Aquinas Quoting Augustine on Scripture Alone

“Nevertheless, sacred doctrine makes use of these authorities as extrinsic and probable arguments; but properly uses the authority of the canonical Scriptures as an incontrovertible proof, and the authority of the doctors of the Church as one that may properly be used, yet merely as probable.  For our faith rests upon the revelation made to the apostles and prophets who wrote the canonical books, and not on the revelations (if any such there are) made to other doctors.  Hence Augustine says (Epis. ad Hieron. xix, 1): ‘Only those books of Scripture which are called canonical have I learned to hold in such honor as to believe their authors have not erred in any way in writing them.  But other authors I so read as not to deem everything in their works to be true, merely on account of their having so thought and written, whatever may have been their holiness and learning.’”

— St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologia,
Part 1, Question 1, Article 8.
Emphasis added.

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God’s Word Is Reality

God does not need paint and canvas to create a beautiful sunset.  His canvas is the sky, His paints are the colors of the rainbow, and His brush is the wind.  Likewise, God does not need to make up stories.  His word is life, His characters are actual people, and His stories are reality.

When God speaks, if His words are not already true to reality, they make reality true to themselves.  For what God says is always true:  God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”  (Genesis 1:3).

Recently, I heard a Roman Catholic priest say in a sermon that the stories in the Bible before Moses were not historical because they contain a lot of myth.  He compared the story of Jacob wrestling with God to Greek mythology.  According to him the value of these stories is merely symbolic because they can help us to learn helpful tips for living, like the fact that Jacob was close to God.

However, the Old and New Testaments are not “cleverly invented stories” (2 Peter 1:16).  We know this because “no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  (2 Peter 1:20-21).  Because God’s word is always true, His Spirit does not inspire stories that purport to be true history, if they are not historical.  (John 17:17).

And now “we have the word of the prophets made more certain,” He is the word of truth made flesh, and His name is Jesus Christ.  (2 Peter 1:19, John 1:14).  According to Jesus, in the beginning of our history, God created two people (Adam and Eve) and they were one flesh.  (Matthew 19:4-6).  This shows that Jesus accepted Genesis as historical.  And following the lead of her Lord, the Church has also accepted the books of Moses as historical.  Calling Genesis a myth is a recent innovation.

One of the principles of sola Scriptura is that the Scriptures are clear and able to be understood.  That does not mean that the Scriptures do not contain unfathomable mysteries, but it does mean that in the Bible God has competently communicated His deep salvific truth.  (Luke 16:31).  (The more one knows about a true mystery (like the Trinity), the more fascinating and deep it becomes).

Because the Scriptures are able to be understood, and because Jesus promised to be with His Church to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20), that means that every generation of Christians since the time of Christ has been able to understand the Scriptures.  If those generations testify unanimously that they understood Genesis to be historical, then who are we to say it is myth?

Genesis was not written merely to share clever stories and spiritual truths.  It is real.  It is as real as the Lord’s Supper is the real Body and Blood of Christ.  These stories and sacraments not just symbols, but actual physical supernatural realities.  They are Christ given to us, and Christ is the truth.  (John 14:6-7).

Our God is almighty.  And an almighty God does not paint with canvas and brush and make-believe symbols, He paints with reality.

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Writing of the Historic Church

Someone will perhaps ask, “Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything, and more than sufficient, what need is there to join with it the authority of the Church’s interpretation?”  For this reason: because, owing to the depth of Holy Scripture, all do not accept it in one and the same sense, but one understands its words in one way, another in another, so that it seems to be capable of as many interpretations as there are interpreters…

Moreover, in the catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.  For that is truly and in the strictest sense “catholic,” which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally.  This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent.  We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors.

What, then, will a catholic Christian do if a small portion of the Church have cut itself off from the communion of the universal faith?  What, surely, but prefer the soundness of the whole body to the unsoundness of a pestilent and corrupt member?  What, if some novel contagion seek to infect not merely an insignificant portion of the Church, but the whole?  Then it will be his care to cleave to antiquity, which at this day cannot possibly be seduced by any fraud of novelty.

