LIFE Called and Ordained - p.5 The Gospel Ministry—In the Lutheran Confessions - p.8 Confessing the Name of the Triune God - p.10 The Keys: Christ’s Word of Law and Gospel - p.12 Living by Faith - p.14 In the Field - p.16 WORLD of the For the October 1999. Volume Three, Number Four F E A T U R E S 3 From the President 4 Letters to the Editor 5 Called & Ordained by the Rev. Chad L. Bird Pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church Wellston, Okla. Those who, in the stead and by the mandate of Christ, absolve, preach, catechize, and celebrate the Sacrament are His priestly ministers. 8 The Gospel Ministry —In the Lutheran Confessions by the Rev. Prof. Kurt Marquart Assoc. Professor Systematic Theology Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Ind. The Lutheran Confessions maintain the full integrity of the public ministry of the New Testament. 10 Confessing the Name of the Triune God by Elizabeth A. Fluegel Research Director LCMS Office of Government Information Washington, D.C. The task of handling eternal things is that of the Christian pastor. He is called to preserve and preach unspoiled, undisturbed and undis- torted the image of the Eternal One: the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 12 The Keys: Christ’s Word of Law & Gospel by the Rev. Prof. Lawrence Rast Asst. Professor Historical Theology Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Ind. The keys carry the Gospel, in the broad sense, forward, condemning self-assured people of their sin and assuring the contrite of their forgiveness. 14 Living by Faith by the Rev. Scott Klemsz Publisher, For the Life of the World and Director of Admission & Public Relations Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Ind. For the men and women of the former Soviet Union, living by faith is more than an act of personal devotion or piety—it is the reality of their lives. 16 In the Field by Pam Knepper Managing Editor For the Life of the World Features the Rev. David Mumme, Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Marseilles, Ill. For theLIFE WORLDofthe PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER Rev. Scott Klemsz MANAGING EDITOR Pam Knepper ART DIRECTOR Steve Blakey For the Life of the World is published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For the Life of the World. Copyright 1999. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Fort Wayne, Indiana. To be added to our mailing list please call 219/452-2150 or e-mail Rev. Scott Klemsz at CTSNews. For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. page 6 page 12 CONTENTS page 8 page 14 page 16 page 10 For the Life of the World2 T he horrible abuse and misunder- standing of the precious keys is one of the greatest plagues which God’s wrath has spread over the ungrateful world. It has increased so greatly in Christendom that almost nowhere in the world do we find a true use and understanding of the keys” (LW 40:325). Luther’s comment from “The Keys” certainly applied to the unfortunate situation in the medieval Roman Catholic Church. Rome obscured the gracious work of Christ on the cross by making its efficaciousness dependent on human obedience—repentance was turned into a human act that earned God’s forgiveness. But by the time Luther wrote “The Keys” in 1530 he was aware of dan- ger on another front. “Remember that the keys or the forgiveness of sins are not based on our own repentance or worthi- ness … Such teachings are entirely Pela- gian, Mohammedan (Türkisch), pagan, Jewish, like those of the Anabaptists, fanatic, and anti-Christian” (LW 40:364). Rome was certainly in error—as were any who compromised the certainty of forgiveness centered in Christ’s cross. What was at stake? For Luther it was the keys of the kingdom—the binding and loosing message of Law and Gospel. Through the keys Christ Himself con- demned sin and unbelief, as well as free- ing condemned and lost sinners. “The key which binds is the power or office to punish the sinner who refuses to repent by means of a public condemnation to eternal death and separation from the rest of Christendom. And when such judg- ment is pronounced, it is as a judgment of Christ himself … The loosing key is the power or office to absolve the sinner who makes confession and is converted from sins, promising again eternal life. And it has the same significance as if Christ Himself passed judgment” (LW 40:372). The keys carry the Gospel, in the broad sense, forward, condemning self-assured people of their sin and assuring the con- trite of their forgiveness. The binding key, however, is for Luther only a means to an end. The ultimate aim of the keys is the forgiveness of sins. The loosing key, like baptism, creates new life. The keys are efficacious because of their christological character. “For Christ has not ordained authorities or powers or lordships in His church, but ministries, . . . For in [baptism and penance] there is a like ministry, a similar promise, and the same kind of sacrament” (“The Babylon- ian Captivity of the Church,” Three Trea- tises [Muhlenberg, 1960], 208). Thus, the application of the loosing key is God’s act, which delivers the life-giving forgiveness of sins won by Christ. Assur- ance stems from the application of the loosing key. “A simple trusting heart can 12 For the Life of the World TheKeys: Christ’sWord of Law&Gospel “ By the Rev. Prof. Lawrence R. Rast boldly rely on God’s action. And in times of deep