Spring, 1969
TIIE SPRINGFIELDER is published quarterly by the faculty of Con-
cordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois, of the Lutheran
Church - Missouri Sy110d.
EDITORI.IId COlt'lRITTTEE
Er:rcri I-I. MEINTZES, Editor
RAY l i 5 o . u ~ F. SURE LRG, Bool: Re?7iezo Editor
D.$vrr) P. {CAER, L 4 3 ~ ~ ~ i a t e Editor
h f L ~ ~ ~ < J. STF EGE, Aycociatt? Editor
F ' H E S I I ) E ~ T J . A . 0. PKEL'S, ex ufficio
Contents
RESPONSES "11;H:IT COhTA~JI 'XIFXT TO 'TMF 'SO1 ,*I
GlLATIrl' 1N THE I L 1 HPRL41V COAT 6ESSIOSS
ISVOLVELS"
Rrc~rr \~ :u 1. S c ~ u r 7-%
E.RIC:H 13. 1 J ~ I X T Z E A
BOOKS RkCEI\-ED
fndcneri i?; I N D E X TO RELIGIOUS PERIODICAL ITERATURE, published by the
A~nericriti T7ieologicul I,ihrczr?; Associcltio?l, 3lcCormick Se?nina~-?, Library ,
Chicrlgo. : 'linois.
Clergy chdngcs of .~ddress reported to Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis,
Missouri, will also cover mailing change of The Syr-ingficlder. Other changes
of address should he scnt to the Business Manager of The Springfielder, Con-
cordia Theol~gic~il Seminary, Springfield, Illinois 62702.
Address conimunications to the Editor, Erich H. Heintzen, Concordia Theo-
logical Seminary, Springfield, Illinois 62 7 02.
Commentary On The Essay:
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"What Commitment to The 'Sola
Gratia' in The Lutheran
Confessions Involves"
A NY ATTEMPT to evaluate the essay "iVhat Commitment to the "Sola Gratia" in the Lutheran Confessions In\rolves7' raises the
primary question: What does this essay set out to accomplish? The
essay itself answers the question as follows: to "purpose to sketch in
broad outline the significance of the gracc of God for the life of the
church and to point up, in a series of antitheses, the relevance of
this ccntral Lutheran teaching for the life and work of the church
in our day." In kccping with this stated purpose, the cssay presents
the matter under three headings: I. Thc God of All Grace; 11. The
Word of Grace; 111. The People of Grace.
It is the purpose of this evaluation to be selective; not to dis-
cuss every section in detail; nor to quote extensively from the essay.
It is hoped that the reader will have the committee's essay on "Sola
Gratia" at hand for reference if needed. Nevertheless, a brief over-
view may serve to convey the general thrust of the essay and provide
the context for specific points to be treated.
I. The Cod of All Grace. Beginning at the beginning, the essay
discusses the grace of the Creator in His creation, a work in which
His Son Jesus Christ had a part. The gracc of the Creator is mani-
fested in the creation and care of man. He made man in His image.
Man sinned in that hc refused to live in dependence upon this Cre-
ator-grace; in refusing grace, man forfeited his life and called down
upon himself the wrath of God. The Law only intensifies the situa-
tion created by man's disobedience.
Only the grace of God for His disobedient creature can restore
man to his faithful Creator. In Christ "who was put to death for
our trespasses and raised for our justification" is seen grace in its
full essential sense as the undesired and undeserved favor of God.
The work of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father
and the Son is a work of grace; through Him the love of God, mani-
fested in the cross of Christ, is poured into the hearts of men.
11. The Word of Grace. "Commitment to the Sola Gratia of
our confessions means that we hear the Word of Grace in the promise
of the prophets and the proclamation of the apostles as God's mirac-
ulous Nevertheless over against the Law . . ." God's reconciling act
of grace lives on and works in his inspired Word and Sacraments.
111. The People of Grace. "Commitment to the Sola Gratia of
our confessions means that we live, work, and witness far and near
io the worICl as the people of grace, a people created and controlled
by the \\'orcj of Grace, put their trust wholly in the grace of
[;od and alvait the new world which grace will create."
The peolllc of grace is a compa~iy of belicvcrs. The word of gracc is
a call . . . it ,gatIlcrs the people of God, through the working of the
l-ioly Spirit. is inscribed over thc whole life and work of the
church+ The reign of grace is intolerant toward both legalisni and
libertinism.
Thell folloJ~~ the Azztitheses. "Commitment to the Soh Crutia
of our confcssjons involkcs an articulate rcjcction of all that calls the
grace of coCl into cluestion." Examples of attitudes and practices
w]lic~l call the grace of ~ ; o d into question today arc cited, in keeping
with the statclnent of purpose "to point up . . . the relevance of this
central ~ , ~ ~ t ~ i c r ~ n tea hing for the life and work of the church in
our day."
Ill grcncra], tllc c{ocunicnt provides a succinct statenlent of what
the authors fclcl is involved in commitment to the "Sola Gratia" of
the Luthcran Confcssions. Obviously not everything could be said.
However, what is said seems to be sufficient for the stated purpose of
"skc tch i~ i~ n broad outline the significance of the gracc of God for
the life . . . and work of the church today."
Of particular interest for our purposes is Part I. the God of All
Grace, ~vliich falls into tlirec parts. The threefold arrangement cor-
responcls to the Articles of the Crced. This manncr of treating the
grace of Gocl implics--in view of the title of the essay-that the
trcatnicnt is i n accord with tlie Lutheran Confessions; more specifi-
cally, that grace properly belongs to the First Article as well as to
the Sccontl and Third Articles. Furthermore, that this recognition
is involved in one's commitment to the Lutheran Confessions.
It is precisely on this point, namely, the idea of Crcator-grace,
that some qi~cstions arise. Is this concept to be found in, and is it
involved in con~mjtment to, the Lutheran Confessions?
Admi ttcdly , the Confcssions speak overwhelmingly of "sola
gratia" in connection with Justification (AC IV; A p l . IV, 17, VI, XX;
Largc Cat., the Creed, Second Art.) and in connection with Sancti-
fication (AC V, VII; Apol. VII, VIII, Large Cat., the Creed, Third
Articlc). This is true not nierely of specific articles but of the Con-
fessions in gcneral.
Thcre are some obvious historical reasons for this. At the time
of thc I