, upon confessing the murder of her parents, You were angry with
them, werent you. One visitor to class condemned anyone who owned a color
TV, yet advocated the use of illegal drugs at the same time. Not surprisingly, a
homosexual activist was enrolled at Waterloo Seminary and began his field work
by telling a very traditional older pastor about his progressive sexual views,
leaving the man shaking with rage about the school his congregation had
supported generously and selflessly.
475Usually

reports about the abuse of students are met with this defense: Thats
an exaggeration!

476He

was speaking especially about anyone too interested in a given academic

topic. The class would laugh at anyone who asked too many questions about
one thing. He thought it bred harmony. I thought it bred mediocrity.

477I

visited a WELS convention years later. The first order of business was to
declare that no one could give news to any outlet without clearing the
information with the official committee. I mentioned how controlling this was
to a friend, who said, Thats because of the essay leaked to Christian News years
ago, the one Corky wrote.
478Brenner

is a student at Marquette University, named for the Jesuit missionary.

Marquette boasts about its Jesuit tradition. The board is mostly Jesuit. The
president of the school is a Jesuit. Many faculty members are Jesuits and most
students are Roman Catholics. I wonder what Grandpa Brenner would have
said, to see another John Brenner studying at the feet of Jesuits so he can teach
at Mequon, a school largely built through the efforts of the elder Brenner.

479I

was not concerned about attacks against me, since they roll through WELS
all the time. I do not like WELS cowards going after my family, as they have
many times. This time a WELS student claimed he had been harmed by my son
during NWC initiation. Indeed, my son made him recite the Greek alphabet.
When I asked the accuser how this hurt him emotionally or physically, he
changed his tune.

480ORIGINAL:

Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young, WRITER: D. Sellnow,

DATE: Bonecruncher in 1983. Collected by Pastor Jon Balge. Notice that the
point of the song is to create a sense of fear months before GA begins. What a
wonderful school, to have future pastors sing to younger students that they will

614

be afraid, throwing up, crying, and bruised from their introduction to Wisconsin
Lutheran Seminary. It takes real men to welcome future pastors with threats of
abuse.
481The

email was sent November 4, 1998. Some things were forwarded to me

anonymously, because of fear of retribution.

482A

widow had to take WELS to court for squandering money entrusted to

them. She won $1 million. Paul Kuskes response was that WELS had to be
more careful about the gifts accepted in the future. It was a bad gift?! When an
Episcopalian treasurer used up $2 million in church funds for herself, it was
national news and openly discussed in their denominational paper. KJV Isaiah
10:2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from
the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the
fatherless!

483The

Dutch Reformed minister now teaches at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.

484Crabb

did not invent the phrase spoiling the Egyptians, but he is cited
favorably both by David Valleskey and Armin Schuetze. See Schuetzes review
of the Bobgan book which was critical of Crabb in Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly,
Fall, 1991, p. 308.

485The

Concordia Lutheran Conference began meddling with an independent

Lutheran congregation, Faith in Jackson, Michigan, getting them to adopt the
self-love doctrine of the Church of the Lutheran Confession. They had a hissy
fit when I mentioned this in a paper. Apparently the false teachers in both CLCs
are in touch with each other and have found a common ground, without being
in fellowship.
486KJV

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a

man soweth, that shall he also reap.

487KJV

Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
488KJV Psalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
489We

were at a hotel with our young son Martin, who was about four years old.
I noticed men in the lobby who were obviously not relaxed, who seemed to be
busy and watchful at the same time. I let Martin look for the signs. See that
man. He is not really reading the newspaper. Martin walked over to one
policeman and said, Is this a stake-out? One officer scowled and the other
almost burst out laughing.
615

490Christ

died for all sins. We must be careful when talking about abortion,
homosexuality, and other obvious sins so that people do not despair in thinking
they can never be forgiven. Im OK. Youre OK does not heal or comfort.
The Law alone will not heal, comfort, or strengthen against temptation. KJV
Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not
be forgiven unto men.
491Contrary

to the claim of David Valleskey and his disciple Richard Krause,

opposition to false doctrine is not legalism.
492WELS

feminists Richard Stadler, Michael Albrecht, and Iver Johnson did the
same, promoting their historical-critical views and yet forbidding people from
copying their article, Heirs Together, which I nicknamed Errorists
Together. I was given a copy that looked like the 27th generation of
reproduction. Stadler did not want to know what I thought about his treatise,
when I asked, but he yelled on the phone that I should have spoken to him first
before I discussed his published views in public.
493Few

people realize that Northwestern College in Watertown was one of the

spawning grounds for Seminex. NWC reunions often feature a multitude of cars
with Seminex stickers. Why? The two Seminex martyrs, R. Jungkuntz and R.
Gerke, both taught at NWC for years. The NWC students who loved these
apostate professors are now the leaders of WELS. Many LCMS students went
to Watertown before the alleged break between Missouri and Wisconsin in
1961.

494Kincaid

Smith, part of the inner circle of the ELS, phoned Carl Mischke to
protest the photo of the WELS president conferring with the ELCA and
LCMS presidents at Snowbird. Is that not an example of Matthew 18 at work?
Mischke later refused to endorse Whats Going On among the Lutherans?, according
to Smith, because of this impertinence. Smith recanted and admitted that he
should have used the proper channels, which are not direct. The Wisconsin
Synod has unwritten canon law on how to deal with its errors. The direct
approach is sinful and the indirect approach is a violation both of Matthew 18
and the Eighth Commandment.
495KJV 1 Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go
to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
496"Paul

himself appealed to the highest civil authority, Caesar himself, to seek

protection from the religious leaders of his own people (Acts 25-28). Yet the
synodical president and others have cited Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 as proof of
their charges that Robert Preus has sinned by appealing to the civil court for
help. But nowhere in these verses does Paul state that it is wrong for a Christian

616

to take his case to a civil court. He talks about bringing disputes before the
ungodly (adikoi) and going to the law before unbelievers (apistoi)." Daniel Preus
"Christians, Lawsuits and 1 Corinthians 6," Affirm, June, 1991, p. 5-6. Reprinted
in Christian News.
497James

Russell Lowell (1819-1891) The Present Crisis.

617

Chapter Ten:
Practical Applications
A Pyramid of Lapdogs
Lutherans are encouraged to view synods as competing franchises, but
they are really a pyramid of lapdogs. His holiness, the Antichrist, sits on the lap
of Satan and serves him night and day. No other religious organization has the
resources and doctrinal aberrations to attack the Gospel world-wide, night and
day. On the lap of the Antichrist sits the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, panting and grinning, pleased to have been welcomed into such an
esteemed position. ELCA is completely apostate, glorying in the shame of
killing her own unborn children and grandchildren with funds from the pastors
health insurance. ELCA has a synod on each knee: the Lutheran-Church
Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The Missouri
and Wisconsin Synods are allowed to growl and snap every so often, but a few
cuffs on the head bring both of them back into line. WELS has the Evangelical
Lutheran Synod on one knee and the Church of the Lutheran Confession on
the other knee. The ELS thinks it is the top dog because of its position in the
pyramid of lapdogs. The CLC needs to be house-trained but loyally waits for a
little attention and affection.
Anyone who sees hope for the future in this pyramid of lapdogs is
delusional. For almost three decades I have heard various parties speak
optimistically about change within their groups, and the synods have only
become more corrupt, brutal, self-serving, and dishonest. Their worship of
money and pursuit of power is all-consuming.
One of the fundamental errors of this age is the assumption that we are
stuck with the established synods. Enjoying the luxury and comfort from estate
gifts, the sleek cows of the Lutheran Church shrink from minor sacrifices to
proclaim the truth, unmindful of their forefathers, who crossed the ocean in
misery, arrived in poverty, labored to bring untilled land into production, and
built towering churches glorifying the Means of Grace. We have every luxury
imaginable, and they had almost none. Nevertheless, the early Lutherans
devoted an inordinate amount of time, money, and effort to publishing the
Lutheran classics and making them available to pastors and laity, who scraped
together their pennies to buy massive tomes filled with wisdom. When I come
across something like Chemnitz Examen in Latin in a book sale from the estates
of pastors, I am reminded that ministers once bought and read Chemnitz in
Latin. Now we have the same work in English but it is allowed to go out of
print.
Below is a modest proposal for applying the lessons of this book. If the
Word of God is applied to our current situation, the pyramid of lapdogs will
tumble down, snarling and biting. This effort does not require a re-structuring
618

of the Lutheran synods, except for abandoning the shipwreck of ELCA. No

faithful minister can serve in ELCA and no believer can participate in good
conscience in the Hellish corruption of ELCA. Moreover, the ELCA leaders
have learned their lessons well from the Antichrist and know how to deal with
dissent. The Church of Rome can turn a bishop into a gas station attendant if
the prelate gets out of line.497 Therefore, except for encouraging believers to
leave ELCA, the proposal is entirely one of applying sound doctrine and
repudiating the divorce of the Holy Spirit from the Word and Sacraments,
whether the heresy goes by the name of Enthusiasm, Pietism, the Church
Growth Movement, or Purpose Driven Churches.498
J-1001
"We should not consider the slightest error against the Word of God
unimportant."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637.
Worship God in the Beauty of His Holiness
KJV 2 Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people,
he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of
holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his
mercy endureth for ever.
A Lutheran congregation has only one responsibility. It is not to grow
numerically, to be successful, to balance the budget, or to have a congregation
of happy campers.499 The sole responsibility of the congregation is to worship
God in the beauty of His holiness. The marks of the true Church are:
1) Preaching the Word of God in its truth and purity and;
2) Administering the Sacraments according to the Scriptures.
The Sunday School is actually a recent invention and the result of the
Sunday School Movement, which was largely non-Lutheran in origin.
Consider this comparison of mission congregations. When I was called
to A Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church in Phoenix, the Wisconsin Synod began
a mission in the same general area at almost the same time. Before we were
moved into the house, we had our first regular worship service. From that time
on we have had worship services and classes. The WELS mission did not have a
name (not approved by the board yet) and did not worship for almost a year,
because they had to achieve certain goals first. We worship in a converted
garage and the Wisconsin Synod mission is buying property, pending board
approval. I do not have a full-time salary. The mission pastors princely salary is
subsidized by the synod. Obviously the difference in cost for the two missions
619

is enormous, and the expenses become golden chains that bind people together
by the force of law with mission loans, mission goals, and mission board
meddling. If someone does not agree with the mission boards Reformed
doctrine, his entire congregation can be dissolved before his eyes and restarted
with another name and another pastor.
When pastors cared more about the truth than their salaries and
benefits, they had the independence of thought to establish congregations free
to unite with or separate from ecclesiastical organizations. American synodical
history is complicated because of this freedom, so a chart of Lutheran history
looks like a map of the Los Angeles freeway system. In the past, ministers have
been free to earn an income from secular work, as the Apostle Paul did, and
serve a congregation. Today a trained pastor can obtain certification in
Microsoft or Cisco, or learn programming, and then earn a handsome salary
with benefits while serving an independent congregation. Anyone who has
learned Greek and Hebrew will find computer science easy and interesting.500
Those opportunities do not mean that everyone needs to go out and start an
independent congregation, but a pastor today should have the skills needed to
support himself if his doctrinal fidelity causes the synod to jettison him. Lacking
secular job skills will tend to make a minister timid in the face of synodical
disapproval.501 What we lack in the beginning is not job skills, but faith in God.
Count me as one who believed that God would provide but wondered if God
would provide until He provided. Beyond all hope, in the midst of many
disappointments and betrayals, God has proven this passage true, many times
over:
KJV Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful,
and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Our Old Adam does not like to weather the blows of evil men, but we
need to realize that the Holy Spirit is so powerful that He can use their worst
behavior to drive us forward into blessings we would have never realized
without their spitefulness. Four different Lutheran presses refused to publish
Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, in spite of promises from three of them, so I had
the unique opportunity to self-publish, a burden and blessing at the same time. I
would never have entered book publishing on my own. Someone had to force
me. Now I hope the lessons I learned will help others as they become
established.
One reason for the many delays of this book is the time I have spent
on the phone with distraught pastors and laity. Many times I thought, Yes.
Now I have an evening to write, a pot of coffee, and energy to work. Then the
phone would ring and I would listen and talk for several hours, finally exhausted
at the end by the latest examples of disgraceful conduct of conservative
Lutheran leaders.502 My advice has been and continues to be, Teach the Word
and God will take care of the details. If the caller is a minister, I often say,
620