distress, with our conscience accusing us, we may say: Well then! I have been absolved of my sins, however many and great they may be, by means of the key, on which I may rely. Let no one remind me of my sins any longer. All are gone, forgiven, forgotten” (LW 40:375). In the 17th century, certain heirs of Luther began to question whether the proclamation of the loosing key had not become too easy and free. “Should we not put a greater emphasis on seeing the necessary fruits of repentance before we proclaim the word of absolution?” they asked. “Is mere confession of sins enough?” For instance, Johann Arndt (1555-1621) outlined his understanding of the relationship between faith and repentance as follows: “Have I not preached to you out of which forgiveness comes? Where is your repentance? Where is the true living faith? Where is the renewal of your mind, the church of life? It is there where forgiveness of sins is” (True Christianity [Paulist Press, 1979], 114). Later, Philip Spener would extend Arndt’s theology and note: “How many there are who live such a manifest- ly unchristian life that they themselves cannot deny that the Law is broken at every point, who have no intention of mending their ways in the future, and yet who pretend to be firmly convinced that they will be saved in spite of all this! . . . They are sure of this because it is of course not possible to be saved on account of one’s life, but they believe in Christ and put all their trust in Him, that this cannot fail, and they will surely be saved by such faith.” Such a faith, says Spener, “leads many people to damna- tion” (Pia Desideria, 64). Spener believed that people trusted too much in the reception of the sacraments, and did not stress good works enough. Thus, concluded Spener, it was the pas- tor’s responsibility to determine who was and was not a true believer, for it was to true believers alone that forgiveness was to be preached. “This is also true of con- fession and absolution, which we hold to be an effective means of evangelical comfort and the forgiveness of sins. It is this, however, to none but believers. Why is it, then, that so many, who do not have the slightest bit of that aforementioned true faith, confess and have themselves absolved even while they remain unre- pentant, as if their confession and absolu- tion would be of benefit to them simply because they have performed an act, spo- ken a confession, and received absolu- tion?” (Pia Desideria, 67). The contrast between Luther and Spen- er is clear. Where Luther underscores the necessity of both keys, Spener slips toward an emphasis on the binding key. In other words, Spener limits the procla- mation of the Gospel to those whom he is convinced show the satisfactory fruits of faith. Works of the Law become the stan- dard by which the presence of faith is judged. Luther will not abide those who persist in manifest, public sin. On the other hand, he rejects the notion that the Law can engender good works. Rather, the fruits of faith will flow from the application of the loosing key. “The intention of the key which binds is that we heed its threatening and thereby come to fear God. He who believes the key which threatens has satisfied it before and without performing any works. The key does not demand any other work. After- ward such faith will indeed perform works” (LW 40:375). For Luther it is a matter of assurance for the contrite—one’s works only lead to uncertainty and, ultimately, to despair. Christ is displaced with self. While Spen- er continually examines the character of an individual’s repentance from the per- spective of the binding key as evidenced by works, Luther stresses the fact of the individual’s sinfulness that has been cov- ered by the blood of Christ applied in the loosing key. For the voice of the pastor speaking the absolution is Christ’s voice. In 1531 Luther composed a short order of confession and absolution, which was appended to the Small Catechism. At the point of absolution the pastor is to state: “Do you believe that this forgiveness is the forgiveness of God?” After the con- fessor answers in the affirmative, the pas- tors continues: “Be it done for you as you have believed. According to the com- mand of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace” (Book of Concord [Fortress, 1959], 351). In our time people run from one “prophet” to the next, seeking desperate- ly to hear God’s voice. What they nor- mally hear is a Spenerian application of the binding key. “Change your life, accept Christ and He will accept you.” What a blessing we have in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod! For here, God has graciously maintained the keys. And through the keys, faithfully administered publicly by the Office of the Holy Min- istry and privately in the “mutual conver- sation and consolation of the brethren” (Book of Concord, 310), Christ speaks. And where Christ speaks, His keys effect His promise—to “recover for you the innocence you received in baptism. You will be born anew as a real saint, for God’s Word and the keys are holy” (LW 40:375). The Rev. Prof. Lawrence Rast is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. The keys carry the Gospel, in the broad sense, forward, condemning self-assured people of their sin and assuring the contrite of their forgiveness. The binding key, however, is for Luther only a means to an end. The ultimate aim of the keys is the forgiveness of sins. 13OCTOBER 1999