—Vincent of Lérins

— Treasury of Daily Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 2008 A.D. pages 1160-1161.

Jesus promised that he would be with his Church “always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 27:20).  This means that the Scriptures are able to be rightly understood by all generations.  However, the “Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”  (1 Timothy 4:1).  The delusions of these deceiving spirits are so powerful, that if it were possible, they would “deceive even the elect.”  (Matthew 24:24).  Therefore, as we look to the Scriptures, we must trust Christ’s promise that he would always be with his Church, that the faith would never change, and that this unchanging continuity from the early Church can provide us with guidance and protection against the powerful delusions and false spirits of our present day.

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Shepherds, Hear the Word of the Lord

Ezekiel 33:1-9:

When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head.  Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head.  If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself.  But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.

Pastors and all those who see the truth, but do not speak a word of warning, will be accountable for the blood of the lost.  Paul said in Acts 20:22-31:

I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.  For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

Paul’s warning applies to all congregations, all churches, and all synods.  Be on your guard!  Open your eyes!  Wake up!  Any group of believers that acts like it is immune from false doctrine is not holding to the above words of Scripture.  To the Scriptures!  Alarm!

Hear the word of the Lord:

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who take care of only themselves!  Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.  You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.  You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost.  You have ruled them harshly and brutally.  So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.  My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.  They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.  [Ezekiel 34:1-6].

When a pastor does not strengthen the weak or heal the sick or bind up the injured, it means that that shepherd does not administer the Gospel.  The sheep do not need a cowboy or a self-help shepherd who thinks it is his prerogative to live off the sheep and treat them like his chattel.  Because they did not hear the Gospel, and because they were driven instead of led, the flock has become spiritually scattered.  Instead of feeding at Calvary, they feed on every other high hill of false spirits and false doctrine.

The shepherds were lazy.  Not only did they not guide the flock with the true Law, they did not administer the healing balm of the Gospel.  They were too lazy to study the word of God, and too deceitful to even write their own sermons.

The unfaithful shepherds chased after false prophets, followed them to their conferences, sat at their feet, and lusted for their earthly success.  They said, “The wolves are successful:  We can learn from them, and ourselves become fat at the expense of the flock.”

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:  As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:  This is what the Sovereign LORD says:  I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock.  [Ezekiel 34:7-10].

Repent!

In John 10:11-21, Jesus said:

I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep.  So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.  Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

If a shepherd is not willing to lay down his life for the sheep, or if he thinks the flock exists for his benefit; then he is not a good shepherd.  Instead, he is the hireling who runs away.  Or even worse, he is the wolf who, instead of living for the flock, lives off the flock.

Who said it would be easy to be a good shepherd?  How many heroes of faith lived to an old age and died in peace?  How many shepherds fought with wolves and came away unscathed?  (1 Corinthians 15:32).  Not very many.

They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.  They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.  [Hebrews 11:37-38].

“Remember the words I spoke to you:  ‘No servant is greater than his master.’”  (John 15:20).  “Father, forgive them …”  (Luke 23:34).  “Forgive us …”  (Luke 11:4).

.

Notes:  Emphasis added to all quotes.

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The Lutheran Study Bible, a First Look

The regular print edition of The Lutheran Study Bible is a beautifully bound book.  It is a big book, about the same size as the Treasury of Daily Prayer; however, the print is much smaller and the paper is thinner than the Treasury.  The print for the abundant notes below the Biblical text is especially small.

There are many beautiful illustrations.  The picture below depicts the baptism of Jesus at the beginning of the Book of Matthew.

This picture also shows how easy it is to see right through the thin paper, even two pages ahead.  The thinness of the paper, ink gloss, red lettering of Jesus’ words, and small print make the text difficult to read.  Also, extra care is needed when turning pages so as to avoid ripping or wrinkling the paper.

Even though the paper is thin, the content appears thick.  This book is billed as the first genuinely Lutheran study Bible in the English language, and that alone should earn it some praise.