Better men than you have been tossed out of the ministry. That reply is often
good for a laugh. A good friend of mine phoned and suggested a different
response for me, when I was fired from the CLC for having a pancake supper.
His suggestion was: I have been thrown out of better synods than this! The
worst aspect of all this turmoil is the crushing disappointment of learning how
treacherous so-called friends can be, but it also teaches us to rely on the Word
of God alone. Many ministers can be bought with a call or threatened into
silence. When they do an about face, they are worse than the synod officials
who turned them to the dark side.
Lutheran Worship Principles
KJV Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
The Lutheran congregation has only one task, to proclaim Gods grace
through worship, with all other activities subordinate to the Means of Grace.
Many people have conspired together to ruin Lutheran worship in the name of
making it attractive and appealing to the young. The same synods now must
face the fact they are completely hollowed out. The vast majority of their
worship attendance and financial support comes from those in retirement,
meaning that the synods are teetering on collapse in the next two decades. The
Church Growth foxes first argued for entertaining hymnals with feminist
language and got them, especially with the Lutheran Book of Worship and its
Baptist-like clone, Christian Worship. Then, after getting the wretched hymnals
they coveted, the WELS Pietists argued for no hymnals and no liturgy at all.
They worshiped with the song lyrics of the Enthusiasts projected on the wall,
just like the Assemblies of God. The result has been an embarrassing number of
Lutheran clergy who have turned Pentecostal-Baptist, taking away or wrecking
huge investments in time and money. In my opinion, this trend is only
beginning. The Missouri Synod already has its own Pentecostal nongeographical district, Renewal in Missouri, with 200 tongue-speaking, miracleworking pastors, who have swallowed the Holy Ghost, feathers and all. The
current Barry/Otten administration takes this in stride, just as it accepts and
promotes joint religious projects with ELCA.
The best hymnal in use today is The Lutheran Hymnal, printed in 1941. It
is not perfect, but it is far better than the improvements that followed
afterwards. Lutherans should be ashamed that they have had so many years to
build a better hymnal than TLH but continue to produce worse versions.
However, we know they have made a ton of money forcing their hymnals on
621

their congregations. WELS congregations had no choice, but the Evangelical

Lutheran Synod looked at the proposed hymnal and said, We can do better.503
Nevertheless, for all their posing, WELS and the ELS both borrow from the
Liberal Book of Weirdness, painfully obvious if the copyright notices are studied
carefully. Lutheran Worship is a sanitized version of the ELCA LBW, so all the
Lutheran hymnals in print are clones of the ELCA project, which represented
the peak of ecumenical and activist fervor in the Lutheran synods in its time.
People argue against TLH because of its old English language and lack
of feminist sensitivity. Ironically, droves of feminists and youth have not joined
the synods who replaced TLH with pious mirth. The tendency for all the clones
has been to make their hymnals less Lutheran, more Reformed, more Roman
Catholic, and more Pentecostal-Baptist. There was once a movement toward
liturgical consistency along confessional Lutheran principles, but now the
Church of Rome and Fuller Seminary dictate worship guidelines for 99% of
Lutherans, a frightening prospect.
The essential retrograde action supporting do-your-own-thing worship
has been accomplished in the Lutheran synods. Whatever works is good, and
Lutherans sigh for acceptance by generic Protestant visitors. Gerberding fought
against this attitude in the Muhlenberg tradition, disgusted that worship varied
from parish to parish, that pastors let out a loud Haw! every so often in the
sermon in imitation of Reformed preachers. Now Lutherans are caught between
the high church (smells and bells) leaders aping the Church of Rome and the
Fuller graduates fighting for no worship at all on Sunday, just a Seeker Service.
The following points express my opinion about Lutheran worship, and I believe
it rests upon a Scriptural foundation and sound Lutheran practice.
1. The Lutheran Hymnal is the best choice for worship today because it
preserves a formal style of English harmonious with dignified praise of the
Holy Trinity. The King James Version remains the most precise English
translation to use, the best version for reading in a worship service, and the
closest to Luthers translation.504
2. When we lack the vocabulary to understand the words of the liturgy, we
should lift up our educational level and not bring worship down to the
perspective of Beavis and Butthead, Jane Fonda and Marva Dawn.
3. Latin and Greek names should be preserved and used without blushing.
Soon the Collect and Kyrie, Septuagesima and Oculi, as well as the Votum
and Nunc dimittis will be forgotten terms among the young.
4. The Sunday worship service should be conducted as worship only. It is not
a time to recruit new members by trying to hide our Lutheran identity, to
rouse the members to higher levels of institutional glory, or to magnify the
synod.
622

5. The historic pericopes should be used instead of the ELCA/Church of

Rome three year cycle. The historic pericopes are exactly what we find in
the Lenker Sermons of Luther set, Epistles and Gospels. When that treasure
trove is exhausted, send me a letter. Luther found it valuable to preach
repeatedly on the same text.
6. Close communion is the only genuine Christian form of the Sacrament of
the Altar. If visitors are offended, they belong in an inoffensive
congregation.
7. The sermon should reflect Luthers doctrine. Yes, many ministers claim to
be Bible-only, but they usually read Reformed works. The text can be
studied in Luthers sermons, in the Book of Concord, and in many great
books becoming available through Repristination Press. The only genuine
Lutheran sermon is a proclamation of Law and Gospel.
8. The hymns sung during the worship service should reflect the best of
Lutheran worship rather than popular trends. The biographical sketches at
the end of this book were gathered to facilitate Lutheran hymn singing. In
the worship bulletin, I list Lutheran authors of hymns and discuss their
backgrounds during certain services.
9. The worship bulletin should not be oriented toward money, budgets, and
being busy, but aimed at the spiritual edification of the members. It is an
ideal opportunity to list important Lutheran quotations for the
consideration of the members and the pastor.505 I place a different
quotation on the back of each bulletin. Pastors need the wisdom of
Lutheran authors, too.
10. The Holy Spirit calls the pastor through the congregation. This call is a
unique role based upon his responsibility to God for the souls of the
congregation. The members should feel free to ask questions about
doctrine and practice, but they should also avoid usurping authority,
especially when they simply do not like something, like close communion.
Members should never allow an outsider to usurp the role of the divinely
called pastor by interfering with the congregation.
Lutheran Hymns
No one should be surprised that the same ecclesiastical leaders who
want to worship with every denominationexcept their ownwould also like
to sing every hymn that is not Lutheran.506 Whatever is sung in church,
including weddings and special services, should be appropriate to read from the
pulpit during a sermon. Can anyone imagine a pastor reciting the first Fanny
Crosby song ever to appear in a Lutheran hymnal: Take the World but Give
Me Jesus?507 After decades of improvement in the language and style of
623

Lutheran worship, attendance is at an all time low, especially among those

younger members whose tender years were offered as the reason for ruining
Lutheran worship.
Those who love the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures also appreciate the
doctrinal hymns of The Lutheran Hymnal. As Luther said, singing is praying with
the soul, so singing a hymn is praying twice over. Hymns are also confessions of
faith, often composed during times of doctrinal crisis. False teachers recognize
this proclamation of Gods Word by dropping verses that apply to them,
fuzzing up clear statements of faith, and favoring cheap sentiment over the
objective truths of the Bible.508 In addition, we can memorize something we
sing more easily than a statement. Elevator music is fine for bookstores and,
well, elevators, but believers would rather have hymns of comfort and faith to
hum and sing.
J-1002
"We are not free from blame if we have a wrong faith and follow false teachers.
The fact that we did not know will be of no help to us, for we were warned
beforehand. Besides God has told us to judge what this or that person teaches
and to give an account. If we fail to do this, we are lost. Therefore the soul's
salvation of each person depends on his knowing what is Gods Word and what
is false teaching."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 636.
One person said to me, Lutheran hymns? What do you mean,
Lutheran hymns? I pointed out that many favorite hymns of Lutherans were
Methodist in origin, while those written by Lutherans were ignored. From that
time on, I made a point of listing Lutheran authors of hymns and talking about
them in the service (when appropriate). When I decided to compare the existing
hymnals and list the best doctrinal hymns, I found that many great hymns were
by Lutherans I did not know. I judged the hymn first by the words and then
discovered that the author was a Lutheran. When I select hymns for the
worship service, I try to use two hymns that are very familiar and two that will
eventually be favorites. I also try to use every verse of long hymns on a Sunday,
singing half the hymn as one hymn selection, then the other half as another
selection. Many people have said, I never sang that hymn before in my life. I
remind them of the old rule, If you dont know it at first, you will know it by
the eighth verse.
Attributes of a great Lutheran hymn are worth listing:
1. The hymn is God-centered rather than me-centered, emphasizing what
God has done, not what I have felt.
2. The melody is majestic rather than snappy and toe-tapping.
624

3. The hymn teaches important doctrines of the Bible, clearly and succinctly.
4. It does not hesitate to mention and praise the Word and Sacraments,
instead of making a decision for Christ.509
5. The hymn teaches the efficacy of the Word. Look up missionary hymns in a
non-Lutheran hymnal and you will find them vague about how the Gospel
converts unbelievers. The Lutheran Hymnal is quite clear.
6. The words confess that believers must bear the cross, undergo trials, and be
refined and strengthened through the Word.
7. A great hymn transcends culture. Apostates would have us believe that
great Lutheran chorales are only for Germans, but the following is recorded
about Paul Gerhardts O Sacred Head in the mission field: When the
great Lutheran missionary C. F. W. Schwartz, in 1798, lay dying in India,
where he had labored for half a century, his native pupils gathered around
him, and sang in their own tongue the last stanzas of this hymn, Schwartz
himself joining in until his breath failed in death.510
J-1003
My Savior, be Thou near me
When death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me,
Forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish,
Oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish
By virtue of Thine own!
Be Thou my Consolation,
My Shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy Passion
When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee,
Who dieth thus dies well!
Paul Gerhard, O Sacred Head, The Lutheran Hymnal, #172, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Any congregation can increase the Confessional awareness of the
members by introducing Lutheran hymns to the worship service, including brief
biographies in the worship bulletin or information about the author during the
625

sermon. The gradual introduction of false doctrine has worked well for
Lutheran Pietists, and the Fabian method can also work well for Lutheran
doctrine.511 Following is a sketch of how to introduce Lutheran hymns to
Lutheran congregations.
Re-Introducing Lutheran Hymns
We need to know who stood up for the Scriptures and what they wrote
in their hymns. Martin Luther was one of the great hymn writers, so his lesser
known hymns should be used throughout the year. All numbers are for The
Lutheran Hymnal. Their biographical sketches can be found at the end of this
book.
1. Flung to the heedless winds, #259, was the first hymn written by
Luther, inspired by the martyrdom of two young Lutherans burned at
the stake.
2. Isaiah mighty seer, #249, can be substituted for the Gloria in excelsis. It
is a powerful hymn of praise.
3. O Lord, look down from heaven behold, #260, like many hymns, can
be sung to another tune. This bellicose hymn emphasizes the efficacy
of the Word and the evil of false teachers. Compare this version of the
hymn with other hymnals.
4. Dear Christians one and all rejoice, #387, outlines the entire story of
salvation, from despair under the Law to conversion through the
Gospel, a beautiful portrayal of the work of Christ.
5. We all believe in one true God, #251, can be sung as a hymn version
of the Creed.
6. Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord! #224, teaches the efficacy of the
Word, reminding us that the Bible interchanges the terms Holy Spirit
and the Word.
Paul Gerhardt is probably the greatest of all hymn writers, if we judge
according to the use of his hymns throughout Christendom. Perhaps Lutherans
should embrace him as much as non-Lutherans.
1. Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising, #90, begins one famous
Episcopalian Christmas service in England each year. A young boys
voice rings out with these thrilling words of hope and joy.
2. A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth, #142, is based upon John 1:29,
telling the Passion story in simple, child-like words that are cloaked
626

somewhat by the translation. One vivid image is that of sitting in the

little boat rocking back and forth, with Christ as the anchor, being able
to sleep serenely as on pillows.
3. Upon the Cross Extended, #171, has only 12 of the 16 verses written
about the Passion. This hymn may be overlooked in favor of O Sacred
Head, but it should also be featured during Lent.
4. Now Rest Beneath Nights Shadows, #554, is one of the finest
evening hymns ever written.
5. Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me, #523, reminds us that
Christian Worship no longer has the Cross and Comfort category.
6. If God Himself Be For Me, #528, is his second great hymn in the
Cross and Comfort section. These hymns are good to sing on Sunday
and to read as devotions, since they strengthen faith and deal honestly
with the problems of life.
7. Awake, My Heart, with Gladness, #192, joyfully announces the
meaning of Easter in the midst of trials and misfortunes.
J-1004
He brings me to the portal
That leads to bliss untold
Whereon this rime immortal
Is found in script of gold:
Who there My cross hath shared
Finds here a crown prepared;
Who there with Me has died
Shall here be glorified.
Paul Gerhardt, Awake, My Heart, with Gladness,. The Lutheran
Hymnal, #192, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Nikolaus Selnecker deserves special attention because he was somewhat
weak in doctrine as a follower of Melanchthon and then drew strength from
Martin Chemnitz, joining him later in writing the Formula of Concord.
1. O Lord, My God, I Cry to Thee, #600, is a funeral hymn sung to
Vater unser.
2. Let Me Be Thine Forever, #334, is a confirmation hymn, with the
first verse written by Selnecker.
627

