Why I am a Lutheran

Luther & Confessions

• Accused of elevating Luther and Confessions above, or at least equal to Scripture

• No: We accept Confessions as correct understanding of what Scripture says

• If can show any part of Confessions not rooted deeply in the truth of Scripture—gladly recant

• But, in nearly 500 years, hasn’t happened yet

Christendom

• Bible: Divided into two main approaches to God

• I must do for God– I choose God– I do for God– I give God my heart

• God does for me– God chooses me– God gives me faith– God takes my sin away

God for Us: Who Said This?• Salvation is the work of God. It is He alone who quickens the soul

"dead in trespasses and sins," and it is He also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life.

• If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful; if I have graces, they are God's gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because He upholds me with His hand. I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation

• Whatever I have, all my goodness is of the Lord alone. Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely.

• Do I live before men a consecrated life? It is not I, but Christ who liveth in me. Am I sanctified? I did not cleanse myself: God's Holy Spirit sanctifies me.

• Do I feed on the Word? That Word would be no food for me unless the Lord made it food for my soul, and helped me to feed upon it.

• Do I live on the manna which comes down from heaven? What is that manna but Jesus Christ himself incarnate, whose body and whose blood I eat and drink?

Charles Spurgeon – A Baptist!

Change? What’s Change?

• Lutherans: frozen in understanding of Scripture

• God’s nature doesn’t change• His Word—‘Jesus the Christ’—has same plain

meaning now as when Holy Spirit authored it• Truth is an unchanging absolute• Translate Bible for plain, intended meaning– Scripture to interpret Scripture– Declarative to understand symbolic– Everything centers on Christ, and Him crucified

Sola Scriptura• Some say:– “gender inclusive” language for Holy Trinity

—“Mother, Child & Womb” or “Rock, Redeemer & Friend” or “The Lover, The Beloved & The Love”

– “As we are all aware, the Bible contains many errors that need to be corrected”

• Lutherans say:– Insulting to not use someone’s self-given name– God’s Name is who He is– God’s Word, as a whole and in all its parts, is the

inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God

Sola Scriptura

• II Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness

• II Peter 1:20-21: …no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

• I Corinthians 2:13: And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Sola Gracia

• Pope Paul: “Indulgences are applied to a sinner’s account as if they are the meritorious good works of Mary and other saints...to satisfy the justice of God concerning the temporal punishment of the sinner’s transgressions.

• Arminianism: Man has free will to respond or resist God’s invitation to believe. God does His part, now it’s up to you to do your part.

Who Chooses?

• Salvation is by God’s grace alone• Romans 5:10—For if while we were enemies we

were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life

• Romans 9:16— So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy

• Romans 11:35-36a—Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

Presence of God in Saving

• Lutheran viewpoint ‘Incarnational‘–God's purpose done through earthly

things, such as a Jewish nation, or even a person: Jesus

• and ‘Sacramental‘–God's saving work, as promised, borne

through earthly things, such as Jesus Himself, and what He said would bear His presence: water, wine & bread

Grace Delivered• “Means of Grace” Tangible ways to deliver grace and

assure sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake • God’s Word breathes His life into us (II Timothy 3:16a—

All Scripture is breathed out by God)• Holy Baptism is adoption by the Father and ties to

rebirth and renewal in Jesus (Titus 3; Acts 2:36-39, 22:12-16; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:9-12; I Peter 3:18-22—“Baptism now saves”)

• Lord’s Supper is our closest communion with Christ as we receive His body and blood (Matthew 26:26-28—“This is My body…this is My blood…forgiveness of sins”; Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:17-29)

What’s Communion?

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a partaking of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a partaking of the body of Christ? Because we, the many, are one bread, one body, for we all partake of the One Bread.I Corinthians 10:16-17 LITV

Lord’s Supper• Power in promise & fulfillment of Christ's presence• God acts through symbols that He has a real presence in– Burning bush (Exodus 3:1-8)– Pillar of fire at night & cloud during day (Exodus 13:18)– Column of smoke, tent of meeting (Exodus 40:34-38)– Prophets acting as Gods visible presence (Hosea 3:1-5)– Jesus birth and Name “God with us” (Matthew 1:18-23)– Jesus with us gathered in His Name (Matthew 18:23)– Real presence of Jesus in, with and under the bread and

wine in the Lords Supper (I Corinthians 11:29; Matthew 26:26-29)

What do I get in Communion?

• If judge by senses or reason—just bread and wine• Some say, physically changed into blood, body• Bible says:– Cup we bless, bread we break—so real bread & wine– Also, “partaking” body & blood of Christ– So: BOTH bread & wine, body & blood– How: Same supernatural presence as when two or

three are gathered in Jesus’ Name—He is really there!

Sola Fide

• Romans 3:22: Everyone who believes has God’s approval through faith in Jesus Christ

• Romans 3:28: For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law

• Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast

Sola Fide

• “through faith alone” permeates everything we Lutherans believe and teach

• Sole object of saving faith is Jesus Christ and His resurrection

• Only by Holy Spirit can say, “I believe”• Proclamation of Gospel—in Word and

Sacrament—that Holy Spirit gives gift of faith

Sola Christos

• John 14:6—I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.

• Sincere beliefs in wrong thing not effective– Like child draw stamp on envelope, expect delivered

• I Colossians 1:22-24—For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God

Soli Deo Gloria

• Augsburg Confession teaches:– Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ – As center of the Christian faith– Gathers around this all other Biblical teachings

• Unique among Christian confessions– Witnesses everywhere to the glorious Christ– Who died for us and rose again – Who alone is the Savior of mankind

So Why am I an LCMS Lutheran Pastor?Luther puts it this way: “We must honor the Office of Christ...for from the pulpit comes Truth...God speaks...the Word is Word even if a jack-ass were to do the speaking. The Word is the Word...as if it were spoken in Heaven. How hard it is, for these men to continue when they are ignored...treated no better than one who begs on the streets...yet, it is they who beg for nothing less than our salvation. If we believed what we profess to believe...that they preach and teach the pure doctrine of eternity, we would be in awe of them...and the station God has Called them to occupy.”