Truth

Text: Jude 3
Date: Written on Walther’s 200^th Birthday, 10/25/11 + Reformation Day (Observed) + 10/30/11

In this 494^th celebration of the 16^th century Conservative Reformation of the Church by Martin Luther, we do so this year with special attention given to him who is the founding father in the 19^th century of our confessional fellowship, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, on the 200^th birthday of Pastor Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther. He was not originally designated to be a leader by those who emigrated from Saxony in Germany to this country as was “Bishop” Martin Stephan. But he was blessed by God through his study of Scripture, Luther’s writings and the Lutheran Confessions and his own experience in the Germany in which he grew up, after Stephan’s demise to emerge as the one needed to gather the members of their community around the Word of God to settle the questions concerning their standing before God as faithful members of Christ’s Church on earth. He became pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri, first president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and first (and third!) president of (as we were originally called) The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States (Deutsche Evangelisch-Lutherische Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten).

More than merely a lesson of history, however, we today are reminded that we are in the same struggle as that of Martin Luther and C.F.W. Walther, namely, the struggle for the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. It is a constant struggle because there have been and always will be forces aimed at misinterpreting or even ignoring God’s Word. I am taking as my inspiration the sermon preached by Walther on Reformation Day 135 years ago in 1876 with the typically complete-sentence-title “Why Dare and Can We Never Give Up the Church’s Struggle for the Pure Doctrine?” It is based on the scripture passage in Jude verse 3, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (ESV). It will be obvious how this is also an exposition of our Lord’s word in today’s Gospel, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Walther saw a three part outline in the sentence from Jude 3, first, that the Pure Doctrine of the Church is not our possession as much as it is a treasure only entrusted to us for our faithful administration; second, the threat of the loss of this treasure would be more terrible than any strife or discord among us; and third, because this contending or conflict is commanded by God and is therefore also blessed by God “in time and in eternity.”

Walther began his sermon that day with a brief review of the history of Martin Luther: the posting of his 95 Theses in 1517; his refusal to recant his teaching first before Cardinal Cajetan in 1518; his disputation with Dr. Eck in 1519; then his faithful confession before Pope and Emperor in Worms in 1521; his conflict with the radical reformer Ulrich Zwingli on the Lord’s Supper in 1529; and again his faithful confession in Augsburg in 1530.

Then Walther said, “My dear brethren, has the victory of the Reformation of the Church finally brought peace? Alas no! The Church is to triumph above; here it must fight until the peal of the last trumpet. That God’s Word testifies to us on all pages, and so also the apostle Jude, who has the surname Thaddeus, writes in our text: ‘Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints’” (emphasis mine).

In my lifetime it has been my observation that those of the Missouri Synod have been generally judged by others as being strict and seemingly constantly at war with any and all false teaching. Even our modern internet “Wikipedia” describes us with these words:

Classification: Lutheran

Orientation: Confessional Lutheran

Theology: “Old Lutheran repristination of Lutheran Orthodoxy with Evangelical Catholic, High Church, Pietist, charismatic, evangelical, and conservative to moderate and mainline influences.”

Polity: Congregationalist.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheran_Church–Missouri_Synod)
In these gray and latter days there have even been voices from within and among us (and not only a few) that have openly criticized our historic penchant for, as they put it, “incessant doctrinal purification,” a phrase well described by one pastor as “intended to stigmatize, to mildly offend, to stereotype and to shut-down. It is a sort of innuendo-dirty-word which is meant to push all who hear it away from one idea and towards another, more civil position.”[1] Said Walther, “it is true that loveless quarreling and fighting can bring only ruin; yet it does not in the least follow that for us the time has finally come to give up all the struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church.” This is because the pure doctrine is not something we have invented but was, as our text says, “once delivered unto the saints.” “Now tell me yourself,” Walther asks, “Does love demand that a steward give away some of the property entrusted to him?” “Oh my dear friends of the Lutheran faith, confession, and conflict, do not be misled when today those are everywhere accused of lovelessness who still do not give up the battle for pure doctrine in our church.”

Secondly, Walther zeros in on the phrase “the common salvation,” translated in German as “the salvation of us all,” what Jesus called “the truth.” Walther, of course, means to justify our contending for the faith that alone brings salvation. That is specifically faith in Jesus Christ whose bloody, sacrificial death on the cross has paid the price and taken away God’s wrath against our sin, thus freeing us to new life in God for both today and for eternity. Now to lose this salvation is worse and more terrible than any strife or conflict among men. Let me quote these words of Walther that speak as much to our day as to his:

“Of course, if no one would falsify God’s Word, no conflict would be necessary, yes, it would be a serious, terrible sin. But flesh, world, and Satan are continually bent upon falsifying God’s Word or the pure doctrine; and never has it been falsified in so many ways as just in our times so that now millions die the death eternal because of the poison of falsified doctrine. So dare we, can we be silent so as not to destroy earthly peace? For is it more terrible that temporal peace be taken from men, or rather that they be robbed of God’s Word which alone can save their souls?”

The master of Church history then points to the fourth century Arius who attacked Christ’s divinity and Athanasius who fought that falsification; the fifth century Pelagius’ attack of conversion only through grace and Augustine’s defense; and, of course, Luther’s 16^th century confession. Walther even includes 18^th century rationalism against which he himself was a chief opponent.

Finally, Walther emphasizes that the conflict or contention for doctrinal purity is commanded by God and blessed by God. It is interesting that Walther points to the recent successes and growth of the Lutheran Church in his time. But then he addresses us almost as a prophecy for our time of 21^st century America in these words:

“Suppose this were not true; suppose it seems as though finally all struggle in our days for the pure doctrine in our Church were completely without results and useless. We nevertheless dare not and could not give up this conflict. And why? Because the great God has commanded it in clear words…. Which man, yes, which angel, will dare to say ‘No, do not fight’ when God says ‘Fight!’?”

It is also interesting how Walther quotes what we call the Apocrypha, saying, “For as the wise man Sirach writes: ‘Defend the truth until death, then will God the Lord fight for you.’” (Sir 4:28)

Reading Walther’s sermon you can almost hear the strong, defiant challenge in his voice. Such a position did not offend me or “turn me off” as we used to say but was the very thing that, in the end of the 1960s, first attracted me to the faith and confession as presented and contended for by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod over against every other synod or body at the time. May I suggest that this is where real, true “church growth” happens also in our day with the substance and truth of the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ.

May I conclude with Walther’s own words:

“Granted that our name remains covered with disgrace before men until Judgment Day because of our struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church; nevertheless, if we remain faithful in the struggle, as truly as God is righteous and true, for the sake of Christ Judgment Day will be the day of our crowning and our entire eternity a festival of eternal victory and peace. Oh, what joy, what glory that will be when also we poor despised, scolded, and hated people will be received into the countless host of all the holy soldiers of God from Adam until the last faithful fighter who triumph before God’s throne!

“In conclusion I say to all of you:

Then let us follow Christ, our Lord,
And take the cross appointed,
And, firmly clinging to His Word,
In suffering be undaunted.
For who bears not the battle’s strain
The crown of life shall not obtain. Amen (TLH 421:5)”