3. Lord Jesus Christ, With Us Abide, #292, is an exceptional hymn

about the pure Word of God and the rage of Satan against it.512 TLH
has nine verses, but Christian Worship has only seven. Compare them
and see what is missing. Answer: verse 8 on the efficacy of the Word
alone and verse 6
J-1005
The haughty spirits, Lord, restrain
Who oer Thy Church with might would reign
And always set forth something new,
Devised to change Thy doctrine true.
Nikolaus Selnecker, Lord Jesus Christ, With Us Abide, The Lutheran
Hymnal, #292, verse 6, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.513
Matthias Loy contributed in many ways to the Lutheran Church as a
church leader, writer, and journalist. He also translated ten and wrote three
hymns.
1. The Law of God Is Good and Wise, #295, distinguishes between
Law and Gospel clearly, showing the limitations of the Law and the
blessings of the Gospel.
2. The Gospel Shows the Fathers Grace, #297, emphasizes the efficacy
of the Gospel. It is no wonder that Concordia Seminary in St. Louis
gave him a call to teach.
J-1006
It is the power of God to save
From sin and Satan and the grave;
It works the faith, which firmly clings
To all the treasures which it brings.
Matthias Loy, The Gospel Shows the Fathers Grace, , The Lutheran
Hymnal, #297, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Thomas Hansen Kingo wrote many fine hymns extolling the Means of
Grace, and he remains a favorite among Scandinavians.
1. Like the Golden Sun Ascending, #207, is a jubilant Easter hymn that
should be sung throughout the year, since every Sunday marks the
resurrection of Christ. The last verse expresses thanks: For Thy holy,
precious Word; For Thy Baptism, which doth save me, For Thy blest
Communion board
628

2. He That Believes And Is Baptized, #301, is a fine Baptism hymn

appropriate for many Sundays, since it describes the Sacrament and not
the act of baptizing infants.
3. O Jesus, Blessed Lord, To Thee, #309, serves well as a postcommunion hymn.
Ulrik Koren was a pioneering pastor among the Norwegians in Iowa
and Minnesota. He has one hymn in The Lutheran Hymnal, Ye Lands, to the
Lord Make a Jubilant Noise, #44, a glorious hymn for any worship service,
proving that we do not need to run to the Pentecostals for a bone-rattling hymn
of praise.
J-1007
Ye lands, to the Lord make a jubilant noise;
Glory be to God!
Oh, serve Him with joy, in His presence now rejoice;
Sing praise unto God out of Zion!
Ulrik V. Koren, Ye Lands, to the Lord Make a Jubilant Noise, The
Lutheran Hymnal, #44, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
Hans Brorson wrote two of the best hymns of all time.
1. I Walk in Danger All the Way, #413, begins with three verses
describing the trials and mortality of this earthly life in terms of danger,
Satan, sin, and the cross. The mood shifts in the last three verses. Verse
4I walk with angels all the way. Verse 5I walk with Jesus all the way.
Verse 6My walk is heavenward all the way.
2. Behold a Host Arrayed in White, #656, extols the triumph of eternal
life over sin, death, and Satan. The ethereal beauty of this hymn and its
captivating melody combine to make it comforting, inspiring, and
uplifting.
J-1008
Behold a host, arrayed in white, Like thousand snow-clad mountains bright,
With palms they stand. Who is this band, Gods throne forever near.
Lo, these are they of glorious fame Who from the great affliction came
And in the flood of Jesus blood Are cleansed from guilt and blame.
Now gathered in the holy place, Their voices they in worship raise,
Their anthems swell where God doth dwell, Mid angels songs of praise.
Hans A. Brorson, Behold a Host, Arrayed in White,, The Lutheran
Hymnal, #656, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
629

J-1009
"Observe, God and men proceed in contrary ways. Men set on first that which
is best, afterward that which is worse. God first gives the cross and affliction,
then honor and blessedness. This is because men seek to preserve the old man;
on which account they instruct us to keep the Law by works, and offer
promises great and sweet... But God first of all terrifies the conscience, sets on
miserable wine, in fact nothing but water; then, however, He consoles us with
the promises of the Gospel which endure forever."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 69. John 2:1-11.
Martin Schalling wrote Speners favorite hymn, but it also found a place
in Bach, the greatest of orthodox Lutheran composers. The hymn teaches the
basics of Christian doctrine in three verses. The first verse expresses joy in
redemption and resolve to remain faithful: And should my heart for sorrow
break, My trust in Thee no one could shake. Thou art the Portion I have
sought; Thy precious blood my soul has bought. The second verse expresses
the blessings of Creation and how we glorify God through good works. The
verse also declares: Let no false doctrine me beguile, Let Satan not my soul
defile. Give strength and patience unto me to bear my cross and follow Thee.
The third verse describes death and eternal life in a remarkable series of phrases
and praise, as quoted below.
J-1010
Lord, let at last Thine angels come, To Abrams bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in it narrow chamber keep My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my Fount of grace.
Lord Jesus Christ, My prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.
Martin Schalling, Lord, Thee I Love,, The Lutheran Hymnal, #429, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-1011
"But wine is sharp and signifies the holy cross that immediately follows. A
Christian need not look for his cross, it is always on his back. For he thinks as
St. Paul says, 2 Timothy 3:12: 'All that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.' This is the court-color in this kingdom. Whoever is ashamed
of the color, does not belong to this king."
630

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 30.
The Sermon
J-1012
"But the Lord refutes this and says: Go ye there and preach, what does it matter
if it is against you? You will find there what I say. We should now do likewise.
Although the masses storm against the Gospel and there is no hope that they
will be better, yet we must preach, there will yet be found those who listen and
become converted."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 48.
The sermon is Gods chosen means to teach the Law and the Gospel to
His flock. The congregation belongs to Christ, the Good Shepherd, not to the
minister, members, or synod. Therefore, the sermon must be Gods Word and
not the word of man.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 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.
The listeners also need to realize that they must listen attentively and
judge according to the work of the Holy Spirit. The congregation should not be
ashamed of a sermon from someone who is less than an oratorical star. Many
churches have pounded a minister because his voice was weak or his delivery
was halting. Accustomed to the cocaine-fueled energy of TV, the congregations
demand a star. Luther did not agree.
J-1013
"He who speaks poorly is speaking Gods Word just as certainly as he who is
able to speak well. A father speaks the Word just as certainly as God does, and
your neighbor speaks Gods Word just as certainly as the angel Gabriel. It is the
same Word that the schoolboy and the angel Gabriel speak; one can merely
express it better than another. Let the dishes be unequal. Some are of silver;
others are of tin or of glazed clay, earthen vessels. But one and the same food is
prepared in silver, tin, etc.; and venison, well seasoned and prepared, tastes as
good from a wooden bowl as from one of silver. Think the same of
Baptism and absolution. Let this be your comfort. But people do not recognize
the person of God; they gape only at the person of the man as when one who is
tired and hungry refuses to eat unless the food is set before him in a silver bowl.
So people select many ministers nowadays."
631

What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House 1959 III, p. 1119. John 4:9-10.
Preaching belongs to God, so Gods work will be rejected, abused, and
scorned by unbelievers.
J-1014
"Were I a preacher, what difference would it make to me if the world called me
a devil, since I know that God calls me His angel? Let the world call me a
deceiver as long as it pleases. God meanwhile calls me His faithful servant; the
angels call me their companion; the saints call me their brother; the believers
call me their father; distressed souls call me their savior; the ignorant call me
their light. And God says: Yes, it is so. The angels and all creatures agree with
Him."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 925.
J-1015
"I certainly hope you will have enough Christian understanding to know that
the ministry of the Gospel is neither our property nor the property of any
human being, not even of an angel. It belongs to God, our Lord, who has
purchased it with His blood, has given and instituted it for our salvation.
Therefore He severely condemns those who despise it. He says, 'He that
despiseth you despiseth Me' (Luke 10:16)... You are not lords over preachers
and the ministry; you have not established the office. God's Son alone has done
so. Nor have you contributed anything to it... You should not lord it over the
ministry or give it directions. Nor should you keep it from rebuking. For its
rebuke is not of men but of God, who does not want the rebuke hindered. He
has commanded it.
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 926.
One can see how the sermon has been wrecked by the joint work of
congregations and synods. Certain zones become forbidden. The son of one
pro-life activist was forbidden to speak against abortion when he was serving as
a vicar in the Missouri Synod. The president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis
commands that his vicars never object to anything in the congregations they
serve: women leaders in worship, open communion, Pentecostalism, and so
forth. A few people will organize themselves and call a synod officialbehind
the pastors backwhining that they object to certain aspects of a pastors
sermon. The official phones or visits the pastor and tells him to lay off. The
church official welcomes back door criticism but demands that anyone who
disagrees with him tell him so face to face. Why does he not apply this rule to
disruptive members?
632

The process reminds me of a python, who does not actually squeeze his
victim to death. Instead, the clever snake waits for each exhale and then clamps
down a little tighter. Soon the victim can no longer expand his chest to inhale
and he expires from lack of oxygen, not from being juiced like an orange. The
Church Growth salesmen have insinuated themselves into this role by
advocating non-sermons, which are how-to or fix it messages. They slither into
the synod and say that people do not want to hear the Law, which they call
negative. They claim the congregations want practical messages, such as how to
deal with stress or how to have a happy marriage. The result is a message of
man-made law, free of Gods Law and Gods Gospel. One WELS pastor,
Martin Spriggs, bought tapes of Willow Creek sermons and gave them
verbatimwith the same inflections as the speaker.514 According to his mentors
in the synod, if one could replicate the essence of Willow Creek, one could also
have the success of Willow Creek. But this technique has only led to spectacular
failures and the exit of pastors, teachers, and congregations from the Lutheran
Church.515
J-1016
"He [Paul] thus extols co-laborers that they [the Corinthians] may not despise
the external Word as if they were not in need of it or knew it well enough. For
although God might accomplish all things inwardly by the Spirit, without the
external Word, He has no intention of doing so. He wants to employ preachers
as assistants and co-laborers and to accomplish His purposes through their
word when and where it pleases Him. Since, then, preachers have the office,
name, and honor of being God's assistants, no man is so learned or holy that he
may neglect or despise the poorest preaching; for he does not know when the
hour will come in which God will perform His work in him through the
preachers."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House 1959 III, p. 1118.
For three years I was not a pastor, but a self-employed businessman in
insurance. I suddenly had a new perspective on the sermon, since I gave
perhaps three sermons in as many years, otherwise listening every Sunday. I
never went to a service thinking I had heard too much Gospel and no longer
needed it. Each week was full of failure and rejection. That experience is the
essence of being in sales. Even the best experiences can turn bad in a hurry.
Like everyone else, I had an easy sale that netted me $1500 in one evening.
Unfortunately, the sale was lost right after I received my commission, so I had
to earn another $1500 just to get even again. We called those empty commission
days Passover events. The company would pass over us, since we were still in
the red. I was not alone. The top salesmen had reverses of $10,000 and more. In
addition, every good month ended with almost no income for the next month.
Until one is very well established, the first years are very hard. Besides the
difficulties of working, we also had to deal with my wifes medical and insurance
633

needs and my mothers growing infirmity. So when I went to church, I felt as

dry as the desert. I felt the wounds of rejection and the panic of a good month
facing a new month with no income. At least a bad month could be improved
by thinking, It cant get any worse than this.
I try to remember my experiences when I write a sermon. In addition, I
also get a perspective on problems and religious questions from visiting people
and from reading email messages. Sermon books are almost useless for writing
sermons. I rely on other aids. Ideally, the following happens each week with the
goal of having a sermon written and sent on email by Thursday.
1. I look up the texts from the historic pericopes in The Lutheran Hymnal and
decide whether I will use the Gospel or Epistle.
2. I read Luthers sermon on the text or do a search of the Megatron database.
I can either search for the text or for a key doctrinal term. The results are
spewed into Word and fixed up, saved as a document, then copied, and sent
around the world. If I do these things on Wednesday, I have plenty to think
about before I write on Thursday. If I have nothing appropriate in the
database, I copy quotations from Luther, the Book of Concord, Gerhard,
Chemnitz, Walther, or another Lutheran author. I also use verbatim
quotations of false doctrine as a contrast.
3. In the past I have printed up to two pages of quotations for the worship
bulletin. Now I pick the two or three best quotations to use, since every
member gets the larger group of quotations in their email. One woman said,
I always read the back of the bulletin, so I put a new quotation on the
back almost every Sunday.
4. I almost always write out the sermon, beginning with a brief statement
about the meaning of the text, following Luthers example. The printed
sermons are mailed to some people. Many sermons are posted on my
publications site.
5. I try to show the unity of the Bible when I focus on one aspect of the text.
For instance, the First Gospel (Genesis 3:15) and the Virgin Birth prophesy
(Isaiah 7:14) both reveal the extraordinary oneness of the Book of the Holy
Spirit. Gerhard, Luther, and Chemnitz are outstanding resources to use in
this respect.
6. I never, never, never use any Reformed commentary or book, unless I have
reason to point out their errors. I have as much contempt for their doctrine
and exegesis as they have for the Means of Grace. ELCA books are also
pure poison and should be avoided, even if bought at book sales for a
dime.516
634