However, the danger of any study bible is that the study notes and translation could cause the readers to read into the Biblical text what is in fact not there (eisegesis).  For example, the English Standard Version (ESV) translation of 1 Corinthians 11:8-10 & 14-16 from The Lutheran Study Bible says:

8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.  9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.  10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels…

14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?  For her hair is given to her for a covering.  16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

Here are the study notes for verses 14 & 15:

11:14 nature.  No Scripture passage teaches this, nor is Paul appealing to the created order.  Instead, as in v 13, he calls them to consider how things are in their culture.

11:15 covering.  Summarizes vv 9-12 and 14-15, pointing out that the practices of Roman culture regarding head coverings and gender distinction are in harmony with God’s will…

Paul discusses our creation and the created order, and appeals to “nature itself,” however, the notes conclude that Paul is actually writing only about Roman culture and not nature.  Over the last 90 years, many prominent American women cut their long hair, not just as a new style, but as an expression of liberation.  Is it possible that “nature itself” means nature and not just culture?

Has the Church always interpreted “nature itself” in verse 14 as culture?  Or is this an innovation?  Notice Jesus’ hair in the drawing above.  (We do not know how long Jesus’ hair was).  Samson had long hair, but he was a Nazirite from birth (see Numbers 6 and Judges 13).  Was a Nazarite’s long hair also a sign of authority on their head (i.e. their vow)?

In an interesting WELS Q & A regarding the translation of the Greek word gune in 1 Corinthians 11, the WELS answer expresses concern, not only with the ESV’s arbitrary translation of gune as both “woman” and “wife” in the same passages, but also by inference the LCMS’ theology regarding the roles of men and women.  (The NIV, KJV, and NKJV all use only the word “woman,” in 1 Corinthians 11, not “wife”).  The Lutheran Study Bible is billed as the first genuinely Lutheran study Bible, but it is also distinctly Missouri Synod Lutheran, and the Missouri Synod has women serving in positions of authority over men in some of its congregations (for example, as authoritative voters and congregational presidents).

Compared to the other highly anticipated and recently released books from Concordia Publishing House, this is the first that I’ve found difficult to read and recommend.  There is a larger print edition available.  In summary, this is a good book at first look, and the pictures are beautiful, but its theology and translation may be a bit off in places, and reading the regular print edition is hard on the eyes.

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WELS, the Word, and the ELCA

The so-called “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America” (ELCA) approved of homosexuality at its 2009 convention in Minneapolis, MN.  Many saw the upside-down cross on the steeple of the church the convention was using.  (The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality).  There is no more fitting symbol for the ELCA than a broken steeple and an upside-down cross.

From its inception, the ELCA has rejected and undermined the authority of the Word of God.  Without the authority of God’s Word, it is only a matter of time before we sinners start calling good evil and evil good.  That is why it is so dangerous when conservative Lutherans start trusting in methods instead of the Word of God to grow the Church.  Every time we replace the Word of God with a fluffy love song, and every time pastor preaches a “serminar” containing six practical steps to overcome life’s challenges instead of proclaiming the true law and gospel; then we (like the ELCA) are saying that the Word of God is not to be trusted.

That is why it was encouraging to hear the reports delivered at the WELS 2009 biennial convention that condemned the so-called Church Growth Movement.  Those reports deserve to be studied by everyone in the WELS.  The WELS is not immune to sin.  The WELS is not likely to endorse homosexuality, but mere opposition to homosexuality is not a way to heaven.  The Word of God is the only way to heaven.

If we abandon the Word of God for “Church Growth Methods,” then the ELCA’s fate will be our fate.  The road may look different, but the destination will be the same.  Therefore, even in the face of ridicule and persecution, we must study the word of God and trust the Word of God.