7. If I have questions about the Greek text, and I often do, I first use
BibleWorks to search for identical or similar Greek words. I also use Lenski
often, as well as various reference works, such as Moulton-Millikens
Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament and Robertsons Word Pictures of the New
Testament.517 The Arndt Gingrich lexicon is also quite useful at times.
J-1017
"Lord God, Thou hast placed me in Thy church as a bishop and pastor. Thou
seest how unfit I am to administer this great and difficult office. Had I hitherto
been without help from Thee, I would have ruined everything long ago.
Therefore I call on Thee. I gladly offer my mouth and heart to Thy service. I
would teach the people and I myself would continue to learn. To this end I shall
meditate diligently on Thy Word. Use me, dear Lord, as Thy instrument. Only
do not forsake me; for if I were to continue alone, I would quickly ruin
everything."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 926.
Lutherans Write about the Sermon
J-1018
"Now, all who wish to be saved ought to hear this preaching [of Gods Word].
For the preaching and hearing of Gods Word are instruments of the Holy
Ghost, by, with, and through which He desires to work efficaciously, and to
convert men to God, and to work in them both to will and to do. This Word
man can externally hear and read, even though he is not yet converted to God
and regenerate; for in these external things, as said above, man even since the
Fall has to a certain extent a free will, so that he can go to church and hear or
not hear the sermon."
Formula of Concord, SD, II, #52. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 901f. Tappert, p. 531. Heiser, p.
246.
J-1019
"Likewise those fastidious spirits are to be reproved who, when they have heard
a sermon or two, find it tedious and dull, thinking that they know all that well
enough, and need no more instruction. For just that is the sin which has been
hitherto reckoned among mortal sins, and is called akedia, i. e., torpor or satiety,
a malignant, dangerous plague with which the devil bewitches and deceives the
hearts of many, that he may surprise us and secretly withdraw Gods Word from
us."
The Large Catechism, #99, The Third Commandment, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378.
Heiser, p. 175. Exodus 20:8-11. Akedia: Aristotle's Ethics, IV.
635

J-1020
"Against both these parties the pure teachers of the Augsburg Confession have
taught and contended that by the fall of our first parents man was so corrupted
that in divine things pertaining to our conversion and the salvation of our souls
he is by nature blind, that, when the Word of God is preached, he neither does
nor can understand it, but regards it as foolishness; also, that he does not of
himself draw nigh to God, but is and remains an enemy of God, until he is
converted, becomes a believer [is endowed with faith], is regenerated and
renewed, by the power of the Holy Ghost through the Word when preached
and heard, out of pure grace, without any cooperation of his own."
Formula of Concord, SD II. #5. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 881. Tappert, p. 520f. Heiser, p. 241.
J-1021
"All this is the old devil and old serpent, who also converted Adam and Eve
into enthusiasts, and led them from the outward Word of God to spiritualizing
and self-conceit, and nevertheless he accomplished this through other outward
words. Just as also our enthusiasts [at the present day] condemn the outward
Word, and nevertheless they themselves are not silent, but they fill the world
with their pratings and writings, as though, indeed, the Spirit could not come
through the writings and spoken word of the apostles, but [first] through their
writings and words he must come. Why [then] do not they also omit their own
sermons and writings, until the Spirit Himself come to men, without their
writings and before them, as they boast that He has come into them without the
preaching of the Scriptures?"
Smalcald Articles, Part III, VIII. #5-6. Confession. Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 495. Tappert, p. 312f. Heiser,
p. 147.
J-1022
"Moreover [On the other side], both the ancient and modern enthusiasts have
taught that God converts men, and leads them to the saving knowledge of
Christ through His Spirit, without any created means and instrument, that is,
without the external preaching and hearing of Gods Word."
Formula of Concord, SD II. #4. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 881. Tappert, p. 520. Heiser, p. 241.
J-1023
Gerhard: "The more purely the Word of God is preached in a Church, and the
nearer the preaching and doctrine comes to the norm of the Holy Scripture, the
purer will be the Church; the further it recedes from the rule of the Word, the
more impure and corrupt will be the Church."
Cited in Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith,
Philadelphia: General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 383f.
636

J-1024
"Since the Word of God is this weapon [sword], it behooves us to make use of
it at all times and to this end become acquainted with it both by means of public
preaching and by earnest Bible study at home. Cursory reading must be
supplemented by careful memorizing of proof-texts and strong passages. Only
in this way shall we be able to make the proper use of the Word of God as a
true weapon of offense at all times."
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the New Testament, 2 vols., St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, II, p. 292. Ephesians 6:17.
J-1025
"So much, we see, depends on the kind of men who preach the Gospel. Let all
preachers keep this in mind! In the last analysis, however, the decisive assurance
for all believers is the Word itself with its divine effects. See Galatians 1:8. In
Thessalonians, too, the ultimate ground of assurance is the Word."
R. C. H. Lenski, Thessalonians, Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1937, p.
259. 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 1:8.
J-1026
"So it goes in the spiritual government of the Church, as specially indicated in
the narrative now before us. Where I have preached and taught during the past
ten or twenty years, there another could perhaps, have done more in one year;
and one sermon may bring forth more fruit than many others. Here, also, it is
true that our labor, diligence and effort can accomplish nothing These two
things must go together, namely, that each one does his duty, and that he,
nevertheless, acknowledges with Peter: 'My labor cannot bring forth anything, if
thou dost not give the increase.'"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 153. Luke 5:1-11.
J-1027
"God has chosen despised and frail human beings for the ministry of the Word
that the divine power of the Word might become apparenta power
impossible to suppress even in the weakest of persons. Moreover, if the mighty
of the world were to preach the Gospel, people would be captivated more by
the authority of the person preaching than by the Word itself."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1118.
J-1028
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables... "That is, we preach not the
nonsense of men, but we are sure that what we preach is of God and has
become so through our eyes and ears. That is to say, When we were with Christ
upon the mountain, we saw and heard his glory."
637

Martin Luther, Commentary on Peter and Jude, ed. John N. Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1990, p. 245. 2 Peter 1:16-18.
J-1029
"That is the reason why our Church from the very beginning declared that it
requires its preachers 'not to depart an inch' from its confessions, not to turn
aside from the doctrines laid down in them, non tantum in rebus, sed etiam in
phrasibus, that is, both as regards the matter offered in their sermons and the
manner of their teaching."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 277.
The Pastors Role
J-1030
"The Gospel ministry should spare no one, no matter how high the position
may be which he occupies, but should rebuke wrong in everybody. This is why
ministers and preachers exist. A very heavy burden is placed on them. They
should so conduct their office that they stand ready to answer for it on
Judgment Day. If they do not speak to you and rebuke in you what their office
requires them to speak and to rebuke, God will require your blood from their
hand. Tell me, why should we preachers burden ourselves still more by
preaching to you as you desire? It is not our word. Nor do we live for your sake,
as though you had ordered us, and we had to preach what you like. Preachers
can, will, and should not do this. Therefore he who will not listen is free in
God's name to walk out through the church door and let our Lord God keep
His ministry unhindered."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1114.
Lack of trust in the efficacy of the Word has led to a scornful attitude
toward Lutheran pastors. Synodical leaders have no love for the Word of God,
so they also despise the divinely called pastors under their oppressive and
corrupt regimes. Synodical leaders effectively convey their contempt toward the
Word and the clergy in dealing with congregations. Even if the congregation
shares this contempt for the Word and deals with the pastor in the most evil
and underhanded way possible, the minister is still obligated by his call to teach
the Word in its truth and purity, regardless of the consequences. If the
congregational leaders engage in adultery and have to be taken to court to pay
support for the children of their previous marriages, they will not likely endure
the pure Word of God. If the treasurer is a man who lives with and assaults his
girlfriend and then damages the police car when he is arrested, he is only going
to like corrupt pastors who flatter him. If the minister cuts a deal with the synod
or the congregation to preserve his comfort through doctrinal compromise, he
638

is no longer a shepherd, but a wolf with a shepherds crook, all the more
dangerous for his disguise. Wolves love to run in packs, so the other wolves
welcome him, especially if he has the sniveling, groveling attitude they crave.
Strangely, pastors have abandoned those who love the Gospel in favor
of those who hate the Word and only see it in terms of benefiting themselves.
The pan-Lutheran effort to promote unionism has created several generations
of those who are completely indifferent to sound doctrine. Nevertheless, some
remain who have not bowed the knee to Baal. The Word and Sacraments gather
the congregation, so if the Gospel cannot be tolerated by one group of people,
then there will be another who will listen and appreciate.
Now we are at the lowest point in Lutheran history, worse than the
days before the Book of Concord was published. Pastors and congregations
have the opportunity of re-discovering orthodox Lutheran doctrine. Many old
Lutheran books are still circulating through book sales, so it is possible to gather
a fine library in spite of what the synods are failing to do. When people read the
Lutheran classics for the first time and discover names they have never known
before, such as Loy, Jacobs, and Krauth, they are amazed that men could live in
another century and deal with the same problems we are facing today. Even
more exotic are the famous but obscure theologians of Europe. When I became
a Lutheran, I could find their books in the college library in Latin, but nowhere
else. Now I can at least own a selection of Gerhard, Chemnitz, Chytraeus, and
Quensted, who are no longer just names in a Lutheran encyclopedia but clear,
Gospel teachers, honored in the past for their great learning but scorned in the
present for not marketing the Gospel with gimmicks and graphs.
Pastors, whether they are in a synod or independent, have the greatest
flexibility in their use of time. They can control how to spend their time more
easily than most professionals, or they can make themselves into victims of
busy-work. Sometimes they are just lazy. A pastors time should be consumed
with preparation for the sermon, adult classes, catechism, and visitation. He can
and should ignore almost everything else. He is not the social director of the
Love Boat. At meetings he should invoke the famous Kiwanis rule, If you are
in favor of this activity, you must also support it by helping out. Otherwise, do
not talk in favor of something you have no intention of supporting or
attending. Pastors do not need to dither about social events, taking care of the
property, or where to take the youth group on the next outing. Congregations
have cleverly pushed their responsibilities onto the pastor by abandoning their
own duties, then insisting that these non-essential jobs be done by him or his
wife. One congregation railed at the previous pastor for taking too long on the
production of the newsletter, then copied and assembled it themselves for two
or three months. Suddenly they concluded that the newsletter was not needed at
all. No one reads it, claimed the woman who had grown weary of xeroxing,
stapling, and addressing.
J-1031
639