WELS 2009 Convention Related Links:

• “Christ’s love, our calling“
• “Called to proclaim“
• “Maintaining our confessional identity“

• Thoughts and Highlights from the WELS 2009 Convention from The Finkelsteinery
• Resolutions and What Not from Synod Convention from The Blog of St. Mark
• Convention video series on Streams
• 2009 Synod Convention website
• 2009 Convention photos on Flickr

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WELS Convention

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) biennial convention convenes on Monday, July 27 in Saginaw, Michigan, and runs through Friday, July 31, 2009 A.D.  There are many important issues at stake that will affect the future of our synod.  Here are links to some important web sites and documents regarding the convention:

•  2009 Book of Reports and Memorials (BORAM).  This document is a summary of “the business that will come before the convention.”  It describes the activities, plans, and issues facing the synod; and also contains “formal requests from groups or individuals … to address specific issues.”

•  Final Report of the Ad Hoc Commission.  This commission was charged with evaluating the synod’s problems, and making recommendations to deal with those problems.  Here is a sampling of some of the recommendations along with my comments:

• “We recommend that the 2009 Synod in Convention appoint a group to bring a comprehensive redistricting recommendation to the 2011 convention.”  (Page 15).

Some districts are too large for effective pastoral oversight from the District President (bishop).  Shrinking the size of a large district should better enable the local District President to actively deal with false doctrine and practice.

• “We recommend that a flexible program of continuing education with standards and minimum requirements for all called workers be developed …”  (Page 24).

If implemented well, this could be very beneficial.  Not only would it continually stress the importance of ongoing education, but it could also help our pastors maintain their essential language skills in Greek, Hebrew, German, and Latin.

• “We recommend that the Conference of Presidents initiate a synod-wide review of key doctrines and practical issues … in an effort to foster and preserve unity in doctrine and practice.”  (Page 25).

• “We recommend that the … approach to study [of doctrine & practice] should incorporate insights from church fathers, Lutheran confessional documents, [and] insights from the history and experience of the Christian church through the ages…”  (Pages 25-26).

The above approach uses the Lutheran (correct) understanding of sola Scriptura that teaches that the Scriptures are able to be rightly understood, not just by our generation, but by all generations.  Saint Paul wrote to the Ephesians, that in “reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.”  (3:4).  And Jesus promised that he would be with His Church “always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 27:20).

One of the areas of suggested study is “The Sacramental Life.”  (Page 27).  The report states:

Prior to the 1700s, the life of the evangelical Lutheran church was more immersed in and focused upon the sacraments as part of the Christian’s regular spiritual nourishment.  German pietism in the 1700s downplayed the sacraments, and the Lutheran church has never fully recovered from pietism’s detrimental effects.

First, this study will emphasize that the gospel is primarily nourishment for the soul and not mere information.  Second, this study will emphasize the very Lutheran understanding of daily baptismal awareness and Holy Communion as the tangible expression of the gospel.  Third, the study will emphasize a thirst for and appreciation of confession and absolution.  [Emphasis added].

•  Finally, Streams will be carrying live coverage of the convention streaming over the internet.

In a recent article entitled, “Counting our blessings at convention time,” President Schroeder expressed thanks, that unlike the ELCA, the WELS “is committed to the truth of God’s Word in all we believe and do.”  It is my prayer that God will guide the synod in convention and each congregation to make that commitment written on paper in the Book of Concord into a living commitment to do genuine Confessional Lutheranism in accord with God’s word and the best traditions of the historic Christian Church.

Kyrie eleison.

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Quote from The Conservative Reformation

It is vastly more important, then, to know what the Reformation retained than what it overthrew; for the overthrow of error, though often an indispensable prerequisite to the establishment of truth, is not truth itself; it may clear the foundation, simply to substitute one error for another, perhaps a greater for a less.

****

The mightiest weapon which the Reformation employed against Rome was, not Rome’s errors, but Rome’s truths…  There was no fear of truth, simply because Rome held it, and no disposition to embrace error, because it might be employed with advantage to Rome’s injury.  While it established broadly and deeply the right of private judgment, it did not make that abuse of it which has since been so common.  From the position, that the essential truths of the word of God are clear to any Christian mind that examines them properly, it did not leap to the conclusion, that a thousand generations or a thousand examiners were as likely, or more likely, to be wrong than one.

— Charles Porterfield Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology (repr. St. Louis: Concordia, 2007), 202-203.

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