"Your first desire will be that all men may obtain the same knowledge of divine
grace. Hence your love will not be restrained from serving all to the fullest
extent, preaching and proclaiming the divine truth wherever possible, and
rejecting all doctrine and life not in harmony with this teaching. But take note,
the devil and the world, unwilling that their devices be rejected, cannot endure
the knowledge of what you do. They will oppose you with everything great,
learned, wealthy and powerful, and represent you as a heretic and insane."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House, 1983, VI, p. 147.
I am quite sure that Luther did not have a Sunday School program, a
baseball team, a flower chart, worship bulletins, or a coffee hour. If a
congregation cannot get these going with their own labor, they should abandon
them and not tell the pastor, We refuse to do this on our own. It is now up to
you to motivate us. I was always impressed that members thought it was a
good idea for me to deliver flowers to the shut-ins, whom I saw all the time. My
idea was that shut-ins would love to see their own members every so often.
Many times I organized an effort where all the members visited one another,
and this was very beneficial for the entire congregation. It also frustrated those
who loved being unhappy.
The lack of pastoral visitation today speaks eloquently about the lack of
trust in the Word. If ministers believe in the power of the Word, they naturally
take this power to peoples homes, to nursing homes, and to hospitals. They do
not make appointments for people to see them in their offices. Hospital stays
and family emergencies are so important that the minister should clear his
schedule to be with his members when needed. In my opinion, one of the best
uses of time is to sit with a family during an operation, to visit daily in the
hospital, to spend extra time with a family during and after a funeral. Visiting
with families in times of difficulty and in normal times will establish trust and
build an interest in Gods Word.
Many skeptics will say, This preaching, teaching, and visiting will
consume all of a pastors time. There will be no more time left. That is true.
We all have 168 hours per week given to us by the Creator. It is best spent on
important matters. Lutherans need to abandon the Methodist model of having
special interest groups (World War II discussion groups, stamp collectors),
special Sundays to bring out the crowds (girl scout, boy scout, Masonic Lodge
recognition day, Civil Air Patrol, favorite cookie day), and ecclesiastical
intramurals.518 Some people think that the ideal church has a gym, although few
gyms have chapels. Of course people are free to organize sports through the
congregation, but they should see all social activities as fruits of the Gospel and
not as Gospel. One evangelism expert ran all around the Michigan Synod, LCA,
telling pastors how to organize baseball teams in their congregations. Thats
how he built up his congregation, with baseball teams. He was no longer serving
a congregation or married to his wife, but he wanted to make a baseball game
640

into the Means of Grace. Even the most jaded ministers were shocked by his
devotion to gimmicks.
J-1032
"Infinite and unutterable is the majesty of the Word of God, and we can never
thank God enough for it. Human reason, however, thinks: Ah, if I could hear
the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, I would run to the end of the world!
Listen, brother, God, the Creator of heaven and earth, does speak with you
through His preachers; it is He who baptizes, instructs, and absolves you
through the ministry of His Sacraments. These words of God are not words of
Plato or Aristotle, but God Himself is speaking. And those preachers are the
most suitable who very simply and plainly, without any airs and subtlety, teach
the common people and youth, just as Christ taught the people with homespun
parables. And those are the best and most suitable hearers who listen to the
Word and do not doubt its teaching. They may be weak in faith; but as long as
they do not doubt the doctrine, it is possible to help them."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House 1959 III, p. 1118.
Fads can be successful in bringing in members for a period of time. In
the long run they leave behind large buildings devoted to social events and
suppers, an apathetic congregation indifferent to doctrine and tired of being
busy. Trying to turn an activity-oriented congregation into one which honors
the Word is very difficult. The fun and games members will leave in droves. In
contrast, a congregation devoted primarily to the Means of Grace will generate
enjoyable activities without the pressure of trying to get something from it. One
woman argued against having a voting booth in the congregation this way, We
have done that for several years and we did not get one member from it. So I
say lets stop. The voting booth was a convenience for the neighborhood, but
it seemed odd to me that one would expect people to say, While we are voting,
lets join that church. Similarly, members have been angry when people did not
join after they built a new building or after they installed pews for the first time.
Pastors, no less than anyone else, tend to think in terms of material
success. They would also like to see droves of people, a treasurer exasperated by
having too much money, respectful handshakes at the Kiwanis luncheon, and
hymns of praise from synodical officials. However, this pattern of thought must
be constantly countered with the reality of the cross always being attached to
the Word. We can easily give up the cross, as Willow Creek Community Church
has done, but we must also give up the Word of God with it and be ashamed of
the Gospel, as all the creek jumpers are. It does not take very long for a shift in
mentality to take place in a minister, to become a man-pleaser, to resent the
cross, to think only in terms of the unbelievers, to forsake the spiritual needs of
the congregation in favor of keeping a worldly peace. Doctrinal turmoil and
family crises can shake this Old Adam and Old Nick attitude loose, but family
641

and friends will often make that response burdensome by scorning the
difficulties involved in taking up the cross daily.
J-1033
"If only the preachers remain orthodox and the doctrine is preserved, God will
grant grace that among the multitude there will always be some who will accept
the Word; for where the Word is pure and unadulterated, it cannot be without
fruit."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1125. 1 Corinthians 15. Letter to
town council and congregation, Creuzburg, 1543.
Crisis: The Pastoral Shortage
Opponents of independent congregations used to say, Where will you
get pastors? Now they are saying, Where will we get pastors? The Missouri
Synod has projected a collapse of clergy vocations in the next 20 years, as much
as 77%.
J-1034
If the downward trend in the number of clergy continues as it did during the
1988-1997 period, the study suggests, there could be only 2,220 parish pastors
in the Synod (compared with the 5,187 reported for the end of 1998) by 2017.
LCMS News, January 24, 2000.
The Wisconsin Synod has closed down half of its seminary, graduating
60 seniors in 1987 and about 30 now.519 The shortage is already so noticeable in
WELS, they have more requests for assignments than they have graduates, both
among pastors and teachers. In the 1980s, when I was trolling for orthodox
books at Trinity Seminary (ELCA) in Columbus, a bookstore employee said the
school had turned into a ghost-town. ELCA has the advantage of ordaining
both sexes and the undecided as well.
What has caused this incredible shortage? It is pan-denominational and
beyond hope of an easy fix. I believe Martin Marty and Richard Jungkuntz,
starting their careers in the Synodical Conference and retiring in ELCA, both
identified the problem when they retired. Both made the observation that their
fathers were impoverished church workers when they were growing up. Each
man pointed out that his father was respected, both in the church and in the
community. Neither son admitted his role in tearing apart his denomination in
the name of promoting Unitarian doctrine. But we seldom get a cure from the
people who identify the disease. That requires a different doctor.
In the past, all denominations respected the Word of God to a great
degree. Yale University once taught the historical accuracy of Johns Gospel and
accepted Adam and Eve as individuals rather than symbols. The shift away
from the authority and inerrancy of the Bible was subtle, beginning in the early
1900s and accelerating after the Depression, when cost reductions centralized
642

denominational power and leveraged the mischief caused by key figures. The
efficacy of the Word did not fade away overnight. As many Lutherans know,
the Seminex crisis in the 1970s galvanized the Missouri Synod to such an extent
that conservative leaders could pack a huge church just by announcing a
meeting about the issues. Previously, the Wisconsin Synod and Evangelical
Lutheran Synod had many special meetings about the doctrinal issues going
back to the 1950s. During those decades, many held their heads about the pain
and suffering caused by the doctrinal conflict. They remind me of the pastors
who used to complain about how many packed the church for confirmation
day, how many suddenly showed up for Christmas and Easter services, and then
longed for the day to return when they saw banks of empty pews that once were
filled. The ennui is universal in the Lutheran Church now.
Christian News proposed some answers for the clergy shortage, all dead
wrong. Every solution was a Law remedy, including forcing the Missouri Synod
district presidents back into the parish. The clergy shortage has been caused by
a lack of respect for the Word and therefore a lack of respect for the people
who preach and teach the Word. One of the first signs of this lack of respect
was the greed of the synods in forcing the cost of seminary onto the students.
Seminary tuition was once free but now costs as much as graduate school. Many
have taken on crippling debt to become a pastor, but at some point people just
say, I cannot do this.
J-1035
"Just so it is also at present: Where true pastors and preachers are so poorly
supported that no one donates anything to them, and moreover what they have
is snatched out of their mouths by a shameless and unthankful world, by
princes, noblemen, townsmen and farmers, so that they with their poor wives
and children must suffer need, and when they die leave behind them pitiable,
rejected widows and orphans. By this very many good-hearted and very clever
people are more and more discouraged from becoming pastors and preachers."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 214. Seventh Sunday after Trinity Mark
8:1-9.
All the large congregations could easily adopt students and pay their
tuition, but they are, for the most part, too self-centered to care. I interned in a
congregation where the highly paid senior pastor took away the annual gift
given to seminary students, saying they did not need it. My home congregation
asked for a small gift back once, because I began working as an intern for the
princely sum of $300 a month. Shepherd of Peace gave $100 a year to prep
school students but decided that was too much and took that away. It was
roughly two weeks tuition at that time. That behavior would encourage children
to rush off to an expensive prep school and become a pastor! A WELS prep
school now costs over $5,000 per year. Bethany College (ELS) is $15,000 per
year. Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary charges around $6,000 per year. Previously,
643

someone who graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and received a call
was given a refund of all his tuition, a tidy nest egg for establishing a home. The
refund was canceled at the peak of seminary enrollment because it was
expensive.
J-1036
"Who would want to enter the ministry for the sake of money and assume the
trouble of bothering with people by comforting or rebuking and
excommunicating them? It is a very irksome office. I had rather learn a trade
than for the sake of money incur the disfavor that befalls a preacher. For he has
to be like an owl, which is picked on by all the other birds."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 951. Matthew 18:18.
The amount of money paid in salaries is not the key issue, since fulltime ministers can now earn a decent salary and benefits. The problem is a
general lack of respect for the Word being translated into contempt for pastors.
(Teachers also feel the brunt of this contempt and many refuse to become
parochial school principals, aggravating the pastoral shortage since pastors are
often moved into these positions.) The lack of respect is communicated in
many different ways, both on the synodical level and at the congregational level.
The synods have all signaled their rejection of the divine call by stepping into
congregations and meddling, deliberately causing problems and encouraging
destructive members to fire their pastors. The old Lutheran Church in America
protected pastors against this abuse at first but, just before merger, gave every
bishop the power to remove ministers without cause or compensation. This
meddling is especially corrupting, because genuine complaints against pastors
who are grossly negligent or sexual predators are turned aside by Lutheran
church officials if the pastor is their buddy. However, if the pastor has irked
these very sensitive church officials, any destructive member, who may be a
Pentecostal or an adulterer or an alcoholic, can become the officials channel
into the congregations life. I know a number of critics of the Church Growth
Movement who have been driven out of the ministry for good by synod
officials. They were faithful ministers who did their work, but the synodical
Pharisees could not tolerate their astute observations (which were far milder
than anything I have written).520
J-1037
"We have the comfort of this victory of Christthat He maintains His Church
against the wrath and power of the devil; but in the meantime we must endure
such stabs and cruel wounds from the devil as are necessarily painful to our
flesh and blood. The hardest part is that we must see and suffer all these things
from those who call themselves the people of God and the Christian Church.
We must learn to accept these things calmly, for neither Christ nor the saints
have fared better."
644

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 263.
Some clergy meddle in congregations where they do not have a call. It
even happens among independent congregations, where outsiders see a chance
to step in and harvest something for their feeble egos. Nevertheless, if someone
tries to interfere, he can get nowhere if he is identified and repudiated for his
attempts. When Pastor Gerry Abenth met secretly with members of my LCA
congregation and bragged about it in a letter, the council responded by rejecting
him as a supply preacher. They regarded his behavior as disgraceful. If this
attitude prevailed, there would be more ministers and less meddling by clergy.
J-1038
"Let the preacher of the Gospel be sure that he has a divine call. Moreover, it is
expedient for him to follow the example of Paul and highly praise and exalt his
calling before the people (e.g. 1 Corinthians 4:14) so that he may gain the
respect of those who hear him, just as a royal ambassador highly commends his
embassy. This is not vainglory but a necessary glorying, because he is glorying,
not in himself but in the King Who sent him, whose authority he desires to
have honored and held in holy respect. And when in the name of the King he
wants anything done by the subjects, he does not say: We pray you, but We
command; we want this done. But for his own son he says: We pray, etc.
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 925. W 40 I, 56f.
Remarkably, pastors who have retired from a congregation or accepted
another call often sin worse than synod officials in making themselves
important, injecting themselves into a situation where they do not belong. This
attitude also shows contempt for the divine call and the Means of Grace. It
accelerates the decline of the learned ministry. Many people who would like to
attend a congregation drop out when they become sickened by the nastiness
created from meddling pastors. Conversely, ugly conflict attracts the worst kind
of member and generates a false sense of unity based upon a common love of
creating conflict.521
J-1039
District presidents: "A bad situation exists when a pastor retires but stays in the
congregation where he served, and then continues to interfere in the ministry of
his successor... Some retired pastors do what they should notconduct
funerals, weddings, etc. without the permission of the pastor or the
congregation affected... Some retirees keep their nose in the business of their
last parish... Some retirees meddle in the parish and undercut... the pastor of the
congregation (where they last held membership)."
Kurt Brink, Overcoming Pastoral Pitfalls, Albuquerque: 1992, p. 125.
645

J-1040
"But one thing no retired pastor who loves the Lord and his brother pastors will
do IS INTERFERE IN THEIR MINISTRY! The retiree must 'let go'
altogether of any and all interference in the parish from which he retired; failing
or refusing to do this may result in resentment, disunity and bad feelings which
can seriously disrupt the progress of a congregation."
Kurt Brink, Overcoming Pastoral Pitfalls, Albuquerque: 1992, p. 126.
J-1041
"Here are examples, in some cases already alluded to by District Presidents:
1. Performing weddings, funerals and Baptism without first consulting his
successor or the pastor of the congregation;
2. Still striving to retain a leadership role in the congregation from which he
retired. RX: The retiree is essentially and actually a lay member and must
not serve in any pastoral role unless he is requested or directed so to do;
3. Giving counsel or advice to his successor, or the pastor where he is a
member in retirement. RX: If the latter wants or seeks counsel or help, let
him ask for it.
4. Giving comfort or support to malcontents who are not satisfied with the
present pastor. RX: Be courteous and advise the dissatisfied individuals that
you are not the pastor and that they need to bring their concerns to the
shepherd of the flock."
Kurt Brink, Overcoming Pastoral Pitfalls, Albuquerque: 1992, p. 126.
Lyle Schaller, a liberal Methodist, made some interesting observations
in his newsletter. One was that ministers never used to move. They accepted a
call and stayed in the same community for life. He also noticed (and this coming
from a non-doctrinal writer) that ministers who stay in the same congregation
for a long time also accomplish the most and have the strongest lay leadership.
Finally, he also observed that the decline in respect for the ministry can be
measured by the almost complete absence of ordination anniversaries.
Previously, congregations held big celebrations for important anniversaries of a
pastors ordination, banquets with invited guests and printed booklets. Now this
seldom happens at all. Doubtless many a minister and his family felt a lift from
having a special day showing gratitude for his work and his familys share in it.
Most ministers and parochial school teachers came from the families of church
workersin the past. Now there is a dramatic decrease in vocations among
children who grew up with a parent working for the church.
For those who prevail and remain ministers, this word from Luther is
especially encouraging:
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J-1042
"The preaching of this message may be likened to a stone thrown into the
water, producing ripples which circle outward from it, the waves rolling always
on and on, one driving the other, till they come to the shore. Although the
center becomes quiet, the waves do not rest, but move forward. So it is with the
preaching of the Word. It was begun by the apostles, and it constantly goes
forward, is pushed on farther and farther by the preachers, driven hither and
thither into the world, yet always being made known to those who never heard
it before, although it be arrested in the midst of its course and is condemned as
heresy."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 202. Ascension Day Mark 16:14-20.
Things To Do During the Collapse of The Lutheran Church
The question is no longer whether the established synods will collapse
but when people will finally acknowledge that the wonderful one-horse shay of
the Lutheran Church has fallen into pieces.
J-1043
Have you heard of the wonderful onehoss shay,
That was built in such a logical way
It ran a hundred years to the day
You see, of course, if youre not a dunce
How it went to pieces all at once,
All at once and nothing first,
Just as bubbles do when they burst,
End of the wonderful one-hoss shay,
Logic is logic. Thats all I say.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, (1809-1894), The Deacons Masterpiece, A Logical
Story, 1854.
The poem is a humorous description of how Puritanism collapsed in
New England all at once in spite of its reliance upon logic. The one-hoss shay
was built by the parson to last forever and just fell apart. In New England we
can see that the Calvinists soon became Unitarians. Almost at once Yale went
from teaching the inerrancy of the Bible to making fun of the Virgin Birth in a
student/faculty evening of entertainment, where Benjamin Bacon was put on
trial and accused of believing in the ancient doctrine.
The established synods are covered in flop-sweat from studying their
own statistics. Their worship attendance and regular offerings will plummet in
the next two decades, after many previous years of decline. The Tetzels have
never done better, holding the feeble hands of elderly widows as they sign
irrevocable gifts over to the synod, making their dupes think they are helping
647

their church (as in congregations) when they are dumping treasure on the
synod. The estate gifts will increase the arrogance of the synod officials and the
decline of the Lutheran Church, similar to giving a wastrel a lump sum of
money to improve his life and character.522 As noted before, the synods also
face a precipitous decline in ordinations at a time when all the professions are
recruiting the same people.523 Once, late entry into seminary was looked upon
with great skepticism and discouraged in every possible way. One bishop said,
Men who enter the ministry late also tend to leave quickly, because they cannot
abide the way they are treated. We do better with young men who have never
enjoyed the benefits and efficiency of the business world. Now the
conservative seminaries are filled with older men, who are no less able to serve
than younger men. However, the new seminary graduates have far fewer years
to serve in the ministry, even if they stay until retirement.
Roman doctrine has taken over the Lutheran synods to such an extent
that the pyramid of lapdogs all teach what his excellency, the Antichrist,
infallibly declares in Rome. Some of them are a little shy about Marian doctrine
and Purgatory, but they emphatically stand for the substance of papal error, as
listed below:
1.

Each time Lutheran leaders want to assault a Biblical doctrine, they

declare that it is suddenly a gray area of Scripture. The word gray is
stretched out, as in g r a y. As Chemnitz noted, this is the tactic
used by Rome when clobbered in public debates while using the
Scriptures to defend themselves. The Church of Rome originated the
historical critical method to dispose of the Word. Indefensible errors
are beyond the reach of the clear Word of God, because God has
hidden His will in many g r a y passages. Once the clarity
(perspicuity) of the Scriptures is jettisoned, all sound doctrine
vanishes.524

2. The ultimate authority is the visible church, not the Scriptures or the
writings of orthodox theologians. Lutherans hide behind the most
obnoxious attacks on the Christian faith by saying, The synod has
said, reminding me of the periodical in the Notre Dame library, The
Pope Speaks. In addition, no one can question false doctrine when the
synod has established it as true, whether it is justification without faith
(LCMS, WELS, ELS) or self-love (Church of the Lutheran Confession,
Concordia Lutheran Conference).
3.

648

Tradition is more important than the Word of God, and the pope
(synod president) decides what this ever-changing tradition is. The little
Antichrists will make ministers and laity pay for questioning their
infallible authority. Its fun to be the pope.

4.

Lutherans have pursued the cult of personality as assiduously as the

Church of Rome and the Reformed. Instead of extolling the ministry of
the Word, discerning the spirits, and judging according to Scriptures,
Lutheran leaders cover their foul deeds by assuming a cloak of
invulnerability. He is not a false teacher. He is a nice guy. That
response is no more Scriptural than saying, I will not discuss doctrine
with you, because you are a bad person. Watch the work of various
Lutheran synods and see how the public relations people glory in the
person holding the office rather than in the Means of Grace.

5.

Lutheran leaders believe in justification according to works. The entire

system has been based upon leaders posing as great church builders,
politicians, and man-pleasers, devoid of any firm theological
convictions ever since the 1930s. Just as the pope rises to his position
through a lifetime of deft political moves, so the Lutheran synods have
rewarded wily politicians for positioning themselves as pragmatic
saviors of the synod. Theologians are pets to be dragged to
conferences, not leaders of the synod.

6. Lutheran leaders agree with the Antichrist that no one is really forgiven.
Graciousness is gone from the Lutheran Church, especially among the
conservative poseurs. The lack of clergy candidates may be based upon
years of observing various synod leaders obstruct justice when their
pals are criminals, meanwhile crushing faithful men and destroying their
capacity to do any meaningful work while driving them from the
ministry and slandering them in the process.
7. The Church of Rome has its Opus Dei, a secret society dedicated to
accumulating power. Lutheran groups have their own secret groups as
well. The pan-Lutheran homosexual network is one. Some in ELCA
simply call it the Network. The Church Growth Janissaries are another
faction, eager to denounce their opponents while denying their true
allegiance. The unfeminine feminists are yet another network, working
with other activists to obtain their Beelzebub-given rights.
Drop Out of Synod Politics
Once we have a proper understanding of the one-hoss shay, pastors
can proceed in one of two directions. The first direction is to stay in the same
synod [except ELCA] and withdraw from all political efforts, memorials,
resolutions, and elections of synodical saviors. It bears repeating that Lutheran
pastors will not accomplish Gods work by using Satans methods. The moment
Lutherans think they can win by electing the right politician, they have defeated
themselves by trusting in men rather than the Word. That is why Christian News
has been a spectacular failure. Stop by the office of Pastor Herman Otten and
you will realize that it is the switchboard for all synodical political moves.
649

Certain appointed men leak the synods version of events to Otten, usually
asking that these leaks not be published. Marcus Nitz did this for WELS. Steve
Kurtzahn did the spin-doctoring for the Church of the Lutheran Confession.
Paul McCain is the back door for Al Barry in the LCMS. The ELS gets its
message across, helped by the connection with various Ottens attending
Bethany College. Fortunately for all of the designated leakers, Herman believes
the last person who talked to him. Therefore, the Lutheran switchboard is
constantly buzzing with stories, counter-claims, outraged covert answers,
denunciations, plots and strategies. The synods make their points through
Otten, and the political circles within those synods counter-thrust through
Christian News. It is such jolly fun because the conservatives constantly lose
ground while congratulating one another on their astute political moves.
If a car has foundered in the mud, and spinning the tires makes it even
more stuck, the driver will eventually stop revving the engine and find another
solution. Pastors who think they can switch synods [except for leaving ELCA]
for a more conservative one are in a dream world, because all the synods are
part of the same pyramid of lapdogs. Leaving a synod means giving up friends
and adopting a new set of enemies. Bloodlines cross synodical boundaries, so
knowing a Tiefel in the CLC is no improvement over meeting one in the
WELS. Someone from another synod is never accepted and can never object to
anything, because he is not one of ours. The Missouri Synod can absorb
ELCA pastors who have seen the light, but the smaller synods are horribly
inbred, suspicious, and jealous. As Jake Preus, former governor of Minnesota
and founder of Lutheran Brotherhood, warned his sons Jack and Robert, the
Evangelical Lutheran Synod was too small and petty for men with ability. Jack
and Robert were often panned for leaving the ELS for the LCMS, but it can
also be said that the ELS made sure the Preus brothers were not welcome,
especially since they came over from the much larger Evangelical Lutheran
Church. Worst of all, both men had doctorates in a synod (the ELS) where no
one else did. Once Ylvisaker and the Preus brothers were gone, the ELS had no
intellectual leadership.
Since changing synods is not a worthwhile option, it is good to redesign
ones life according to faith in the efficacy of the Word. The pastors primary
concern is the spiritual welfare of his congregation. He can simply spend all his
time working on the sermon, the classes he teaches, and visitation. When he
teaches the pure Word of God without compromise, people will be drawn to
the congregation and others will be outraged. The Word will accomplish Gods
will, whether it means staying in the congregation as it grows stronger or leaving
under a hail of abuse and beginning an independent congregation. Conflict will
draw the pastor closer to the Word. Historical antecedents will become
especially interesting to study. The Book of Concord and Bentes Historical
Introductions are not at all boring when they are lifelines to doctrinal sanity and
clarity. Every time Robert Mueller, Wally Oelhaven, or Floyd Stolzenburg
promoted Reformed doctrine, I went back to my office and studied the classic
works of the Lutheran Church.
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Proclaiming the Efficacious Word

The typical minister has many different opportunities for broadcasting
the Word of God and seeing a harvest:
1. The parish newsletter can be a source of spiritual wisdom and doctrinal
teaching rather than a whip to admonish people to greater levels of activity
and giving.
2. Sermons can be printed and recorded on audio and video tape.
3. The worship bulletin, as noted previously, provides as many as 64 places to
discuss the Scriptures and quote great Lutheran theologians.
4. Many cable television stations must give access to local groups, including
churches. At tiny Bethany in New Ulm, we provided weekly doctrinal talks
on local cable television for about a year. It is quite a challenge, but worth
the effort.
5. Many congregations now have web pages, so their space can be used to
broadcast essays, sermons, and links all over the world. Many of us contact
each other only through email and the Internet. Using the website wizard,
Microsoft Publisher will create a website with art in a few minutes. The
Publisher file converts itself to HTML files. The HTML files can then be
loaded on many different free sites, including ones with no ads.
6. A congregation can reprint a classic no longer circulating, but needed by
Lutherans. The cost is difficult for one person to bear but relatively easy for
a congregation. Sales will make the effort pay for itself or at least reduce any
financial loss.
7. The act of supporting newly published classic Lutheran books by buying
them will help keep them in print.
8. The congregations owe their children more than passing them through the
grades and confirming them in a perfunctory fashion. Every child should
reach maturity with a knowledge of the Book of Concord and a love for the
Christ-centered hymns of the Lutheran Church.
Words of Comfort
J-1044
"The church depends upon the faithful use of this Word both for gathering
people into its fold, and for edifying them in the Gospel of Christ. Other means
651

for the accomplishing of these purposes may seem more popular. But nothing
can take the place of the Bible, inasmuch as it alone presents the Lord Jesus and
is empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is the only effective instrument in reaching
and regenerating human souls."
A. A. Zinck, D.D. What a Church Member Should Know, Philadelphia:
United Lutheran Pubication House, 1937, p. 20.525
J-1045
"In order to keep your faith pure, do nothing else than stand still, enjoy its
blessings, accept Christ's works, and let him bestow His love upon you. You
must be blind, lame, deaf, dead, leprous and poor, otherwise you will stumble at
Christ. That Gospel which suffers Christ to be seen and to be doing good only
among the needy, will not belie you."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 110.
J-1046
"But all this is portrayed here in order that we might learn that with God
nothing is impossible, whether it be misfortune, calamity, anger, or whatever it
may be, and that He sometimes allows misfortune to come upon the good as
well as upon the wicked."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 143.
J-1047
"On the other hand, we are outwardly oppressed with the cross and sufferings,
and with the persecution and torments of the world and the devil, as with the
weight of heavy stone upon us, subduing our old sinful nature and checking us
against antagonizing the Spirit and committing other sins."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 145.
J-1048
"Yet this is also true, that Christ often delays the bestowal of His help, as He
did on this occasion, and on another, John 21, when He permitted the disciples
to toil all the night without taking anything, and really appeared as if He would
forget His own Word and promise."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 154. Luke 5:1-11; John 21.
J-1049
"For if I perish, no great harm is done; but if I let Gods Word perish, and I
remain silent, then I do harm to God and to the whole world."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 176.
652

J-1050
"Therefore God must lead us to a recognition of the fact that it is He who puts
faith in our heart and that we cannot produce it ourselves. Thus the fear of God
and trust in Him must not be separated from one another, for we need them
both, in order that we may not become presumptuous and overconfident,
depending upon ourselves. This is one of the reasons why God leads His saints
through such great trials."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 21.
Spiritual Onslaughts
J-1051
"Again, with truly pious hearts, which in many respects are timid and tender, his
[Satan's] practice is just the opposite. He tortures them with everything terrible
that can be imagined, martyring and piercing them as with fiery darts, until they
may find no good thing nor comfort before God. His object in both cases is to
ruin souls by means of his lies and to lead them to eternal death."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John N. Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 302. Pentecost Sunday John 14:23-31.
J-1052
"Thus you see, that God can deal with His saints in a way to deprive them of
happiness and comfort whenever He pleases, and cast them into the greatest
fear concerning that in which they have their greatest joy. So, likewise, He can
again confer the greatest joy."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 36.
J-1053
"That temptation occurs before Gods Word is heard; this after we hear the
Word, namely thus: when we know that God has promised help in the time of
any trouble, but are not content with it, go forward and will not abide His
promise, but prescribe time, place, and manner for His help; and then if He
does not come as we expect and desire, faith vanishes."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 366.
J-1054
"For the devil will not allow a Christian to have peace; therefore Christ must
bestow it in a manner different from that in which the world has and gives, in
that he quiets the heart and removes from within fear and terror, although
without there remain contention and misfortune."
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Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 380
J-1055
"Therefore, such a trial of the saints is as necessary or even more necessary than
food and drink, in order that they may remain in fear and humility, and learn to
adhere alone to the grace of God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 40.
J-1056
"For if they [great saints] should at all times be strong in spirit, and experience
only joy and sweetness, they might finally fall into the fatal pride of the devil,
which despises God and trusts in self."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 40.
J-1057
"Secondly, God permits His saints to suffer these trials as an example for
others, both to alarm the carnally secure and to comfort the timid and alarmed...
But when we see and hear that God has in like manner dealt with His saints and
did not spare even His own mother, we have the knowledge and comfort that
we need not despair in our trials, but remain quiet and wait until He helps us,
even as He has helped all His saints."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 40f.
J-1058
"Nor does He send such trial upon you in order to cast you off, but that you
may the better learn to know and the more closely cling to His Word, to punish
your lack of understanding and that you may experience how earnestly and
faithfully He cares for you."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 44.
J-1059
Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
"We should take to heart and firmly hold fast to these words and keep them in
mind when in sorrow and distress, that it will not last long, then we would also
have more constant joy, for as Christ and His elect had their 'a little while,' so
you and I and everyone will have his 'a little while.' Pilate and Herod will not
crucify you, but in the same manner as the devil used them so he will also use
your persecutors. Therefore when your trials come, you must not immediately
think how you are to be delivered out of them. God will help you in due time.
Only wait. It is only for a little while, He will not delay long."
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Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 77. John 16:16-23.
J-1060
"Not only is Christ hidden from the world, but a still harder thing is it that in
such trials Christ conceals himself even from His church, and acts as if He had
forgotten, aye, had entirely forsaken and rejected it, since He permits it to be
oppressed under the cross and subjected to all the cruelty of the world, while its
enemies boast, glory and rejoice over it, as we shall hear in the next Gospel."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 67.
J-1061
"This is spoken to all Christians, for every Christian must have temptations,
trials, anxieties, adversities, sorrows, come what may. Therefore He mentions
here no sorrow nor trial, He simply says they shall weep, lament, and be
sorrowful, for the Christian has many persecutions. Some are suffering loss of
goods; others there are whose character is suffering ignominy and scorn; some
are drowned, others are burned; some are beheaded; one perishes in this
manner, and another in that; it is therefore the lot of the Christian constantly to
suffer misfortune, persecution, trials and adversity. This is the rod or fox tail
with which they are punished. They dare not look for anything better as long as
they are here. This is the court color by which the Christian is recognized, and if
anyone wants to be a Christian, he dare not be ashamed of his court color or
livery."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 79.
J-1062
"Christians are in far greater anxiety, worry, and tribulation than worldly people.
Yet, in spite of all this, the Christian is far happier than worldly men. If God
were to come this night and demand his soul from him, he would say, 'Praise
God! My race is run; soon I shall be with my Savior.'"
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 55.
J-1063
"Here in this Gospel we see how the Lord comforts and imparts courage to His
children whom He is about to leave behind Him, when they would come in fear
and distress on account of His death or of their backsliding. We also notice
what induced the evangelist John to use so many words that he indeed repeats
one expression four times, which according to our thinking he might have
expressed in fewer words."
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Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 73f. Third Sunday after Easter John
16:16-23.
J-1064
"Therefore we must also feel within us this 'a little while' as the dear disciples
felt it, for this is written for our example and instruction, so that we may
thereby be comforted and be made better. And we should use this as a familiar
adage among ourselves; yes, we should feel and experience it, so that we might
at all times say, God is at times near and at times He has vanished out of sight.
At times I remember how the Word seems neither to move me nor to apply to
me. It passes by; I give no heed to it. But to this 'a little while' we must give
heed and pay attention, so that we may remain strong and steadfast. We will
experience the same as the disciples."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 75f. Third Sunday after Easter John
16:16-23.
J-1065
"And although we do at times depart from the Word, we should not therefore
remain altogether away from it, but return again, for He makes good His Word.
Even though man cannot believe it, God will nevertheless help him to believe
it, and this He does without man's reason or free will and without man adding
anything thereto."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 76. Third Sunday after Easter John
16:16-23.
J-1066
"Why does God do this and permit His own to be persecuted and hounded? In
order to suppress and subdue the free will, so that it may not seek an expedient
in their works; but rather become a fool in God's works and learn thereby to
trust and depend upon God alone."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 79f. Third Sunday after Easter John
16:16-23.
J-1067
"The worst of all is, that we must not only suffer shame, persecution and death;
but that the world rejoices because of our great loss and misfortunes. This is
indeed very hard and bitter. Sure it shall thus come to pass, for the world will
rejoice when it goes ill with us; but this comfort we have that their joy shall not
last long, and our sorrow shall be turned into eternal joy."
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Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand

Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 80. Third Sunday after Easter John
16:16-23.
The Woman in Travail
J-1068
"The woman is here in such a state of mind that she is fearful of great danger,
and yet she knows that the whole work lies in the hands of God; in Him she
trusts; upon Him it is she depends; He also helps her and accomplishes the
work, which the whole world could not do, and she thinks of nothing but the
time that shall follow, when she shall again rejoice; and her heart feels and says,
A dangerous hour is at hand, but afterwards it will be well. Courage and the
heart press through all obstacles. Thus it will also be with you, when you are in
sorrow and adversity, and when you become new creatures. Only quietly wait
and permit God to work. He will accomplish everything without your
assistance."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 81.
J-1069
This parable of the woman is a strong and stubborn argument against free will,
that it is entirely powerless and without strength in the things pertaining to the
salvation of our souls. The Gospel shows very plainly that divine strength and
grace are needed. Man's free will is entirely too weak and insignificant to
accomplish anything here. But we have established our own orders and
regulations instead of the Gospel and through these we want to free ourselves
from sin, from death, from hell, and from all misfortune and finally be saved
thereby. A great mistake."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 81.
J-1070
..."but wait thou patiently and permit God to do with you according to His will.
He shall accomplish it; permit Him to work. We shall accomplish nothing
ourselves, but at times we shall feel death and hell. This the ungodly shall also
feel, but they do not believe that God is present in it and wants to help them.
Just as the woman here accomplishes nothing, she only feels pain, distress and
misery; but she cannot help herself out of this state."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 82.
J-1071
"Such people, however, do not understand divine things, they think they will
suddenly enter death with Christ, whom they have never learned to know
657

except in words. Thus was Peter also disposed, but he stood before Christ like a
rabbit before one beating a drum. Notice, how the old Adam lacks courage
when under the cross! The new man, however, can indeed persevere through
grace."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 85.
J-1072
"In suffering pious persons have no aim of their own, but if it be God's will
they bear good fruit like the tree planted by streams of water; and that is
pleasing to God, and besides all presumption is condemned, all show and every
excuse however good they may be. But he who battles heroically will receive for
his suffering here joy, the eternal in place of the temporal. Of this Christ says:
'Your joy will be turned into sorrow.'"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 86.
J-1073
"Thus too, if our confidence is to begin, and we become strengthened and
comforted, we must well learn the voice of our Shepherd, and let all other
voices go, who only lead us astray, and chase and drive us hither and thither. We
must hear and grasp only that article which presents Christ to us in the most
friendly and comforting manner possible. So that we can say with all
confidence: My Lord Jesus Christ is truly the only Shepherd, and I, alas, the lost
sheep, which has strayed into the wilderness, and I am anxious and fearful, and
would gladly be good, and have a gracious God and peace of conscience, but
here I am told that He is as anxious for me as I am for Him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 86.
J-1074
"Now it is the consolation of Christians, and especially of preachers, to be sure
and ponder well that when they present and preach Christ, that they must suffer
persecution, and nothing can prevent it; and that it is a very good sign of the
preaching being truly Christian, when they are thus persecuted, especially by the
great, the saintly, the learned and the wise."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 97.
J-1075
"Christ's kingdom grows through tribulations and declines in times of peace,
ease and luxury, as St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 'My power is made perfect
in weakness, etc.' To this end help us God! Amen."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 99.
658

J-1076
"One Christian who has been tried is worth a hundred who have not been tried
for the blessing of God grows in trials. He who has experienced them can teach,
comfort, and advise many in bodily and spiritual matters."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1381. Genesis 27:28-29.
Bear the Cross
J-1077
"The ultimate purpose of afflictions is the mortification of the flesh, the
expulsion of sins, and the checking of that original evil which is embedded in
our nature. And the more you are cleansed, the more you are blessed in the
future life. For without a doubt glory will follow upon the calamities and
vexations which we endure in this life. But the prime purpose of all these
afflictions is the purification, which is extremely necessary and useful, lest we
snore and become torpid and lazy because of the lethargy of our flesh. For
when we enjoy peace and rest, we do not pray, we do not meditate on the Word
but deal coldly with the Scriptures and everything that pertains to God or finally
lapse into a shameful and ruinous security."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 18. Genesis 45:3.
J-1078
"If we would be Christians, therefore, we must surely expect and reckon upon
having the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies, who will bring
every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where the Word of God is
preached, accepted, or believed, and produces fruit, there the holy cross cannot
be wanting. And let no one think that he shall have peace; but he must risk
whatever he has upon earthpossessions, honor, house and estate, wife and
children, body and life. Now, this hurts our flesh and the old Adam; for the test
is to be steadfast and to suffer with patience in whatever way we are assailed,
and to let go whatever is taken from us."
Large Catechism, The Lord's Prayer, Third Petition, #65, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 715f. Tappert, p. 429.
Heiser, p. 201.
J-1079
"When the Gospel begins to assert its influence, everybody wants to become a
Christian. All seems well, and everybody is pleased. But when a wind or
rainstorm of temptation comes on, people fall away in droves Then sectaries
arrive, as worms and bugs, gnawing and polluting the fruits of the Gospel, and
so much false doctrine arises that few stay with the Gospel."
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What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 37. John 4:46-54.
J-1080
Bear the cross, bear the cross.
Zion, till thy latest breath
Bear the cross of scorn and jeering
And be faithful unto death;
See the crown of life appearing,
Zion count all other things as loss.
Bear the cross, bear the cross!
Johann E. Schmidt, Zion Rise, Zion, Rise, The Lutheran Hymnal,
#479, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.
J-1081
"Christendom must have men who are able to floor their adversaries and take
armor and equipment from the devil, putting him to shame. But this calls for
strong warriors who have complete control of Scripture, can refute a false
interpretation, know how to wrest the sword they wield, that is, their Bible
passages, from the hands of the adversaries and beat them back with them."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 419. Ephesians 6:10-17.
Who Builds the Church?
J-1082
"We hold to that Defender of our church who says in Mt. 16:18: I shall build
My church, not upon length of time, nor upon the great number of people, nor
upon 'so it must be,' nor upon the grace or word of the saints, nor, finally, upon
John the Baptist or Elijah, Isaiah, or any of the prophets, but upon this sole and
solid Rock, Christ, the Son of God."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 863. Matthew 16:18.
J-1083
"Now it is evident that fruits do not bear the tree, not does the tree grow on the
fruit, but the reversetrees bear fruits, and fruits grow on trees. As there must
be trees before there can be fruits, and as the fruits do not make the tree either
good or corrupt, but the tree produces the fruits, even so man must first be
either good or corrupt before he does good or corrupt works. His works do not
make him either good or corrupt, but he does either good or corrupt works."
Martin Luther, St. L. XIX, 1003f.
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 306. Matthew 7:18.
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Martin Luther, House Postil

J-1084
"No one is so foolish as to go into a field full of thorns and thistles and look for
grapes and figs. Such fruits we seek on a different plant, which is not so full of
barbs and prickles. The same thing happens in our gardens. Seeing a tree full of
apples or pears, everybody exclaims: Ah, what a fine tree that is! Again, where
there is no fruit on a tree or the fruit is worm-eaten, cracked, and misshapen,
everybody says the tree is worthless, fit to be cut down and cast into the fire, so
that a better tree may be planted in its place. These tests, the Lord says, you
must apply to the false prophets, and you will not make a mistake, no matter
how good their appearance may be. If a wolf had put on twenty sheepskins, still
you must know him to be a wolf and not be deceived by him."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans. W.
H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1897, p. 412.
When Will We Hear These Words Again?
In all the years I served as a pastor within a synod, I never heard the
closing words of Walthers Law and Gospela fitting climax for this work
where Luther is quoted verbatim. Like most pastors, I heard plenty of Law from
church officials and certain members, although most of it was not Gods Law
but mans opinion. I have seen many men battered down to the point where
they would never serve another congregation, even on a part-time basis.
Pastors families have been abused as well. Many of the characters named in this
book are directly responsible for this shameful outcome. The same Church
Growth leaders names keep coming up in conversations about men pushed out
of the ministry for the flimsiest excuse. One mission board urged one
congregation to get rid of their pastor because the parish was not growing fast
enough for them. They refused, so the mission board threatened to cut off their
support. Certain district presidents and their toadies also figure prominently in
the expulsion of good pastors from the ministry. These church leaders have
enjoyed their triumphal march through the Lutheran Church, carrying the spoils
of their victories: the wealth of the nation from estate gifts the Lutheran
theologians captive in chains. Their raucous celebration in this life will be
followed by an eternity of Gods justice.
I would like to leave Lutheran pastors and laity with this thought, that
they still have what the false teachers can never take awaythe Word of God.
No weapon fashioned by man can defeat the work of the Holy Spirit. No
matter how weak and flawed we may be, Gods Word remains powerful,
effective, active, and filled with eternal-life-giving energy. We should not and
cannot judge how successful we are, since God alone is glorified in the ministry
of the Word. Who would have guessed that a widowed housemother at a tiny
college was raising four sons who would be pastors, three serving as professors
at three different Lutheran seminaries, two of them respected authors to this
661

day, one of them a seminary president? Mrs. Pieper lived in the humblest
circumstances and probably never imagined she would be mentioned in various
books as an example of how God works. Martin Luther expressed this faithfully
in his thoughts on Matthew 7, where Jesus compared sound doctrine to false
doctrine.
Martin Luthers Gospel Admonition
St. Louis edition, XIII, pp. 800ff.
J-1085
"Now, the Lord in this passage speaks, in particular, of preachers or prophets,
whose real and proper fruit is nothing else than 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 that 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 one is deceived or duped. 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."
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.
[emphasis in original]

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Notes
497Father

Leonard Feeney was banned and excommunicated by Pope Pius XII.

As I recall, he pumped gas for a period of time until sufficiently humbled. Then
he was taken back into the Church of Rome. The Wisconsin Synod does this
routinely, dissolving a congregation and letting a pastor sell aluminum siding or
frozen food for two years, then reluctantly letting the dissenter back in. Also,
certain calls are reserved for punishment, so receiving a call to a certain parish is
a sign of synodical condemnation.

498The

purpose driven church is another smokescreen for the Church Growth

Movement. Their bible is The Purpose Driven Church, Growth without Compromising
Your Message and Mission, by Rick Warren, D.Min. (Fuller Seminary), Saddleback
Community Church. Zondervan sells it as a Church Growth book, and indeed,
Saddleback has always been known as a Church Growth beehive. Dont tell
anyone, but it is a Southern Baptist congregation. WELS is now promoting the
purpose driven church. As I recall, the Church Growth Movement was also
doctrinally neutral and safe for Lutherans to consume.
499"Who

are you, after all, to search out these things? Do your duty and leave
the result to God." What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 928.

500The

Microsoft certification (MCSE) now consists of a series of tests based

upon their new Windows 2000 operating system. Most people could complete
this in a year and earn about $40,000. Cisco certification for the CCNA consists
of four one-semester classes, or it may be done in a crash course. Cisco training
involves routers and the Internet, so it is more of a hardware certification
program while Microsoft is oriented toward software. Cisco CCNAs can also
make $40,000. Dual certification with a college degree means much more
income. A programmer can make $50,000 but he will probably start out lower.
His salary will depend on his skills and the company where he works. Computer
science can be done out of the home and be independent. There are many other
fields of computer science with great shortages, such as Unix administration, or
web site design, for the artistic.

501My

family always supported me, and my wife Chris has been willing to endure
the difficulties imposed by synodical thugs. Those who have become
independent find it is much easier than they imagined and they do not wish to
go back.

502I

do not regret any of the time spent talking to people. Many people have
encouraged me at various times, and I only hope to repay the investment in
some way.
663

503Erling

Teiger had a fit about the truth of this statement, based upon Jay
Webbers report and information from other sources. The ELS was on board to
produce a joint hymnal with WELS, but they bowed out when WELS allowed
only two of the 200 hymns they wanted. Pastor Gaylin Schmeling often
expressed his disgust over the hymnal, especially the pagan feminist Nicene
Creed. When he got closer to the position of president of Bethany Seminary, his
attitude changed miraculously. It was just like the series of Paris newspapers
stories about Napoleons escape from Elba. The first one was, Monster
Escapes from Elba! The last headline, just before Napoleon entered Paris,
declared Our Glorious Emperor Returns!

504The

New King James Version can also be used, but it tends to agree with the
horrid NIV in some places.

505I

have produced Lutheran bulletin quotations and emailed them to people for
about four years. They are also posted on my publications website.

506I

have heard false doctrine defended many times with the excuse that The
Lutheran Hymnal has hymns from non-Lutherans, omitting the more important
details of hymns were selected or altered based upon agreement with sound
doctrine. The Lutheran Hymnal is not perfect in this regard, but it is hardly a
showcase for the promotion of false doctrine, as opposed to the evangelism
efforts of Missouri and Wisconsin.
507Doubtless

the two Crosby hymns were included in Christian Worship to signal

approval of the use of all the Baptist-Pentecostal songs in non-liturgical services
devoid of a hymnal, especially the notorious Seeker Service. Hymnal
supplements are very popular in Church Growth congregations. They are a
superb way to train people to leave Lutheran doctrine and worship. Lex orandi,
lex credendi. We believe and worship the same way.

508Compare

Christian Worship hymn verses to The Lutheran Hymnal. Note how the
doctrinal war verses are omitted, yet there is room for the sappy and dumb
hymns written by worship commission members and their pals. We Are All
One in Mission, #566, encourages those who write doggerel that they too may
publish a hymn one day.

509Once

to every man and nation comes the moment to decide. That was a
favorite hymn to use from the LCA/ALC Service Book and Hymnal when a
seminarian gave his sermon on church vocations. Compare the pompous and
idiotic words of that hymn to Thy Strong Word, sung to the same tune.

510W.

G. Pollack, The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia

Publishing House, 1975, p. 137. My copy was discarded from Martin Luther
College, WELS. The Handbook is invaluable.

664

511The

Fabian socialists, including G. B. Shaw, believed in the slow introduction

of their philosophy to England, calling themselves Fabians after Fabius
Africanus, who invaded Rome slowly and effectively.

512CLC

Pastor Dale Redlin used the hymn during a sermon, but bought
Reformed booklets to distribute at a womens meeting at his church. He also
entered the Shrove Tuesday pancake wars by meeting secretly with a member of
Faith in Nicollet and communicating his grave concerns to the conference
visitor, without bothering to mention any of this to the called pastor of Faith,
Nicollet. It is not enough to sing the hymn. One must also believe it and
practice it.

513Lutheran

Worship has only six verses of this immortal hymn, but spreads the
inane Earth and All Stars over two pages. The words speak for themselves:
loud rustling dry leaves, loud rushing planets, loud praying members.

514Spriggs

was removed from the ministry. He was a featured writer in the

Mission Counselors Newsletter, which featured the favored writers of the
Wisconsin Synod. One issue is amusing: authors areJames Woodworth,
Disciples of Christ; "Net Results," March, 1991; Roger K. Guy, Disciples of
Christ; Arnell P. C. Arn, American Baptist Church; Jane Easter Bahls,
Presbyterian; C. Jeff Woods, freelance writer and minister; Lyle Schaller, United
Methodist; Pastor Paul Kelm, WELS; Pastor Jim Mumm, WELS; Pastor Peter
Panitzke, WELS; Pastor Randall Cutter and Mark Freier, WELS; First
Congregational Church, Winchester, MA." Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS
Mission Counselors' NEWSLETTER, April, '92, 2929 Mayfair Road Milwaukee,
WI 53222. Cutter and Freier both left the Lutheran Church, abandoning their
empty mission in Florida with a huge debt on the building.

515Some

WELS exits include Pastors: Rick Miller, Kelly Voigt, Robert Rhyne,
Robert Timmermann, Jon Bendewald, some teachers, and the Taiwanese
mission group.

516The

Roman three year lectionary introduced by ELCA and adopted by the

LCMS, WELS, and others, promotes the sale of ELCA sermon helper books
based on those texts. One WELS pastor said, Your sermons are not in sync
with my texts. I wrote back, Go back to the historic pericopes.

517I

know they are not Lutheran, but their devotion to the text keeps them in
bounds. Commentaries tend to editorialize a lot.

518If

you think I am exaggerating, read One Foot in Heaven, a book turned movie
about a Methodist minister. On the appointed day in which the Masonic Lodge
came to church in all their finery, he stunned the crowd by taking off his
665

Geneva gown during the sermon to reveal his Masonic costume! Actually,
this would be a fine tradition for Holy Cross Lutheran in Madison, Wisconsin;
St. Paul and Emmanuel in Columbus, Ohio.
519One

WELS Internet site (California Arizona District) says that Mequon will
graduate 34 seniors with more than 50 requests for assignments. Around 37
men will graduate from New Ulm, with more than 50 requests. About 46
women will graduate from New Ulm, with 65 requests. Lawrence Otto Olsons
Staff Ministry program will produce 3 male and 1 female minister. Olson needs
help for his heavy load of teaching, so James Pope has been hired to help in
Staff Ministry. If Mequon had the same student/professor ratio, the seminary
would have 17 professors!

520I

thought all of these men were far too mild in their attitude toward their
synod, so they were not hellfire critics by any means. Once they were persistent
in their questions, their doom was sealed.

521One

woman observed, I am glad that women are not allowed to vote in the
CLC. The men have to take the blame for their terrible conduct. They are worse
than old ladies. Several laymen in the Church of the Lutheran Confession,
including Dr. David Menton, told me they avoid the synod conventions because
of the ugly behavior of the participants. One prospective pastor, who was
already preaching in the CLC, observed one CLC gathering and said, I will
never join that group.

522"For

whom the devil cannot overcome with poverty, want, need and misery,
he attacks with riches, favor, honor, pleasure, power and the like, and contends
on both sides against us; yea, he 'walketh about,' says St. Peter in 1 Pt. 5:8..."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House, 1983, II, p. 145. Money is a notoriously weak god. It cannot cure
disease, must be protected, and does not answer prayers, as Luther has said.

523The

shortages tell the church officials that they need to recruit (!) more
pastors and teachers, after driving the parents of the most likely recruits out of
church vocations. The synod leaders do not seem to realize that all businesses
want the same young people to fill their positions, and they also recruit.

524The

so-called Church of the Lutheran Confession also acknowledged that the

Scriptures do not deal with their new pet doctrine, self-love, effectively letting
anyone teach anything. The authors of the Formula of Concord wrote
eloquently about self-love in their treatment of Original Sin. The Church of the
Lutheran Confession never relies on the Lutheran Confessions.

666

525This

is a good illustration of the universal teaching of the efficacy of the

Word years ago. The ULCA merged to form the LCA in 1962, and the LCA
and ALC merged with the Seminex group to form ELCA in 1987.

667